DW Christmas Special 2006: The Runaway Bride

A Guide to Classic Who references (and other references) in new Who and spin-off episodes.

Doctor Who Christmas Special #2 (Story 22).  The Doctor helps a bride get back to her wedding.

Warning: May contain Spoilers for

"The Runaway Bride"

Viewing Order

• Children in Need - "Born Again" or Christmas Special 2005 - "The Christmas Invasion" (Suggested viewing - reintroduction of character.)

References

[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic series (or the film.)  Episode List.

For context, the following are also covered:
[1ST] -  The first appearance of things in Doctor Who series.
[NEW] - Things that first appeared previously in the new series.

• [OLD] The TARDIS is protecting us - In "Horns of Nimon" (Season 17) the Fourth Doctor extends the door forcefield to allow them to board a Skonnan battle cruiser.

• [NEW]  Slade's "Merry Christmas Everyone" - An actual song from 1973 which first appeared in Doctor Who in "The Christmas Invasion."  The video for the song can be found here.

• [NEW]  A bit overweight with a zip around his forehead - An obvious reference to the Raxacoricofallapatorian criminal family the Slitheen.

• [OLD]  I'm not from Mars - No, but the Ice Warriors are.  The Ice Warriors last appeared in the Third Doctor story "The Monster of Peladon" (Season 11).

• [NEW]  Robot Santas - As noted previously appeared in "The Christmas Invasion."

• [NEW]  The Christmas Invasion - The events of the Sycorax Invasion.

• [1ST]  Bio-damper - Some sort of device that cloaks (ore dampening) a person's biological signature.  Not an Australian campfire soda bread contain biological agents.

• [1ST] Huon particles - First appearance of this minute quantity of matter.

• [NEW]  Torchwood - Another reference to the Torchwood Institute.  The Doctor seems to think that that Torchwood ended with Torchwood One in "Doomsday."

• [NEW]  Battle of Canary Wharf - The Cyberman/Dalek battle in "Doomsday."

• [NEW] Secret Base Under Major London Landmark - In "Rose" the Nestene was nesting under the London Eye.

• [1ST] Racnoss - First appearance of this ancient race, although the Time Lords appeared to have met them long ago.  The Doctor met a race of giant sentient (and telepathic) spiders (called "Eight Legs") in the Third Doctor story "Planet of the Spiders" (Season 11), however, they evolved from Earth spiders and are unrelated.

• [OLD] Beginnings of the Earth - The Doctor says it's as far back as he's been.  Which could be true.  The Fourth Doctor did go back to the beginnings of life on Earth in "City of Death" (Season 17).

• [NEW] Tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator - Bron's space-surfboard thingy from "Boomtown."

• [OLD] Bigger on the Inside - Time Lord technology.

• [OLD] Gallifrey - Home planet of the Doctor and the Time Lords.  Visited often in the original series, it was apparently destroyed during the Time War.

• [NEW] Mr Saxon - Second appearance of the name.

~ DUG.

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The Time Crash blog was created to help New Who fans understand Classic Who references - and to know if something isn't a reference but a new idea.  If there's a reference I missed or a subject that you feel needs more explaining, please comment.