The grand tradition of the Doctor Who Christmas special is here once more - let the Whovians rejoice!

Though 2016 didn't actually see any new episodes of the beloved British franchise, viewers will finally get a chance to catch up with Peter Capaldi's Doctor this holiday season.

It's a welcome return, with Capaldi saying of the show: "Doctor Who should be on Christmas Day. It suits Christmas. It’s a little bit scary, a little bit nostalgic and a little bit festive."

Showrunner Steven Moffat adds that the show has an importance beyond the usual confines of children's TV: "I feel very strongly about this. Just because Doctor Who is a children’s programme, it doesn’t mean that it’s dumb – in fact, quite the opposite. Children’s TV has to be challenging. You have to stay ahead of the audience because, let’s be clear, kids are smarter than us – and that’s why we don’t like them."

"Doctor Who is a good-hearted adventure where the adults say, ‘This is a really clever show’, and the kids say, ‘Yes, but it’s ours!’ It fills that slot. We can all sit down and watch it. I always think Doctor Who is like when you go to a restaurant and glance longingly at the children’s menu. You think, ‘That’s so much better than the risotto I have to pretend I want.’"

Here's everything you need to know about the new episode.

When and where can I watch it?

The Doctor Who Christmas special airs at 5:45pm on BBC1 on Christmas Day.

What is the episode about?

Titled 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio', the 90-minute episode sees the Doctor travel to New York, where brain-swapping aliens launch an attack on Manhattan; seeing the Doctor, Nardole, an investigative reporter, and a superhero known as The Ghost, all team up to defeat the threat.

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Who are the cast?

Alongside Peter Capaldi, Matt Lucas returns as Nardole, an assistant to the Doctor's wife River Song (Alex Kingston) in last year's Christmas special; acting now as a sort of temporary companion before Pearl Mackie's Bill takes up the job when season 10 debuts, though Lucas will still be a series regular.

Justin Chatwin plays Grant - alter ego The Ghost - with Charity Wakefield playing intrepid reporter Lucy Fletcher. Adetomiwa Edun, Aleksandar Jovanovic, and Logan Hoffman also star.