The Doctor Who Christmas special tradition will definitely be continuing this year!

There had been some doubt recently about whether the BBC had decided to shelve the annual festive episode since series 11 is expected to air in the autumn, but the good news for fans is that they will still get their holiday treat.

Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens confirmed the jolly news during a press conference with Digital Spy and other media ahead of their Hall H panel at Comic-Con International.

BBC

"We seem to be filming 11 episodes, and it's only a series of 10," Chibnall teased, with Strevens chiming in: "I don't know what happened. It's a show about space and time, so it's all quite abstract."

"I would definitely think there's another episode after the end of the series, yeah," Chibnall added of a Christmas special.

While fans wait for more news on this year's Christmas special, feel free to check out Digital Spy's definitive ranking of festive outings from David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi.

Chibnall has been chatting up the impending premiere of series 11, telling us that the run will focus on standalone adventures for The Doctor and her friends rather than two-parters.

BBC / BBC Studios

"What we want is for people to feel like we've got the range and variety of Doctor Who this year," he explained. "So if you've never seen it before, you're gonna fall in love with it, and if you have seen it, you're gonna get those things that you love about the show across the 10 episodes."

Doctor Who's 11th series will premiere on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US this autumn.

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