‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special: David Tennant advises Matt Smith on leaving

If you love “Doctor Who,” then we have to imagine that Christmas Day may actually be a little bit emotional for you. That is when you will start to get a little bit teary-eyed over saying goodbye to a great ambassador for the show in Matt Smith. We know that for some of you out there Matt was your first Doctor, and while we’ve since gone back to watch some of the David Tennant episodes, he was also the first Doctor where we were fully committed to the story. There’s an emotional attachment there, and it will be hard to lose him … even though we will still welcome Peter Capaldi with open arms for season 8 and beyond.

Luckily, Smith has some great people all around him who are willing to offer up some advice on how to get through this experience, including someone who has went through this entire experience before. In the video below from BBC America, David Tennant sits down with Matt and talks to him about how the world reacts to your regeneration, and the strange sort of feeling that comes with continuing to watch the show when you’re gone.

Hopefully, Smith will continue to be a fan once he’s gone, since he has delivered so much fun over the years. For Tennant, he actually says that it is these sort of holiday specials like the one on Wednesday that he misses the most, as this becomes the sort of tradition that fans look forward to every year. You gather around with your family after opening gifts, watch The Doctor’s latest adventures, and then head off for hopefully a very long winter’s nap. (You can have one on the night after Christmas, too!)

Given that there is the battle for the future up in play in this special, we expect a pretty dramatic episode to go along with the emotion and the festive feel of it.