The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe is an episode of the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC
One on 25 December 2011, it is the seventh Doctor Who Christmas
special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by Steven
Moffat and directed by Farren Blackburn. Internationally, the special
was shown on BBC America in the United States and on Space in Canada
the same day as the British broadcast, with ABC1 in Australia showing
it one day later.In the special, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt
Smith) is the caretaker of recently widowed Madge Arwell (Claire
Skinner) and her children Lily (Holly Earl) and Cyril (Maurice Cole)
during their holiday vacation in 1941 England. The Doctor plans to
take them on a treat to a snowy planet through a portal in a present
he has placed under the Christmas tree, but Cyril opens it before
Christmas and wanders through. While looking for him, the others learn
that the trees of the planet are about to be melted down with acid
rain for energy."The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe" marked the
end of Piers Wenger's tenure as executive producer, and the debut of
Caroline Skinner in the same position. Adapting elements of C.S.
Lewis's children's novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Moffat
intended the episode to be the most "Christmassy" of the Doctor Who
Christmas specials, while Blackburn felt there was "magic" in it. It
was filmed in September and October 2011, with some scenes taking
place in an authentic Lancaster bomber. "The Doctor, the Widow and the
Wardrobe" was watched by 10.77 million viewers in the United Kingdom,
making it the third most-watched programme on Christmas Day. Critical
reception to the episode was positive, though some felt that the
high-profile comedic guest stars Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir were
underused. The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter