Doctor Who thing of the day: “The Great Detective,” Christmas prequel minisode (plus a trailer)

From the BBC’s Children in Need fundraiser this past Friday night:

The Great Detective, the lizard woman of Paternoster Row? Yes! Why doesn’t she have her own show? She has a sidekick who’s a Sontaran! Alas, she cannot convince the Doctor to come out of his retirement, which he is apparently spending as a Dickens villain:

I do like the bumpers with Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, taking the mickey out of Doctor Who and its tropes. Like how the Doctor’s hearts are broken forever by the departure of a beloved companion, until the very next episode.

There’s a trailer for Christmas, too:

The Doctor lives in the cloud. Is that like living in the Matrix? I guess we’ll find out at Christmas. Oooo, Richard E. Grant!

If you’re moved to give money to Children in Need, you can do so here.

(If you stumble across a cool Doctor Who thing, feel free to email me with a link.)