Why You Can Trust CNET How to Watch the 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special From Anywhere
The Church on Ruby Road is the latest entry in the long-running franchise.
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
We're entering a new era of Doctor Who with the introduction of the Fifteenth Doctor, played by newcomer Ncuti Gatwa.
Marking its 60th year on television, the British time-travel series will close out 2023 with one last anniversary special that arrives on Christmas Day. Gatwa's Doctor helms the Tardis in The Church on Ruby Road, which centers on an abandoned baby who grows up looking for answers. According to the episode's synopsis, "Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, stolen babies, goblins and perhaps the secret of her birth."
Tune in to check out goblins, babies and the newest incarnation of the Time Lord by reading on to learn when to watch Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road -- and why a VPN could be a useful tool.
Read more: Best Places to Stream Christmas Movies Like Elf, The Santa Clause and More
Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) meets the Fifteenth Doctor in a new Christmas special.
How to watch Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road
Disney Plus will stream Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road on Monday, Dec. 25, at 12:55 p.m. ET (9:55 a.m. PT) in all regions except the UK and Ireland, where it will air on the BBC. In case you missed it, viewers can also watch David Tennant starring in the other three anniversary specials: The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle. All releases are available on Disney Plus.
Sign up for a standalone Disney Plus subscription with or without ads, or choose one of its bundle options. The service costs $8 to watch with ads, or $14 for the commercial-free version. Disney also packages its streaming services together -- Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN -- at a discount, letting you bundle two or three platforms in a single subscription. There are four bundles available now: Duo Basic, Duo Premium, Trio Basic and Trio Premium.
How to watch Doctor Who's Christmas special from anywhere with a VPN
Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream Disney Plus while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the series from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.
A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic and stop your ISP from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, our Editors' Choice is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices and provides stable streams. It's normally $13 per month, but you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where Doctor Who will be streaming on Disney Plus. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the show on more than one device, it's possible you'll need to configure each one to ensure you're signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Disney Plus to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and you've picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.