( CNN ) -- Love regenerating alien time travelers who never leave home without a sonic screwdriver ? American fans of the British sci-fi show , `` Doctor Who , '' are about to get a great Christmas present . This year , for the first time ever , BBC America is airing the `` Doctor Who '' Christmas special at 9 p.m . ET on Christmas Day -- the same day BBC airs the special in the UK . Since 2005 , American fans of the franchise had to wait days , even weeks to see re-broadcasts of episodes and special events , first on Sci Fi Channel ( now Syfy ) and now on BBC America . Bloggers immediately assumed this unprecedented programming was an attempt to stamp out fan-related internet piracy . `` We 're not waiting for it to air over here , we 're watching it online . We 're downloading it ahead of time . And not only that , we 're watching the unedited versions . It was n't until recently that ( BBC America ) started to ... air them unedited for time , '' said Aaron Cistrelli , president of the `` Doctor Who '' fan-club Time Meddlers of Los Angeles , based in Southern California , which has been around for 20 years . All that downloading `` means ( American fans ) love the shows so much they ca n't wait to see them , '' Richard de Croce , senior vice president of programming at BBC America said . `` And that 's the world we live in , in terms of technology , quite honestly . So let 's air these shows as quickly as we can post the UK 's transmission , '' he said . And plans are in the works for season six of `` Doctor Who '' to be broadcast the same day in the United States as well , said de Croce . The Christmas special has been an extra fix of the show which airs in the spring . By winter , fans have n't seen any new adventures for a few months . In the UK , the Christmas specials of the last few years have reached `` event '' proportions . Whole families stay home on Christmas Day to watch the show . `` The one with David Tennant and Kylie Minogue in it I think was one of the highest viewed , non-sport television programs of the decade , '' said Steve Pugh of VisitLondon.com , and a `` Docor Who '' fan since age 7 . This year 's Christmas special , written by lead writer and executive producer , Steven Moffat , is called `` A Christmas Carol , '' and features Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor , a grumpy , Scrooge-like Michael Gambon ( plays Professor Dumbledore in the `` Harry Potter '' movies ) and opera singer Katherine Jenkins . `` I can honestly say I think it 's the 'Christmasiest ' Christmas special that 'Doctor Who ' has ever done , '' said Piers Wenger , executive producer of the show along with Steven Moffat . The audience for `` Doctor Who '' in the UK is much broader than the American audience . Wenger points out that the show is actually quite popular with children in Britain , even airing at 7 p.m. there as opposed to a more adult 9 p.m. in the United States . While Anglophiles and sci-fi fans in the United States are generally aware of the show , which has a thriving cult following , it is still far from mainstream . But the show gets a friendly reception for being so `` fringe . '' CBS late night talk show host Craig Ferguson -- who grew up watching `` Doctor Who '' in Scotland -- filmed an extravagant opening segment set to the `` Doctor Who '' theme song , on the night that he interviewed Smith . CBS did n't air the segment , but it went viral on the internet . `` I spent time with the cast in New York and Los Angeles , '' during a press tour for the show , Wenger said . `` And they were completely overwhelmed that people recognized them . They did n't expect that at all . I think American fans are every bit as passionate about our show as their British counterparts are . '' Americans have known about this British import since the 1970s when episodes of `` Doctor Who '' were aired on PBS . The show is nearly 50 years old . It premiered in Britain in 1963 and ran until 1996 , with eight actors playing the title role . The show returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who and continued with David Tennant and now Matt Smith , the 11th actor to play the Doctor . Many fans have a strong allegiance to a particular Doctor . Tom Baker , Doctor Who from 1974 until 1981 , is often sited as a favorite -- well-loved for his quirky performance , Afro hairstyle and multi-colored scarf . Smith 's Doctor has also met with warm regard from fans . `` My favorite Doctor is Matt , '' Wenger said . `` I think that he is just incredibly gifted and able to steer the action from a moment of real high drama and kind of vitriol to a moment of brilliant physical comedy and I think that 's why the show is in so many people 's hearts . '' `` I think I 'm not alone in saying he 's my favorite Doctor . ''
American fans of sci-fi shows like `` Doctor Who '' do n't like to wait for re-broadcasts . BBC America is trying to decrease lag between broadcasts in the U.S. and UK . `` Doctor Who '' Christmas special is a phenomenon in the UK ; popular in U.S. too .