After an explosive first season as the fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa will return in 2024 for a one-off festive special before his second full outing.
The Doctor Who Christmas Special returned last year and was Ncuti’s first adventure with Ruby Sunday. But what awaits us for 2024? Thanks to the latest (crazy) trailer, we know a little more about what to expect.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Doctor Who Christmas Special, the episode of which is called Joy to the World.
What is the air date and time of the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
Joy to the World is broadcast in Great Britain Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day) at 17:10 GMT on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The US will see it through Disney+ also on Christmas Day, at the same time it airs in Britain – at least 9:10am PT / 12:10pm ET.
BBC/Disney/Bad Wolf Studios
Who is the companion for the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
The brilliant Nicola Coughlan will join Gatwa in the TARDIS. She’s had a huge year leading the final season of the steamy Netflix hit Bridgerton as Penelope Featherington. Before that, she was best known for her role as Clare Devlin in Derry Girls.
She plays Joy Almondo, the titular character of the episode. Coughlan describes her character as “a determined woman whose life changes forever when she meets the doctor”, while writer Steven Moffat said her performance will “break your heart” (via Radio Times).
BBC/Disney/Bad Wolf Studios
Is there a trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
You’re in luck, because there are several!
Here’s the latest full trailer, revealing a strange hotel Joy finds herself in, as well as dual doctors…
This clip from Children in Need shows that we’re going prehistoric in this episode:
This video starts with a message from Nicola to Hall H at Comic-Con, and then shows a clip from the episode, where Joy checks in and meets the Doctor for the first time:
What is the Doctor Who Christmas Special about?
Joy to the World is set in a mysterious hotel in London. As Joy tries to settle into her room, a Silurian and the doctor interrupt her evening. She eventually travels through time, encounters dinosaurs and discovers a threat that is about to overtake Earth.
According to Digital Spy, the hotel uses time travel to sell nights through history to make more money.
BBC/Disney/Bad Wolf Studios
The official description of the episode reads:
‘Where has the doctor been? What’s going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor lurks in the wings and all of human history is at stake. Can the Doctor save Christmas everywhere and in one go?
This episode follows Ruby’s departure, and Moffat told the Radio Times: “You could go back to that Time Hotel and make a real farce. But I thought you needed something more emotional for Christmas Day.
“And he just lost a companion [with Ruby (Millie Gibson) having departed last season]which is always difficult. We really have to go through that, otherwise it just seems like, ‘Oh, well, you’re gone. You will.’ That’s kind of what he does, but we try to disguise that.”
The latest trailer shows that we’re getting double the Doctors, one of which is very ominous – much to the frustration of his double. We also see the Doctor riding at the top of the Orient Express, so this hotel will no doubt take them across time and space to a wide range of locations.
Who will star in the Doctor Who Christmas Special?
Here’s the full cast list for the episode… which we know so far, of course. If there are any surprise cameos, these are undoubtedly left out:
- The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa
- Joy Almondo – Nicola Coughlan
- Trev Simpkins – Joel Fry
- Anita Benn – Steph de Whalley
- Hotel Manager – Jonathan Aris
- Hilda Flockhart – Julia Watson
- Basil Flockhart – Peter Benedictus
- Sylvia Trench – Niamh Marie Smith
- Edmund Hillary – Phil Baxter
- Tenzing Norgay – Samuel Sherpa-Moore
- Receptionist – Ruchi Rai
- Mr. Single – Joshua Leese
- Server – Ell Potter
- Bartender – Liam Prince-Donnelly
When will Doctor Who return after the Christmas special?
After Joy to the World, Doctor Who is expected to return in May 2025 for season 15 (or season two, if you listen to the official Disney branding).
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