Doctor Who Christmas special 2024: Everything we know about Joy to the World
Nicola Coughlan stars in the "mad" festive adventure!
The 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special is on its way very soon - and lots of details have been revealed about the upcoming adventure, including the all-important release date and time!
Starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Nicola Coughlan as new character Joy, the Steven Moffat-penned episode Joy to the World will follow a hotel chain that gets hold of time travel and capitalises on it to sell stays throughout history.
Plus, an old enemy of the Doctor's is back, with the villainous Villengard making a comeback.
We've been treated to trailers and teasers, as well as first-look pictures. Plus, writer Moffat and showrunner Russell T Davies have been dishing the details on what's to come.
Here's everything we know so far about Joy to the World!
Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 release date
Joy to the World will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day (Wednesday 25th December) at 5:10pm.
This marks a slight departure from the last season, which saw episodes available to watch at midnight on BBC iPlayer - but, of course, it means fans can gather around the TV and watch at the same time.
Russell T Davies, who returned to helm the show when Gatwa took over the keys to the TARDIS, has previously said that the show airing on Christmas Day was a condition of his return.
He said on Doctor Who: Unleashed: "This was kind of like number one on my shopping list – Christmas Day. I literally went to the BBC saying, 'Back on Christmas Day, thank you very much. Let’s have this.'
"I just think it suits Doctor Who. I think the stories are more fun. Any story with tinsel in it is better than a story without tinsel in it."
Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 cast: Who will star in Joy to the World?
The full cast list has been confirmed for Joy to the World - check it out below:
- 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 Benedict
- Sylvia Trench - Niamh Marie Smith
- Edmund Hillary - Phil Baxter
- Tenzing Norgay - Samuel Sherpa-Moore
- Receptionist - Ruchi Rai
- Mr Single - Joshua Leese
- Server - Ell Potter
- Barman - Liam Prince-Donnelly
Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan will guest star in the special as Joy, with Moffat telling Ireland AM: "Nicola is wonderful in it, she will break your heart."
Coughlan herself has called her character Joy "a determined woman whose life is changed forever when she meets the Doctor".
Meanwhile, James Bond followers might also recognise a familiar name, Sylvia Trench. 007 fans will know that Trench was the first Bond girl to be introduced to the hit film franchise.
Originally played by Eunice Gayson, Trench appeared in the first two Bond films, Dr No and From Russia with Love, alongside Sean Connery. Is that a coincidence or something more substantial? We'll have to wait and see!
Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 plot: What could happen in Joy to the World?
The BBC says of the special: "The episode introduces Joy, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary.
"When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.
"Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy's hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor's is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?"
Moffat also recently teased to Radio Times that the episode gets emotional, following the departure of his companion Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson).
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He said: "You could go back to that Time Hotel and do an actual farce. But I just thought that for Christmas Day you need something a bit more emotional.
"And he’s just lost a companion [with Ruby (Millie Gibson) having departed last season], which is always a bother. We’ve got to actually go through that, otherwise it just looks like, 'Oh, well, you’re gone. You’ll do.' Which is roughly what he does, but we try and disguise that."
Is there a trailer for the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special?
Yes! Check out the latest trailer below, which features the Doctor delivering himself some home truths and a poignant cameo from Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday.
Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
