Doctor Who Christmas special 2024: Everything we know about Joy to the World

Fans got a glimpse of the special, which has been written by former showrunner Steven Moffat, at San Diego Comic-Con, with a first-look clip being released – and featuring a returning species.

Plus, new castings have recently been revealed, including a Sherlock star and a Casualty actor.

Here's everything we know so far about the Doctor Who Christmas special 2024, Joy to the World.

Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 release date speculation

While no official announcement has been made, hopefully we're pretty safe in assuming the Doctor Who Christmas special will air on Christmas Day 2024. Timings will be confirmed closer to that date.

Of course, this hasn't always been the case, with the festive special instead shifting to New Year's Day during Chris Chibnall's reign as showrunner.

However, 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?

While we don't know a huge amount about the cast for Joy to the World, we do have a few key names down, especially after that teaser trailer release.

Here's who we're expecting to star in Joy to the World:

• Nicola Coughlan as Joy
• Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor
• Jonathan Aris as Melnak the Silurian
• Peter Benedict as Basil
• Julia Watson as Hilda
• Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia
• Phil Baxter as Edmund Hillary
• Samuel Sherpa-Moore as Tenzing Norgay
• Steph de Whalley as Anita

Derry Girls star Coughlan has been confirmed to star in Joy to the World, 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".

While this hasn't been confirmed, we also wouldn't be surprised if we saw some of the following cast members back in action:

• Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
• Michelle Greenidge as Carla Sunday
• Angela Wynter as Cherry Sunday
• Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood
• Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart
• Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham
• Lenny Rush as Morris Gibbons
• Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble

While the season 14 finale episode Empire of Death saw Gibson's Ruby depart the TARDIS in emotional scenes, it has been confirmed she'll be back in a smaller role in season 15 next year.

So it wouldn't be out of the question to see the Doctor pop in to check on the Sundays – especially since it'll be Ruby's birthday!

We're also not ruling out any surprise cameos – after all, last year saw Davina McCall playing herself, and there was a host of baby-eating goblins... so anything could happen!

Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 plot: What could happen in Joy to the World?

As for what will happen in Joy to the World? That's anyone's guess. Doctor Who's Christmas episodes are almost always a standalone story that the family can watch together.

However, former showrunner Moffat is, of course, known for his iconic Doctor Who monsters, including the Weeping Angels and the Silence. So, could we be seeing a darker Christmas than usual?

He's also referred to Coughlan's performance as "heartbreaking" - so we might want to brace ourselves!

Showrunner Davies has also given us a clue. Speaking in a behind the scenes video on YouTube for Empire of Death, Davies said: "Now the Doctor voyages forward, and guess what always happens to the Doctor every so often - Christmas! Here comes Christmas.

"I can't give away much more but work has begun on it already, and it's mad, it's one of the maddest Christmas specials you'll ever see. It's epic, it goes to so many different places. And it's a great story of who the Doctor is when he's alone."

From an early clip which has been released, we also know that the Doctor will be zipping around time and space emerging through doorways with a ham and cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte, before he meets Joy in London in 2024.

The special will also see the return of the Silurians, with a new silurian character seen in the clip - although how big of a role they will play in the story remains to be seen.

We'll share any new information on this page as and when it comes.

Is there a trailer for the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special?

There isn't a trailer just yet, but we do have our first look at the episode. A first-look clip was released as part of Doctor Who's panel at San Diego Comic Con 2024, which featured a special introduction from Nicola Coughlan.

In the clip, we are transported to multiple different times and places across the globe, as the Doctor keeps popping out of doors offering a ham and cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte.

Finally we settle on London in 2024, where Coughlan's character Joy is seen checking into a hotel. When alone in her room, she is confronted by a Silurian dressed in a hotelier's garb, before the Doctor interrupts them both.

You can watch the full clip right here now.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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