Doctor Who Christmas special cast: Meet the Joy to the World characters
Meet the colourful cast of characters in this year's Christmas special!
It's Christmas! As we all know, Christmas means one thing – an epic Doctor Who special.
This year, it's Joy to the World, written by former showrunner Steven Moffat and starring Ncuti Gatwa and new guest star, Derry Girls actress Nicola Coughlan.
We're whisked away to the Time Hotel, a hotel chain capitalising on time travel to sell stays through history. Meanwhile, the Doctor is facing up to an old enemy, Villengard!
Along with a dose of festive fun, Joy to the World is serving up a whole host of familiar faces, including stars from the worlds of Sherlock and Casualty. Here's everything you need to know about the cast of Joy to the World!
Doctor Who Christmas special cast: Full list of characters in Joy to the World
- Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor
- Nicola Coughlan as Joy Almondo
- Joel Fry as Trev Simpkins
- Stephanie de Whalley as Anita Benn
- Jonathan Aris as Hotel Manager
- Julia Watson as Hilda Flockhart
- Peter Benedict as Basil Flockhart
- Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia Trench
- Phil Baxter as Edmund Hillary
- Samuel Sherpa-Moore as Tenzing Norgay
- Ruchi Rai as Receptionist
- Joshua Leese as Mr Single
- Ell Potter as Server
- Liam Prince-Donnelly as Barman
Ncuti Gatwa plays the Doctor
Who is the Doctor? Not that he needs an introduction, but the Doctor is a time-traveller from Gallifrey. This Christmas, he's grappling with the departure of his companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and his newfound solitude – until he meets Joy, that is.
Where have I seen Ncuti Gatwa before? Ncuti Gatwa is known for various roles, including Eric Effiong in Sex Education, one of the Kens in Barbie, and Lt Robert H Daniels in Masters of the Air.
Nicola Coughlan plays Joy Almondo
Who is Joy? Joy is a woman who encounters the Doctor at the Time Hotel and gets caught up in his adventures.
Where have I seen Nicola Coughlan before? Nicola Coughlan is best known for her roles as Claire in Derry Girls and Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton. She also appeared as Hannah Dalton in Harlots and Maggie in Big Mood.
Joel Fry plays Trev Simpkins
Who is Trev Simpkins? Trev Simpkins is a staff member at the Time Hotel, who helps the Doctor on his adventure.
Where have I seen Joel Fry before? He's known for roles including Hizdahr zo Loraq in Game of Thrones, Frenchie in Our Flag Means Death, and Rocky in the film Yesterday. More recently, he played Joe the Postman in Paddington in Peru and has also appeared in the likes of Inside No. 9.
Stephanie de Whalley plays Anita Benn
Who is Anita Benn? Anita is a staff member at the Time Hotel who forms a close bond with the Doctor.
Where have I seen Stephanie de Whalley before? Stephanie de Whalley has appeared in the films Midnight Taxi, Cyber Bride, and 50 Kisses.
Jonathan Aris plays Hotel Manager
Who is the Hotel Manager? The Hotel Manager is a Silurian character who is in charge of the Time Hotel – but he has a big role to play in Villengard's plot.
Where have I seen Jonathan Aris before? Outside of his Silurian get-up, Aris has worked with Moffat before on Sherlock, playing Anderson. He also plays the angelic quartermaster in Good Omens.
Julia Watson plays Hilda Flockhart
Who is Hilda Flockhart? Hilda Flockhart is a woman in the Second World War era who encounters the Doctor during his travels in the Time Hotel. She's married to Basil Flockhart.
Where have I seen Julia Watson before? Julia Watson is known for playing Barbara 'Baz' Wilder in Casualty. She's also appeared in Doctors, Not Going Out, and Never the Twain.
Peter Benedict plays Basil Flockhart
Who is Basil Flockhart? Basil Flockhart is a man in the Second World War era who encounters the Doctor during his travels in the Time Hotel. He's married to Hilda Flockhart.
Where have I seen Peter Benedict before? Peter Benedict previously appeared as Aleksander Tiedemann in the Netflix series Dark, and as Robert von Bergen in the 2018–2019 dramedy series Jenny – echt gerecht.
Niamh Marie Smith plays Sylvia Trench
Who is Sylvia Trench? Sylvia Trench is a woman who encounters the Doctor while on a train. Fans of James Bond will notice she shares a name with the first ever Bond girl, played by Eunice Gayson.
Where have I seen Niamh Marie Smith before? Niamh Marie Smith is a relative newcomer but has previously directed the short film Aortic.
Phil Baxter plays Edmund Hillary
Who is Edmund Hillary? Edmund Hillary is a man who encounters the Doctor during his travels in the Time Hotel.
Where have I seen Phil Baxter before? Phil Baxter has appeared in The Gathering, The Flash, Who Killed Jill Dando?, The Thief, His Wife & The Canoe, and more.
Joshua Leese plays Mr Single
Who is Mr Single? Mr Single is a man who encounters the Doctor during his travels in the Time Hotel.
Where have I seen Joshua Leese before? Joshua Leese has appeared in Napoleon, Chernobyl and Extraordinary.
Doctor Who: Joy to the World will air on Wednesday 25th December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 5:10pm. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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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.
