Joy to the World (TV story)
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Joy to the World — released internationally, it would seem, as Joy to the Worlds[6][7] — is the upcoming 2024 Christmas Special of Doctor Who. Written by Steven Moffat, it will be the first holiday special not penned by the current showrunner.[4]
Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor - Ncuti Gatwa[8][2][1]
- Joy Almondo[1] - Nicola Coughlan[8][9][2]
- Trev Simpkins - Joel Fry[1]
- Anita Benn - Steph de Whalley[1]
- Hotel Manager - Jonathan Aris[1][2]
- Hilda Flockhart - Julia Watson[1]
- Basil Flockhart - Peter Benedict[1]
- Sylvia Trench - Niamh Marie Smith[1]
- Edmund Hillary - Phil Baxter[1]
- Tenzing Norgay - Samuel Sherpa-Moore[1]
- Receptionist - Ruchi Rai[1]
- Mr Single - Joshua Leese[1]
- Server - Ell Potter[1]
- Barman - Liam Prince-Donnelly[1]
- Angela Grace - Fiona Marr[1]
Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor crosses his own time stream.[7]
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- This episode is the first Christmas Special to not be written by the current showrunner; however, it is written by a former showrunner, Steven Moffat.
- This episode marks Moffat's first Christmas Special since Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"] in 2017.
- The story is set to premiere in one or more cinemas[nb 1] across the UK and US, with a competition being held to win tickets to access these premieres.[10]
- The concept of a hotel with doorways to various periods of Earth history, with chaos caused when these portals are misused, was also explored in COMIC: Hotel Historia [+]Loading...["Hotel Historia (comic story)"].
Production[[edit] | [edit source]]
Pre-production[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The special was first mentioned in Doctor Who Magazine issue 585, published 8 December 2022, in which showrunner Russell T Davies stated in his Letter from the Showrunner column that he was (himself) currently writing the special.[11]
- However, on 14 May 2024, writer and former showrunner Steven Moffat revealed the special's title and that he had written it – making it his 50th overall script – in an interview with TV Choice Magazine.[4] This followed on from rumours of Moffat's involvement after producer Alison Sterling's online CV briefly listed him as the writer.[12]
- On 12 November, Moffat explained in an interview with BBC South East news that Davies had approached him about writing the special as he felt he was not going to finish his original script as he needed to start writing season 2.[13]
Filming[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Marketing[[edit] | [edit source]]
Hints and teases[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Earlier in the year, in May, Moffat snuck the special's title into an interview with Radio Times in which he denied he had returned to Doctor Who at all: "It doesn't exactly bring joy to the world that I just say something negative about Doctor Who."[14]
- On 22 June, Davies described it as the "maddest" Christmas special ever, with a "great story of who the Doctor is when he's alone".[15]
- On 4 July, Moffat told Ireland AM that Coughlan was "wonderful" in the special and that she would break hearts.[16]
- On 12 November, Moffat teased in an interview that the episode's plot involved a hotel chain using time travel to sell unused nights in hotel rooms throughout history.[13]
- In a November interview with the Radio Times, Moffat teased that the special would answer a longstanding mystery that people had likely been wondering about since they were young children.[17]
- Moffat told the December 2024 issue of SFX magazine that the episode's tone leaned more humourous,[18] and that the episode explored what went on in the Doctor's head "when he's got no one to be the Doctor for".[19]
Trailers and previews[[edit] | [edit source]]
- On 26 July, a preview was released at the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic Con, showing a few minutes of the episode. Coughlan's character was announced to be named Joy.[9]
- On 15 August the 607th issue of Doctor Who Magazine identified the other cast members and characters seen in the preview.[2]
- On 15 November, another preview of the special was released for Children in Need.[20]
- On 20 November, the BBC announced that Joy to the World would be premiering simultaneously on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere.[21]
- On 23 November, the BBC and Disney+ released promotional posters for the episode on social media.[22][23] The Disney+ poster notably rendered the episode's title as "Joy to the Worlds", with several official replies on social media indicating that this was not in error, and will be the title used in the international market.[6] Later, on 5 December, a trailer was released that revealed a change to "Worlds" at the end, though the Official Doctor Who YouTube channel, run by BBC Studios, still called the episode Joy to the World in the video title and description.
Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]
If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
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Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- WC: The TARDIS is landing just in time for Christmas! [+]Loading...["The TARDIS is landing just in time for Christmas! (webcast)"] served as a promotional video for this story, and featured an image of the Fifteenth Doctor with Joy Almondo as part of an in-universe advertisement for the episode.
- The Time Hotel first appeared in a series of in-universe advertisements in GRAPHIC: The Time Hotel [+]Loading...["The Time Hotel (illustration)"], published as a free gift with DWM 611 earlier in December.
- The Timey Wimey debuted in PROSE: Duck Pond Mystery Solved [+]Loading...["Duck Pond Mystery Solved (short story)"], which served as promotional material for this story. It was named after the phrase "wibbly wobbly, timey wimey", first used by the Tenth Doctor in TV: Blink [+]Loading...["Blink (TV story)"].
Home media releases[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Gallery[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Joy to the World (TV story)/Gallery
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ It is currently unclear whether this involves multiple winners getting exclusive screenings, or only a single group.
References[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 Doctor Who, Joy to the World. BBC One. Archived from the original on 2024-12-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Louise Griffin (2024-08-15). Doctor Who casts Sherlock and Casualty stars in Christmas special. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-15.
- ↑ GRAPHIC: The Time Hotel [+]Loading...["The Time Hotel (illustration)"] (DWM 611)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tom Spilsbury (2024-05-14). The BIG Interview: Doctor Who's Steven Moffat. TV Choice Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-05-14.
- ↑ Andrea Laford (2023-10-31). Ncuti Gatwa films Doctor Who in Cardiff. CultBox. Archived from the original on 2024-03-12.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Christian Tobin (2024-11-24). Doctor Who hints at plot twist with Christmas special title confusion. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-24.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL TRAILER | Joy to the World | Doctor Who on YouTube
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Get a first look at Nicola Coughlan as she joins Doctor Who. Doctor Who (2023-11-13). Archived from the original on 2024-04-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Molly Edwards; Amy West (2024-07-26). Doctor Who unveils first look at Christmas special and confirms Varada Sethu's companion name – and her potential link to an existing character. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26.
- ↑ Friendship Is Universal - a Festive Special Competition!. doctorwho.tv. BBC Studios (8 October 2024). Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved on 8 October 2024.
- ↑ Andrea Laford (2022-12-07). Russell T Davies reveals series plans to Doctor Who Magazine. CultBox. Archived from the original on 2024-04-17.
- ↑ James Hibbs (2024-03-12). Doctor Who's Steven Moffat 'returns to write 2024 Christmas special'. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-28.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Morgan Cormack (2024-11-12). Doctor Who's Steven Moffat confirms Christmas special plot details – including 'time-travelling hotel'. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-12.
- ↑ Morgan Cormack (2024-05-14). Steven Moffat confirms he wrote Doctor Who Christmas 2024 special: 'Is that my final moment?'. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-14.
- ↑ James Hibbs (2024-06-23). Doctor Who boss says Christmas special is 'maddest ever'. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-23.
- ↑ Lidia Molina-Whyte (2024-07-04). Steven Moffat talks Doctor Who Christmas special: 'Nicola Coughlan will break your heart'. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-07-04.
- ↑ Huw Fullerton (2024-11-26). Doctor Who Christmas special will solve "longest-standing mystery". RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-17.
- ↑ Emily Murray; Nick Setchfield (2024-11-30). Writer Steven Moffat promises that his Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special is lighter and more fun than his previous episodes: "It's not Blink". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30.
- ↑ Bradley Russell; Nick Setchfield. The Doctor Who Christmas special will explore what it's like to be in the Time Lord's head when he's "got no one to be the Doctor for". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2024-12-01.
- ↑ Louise Griffin (2024-11-15). Doctor Who unveils new Christmas special teaser for Children in Need. RadioTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-16.
- ↑ @bbcdoctorwho (2024-11-20). 34 days to prep the ham and cheese toasties and a pumpkin latte! 🎄
Watch JOY TO THE WORLD this Christmas Day on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer simultaneously in the UK and on @DisneyPlus where available #DoctorWho. Archived from the original on 2024-11-21. - ↑ @bbcdoctorwho (2024-11-23). Check in to Christmas, everywhere, all at once! ✨🎄
Watch #DoctorWho: JOY TO THE WORLD this Christmas Day on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer simultaneously in the UK and on @DisneyPlus where available. Archived from the original on 2024-11-24. - ↑ @bbcdoctorwho (2024-11-23). Check in to Christmas, everywhere, all at once! ✨🎄
Watch #DoctorWho: JOY TO THE WORLD this Christmas Day on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer simultaneously in the UK and on @DisneyPlus where available. Archived from the original on 2024-11-24.
