After penning the third episode of the current season of Doctor Who, former showrunner Steven Moffat has confirmed that he has also written this year’s Christmas special, set to be titled “Joy to the World.”
What’s Happening:
- According to CultBox, Steven Moffat confirmed in a podcast interview with former Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury that he will be returning to Doctor Who once more to write this year’s Christmas special.
- “Joy to the World” is reportedly set during World War II and will of course star Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, with a special guest appearance from Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin.
- The episode was filmed and directed by Alex Pillai in late 2023 and also stars Joel Fry and Timothy West.
- While not confirmed, “Joy to the World” will likely premiere on Christmas Day, December 25th, on Disney+ and the BBC.
- Moffat’s latest episode, “Boom,” will premiere this weekend, and marks his 49th script for Doctor Who – which would make “Joy to the World” his landmark 50th script.
What They’re Saying:
- Steven Moffat: “I should probably introduce that one from an armchair ‘Here we are — number 50,’ he joked to Spilsbury, adopting an old-man voice. “But I’m not involved in next year’s series. There are other things coming for me, so I might never write for Doctor Who again. As I got to the end of ‘Joy to the World,’ I did think, ‘Is that it? My final moment?’ So that could be my goodbye. Number 50? I’ll take that.”
About Doctor Who:
- In this season, The Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday travel across time and space, with adventures all the way from the Regency era in England, to war-torn future worlds. Throughout their adventures in the TARDIS — a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box — they encounter incredible friends and dangerous foes, including a terrifying bogeyman, and the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet.
- Follow our Doctor Who tag for reviews/recaps of each episode as they drop.
- The first two episodes, “Space Babies” and “The Devil’s Chord,” are now streaming. New episodes drop each Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on Disney+.
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