It’s Christmas Time on Doctor Who, and that means the show’s annual Christmas Special is just around the corner. Disney+ has released the official trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special, airing Christmas Day on the streaming service. “Joy to the World” finds Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor interacting with himself inside the Time Hotel. There are dangers and dinosaurs afoot, and the Doctor will need help from Joy (Nicola Coughlan) to save the cherished holiday.
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“When Joy checks into a London hotel in 2024, she opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel — discovering danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas,” a description of the Doctor Who Christmas Special reads. The Doctor is looking to bring Christmas to all of the worlds, which is an inevitable task.
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The Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Joy to the World,” stars Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) as the Doctor and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) as Joy. Additional cast includes Steph de Whalley as Anita, Jonathan Aris as Melnak, Joel Fry as Trev, Peter Benedict as Basil, Julia Watson as Hilda, and Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia.
“Joy to the World” is executive produced and written by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Sherlock) and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai (Riverdale, Bridgerton). Russell T Davies is showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers are Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.
The classic Doctor Who episode “The War Games” is getting updated to include new colors and visual effects, which include the never-before-seen regeneration from the Second to Third Doctor. The War Games episodes of Doctor Who from 1969 are going to be turned into a 90-minute event with enhanced colors, visual effects, sound, and score. If that wasn’t enough, Doctor Who fans can also see the Second Doctor’s (Patrick Troughton) regeneration into the Third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee. This regeneration never made it into the original episodes, but modern and old school fans alike can now experience it for the first time. There’s also recovered footage that never made it into the original broadcast.
The Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Joy to the World,” airs December 25th at 9:10 a.m. PST / 12:10 p.m. EST on Disney+. Season 2 of Doctor Who will premiere in 2025 on Disney+, where available, and on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.
