A new glimpse atDoctor Who’s upcoming 2024 Christmas special “Joy to the World” has been unveiled by the BBC, teasing Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor facing a terrifying prehistoric threat. Set in a hotel full of time-traveling rooms, the adventure is penned by former showrunner Steven Moffat and follows the events of season 14. While Gatwa’s Doctor will be traveling alone following himparting ways with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), he will soonbe joined byBridgerton’sNicola Coughlan as guest companion Joy.
The officialDoctor WhoYouTube channelhas shared a new clip of “Joy to the World” following its premiere during theBBC Children in Needtelethon event. TheDoctor and Joy investigate a terrifying contraption developed by Villengard, whose latest business venture sees them developing an experimental energy source known as the “Star Seed” that could destroy the Earth. While the Doctor points out that the energy source would need longer than human history to gestate, Villengard accounts for this, learning that the organization left the suitcase holding the source in prehistoric times. A T-Rex interrupts the Doctor, snatching the suitcase.
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VIllengard Could Be A Notable Part Of Gatwa’s Era
While the Doctor and Joy narrowly escape the jaws of a T-Rex, the origin of the Star Seed is sure to raise brows. A creation of Moffat’s first introduced in season 1’s “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,“the Ninth Doctor destroyed Villengard’s manufacturing sites, while the Twelfth and First Doctors would later visit them. The nature of time travel means that he has encountered the organization in his later life, narrowly escaping one of their landmines in “Boom.”
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Steven Moffat’s return to Doctor Who means the resurgence of a presence first introduced to the show by the writer in 2005, extending his era.
As such, while Villengard’s inclusion may be a clever piece of worldbuilding and continuity between Moffat’s contributions toDoctor Who, this is the second time in Gatwa’s era that it has been named and played a major role in the episode. Though it is uncertain that Moffat will return to pen another story, his creation may live on as an existing thorn in the Doctor’s side, potentially exploringthe company’s origins further inDoctor Whoseason 15and beyond.
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ThoughDoctor Who’s 2024 seasonal special may be a brief interlude to the Time Lord’s travels, Moffat and the crew behind the series are ensuring thatthe special is a must-see episode. Alongside the addition of Coughlan following her breakout role inBridgerton, the effects of T-Rex are among the series' best regarding prehistoric creatures.
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Furthermore, with the inclusion of Villengard and their latest business endeavor, the 2024 Christmas adventure will also be one for dedicated fans to appreciate. Though the Time Lord may be left alonefollowingDoctor Whoseason 14’s endingand questioning his role in the universe, the world has no shortage of excitement and danger for the Doctor to tackle.
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Doctor Who: Released on July 02, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
