This Christmas, Doctor Who returns in a brand new special called “Joy To The World”, which sees Ncuti Gatwa return and he is joined by Nicola Coughlan, who you might know from the smash hit series, “Bridgerton” and “Derry Girls”.

In this special, we find out what happens when Joy checks into a London hotel in 2024, she opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel — discovering danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. However, there is a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth by an old enemy of the Doctor’s.

Without getting into spoilers about what happens in this special, as you might expect from a Christmas special, there’s plenty of Christmas theming going on, including plenty of jokes and a big finish that might make you just go, “Ahhh”!

Ncuti Gatwa is once again the best part of this special. His charisma jumps off the screen, and he continues to be the most emotional Doctor so far, which I think suits this modern version of the character. 

I actually found Nicola Coughlan to be a little bit underwhelming in this special, especially near the end, where it all felt a little too forced and a bit soppy.  It’s kinda what you’d expect from a “Doctor Who” Christmas special, as it layers on the cheese bit by bit, but since it’s Christmas, who doesn’t love a bit of Cheese?

There are plenty of other great supporting characters in this episode, including Stephanie de Whalley as Anita, who you might not expect almost to become the Doctor’s companion for this episode and brings that human element into the storyline that will push the Doctor into finding another companion in the next season.   There’s also the excellent Joel Fry, who plays Trev and is my favourite character from this episode, as he steals every scene he’s in. 

I really enjoyed this time travelling adventure. It’s not groundbreaking or anything extraordinary, but it’s precisely what I’d expect from a “Doctor Who” special.  It’s fun, silly and great for the whole family.   If you’re expecting a high drama sci-fi fantasy series, “Doctor Who” isn’t that, as it leans in on its Britishness and delivers something very different. 

Compared to last year’s Christmas Special, this one is a standalone adventure. It does not have the added pressure of trying to establish the brand new Doctor, while also introducing the new main companion, so it feels more upbeat and lighthearted, which I enjoyed, but without it being too silly.

Overall, “Joy To The World” is a fun Doctor Who adventure that is a perfect Christmas Day family show to watch together. It’s a self-contained story, so it’s ideal to jump straight into, and since the Doctor always has to explain what’s going on to clueless human companions, the audience is never lost.   You’ve got aliens, dinosaurs and time travel all wrapped up in a nice little Christmas present! 

Rating: 4 Out Of 5

“Doctor Who: Joy To The Worlds” will be released on Christmas Day on the BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ around the world.

Are you looking forward to watching this new “Doctor Who” special? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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