Draft:Joy to the World (Doctor Who)

312 – "Joy to the World"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Production
Directed byAlex Pillai
Written bySteven Moffat
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
First broadcast25 December 2024 (2024-12-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Empire of Death"
Followed by →
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Joy to the World" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2024 as the fifteenth Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Alex Pillai. It stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Nicola Coughlan as his companion Joy.

Plot

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Production

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Development

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Davies was reportedly writing the 2024 Christmas special by December 2022.[1] In May 2024, former showrunner and head writer Steven Moffat confirmed that he had written the 2024 Christmas special instead, and that it was entitled "Joy to the World".[2]

Casting

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In November 2023 Nicola Coughlan was announced to be appearing in an undisclosed role of an upcoming Doctor Who episode.[3] It was later reported that Millie Gibson, who portrays the Doctor's current companion Ruby Sunday, would not appear in the 2024 Christmas special.[4] The following May it was revealed that Coughlan would star as the Doctor's one-off companion.[5]

Filming

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Filming for the episode was underway by November 2023.[6]

Broadcast and reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
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Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)
Rotten Tomatoes (Popcornmeter)
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)
Review scores
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Broadcast

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"Joy to the World" was broadcast on 25 December 2024.[5]

Ratings

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Critical reception

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References

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  1. ^ Laford, Andrea (7 December 2022). "Russell T Davies reveals series plans to Doctor Who Magazine". CultBox. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  2. ^ Laford, Andrea (14 May 2024). "Steven Moffat confirms he penned 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special". CultBox. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. ^ Cremona, Patrick (14 November 2023). "Doctor Who reveals first look at Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan in new role". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  4. ^ Kanter, Jake (20 January 2024). "'Doctor Who' Shocker: Time Lord's Sidekick Millie Gibson Replaced After Just One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Mellor, Louisa (14 May 2024). "Steven Moffat Confirms He's Written Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"". Den of Geek. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  6. ^ Shafer, Ellise (9 November 2023). "Nicola Coughlan Will Appear on 'Doctor Who' With Ncuti Gatwa, Russell T Davies Says". Variety. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
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