| Revision as of 02:34, 25 December 2024 editTheDoctorWho (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Mass message senders, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers18,421 edits →External links: fill in external link templates← Previous edit | Revision as of 02:41, 25 December 2024 edit undoTheDoctorWho (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Mass message senders, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers18,421 edits Credits from BBC episode listingNext edit → | ||
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| <!-- Please do not change these credits from how they are set out, including name of characters, as these are listed as they were in the episode's closing credits.--> | <!-- Please do not change these credits from how they are set out, including name of characters, as these are listed as they were in the episode's closing credits.--> | ||
| * ] – Trev Simpkins | |||
| * Steph de Whalley – Anita Benn | |||
| * ] – Hotel Manager | |||
| * ] – Basil Flockhart | |||
| * Niamh Marie Smith – Sylvia Trench | |||
| * Phil Baxter – Edmund Hillary | |||
| * Samuel Sherpa-Moore – Tenzing Norgay | |||
| * Ruchi Rai – Receptionist | |||
| * Joshua Leese – Mr SIngle | |||
| * Ell Potter – Server | |||
| * Liam prince-Donnelly – Barman | |||
| * Fiona Marr – Angela Grace | |||
| <!-- Please do not change these credits from how they are set out, including name of characters, as these are listed as they were in the episode's closing credits --> | <!-- Please do not change these credits from how they are set out, including name of characters, as these are listed as they were in the episode's closing credits --> | ||
| | director = Alex Sanjiv Pillai | | director = Alex Sanjiv Pillai | ||
Revision as of 02:41, 25 December 2024
2024 Doctor Who episode
| 312 – "Joy to the World" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who episode | |||
| Cast | |||
| Doctor | |||
Companion
| |||
Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Alex Sanjiv Pillai | ||
| Written by | Steven Moffat | ||
| Produced by | Vicki Delow Alison Sterling | ||
| Executive producer(s) |
| ||
| Music by | Murray Gold | ||
| First broadcast | 25 December 2024 (2024-12-25) | ||
| Chronology | |||
| |||
| 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 and released on Disney+ 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 Sanjiv Pillai. It stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Nicola Coughlan as his companion Joy Almondo.
Plot
Production
Development
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Russell T Davies, the Doctor Who showrunner, initially began writing the 2024 Christmas special. Davies had sent a portion of the script to former showrunner Steven Moffat to get his opinion on it. At the time, Davies was in discussions with Moffat to have him write a script for the fifteenth series. When Davies realised he was too busy to complete the script, he shelved it and asked Moffat to write the Christmas episode instead. Moffat considered writing a farce, but decided against it, believing that such an episode would be better suited mid-series. Despite this, Moffat said the episode still had a comedic tone with emotional elements.
Here's the pitch that got me the job. You know in just about every hotel room you've been in there's a locked door? It's weird, but there always is. Okay. We're about to blow apart the truth of that. In the far future there is a place called the Time hotel, and the Time Hotel has realised something brilliant, which is following the discovery of time travel they have an opportunity to sell all the rooms they failed to sell the last time. So they have built extensions into more or less every hotel room in history, and you get access to it occasionally.
— Steven Moffat, "The Joy Bringer", SFX 3 December 2024
Half the script had been completed before Davies informed Moffat that Ruby Sunday wouldn't be in the special. Working titles for the episode included "The Time Hotel" and "Christmas, Everywhere All at Once", but the episodes title was eventually revealed to be "Joy to the World". The story further explores the "Villengard Corporation", a recurring fictional weapons manufacturing company that has been mentioned in a number of Moffat's Doctor Who episodes. The Doctor last confronted Villengard in the fourteenth series episode "Boom." Moffat once again assumed an executive producer role during production of the episode.
Casting
In November 2023, Nicola Coughlan was announced to be appearing in an undisclosed role of an upcoming Doctor Who episode. It was later reported that Millie Gibson, who portrays the Doctor's current companion Ruby Sunday, would not appear in the 2024 Christmas special. The following May, it was revealed that Coughlan would star as the Doctor's one-off companion.
In November 2024, it was revealed that Jonathan Aris, Joel Fry, Julia Watson, Steph de Whalley, Peter Benedict and Niamh Marie Smith would also be guest stars.
Filming
Principal photography began on 23 October 2023 at Bad Wolf Studios, with the 2024 Christmas special "Joy to the World" assigned to the first block, directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai. Filming for the episode continued through November 2023. Post-production ended on 29 August 2024, with the final sound mix.
Broadcast and reception
Broadcast
"Joy to the World" was broadcast on BBC One and released on BBC iPlayer on 25 December 2024 at 5:10 PM GMT. In the United States the episode was released simultaneously on Disney+ at 9:10 AM PT. Disney also handled international distribution of the episode outside of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Ratings
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer) | 86% |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score) | 6.8/10 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| A.V. Club | B- |
| Bleeding Cool | 10/10 |
| Empire |   |
| GamesRadar+ | |
| IGN |   |
| Radio Times | |
| The Telegraph | |
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.
Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan referred to "Joy to the World" as "the best Christmas adventure for more than a decade." He further elaborated by saying that "there’s something here for all generations to enjoy" and praising the guest cast, namely Nicola Coughlan, Steph de Walley, and Joel Fry. Authoring a review for Radio Times, Louise Griffin also praised the guest cast but felt that Coughlan had been underused.
IGN's Robert Anderson wrote that the special "masterfully blends the show’s signature whimsy with heartfelt storytelling, delivering a cozy, deeply human tale about the transformative power of friendship" and that "Moffat’s excellent script is central to the episode’s success." The writing was also applauded by Adi Tantimedh, who writing for Bleeding Cool, said "Moffat pins down the core of what makes Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor different from all his predecessors."
Stephen Robinson with the A.V. Club criticised the Doctor's characterization, saying the "the story that directly contradict the Doctor’s former growth" and that "he's a mix of the 'lonely god' from Russell T Davies' first run and Steven Moffat's 'madman in a box,' and the effect is discordant." Emily Murray from GamesRadar+ also criticised a portion of the episode, writing that the "villains quite frankly feel like an afterthought and feel threadbare."
References
- ^ "Joy to the World". DoctorWho.tv. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Fullerton, Huw (5 December 2024). "Doctor Who's Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat preview "emotional" Christmas special". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- McEwan, Cameron K (19 December 2024). "'Doctor Who' Showrunner Russell T Davies and Writer Steven Moffat Tease Christmas Special". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- ^ Setchfield, Nick (3 December 2024). "The SFX Holiday Special". SFX. No. 386. Future plc. pp. 22–28.
- Mellor, Louisa (5 December 2024). "Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special Trailer Reveals Two Doctors". Den of Geek. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- 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.
- Eddy, Cheryl (15 November 2024). "Doctor Who Is Here to Inject Some Early Christmas Cheer Into Your Friday". Gizmodo. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- McEwan, Cameron K (17 May 2024). "'Doctor Who': Steven Moffat Talks Algorithms, Easter Eggs and That Explosive Casting Reveal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
- Shafer, Ellise (5 December 2024). "'Doctor Who' Christmas Special Trailer: Nicola Coughlan Joins Ncuti Gatwa for a Dinosaur-Themed Adventure". Variety. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- Cremona, Patrick (14 November 2023). "Doctor Who reveals first look at Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan in new role". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- 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.
- ^ 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.
- published, Steven Perkins (26 November 2024). "Doctor Who Christmas Special 2024: cast, plot, trailer and everything we know". whattowatch.com.
- @bbcdoctorwho (23 October 2023). "TARDIS at the ready! 🎬 Filming starts today on Ncuti Gatwa's second series as the Doctor" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023 – via Twitter.
- Laford, Andrea (14 October 2023). "Russell T Davies teases Doctor Who 60th anniversary and 2025 Series news". CultBox. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- Laford, Andrea (31 October 2023). "Ncuti Gatwa films Doctor Who in Cardiff". CultBox. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- Shafer, Ellise (9 November 2023). "Nicola Coughlan Will Appear on 'Doctor Who' With Ncuti Gatwa, Russell T Davies Says". Variety. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- Quinn, Jason (November 2024). "Issue 609". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 609. Panini Comics. p. 6.
- Hibbs, James (3 December 2024). "Doctor Who Christmas special air date and time confirmed". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- Rahman, Abid (5 December 2024). "'Doctor Who' Christmas Special Trailer: Ncuti Gatwa, Nicola Coughlan Take on Danger and Dinosaurs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- Clarke, Naomi (23 November 2024). "Doctor Who costumes and 50th Anniversary Tardis go on sale for Children In Need". Irish News. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Joy to the World". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Robinson, Stephen (19 December 2024). "Doctor Who's Christmas special feels a tad uneven and all too familiar". A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Tantimedh, Adi (19 December 2024). "Doctor Who: Joy to the World Review: Moffat Special Lives Up to Title". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- King, Jordan (20 December 2024). "Doctor Who: Joy To The World Review". Empire. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Murray, Emily (19 December 2024). "Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: "Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Robert (19 December 2024). "Doctor Who Christmas Special Review – "Joy to the World"". IGN. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Griffin, Louise (20 December 2024). "Doctor Who - Joy to the World review: A Very Moffat Christmas pays off". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ Hogan, Michael (20 December 2024). "Doctor Who: Joy to the World, first-look review: the best Christmas adventure for more than a decade". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
External links
- "Joy to the World" at BBC Online
- "Joy to the World" at the Doctor Who Stories Website
- "Joy to the World" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
- "Joy to the World" at IMDb
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| Series 15 |
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