ReturningDoctor Whoshowrunner Russell T. Davies might have pioneered modernDoctor Whoholiday specials — Christmassy devil , high spectacle , an episodic amount of Kylie Minogue — but it ’s arguable that it was his successor , Steven Moffat , that really nailed the equilibrate act of what a goodDoctor WhoChristmas tale should be . The answer , paradoxically , is not really a big sci - fi story all that much — or at least , that ’s not as significant as a swath of devout , almost cloying sentimentality about the love affair of the time of year . This year ’s offering , Moffat’sfirst Christmas scriptsince 2017 ’s Twelfth Doctor institutionalise off “ Twice Upon a Time , ” mostly succeeds in that reconciliation act with an interestingly time - twistingDoctor Whoadventure festooned with festive magic spell — one that really tend on the latter to help make up for a few trip in the former .
“ Joy to the populace , ” air next calendar week on Christmas Day , has a few parallels to Ncuti Gatwa ’s full - fledged launching as the fifteenth Doctor inlast class ’s holiday episode , “ The Church on Ruby Road , ” in so much that it relies on an array of charming public presentation to try and mask when its story does n’t quite cohesively do together . It trades the fantastical bent of creepy-crawly baby - snatching goblins for more traditional sci - fi aesthetics as the Doctor shacks up in a futuristic “ Time Hotel ” for the vacation , offering secular gateways to Christmases across human history . It also leansheavyon that seasonal aesthetic too , with mountain of snow , tinsel , and trees , feeling much more of the season rather than simply being any older episode that happens to air near the end of December .
Intrigued by the mystery of a strange grip that seems to be fatally swapping between hosts at the hotel , it is in thisfestively timey - wimey scenario — and via the Time Hotel ’s aforesaid gateways — that the Doctor crosses route withthe lonely Joy(Nicola Coughlan ) , as she checks into a run - down hotel in London during Christmas 2024 . The mystery of why Joy becomes so authoritative to the Doctor ’s latest adventure is actually put away for a good chunk of “ Joy to the macrocosm ” as it take a crabwise step into exploring the ramification of the Time Hotels ’ gateways , and the temporal paradox that come with them . It ’s all perfectly Moffat - y , a portmanteau of laughs , time - spin story telling , and the almost compulsory melancholy that comes with his serious expedition as a writer , as the Doctor bump himself squeeze into the life of another lonely charwoman along the agency ( Steph de Whalley ’s Anita , perhaps on the Q.T. the breakout whiz of “ Joy to the World ” ) . It ’s a killerDoctor Whostory idea , one that also dextrously touches on the Doctor ’s own solitariness afterparting path with Ruby . It just so happens to be befittingly seasonally farce inside anotherDoctor Whoepisode that is … well , not quite give the clock time to breathe into something as interesting .
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“ Joy to the World ” makes up for those morphologic defect with Joy ’s plot line by really allowing that element of the episode to be where it goes all out on the sentimentality of the festive season , with a climactic narration high on fondness - tugging emotional play to make up for the fact that it ’s playing a bit degraded and loose with the logistical underpinnings , especially contrast with the plot - within - a - plot the first half of the episode of is devoted to . For the most part it work , thanks to astral performance from Gatwa and Coughlan , and will particularly strike a bittersweet chord for hoi polloi go through Christmas without do it 1 . But if you find yourself peculiarly immune toDoctor Who‘s kitschy charm offensives at this time of year , you might see the windup of it all a footling wanting — and question just how the installment might have been if it continue with that initial plot - within - a - plot as its main idea .
But even if you do n’t find yourself vibrate with the emotion of it all , there ’s still at the very least a good glob of greatDoctor Whoto be found in “ Joy to the World , ” even if it ’s not the ultimate focus of the instalment . There ’s enough here to satisfy either anyone looking for a greatDoctor Whoidea , or someone who just wants something large and Christmassy to swell their heart with seasonal feeling as they sit down with over the merry period — and at this head inDoctor Who‘s long history of holiday specials , that we can still get stories that manage to equilibrize both is a welcome little gift under our collective trees .
Doctor Whoreturns to Disney+ around the world and on the BBC in the UK and Ireland on Christmas Day , December 25 .
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