Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special First Look Released

Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan stars in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, "Joy to the World."

By Jamie Lovett

From its San Diego Comic-Con 2024 panel in Hall H on Friday, Doctor Who revealed a sneak peek at its upcoming 2024 Christmas special, "Joy to the World." Nicola Coughlan, the Bridgerton star who appears in the episode as a new character named Joy, introduced a clip from the special. The clip sees the Doctor entering various rooms in various places at different times and offering whoever is inside a ham and cheese toastie with a pumpkin spice latte. Meanwhile, Joy checks into a hotel in the present day at Christmastime. She's surprised when a Silurian enters her room, followed by the Doctor with his tray.

"I am thrilled to be joining Doctor Who for the Christmas special this year, and I am so excited for you to meet my character, Joy," Coughlan says. You can watch the clip below.

Nicola Coughlan joins Doctor Who

"I'm excited to join the Whoniverse under the leadership of the inimitable Russell T Davies," Coughlan said when the BBC announced her casting in Doctor Who. "I've been a fan of Ncuti Gatwa for some time and getting to share the screen with him as the Doctor has been an absolute joy".

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies added, "This has been the most brilliant shoot, with Nicola lighting up the set and bringing joy. From Derry, via Bridgerton, to the Tardis, it's the trip of a lifetime."

During a recent interview, former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, who wrote the upcoming Christmas special, teased that, "Nicola is wonderful in it, she will break your heart. I'm not allowed to say anything about it. At least I think I'm not allowed to say anything about it so I'll just shut up."

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Davies previously teased that "Joy to the World" will offer a unique and unexpected look at the Doctor's personality, specifically that of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor. "I can't give away much more but work has begun on it already, and it's mad, it's one of the maddest Christmas specials you'll ever see," Davies said during a behind-the-scenes video released on YouTube. "It's epic, it goes to so many different places. And it's a great story of who the Doctor is when he's alone."

Doctor Who's Christmas Special will stream on Christmas Day on Disney+. Doctor Who Season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.

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