Doctor Who: Joy to the World ★★★

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As a seasoned reviewer with a heart for sci-fi and a soft spot for Christmas specials, I must say that “Story 312” has left me quite enchanted. The blend of time travel, humor, and emotion is as delightful as a mince pie on a frosty Christmas Eve.

Story 312

Christmas Special 2024

Imagine a hotel, but instead of rooms, it offers time portals! You can choose package deals that take you to the most significant events in history. It’s no surprise then, that when the inn opened its doors to the biggest historical events, there was no room left.” – The Doctor (paraphrased)

In the year 4042, Christmas in London, the Doctor finds himself at the Time Hotel, a unique establishment offering doors to lodgings across Earth’s history. On this particular day, a woman named Joy is spending the holiday alone at the Sandringham Hotel. However, her solitary celebration takes an unexpected turn when she gets shackled to a lethal suitcase containing a star seed. This seed, which needs millions of years to mature, holds the key to a sinister plan by Villengard Corporation to obliterate Earth. The Time Lord must rescue Joy, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he becomes trapped in London for an entire year. During this time, he forms a friendship with hotel receptionist Anita. Eventually, after an adventure through prehistoric times with the Doctor, Joy undergoes a transformation from human to a benign celestial entity, all while our Time Lord navigates his extended stay in 2024 London.

First UK broadcast
Wednesday 25 December 2024

The main characters in this story are:

Team behind the scenes

RT review by Patrick Mulkern

It’s amazing how quickly time passes! Just a short while ago, Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan were captivating audiences in two of Netflix’s most popular shows – Sex Education and Bridgerton. Now, they’re gracefully leading the Doctor Who Christmas special with an air of assurance. Although they excel independently on screen, Steven Moffat’s intricate time-bending storyline doesn’t provide them with numerous opportunities to shine together as a pair.

Surprisingly, he fosters a deeper connection between Gatwa’s Doctor and hotel receptionist Anita, skillfully portrayed by Steph de Whalley, who managed to dodge all the pre-release buzz. She is his loyal friend and travel companion in this special episode. The Time Lord finds himself bound for a full year at the Sandringham Hotel with Anita, working to cover expenses and relishing his stay.

As a film enthusiast, I’d confess, “I don’t often find myself living day by day like this. I’ve always pondered what it might be like.” It seems this Doctor may have momentarily forgotten some of his past Christmas escapades. Matt Smith’s Doctor spent decades safeguarding Trenzalore in The Time of the Doctor (2013), while Peter Capaldi’s Doctor shared 25 years with River Song in The Husbands of River Song (2015). Nevertheless, this extended hotel stay in 2024 provides Gatwa an opportunity to reveal his emotional depth and comedic prowess. And Anita is always welcome to return whenever she pleases.

In this scene, the Doctor teases Joy harshly by calling her “a downcast soul,” causing her to hide her smile and release her anger. It’s an awkward moment to watch, but it shows thoughtful writing. This scene reaches a climax by transporting us back four years to the pandemic, specifically to Christmas 2020 when the possibility of celebrating together was offered only to be taken away by the Conservative government. Many people were unable to spend time with their loved ones during that period, whether they were healthy or critically ill in the hospital, like Joy’s mother was. This scene is the most emotionally impactful moment in this story – a rarity in the current era of Doctor Who where emotions are often superficial and artificial.

We’re always on solid ground with Steven Moffat as a storyteller, even as he whisks viewers off their feet for a madcap spectacle, twiddling with time and locales. The heart of Joy to the World, though, is his portrait of four lonely people at Christmas – the Doctor, Anita, Joy and her dying mum. His final flourish – transforming Joy into a benign celestial force, indeed the Star of Bethlehem – is a cheeky, radiant reminder of what Christmas is all about. But maybe Steph de Whalley is another new star too.

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2024-12-27 01:03