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“JOY TO THE WORLD: CHRISTMAS CHEER, DINOSAURS, AND A DOSE OF DIVINE DRAMA”

For the first time in Doctor Who history, a festive special arrives not from the current showrunner’s pen but from a familiar old friend—Steven Moffat. Joy to the World marks Moffat’s return to the TARDIS with a story that’s exactly what you’d expect: smart, funny, full of timey-wimey madness, and brimming with heart. It’s also a joyous opportunity to give Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor his moment in the Christmas spotlight, and he doesn’t waste a second of it.

Set in the Time Hotel—a whimsically bizarre construct where every room is a doorway to a moment in human history—the episode is a kaleidoscopic festive romp through the Stone Age, Ancient Rome, JFK’s assassination, Bethlehem, and even a door straight out of The Hobbit. It’s a concept brimming with whimsy and just the right amount of Moffat chaos.

GATWA’S TIME TO SHINE

Ncuti Gatwa is magnificent here. This is the story that truly lets his Doctor come alive—energetic, wise, alien, compassionate, and just a little bit lonely. Moffat writes him with the same balance of gravitas and glee that once defined Eleven and Twelve, and Gatwa matches it with a performance that’s funny, heartfelt, and magnetic.

His interplay with Nicola Coughlan’s Joy is warm but slightly unbalanced. While Joy’s grief over losing her mother to COVID provides some emotional weight, she ultimately serves more as a thematic vessel than a fully realised character. Coughlan makes her likeable, and her chemistry with the Doctor works well enough, but compared to Kylie Minogue or Michael Gambon’s turns in previous Christmas specials, Joy feels less defined and more functional.

CHECKING INTO THE TIME HOTEL

The real scene-stealer is Stephanie de Whalley’s Anita, a sardonic hotel receptionist with more depth than expected. Her scenes with the Doctor—especially during the year he spends working in the hotel—are sweet, silly, and quietly profound. It’s a classic Moffat detour: plot-light but character-rich, allowing the Doctor to reconnect with people and find a little warmth in the dark.

Another slower moment comes when the Doctor deliberately irritates Joy just to get her to open up about her grief. It’s a classic Moffat ploy, but this one doesn’t quite land—less cathartic, more awkward.

OF STARS, BRIEFCASES, AND BOOTSTRAPS

At the heart of the episode is a mystery box—literally. A strange briefcase passed from person to person through the hotel, always followed by death and the ominous chant, “The Star Seed Will Bloom and the Flesh Will Rise.” The Doctor’s curiosity quickly shifts to concern, especially when the box turns out to be a Villengard prototype weapon—classic Moffat mythology—with the power to birth a star and destroy the world in the process.

There are loops, paradoxes, and explanations for things you’ve probably never questioned before (why hotel rooms always have one locked door, for instance), but it all comes together in that unmistakable Moffat fashion. It’s clever without being smug, and accessible without dumbing things down.

FESTIVE FAVOURITES AND DINOSAURS IN THE LOBBY

The opening montage, which features the Doctor handing out toasties and pumpkin lattes across time, is peak Christmas Doctor Who—warm, funny, and oddly appetite-inducing. Dinosaurs make an appearance, the action veers briefly into Indiana Jones territory, and all of it looks gorgeous thanks to Disney’s wallet. The Time Hotel is a production marvel, full of weird doors, strange guests, and lashings of festive magic.

Sadly, the supporting cast don’t get quite enough to do. Joel Fry’s Trev Simpkins is charming but vanishes too quickly, and Jonathan Aris (as a Silurian hotel manager!) is delightfully odd but underused. Still, they add flavour to a strong ensemble.

A STAR IS BORN (LITERALLY)

The resolution, however, is the episode’s most divisive beat. As the star seed activates, Joy transforms into the literal Star of Bethlehem, shining across all of time and space to spread hope. It’s a grand gesture—a bit too grand for some. The religious imagery is more overt than Boom, and while the intent is clearly about light in the darkness, the metaphor may feel heavy-handed depending on your taste.

That said, the theme of spreading joy feels appropriate, especially when filtered through a story of grief and loneliness. And Moffat’s always had a soft spot for celestial metaphors.

TEARS, TOASTIES, AND TIME LOOPS

The final moments hit exactly where they should. Joy’s farewell is touching, and her transformation into a literal beacon of hope feels earned if slightly overblown. We also get a lovely, brief return from Ruby Sunday—a reminder that the Doctor hasn’t forgotten her, and neither have we.

📝VERDICT: 8/10

Joy to the World is a festive delight: timey-wimey, heartfelt, and just a little bit bonkers. Moffat’s return is full of charm, cleverness, and Christmas spirit, even if the emotional beats sometimes come wrapped in a bit too much tinsel. Gatwa dazzles, Coughlan charms, and the Time Hotel earns its place among the show’s most imaginative settings. A messy but merry triumph.