Doctor Who’s Christmas special feels a tad uneven and all too familiar

Last year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Church On Ruby Road,” was Ncuti Gatwa’s first full adventure—and it was a gift that promised renewal, not just for the new Doctor but the almost 20-year-old revival. The emotionally scarred Doctor who’d spent centuries running from past traumas had, quite literally, been left behind at the end of the final 60th-anniversary special,“The Giggle.” The Doctor, in other words, had a fresh start to go along with his fresh face.   

This year’s seasonal special, “Joy To The World,” finds the Doctor all alone again (and almost inexplicably so, as there are key moments in the story that directly contradict the Doctor’s former growth). Here, 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. Steven Moffat’s script is his 50th for the series and possibly his last. If so, he ends with an even number but an uneven entry that offers few surprises. 

The Doctor arrives in the lobby of the Time Hotel in London 4202 wearing a dressing gown over his usual stylish clothing. (Actually, the dressing gown is pretty stylish, too.) Our guy doesn’t intend to stay, as the TARDIS just honed in on someplace with fresh milk for his coffee. He’s toting two mugs, which he attributes to “habit.” This is an early warning that the special will focus on one of the less satisfying aspects from the previous season finale. The Doctor had just lost a companion in “Runaway Bride,” “The Next Doctor,” “The Snowmen,” and “Husbands Of River Song,” as well, but his initial mopiness in those stories felt earned. His companions were either in a different universe, mind-wiped, or dead. Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) is still alive and well in 2024 London, practically just down the street from the events of this special. Martha Jones left the Doctor in 2007 because she was in love with him and he didn’t reciprocate. “This is me getting out,” she said defiantly. Ruby is gone because the actor’s contract ended. Millie Gibson was one of the standouts of the last season, and arguably its best episode (“73 Yards”) features her almost exclusively. It’s a shame she’s left the series, really, because her presence would have infinitely improved this outing. 

Unfortunately, the biggest issue has to do with the Doctor himself. Moffat’s script seems better suited for Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi, the Doctors from his tenure as showrunner. The scribe's version of the Doctor, across all incarnations, is fundamentally weird, not someone who easily fits into normal situations. Weird is not a word that describes Gatwa’s glamorous Doctor. Even Davies’ dashing Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) was at his core a bit of a geek. Gatwa is as charismatic as ever, but despite his best efforts, he’s just not convincing as a Doctor so pathologically enigmatic that he annoys even himself. 

During a Radio Times interview, Moffat compared the Doctor to Santa Claus: “He’s grumpy to adults but loves kids.” But children don’t play a major role in “Joy To The World,” which is a tremendously missed opportunity. Youngsters provided the beating heart to Moffat’s “A Christmas Carol,” “The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe,” and “The Return Of Doctor Mysterio.” The closest we get to that childlike wonder is Anita Benn (a delightful Stephanie de Whalley), who works at the hotel where the titular Joy (Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan) checks in on Christmas Eve. 

Joy is not on vacation or traveling for business. She just doesn’t believe she deserves to be at home for the holidays. It’s a self-imposed punishment because she wasn’t physically with her mother when she died on Christmas Day. She hates herself for following the 2020 pandemic restrictions while other people enjoyed their lives and spent time with their loved ones. (That resentment is certainly real, although it might’ve landed better if it was suggested that her mother died from the disease that caused those restrictions. The physical separations during COVID were painful but also life saving.) Coughlan receives main-title billing, which the script doesn’t actually justify. Past specials haven’t shied away from stunt casting, but with fewer episodes per season than ever, it’s strange that this one invests time with characters we shouldn’t expect to see again (although de Whalley connects well with Gatwa and would make an excellent companion herself).  

The special’s “time hotel,” where guests can visit different points in history, is indeed an intriguing concept, but it’s left frustratingly unexplored. The Doctor confronting this exploitative nature of “time tourism” would’ve been more interesting than the actual antagonist. Connecting the time hotel to the mysterious locked doors randomly found in hotel rooms is classic Moffat cleverness that imbues the mundane with the mythic, but ultimately, the place never advances past a plot device—and neither does Joy.

“The Church On Ruby Road” was an introduction to the Doctor’s new companion and a setup for the mysteries in the upcoming season. Who can forget Anita Dobson’s fourth-wall-breaking sendoff as the mysterious Mrs. Flood? But this special doesn’t pick up on any of the previous season’s dangling plot threads and seems intentionally ephemeral. “Joy To The World” prioritizes vibes over narrative complexity, but that’s not always a problem if the emotional payoff is well-earned. The title telegraphs the final scene, but the story doesn’t build adequately to it. Aside from some enjoyable, quiet moments between the Doctor and Anita, the characters otherwise run from plot point to plot point.

Moffat’s best scripts often have the qualities of other Christmas stories, where kindness triumphs over cruelty and love prevails over brute force. And his Christmas specials have centered around second chances, as well as spiritual and physical rebirths. Here, his message is clear: No one should remain alone, either on Christmas or any other day. This is all fine, but the execution of that idea is far too familiar. The Doctor realizing he shouldn’t travel solo is an epiphany he’s had multiple times (and in past Christmas specials).  

There is a nice moment when Anita asks the Doctor what “Auld Lang Syne” means. “Times long past,” he tells her, “and not forgetting old friends.” “Joy To The World” offers enough Christmas cheer to make longtime fans at least feel like they spent an hour with an old mate, but future installments should work harder on making new pals. Otherwise, this holiday tradition will start to feel like a chore.  

Doctor Who’s Christmas special, "Joy To The World," premieres December 25 on Disney+