Doctor Who: Joy to the World review – a warm, moving Christmas special for the ages

Christmas is filled with so many delightful things: sparkling lights, delectable desserts, and, of course, the special episodes of Doctor Who. Even though I'm in high spirits, decked out in a festive sweater and indulging in chocolates from my advent calendar, I know that for many, this time of year can feel incredibly isolating. This is particularly true for Joy (Nicola Coughlan), the latest character in the Doctor Who series, who we find settling into a bare hotel room alone for the holiday week. Luckily, she’s about to meet the Doctor, who bursts into her room while chasing a green-skinned alien from the future. With a big smile, he offers her “a cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte.”

Ncuti Gatwa's inaugural Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, was a charming way to introduce the show's brilliant new lead (who had made a brief appearance in The Giggle alongside David Tennant). However, the stakes in that storyline were significantly lower. In Joy to the World, instead of saving a baby from goblin singers, the Doctor's mission is to avert the destruction of Earth. Discussing exactly what threatens the planet would spoil the surprise, so let's just say most of the events unfold during the festive season in London in the year 4202. There, guests at an extravagant hotel can experience pivotal moments from history, enjoying a glass of mulled wine while riding the Orient Express in 1926 or visiting Everest's base camp in 1953, or, oddly enough, reliving the London Blitz. Joy's unexpected Christmas disruption escalates rapidly, and the only way for the Doctor and Joy to prevent the impending disaster is for the Doctor to remain stuck in London for a whole year while Joy stays in 4202 with his future self.

If that seems incredibly intricate, it's because it truly is, but it unfolds at a pace that allows viewers to keep up, and despite its many twists, the story remains logically consistent. What makes this a standout Doctor Who Christmas special is not just the thrilling action and the excellent comedic timing of Coughlan and Gatwa (along with some memorable one-liners from Joel Fry as a time-traveling hotel worker), but also the deep emotional core that runs through it. It never feels like just another episode sprinkled with holiday elements. Instead, it resonates with experiences many of us have faced over the past few challenging years marked by Covid: feelings of isolation, illness, and the disappointment that arises when Christmas doesn’t live up to the joyous imagery we're constantly bombarded with. This Christmas special captures, with remarkable detail, the struggle of feeling unloved and miserable during what should be a festive time, longing for a call or an act of kindness that never arrives.

The sense of hopelessness is palpable in the Doctor, Joy, and hotel employee Anita (Stephanie de Whalley). Each character has poignant moments that highlight their yearning for deeper human connections. Gatwa skillfully portrays the Doctor's gradual transformation over the year he spends trapped in 2024; he builds a friendship with Anita and captivates customers in a new job that covers his living expenses as he waits out the 366 days. Some of his unresolved feelings of abandonment, which grew stronger after his farewell to Ruby, his companion from the previous series finale, start to heal. By the end, he emerges as a kinder, more empathetic, and humbler version of himself. This transformation beautifully reflects the spirit of Christmas—the hope that each December 25 allows us to grow and become better individuals than we were in the past. Like Joy, the Doctor, and Anita, we can wish to be more open to love and courageous enough to recognize when we need assistance.

After seeing Gatwa’s inaugural Christmas special in 2023, I described it as the beginning of a “wonderful new chapter” and compared his acting to “an exhilarating burst of joy.” This past year has brought numerous challenges that often made us feel frustrated and downhearted, tempting both us and the Doctor to embrace a cynical outlook. However, I hold onto the hope that, much like the Doctor, I'm improving with each Christmas. And it’s clear that Gatwa is certainly on that path as well.