It feels like some time since we saw the Doctor, kilt-clad, weaving in the good-vibe breeze of a dance floor during last year's Christmas special. That was our first proper introduction to Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, without the warm nostalgic glow emanating nearby from David Tennant's bi-generated Fourteenth Doctor.
We've now had a full first season to get to know this perennially grinning and/or weeping incarnation of the Time Lord, during which the cosmos was vapourised and brought back into being again. After all that, the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special is set to be a reset of sorts for the whole Whoniverse.
Expectations are high for 'Joy to the World', particularly given it's been penned by the mighty hand of Steven Moffat, in what the former showrunner has said could be his last outing for Doctor Who.
While the details are, as ever, being kept closely guarded over at the Disney/BBC co-production HQ – we're imaging something like a sonic-screwdriver-emblazoned, steel-enforced safe with internal-organ recognition – Moffat shared a morsel of what's in store.
The special will ask what might happen if a hotel chain got their own sort of DeLorean time machine. Moffat told BBC South East: "What's the first thing a hotel would do if they had time travel? They'd realise they have an opportunity to sell all the unsold nights in their old hotels [throughout] history." So: predictably offbeat.
A teaser trailer sees our special guest star Nicola Coughlan – who presumably stepped through the Bridgerton time portal in ‘Rogue’ into this Whoniverse – dolled up in Red Riding Hood cosplay and checking into a hotel solo at Christmas.
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Because subtlety isn't always Moffat's seasoning of choice, her name is Joy (get it?). Meanwhile, the Doctor is popping in and out of eras offering nonplussed passengers on the Orient Express or fearful Londoners during the Blitz a tray of ham and cheese toasties and a pumpkin-spiced latte – a horrible combo, no wonder nobody says yes.
But when the Doctor bursts in on Joy in her roomy holiday digs, he smiles with recognition, having apparently found the time period and person he was searching for.
While the Doctor has left Ruby (Millie Gibson), he walks into Joy's life with someone else: a Silurian. He's suit-clad and briefcase-toting, because the hustle comes for everyone, even long-dormant reptilians.
Last seen in Matt Smith's run as the Eleventh Doctor, the Silurians were found living underneath the Earth's surface. If we delve into Who lore, they're also distant relatives of the Sea Devils, the amphibious race set to go head-to-head with UNIT in spin-off The War Between The Land and the Sea.
Their inclusion here feels crucial. The Christmas special could be a backdoor pilot for the upcoming spin-off, if not connected in some way. That will be a testing ground for whether modern Who fever can leap beyond the flagship show and if there's audience appetite to root for the shady Big State tech behemoth that is UNIT, in the stead of our wayfaring, morally conscious vigilante defender.
Perhaps whatever workplace romance is clearly brewing between Kate (Jemma Redgrave) and the Colonel (Alexander Devrient) will be enough to get fans on side. We’ll have to wait and see.
The one-off addition of Joy brings back a Christmas special format, where the Doctor goes on a standalone journey (usually of a Christmassy bent) with a limited-edition companion. Of course, in some instances – Catherine Tate's Donna – these Christmas chums come back for more.
This format has fallen fallow in recent years, where the specials under Chris Chibnall's leadership acted as a season premiere (and were technically New Year's specials). After last year's instalment was more of an introduction to the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby, this time around we're getting back to what gives the specials their specialness.
All the better after a peculiar season of Doctor Who, which saw our main character often riding narrative backseat, if not wholly absent from the storytelling vehicle itself. With a season-long riddle revolving around Ruby and her parentage, it was her emotional story that took up chief focus, promoting her from supporting character to co-star, at the very least.
The last time we saw the Doctor, he was bidding a teary farewell to Ruby, leaving her to reconnect with her biological family. Gatwa has said this Christmas special will touch on that loss, telling Collider: "When we find him, he's sad.
"He's bored and he's looking for an adventure. He's lost his best pal!" Showrunner Russell T Davies went on to say that this will be the core of the episode, adding: "That's what it's about in many ways, isn't it? That he's missing her."
Now Ruby's arc has concluded, we can finally dig into the deeper psychological seas of our new Doctor – something we've only had glancing opportunity to do so far. Given the state he will be in after Ruby's departure, as well as the long tail of emotionally bruising episodes like 'Rogue' and 'Dot and Bubble', it's ripe terrain.
And it will be Christmas: everyone gets a little bit sentimental. At least we know he'll have a pint-sized dose of Joy at his side (discount this if it's too early to be so sentimental).
Doctor Who airs on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere. Classic episodes of Doctor Who are available on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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Previously Deputy TV Editor at Digital Spy and, before that, a TV Reporter at The Mirror, Rebecca can now be found crafting expert analysis of the TV landscape, when she's not talking on the BBC or Times Radio about everything from the latest season of Bridgerton or The White Lotus to whatever chaos is unfolding in the various Love Island villas. When she's not bingeing a boxset, in-the-wild sightings of Rebecca have included stints on the National TV Awards and BAFTAs red carpets, and post-match video explainers of the reality TV we're all watching.
