Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special: Nicola Coughlan plays Joy!

During today’s big San Diego Comic-Con presentation for Doctor Who, let’s just say that we saw some exciting stuff! This includes a first look at the upcoming 2024 Christmas Special, which will be the next time you see Ncuti Gatwa back on-screen as The Doctor.

Of course, he won’t be turning up alone, as there is a very special guest who he will be working with here. Think Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who is playing the part of Joy!

In a video over at this link, you can see Coughlan describe her character as a woman who ends up having her life radically altered by The Doctor in some form. We see her turn up at a hotel, where she is looking to get a room for herself — in a rather awkward fashion. There’s a sense here that she may be a little bit lonely, but her stay gets totally upended when an alien ends up coming to her room … with The Doctor following close behind. So much for an ordinary stay, no?

For those wondering, it feels unlikely that Millie Gibson will be in this particular special as Ruby Sunday. After all, The Doctor indicated to her in the season 14 finale that she should focus on her family for the moment, especially as she has learned such a great deal about her past all of a sudden. There are going to be some opportunities to see her come back in season 15, but she will also not be alone — there is another companion joining the world of Doctor Who in Varada Sethu, who will be playing a different character from who she did during the episode “Boom” earlier this year.

Is it a long time to wait until Christmas Day? Sure, but we hope that there are some other festive updates coming before too long.

Related – What former Doctor does Ncuti and Millie want to come on board the series?

What do you most want to see moving into the Doctor Who Christmas Special later this year?

Be sure to let us know right away in the comments! Once you do just that, remember to also come back — there are some other updates on the way.