Doctor Who Christmas Special Clip Features The Return Of A Villainous Organization (& A T-Rex!)
A new glimpse at Doctor Who‘s upcoming 2024 Christmas special “Joy to the World” has been unveiled by the BBC, teasing Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor facing a terrifying prehistoric threat. Set in a hotel full of time-traveling rooms, the adventure is penned by former showrunner Steven Moffat and follows the events of season 14. While Gatwa’s Doctor will be traveling alone following him parting ways with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), he will soon be joined by Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan as guest companion Joy.
The official Doctor Who YouTube channel has shared a new clip of “Joy to the World” following its premiere during the BBC Children in Need telethon event. The Doctor and Joy investigate a terrifying contraption developed by Villengard, whose latest business venture sees them developing an experimental energy source known as the “Star Seed” that could destroy the Earth. While the Doctor points out that the energy source would need longer than human history to gestate, Villengard accounts for this, learning that the organization left the suitcase holding the source in prehistoric times. A T-Rex interrupts the Doctor, snatching the suitcase.
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While the Doctor and Joy narrowly escape the jaws of a T-Rex, the origin of the Star Seed is sure to raise brows. A creation of Moffat’s first introduced in season 1’s “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,” the Ninth Doctor destroyed Villengard’s manufacturing sites, while the Twelfth and First Doctors would later visit them. The nature of time travel means that he has encountered the organization in his later life, narrowly escaping one of their landmines in “Boom.”
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As such, while Villengard’s inclusion may be a clever piece of worldbuilding and continuity between Moffat’s contributions to Doctor Who, this is the second time in Gatwa’s era that it has been named and played a major role in the episode. Though it is uncertain that Moffat will return to pen another story, his creation may live on as an existing thorn in the Doctor’s side, potentially exploring the company’s origins further in Doctor Who season 15 and beyond.
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Though Doctor Who‘s 2024 seasonal special may be a brief interlude to the Time Lord’s travels, Moffat and the crew behind the series are ensuring that the special is a must-see episode. Alongside the addition of Coughlan following her breakout role in Bridgerton, the effects of T-Rex are among the series’ best regarding prehistoric creatures.
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Furthermore, with the inclusion of Villengard and their latest business endeavor, the 2024 Christmas adventure will also be one for dedicated fans to appreciate. Though the Time Lord may be left alone following Doctor Who season 14’s ending and questioning his role in the universe, the world has no shortage of excitement and danger for the Doctor to tackle.
