Doctor Who and Christmas go together like fish fingers and custard; it might sound weird to the uninitiated, but if you’ve tried it, you’re never going to look back.
In fact, the Doctor Who Christmas special has become something of a British institution. Yes, we know there were flirtations with running a New Year’s episode during Jodie Whittaker’s run, but thankfully, that post-regeneration madness has come to an end.
Last year’s Church on Ruby Road was widely seen as a return to form for the long-running sci-fi series – even if the Goblin Song didn’t quite make it to Christmas No.1. So how does Ncuti Gatwa’s second Christmas offering, Joy to the World, hold up?
Well, I’m delighted to say it more than lives up to its name. It’s a total joy to watch! Right, now I’ve got that low-hanging fruit plucked, peeled, and stewing in Christmas brandy, let’s get into what I liked about this Christmas cracker.
What is Doctor Who: Joy to the World about?
Picking up an unquantifiable time after the events of Empire of Death, the Doctor (Gatwa) is alone and desperate for milk (no one should adventure without a cup of tea first). His hunt for dairy draws them to the Time Hotel, a resort that offers its guests the opportunity to stay in any time period of their choosing (and there’s complimentary milk).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, upon landing, the Doctor’s hunt for milk is rudely interrupted by a sinister conspiracy which, without spoiling anything, forces him to team up with Joy Almondo (Nichola Coughlan), a lonely young woman from the 21st Century, to save the day.
It’s a classic Doctor Who plot that’ll be familiar to anyone who’s seen stories like Voyage of the Damned or even Planet of the Dead. Yet what makes this episode so special is that it’s written by the madman with a pen himself, Steven Moffat and the script’s practically bursting like a greedy grandad on Christmas day with all the tricks and treats (that’s another holiday isn’t it?) we’ve come to expect from Mr. Time-Wimey himself.
The nice
First of all, it has to be said that Moffat absolutely nailed the tone, which is upbeat, energetic, and fun.
As a quick aside, it probably helps that Murray Gold’s back on composer duties. Dear god, no one does Christmas music quite like Murray Gold. The moment his beautiful score started playing, I was enchanted like some poor human caught in the Master’s mind-bending power. It’s warm, nostalgic, and new all at once… anyway, back to Moffatt!
Where was I? Oh yeah the episode’s funny, sad, and just the right amount scary. It’s a tricky balance for sure, but I’d argue there are few in this galaxy who get the vibe of Doctor Who quite like Moffatt. Similarly, his take on the character is unarguably the best… or my favorite, at least.
When Moffatt writes The Doctor, he feels like a combination of your best friend, the worst person you’ve ever met, and an ancient unknowable god all at once. It’s a perfect fit for the character, and it’s nice to see Ncuti work with his material.
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We’ve gotten to know Ncuti’s Doctor as an empathetic and emotional man who’s unafraid to cry. However, Joy To The World finally shows his new side. It’s an angrier, slightly crueler version of the Doctor, and Ncuti does a brilliant job of bringing new dimensions to a Doctor I thought was slightly ill-defined in his first full season.
Nichola Coughlan is as great as you’d expect but sadly slightly sidelined, which brings me to some of the episode’s less jolly qualities.
The Naughty
Now, I don’t know why I was expecting anything different from Moffatt, but Joy to the World does let him indulge in some of his worst habits as a writer. No, I’m not talking about the story ending with a hand wave (it’s Moffat; that’s part of his appeal), but like other episodes, he’s written – I’m thinking of The Big Bang and The Name of the Doctor – the story is a bit disjointed.
Indeed, the best part of the episode (I can’t go into specifics because spoilers) feels ever so slightly detached from the wider story. It’s a great and moving sequence that genuinely brought a tear to my eye, but it does feel like Moffat fell through a hole in time, started writing another episode, and then remembered he had to wrap up the business in the Time Hotel. He just about gets away with it because it is so well written, but I can see audiences taking issue with it.
Speaking of things I take issue with. A note to the Doctor Who team: You need to stop writing sequences where we’re told the Doctor’s never taken the time to sit still in one area before… despite the Doctor having done this several times in his last few incarnations. Maybe the Doctor’s just getting forgetful in his old age and can’t remember his therapy breaks, or perhaps it’s an easy crutch for writers to fall back on? I don’t know.
Dexerto review score: 4/5 – Very good
Snark aside, however, I can look past the problems in the script. Moffatt’s never been a writer who feels constrained by his own story, and he’s more interested in big moments and emotional beats. For the most part, I think he did a great job with this story, and despite my issues with it, I came out of the screening giddier than a kid on Christmas day.
At this point, I’ve been watching Who for the best part of 20 years. I know what it is: warts and all. So while this Christmas carol is unlikely to convert the masses like some sermon on the mound, those who know the fun of Doctor Who at Christmas will be enjoying themselves too much to worry about the Grinches who didn’t get what they wanted from TV Santa.
If you love adventures in time and space check out our list of the best Doctor Who villains or our guide explaining how to stream every episode of Doctor Who.
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