This year’s *Doctor Who* Christmas special, entitled [“Joy to the World”](https://mashable.com/video/doctor-who-joy-the-world-trailer), offers a dazzling crossover by incorporating *Bridgerton* star [Nicola Coughlan](https://mashable.com/article/nicola-coughlan-bridgerton-extremely-online) into the Whoniverse. Coughlan takes on the role of the titular Joy, and her selection has been referred to as fortunate by showrunner and executive producer Russell T Davies. “The stars truly aligned,” stated Davies, noting that “everyone worldwide wants to collaborate with her.” After viewing the episode, it’s clear why. “There she is, and she’s utterly fantastic!” he raved.
Within the episode, Joy (Coughlan) discovers herself spending a solitary holiday at a London hotel, only to have her seclusion broken by the Doctor (played by [Ncuti Gatwa](https://mashable.com/video/doctor-who-choose-your-squad)). Armed with a ham-and-cheese toastie, a pumpkin latte, and a flair for adventure, the Doctor sweeps Joy off on a timey-wimey escapade through the annals of Earth. Throughout this journey, she confronts nefarious technology, a courteous “lizard man,” a rampaging T-rex, and even two incarnations of the Doctor. Ultimately, Joy’s destiny is bittersweet, but her narrative paves the way for the Time Lord’s upcoming journey in Season 15.
Mashable engaged in a conversation with Davies and executive producer and screenwriter Steven Moffat regarding the episode and its significance for the forthcoming season.
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### A Cheerful Companion and a Bittersweet Goodbye
Similar to some of the [most unforgettable and poignant *Doctor Who* holiday specials](https://mashable.com/article/doctor-who-christmas-specials-ranked), “Joy to the World” wraps up with the absence of a friend. Nevertheless, Joy’s exit is anything but gloomy—it radiates warmth.
In a Zoom exchange, Moffat elaborated on why such bittersweet conclusions are vital to *Doctor Who* Christmas specials. “Christmas is always about those you cherish and those you long for,” he remarked. “It’s joyous because everyone you adore is present, but it’s also sorrowful because someone’s absent. Love and loss are inherently linked. To love is to suffer loss.”
Few series depict this duality as effectively as *Doctor Who*, which narrates the saga of a character who is reborn repeatedly, fated to undergo love and loss on a grander scale than most. “The Doctor endures significant loss,” Moffat pointed out. “He loses all his companions. Thus, making [the special] partly about loss—but not depressing—simply acknowledging that endings are real feels appropriate. And end things must; otherwise, nothing new could commence.”
Davies concurred, highlighting the show’s emotional richness. “It’s an intensely emotional show. That’s why we cherish it,” he affirmed. “If the Doctor appears a bit melancholic, we draw in a 100-piece orchestra and instruct them, ‘Play loudly!’ That’s the program at its peak—making you laugh harder than any other series and cry more than any other series. That’s one of *Doctor Who*’s fortes, and there’s plenty more of that on the horizon.”
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### Preparing for Season 15
At the conclusion of the episode, Joy embraces her evolution into a star, a fate the Doctor dreads may lead to her demise. However, Joy comforts him, stating she’s “changing” and will “shine everywhere, forever.” She leaves the Doctor with a touching reminder: “You need to discover a friend. Do that. Go find one now. I’ll be watching.”
This foreshadows the Doctor’s journey in Season 15, which Davies disclosed will concentrate on the Time Lord’s pursuit to alleviate his loneliness. “Here is a man who prepares coffee for two, only to realize he’s alone—in a dressing gown,” Davies remarked about the Doctor’s condition at the episode’s onset. “He’s inherently chatty and yearns for someone to converse with. And so she’s informed him of this.”
When Season 15 debuts, the Doctor will be proactively seeking a new companion, although Davies hinted at an unexpected turn. “It’s an intriguingly different setup that will unfold as the season progresses,” he teased. Fans can anticipate [Varada Sethu](https://mashable.com/article/doctor-who-boom-easter-eggs) joining the ensemble as Belinda Chandra, a new companion who will follow in the footsteps of Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday. While Davies kept details about Belinda’s character under wraps, he assured viewers that the emotional continuity from “Joy to the World” will be