Joy to the World (Doctor Who)

312 – "Joy to the World"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster, featuring the caption "Joy to the Worlds"
Cast
Doctor Ncuti Gatwa – Fifteenth Doctor
Companion Nicola Coughlan – Joy Almondo
Others Millie Gibson – Ruby Sunday Peter Benedict – Basil Flockhart Julia Watson – Hilda Flockhart Niamh Marie Smith – Sylvia Trench Phil Baxter – Edmund Hillary Samuel Sherpa-Moore – Tenzing Norgay Steph de Whalley – Anita Benn Jonathan Aris – Hotel Manager Ruchi Rai – Receptionist Joshua Leese – Mr Single Joel Fry – Trev Simpkins Ell Potter – Server Liam Prince-Donnelly – Barman Fiona Marr – Angela Grace Fiona Scott – Joy's Mum
Production
Directed by	Alex Sanjiv Pillai
Written by	Steven Moffat
Script editor	David Cheung
Produced by	Alison Sterling
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies Julie Gardner Jane Tranter Joel Collins Phil Collinson Steven Moffat
Music by	Murray Gold
Running time	54 minutes
First broadcast	25 December 2024 (2024-12-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by "Empire of Death" Followed by → —
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Joy to the World" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One and released on Disney+ on 25 December 2024 as the fifteenth Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005.

In the episode, the Fifteenth Doctor discovers a strange hotel at Christmastime that has harnessed the power of time travel and finds a mysterious briefcase. While investigating, he receives help from one-off companion Joy Almondo (Nicola Coughlan) who helps him solve the mystery.

"Joy to the World" was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai. It was filmed in October and November 2023. The episode was seen by 5.91 million viewers and received mostly positive reviews from critics.