What time Doctor Who Christmas Special is on TV, full cast and plot

The BBC's Doctor Who is once again coming to our screens for a festive special. Joy to the World will see fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa returning after he took on the role in the final episode of the 60th anniversary specials in 2023.

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan will be introduced as the new companion, Joy who checks into a London hotel but shortly finds her stay is anything but ordinary. As she opens "a secret doorway to the Time Hotel", Joy comes face to face with the Doctor, and the pair figure out that "a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth", just in time for Christmas.

The festive episode features danger, dinosaurs, and an old enemy of the Doctor lurking in the wings as the whole of human history hangs in the balance.

Discussing the dynamic between the Doctor and Joy, Ncuti commented: "Their relationship isn’t plain sailing and there are bumps in the road, but I think Joy forces the Doctor to look into himself and his life and question it somewhat." Adding that there are also "some really funny moments between them".

When asked what makes Doctor Who at Christmas so special, the former Sex Education star shared: "It’s got such a joyous, lovely, warm Christmassy feel. There is so much heart in this story which touches on loss, love and humour, which is exactly what you want for a Christmas Day adventure with the Doctor."

He continued: "I can’t wait for the audience to see it, it’s very joyous."

What time is the Doctor Who Christmas special?

It will air on Christmas Day at 5:10pm on BBC One.

Who is the full cast of Doctor Who Christmas special?

• The Doctor - Ncuti Gatwa
• Joy Almondo - Nicola Coughlan
• Trev Simpkins - Joel Fry
• Anita Benn - Steph de Whalley
• Hotel Manager - Jonathan Aris
• Hilda Flockhart - Julia Watson
• Basil Flockhart - Peter Benedict
• Sylvia Trench - Niamh Marie Smith
• Edmund Hillary - Phil Baxter
• Tenzing Norgay - Samuel Sherpa-Moore
• Receptionist - Ruchi Rai
• Mr Single - Joshua Leese
• Server - Ell Potter
• Barman - Liam Prince-Donnelly

Derry Girls alum Nicola Coughlan, has described her character Joy as "someone that comes across very shy and retiring when you first meet her. She’s somebody who never wants to cause a fuss... Then you realise that she’s somebody who is hiding a lot of pain and has a lot of struggle in her life, but is not really facing it."

The actress admitted she had never watched Doctor Who before. She said: "I can’t tell you anything, not because of secrecy but because I had no idea what was going on. I was brought up in Ireland so didn’t see it as a child." Before adding that she looked it up on Wikipedia and it was like "reading War and Peace... It was so confusing with monsters and time travel."

Nicola has admitted that filming the show was "a fun experience" and if they want her back, she would do it again.

Writer of the Christmas special Stephen Moffatt, has confirmed that former Coronation street star Millie Gibson will return for a cameo as Ruby Sunday, the Doctor's companion.

Stephen mentioned the episode "gets emotional" following Ruby's departure last season: "We’ve got to actually go through that, otherwise it just looks like, 'Oh, well, you’re gone. You’ll do.' Which is roughly what he does, but we try and disguise that."

Showrunner Russell T. Davies who returned to the show when Ncuti became the Doctor, will also be back for the Christmas episode. He confirmed that the show airing on Christmas Day was one of his conditions: "This was kind of like number one on my shopping list – Christmas Day. I literally went to the BBC saying, 'Back on Christmas Day, thank you very much. Let’s have this.'

"I just think it suits Doctor Who. I think the stories are more fun. Any story with tinsel in it is better than a story without tinsel in it."