BBC Doctor Who Christmas special cast confirmed from Bridgerton to Casualty stars

Doctor Who is set to return ahead of the debut of season 15 next year with its annual Christmas special so who will be joining the Time Lord?

After the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special on BBC One, Doctor Who will bring festive family entertainment at 5.10pm as the Doctor visits a hotel that allows guests to travel through time.

As the countdown begins until the episode's release, fans are keen to know exactly who will be starring in Doctor Who's Joy To The World.

Doctor Who Christmas Special cast

The Doctor - Ncuti Gatwa

No Doctor Who adventure would be complete without the Time Lord himself. While their face has changed many times over the years, the mischievous attitude remains the same.

Now, as the fifteenth Doctor, actor Ncuti Gatwa will star in the Christmas special after making his debut as the Time Lord last Christmas.

Gatwa is best known for his role as Eric in Netflix's popular comedy-drama Sex Education and has since appeared in the Barbie movie and Apple TV+'s Masters Of The Air.

Joy Almondo - Nicola Coughlan

Guest starring as the Doctor's temporary sidekick is actress Nicola Coughlan, who rose to fame as Clare Devlin in Channel 4's Derry Girls.

Since 2020, she has gained worldwide recognition by starring as Penelope Featherington in Netflix's romantic drama Bridgerton.

Coughlan is set to take on the role of Jo Almondo in Doctor Who, a character who discovers a secret doorway in a London hotel that leads her to the Time Hotel, where she encounters "dinosaurs, danger and the Doctor".

Trev Simpkins - Joel Fry

Joel Fry steps into the shoes of Trev Simpkins, an employee at the Time Hotel.

Fry's acting career has spanned across popular series such as Trollied, Plebs, Ordinary Lies, and Game Of Thrones, and he has also appeared in films like Yesterday, Cruella, Love Wedding Repeat, and the Paddington movies.

Hotel manager - Jonathan Aris

Jonathan Aris will be seen managing the enchanting establishment as the hotel manager.

Aris is no stranger to television audiences with his performances in His Dark Materials, Avenue 5, Red Eye, The Sixth Commandment, and The End Of The F*****g World.

Hilda Flockhart - Julia Watson

Julia Watson takes on the role of Hilda Flockhart, presumed to be a guest at the hotel.

Watson is best known for her portrayal of Barbara Hayes in BBC's Casualty, and her credits include Welcome To Orty-Fou, A Touch Of Frost, Midsomer Murders, and Doctors among others.

Ruby Sunday - Millie Gibson

Ruby Sunday is Doctor's latest companion who left after finding her birth mother.

However, the Christmas special trailer teases her return, hinting at Ruby's comeback in season 15.

Millie Gibson, who portrayed the troubled character Kelly Neelan for three years on ITV's Coronation Street, left the show in 2022.

Other cast members include:

Anita Benn - Steph de Whalley

Basil Flockhart - Peter Benedict

Sylvia Trench - Niamh Marie Smith

The Doctor Who Christmas special airs on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, at 5.10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.