Ncuti Gatwa, Russell T. Davies, and Millie Gibson shared a sneak peak at Doctor Whoâs 2024 Christmas special episode during their Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday.
The episode, titled âJoy to the World,â was written by Doctor Who veteran and former showrunner Steven Moffat. It will be Moffatâs 50th episode of Doctor Who, following âBoom,â his tense entry in the seriesâ 14th season. Moffat told TV Choice it might be his last Doctor Who episode, although heâs said that before. (And he tacitly acknowledged that in the interview: âWhat I feel slightly sad about is, even if I do another one, I probably wonât know when Iâve done my last one.â)
âJoy to the Worldâ guest stars Bridgertonâs Nicola Coughlan as Joy, alongside Gatwaâs Fifteenth Doctor, and is expected to air on Disney Plus on Christmas Day 2024. The panel included a brief glimpse at Coughlan and the Christmas special:
Showrunner Russell T. Davies was a little more tight-lipped about Doctor Whoâs full 15th season, due in 2025, even though production on the season has already wrapped. We know that Gatwa, who has played the Doctor since 2023, will be joined in the TARDIS by a new Companion, played by Andorâs Varada Sethu. That doesnât mean Gibson as Ruby Sunday is out of the picture, though; sheâs still in the show, and Davies promises sheâll play an integral part in the storyline.
âWe see The Doctor and Ruby in a new light, and with a new friend,â Davies told Comic-Con regarding Sethu. âLike youâre saying, different friends bring out different aspects of you.â
Beyond that, Davies, Gatwa, and Gibson would only say that the upcoming season provided plenty of their favorite moments. â[It] felt like a chance to flex the muscles properly,â Gatwa said. âSo exciting. Youâre fueled by the writing and by each new story, each new monster, each new addition into our world. Thereâs many in [the next season]. Itâs just the fun of the show. I think that just drives you growing into the character.â
Davies did have something else entirely to tease: a five-part spin-off series, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki), Russell Tovey, Alexander Devrient, and Jemma Redgrave â all, Davies stresses, playing new characters to the Whoniverse. The show, titled Doctor Who: The War Between the Land and the Sea, will start shooting in August. Its title comes from its central conflict: The sea devils, creatures from the 1972 iteration of the show, who inhabit Earthâs oceans, wake up and start to wage war after seeing the state of the planetâs waterways.
Neither that nor the next season of Doctor Who have release dates yet, but Davies has hinted that The War Between the Land and the Sea will premiere in May 2025, just a year after the debut of Gatwaâs first full season as the Doctor on Disney Plus.
You can find all of Polygonâs coverage of SDCC 2024 news, trailers, and more here.