Doctor Who Holiday Special: Nicola Coughlan Shares a Sneak Peek at ‘Joy to the World’
It was a veritable Christmas in July when Nicola Coughlan appeared at San Diego Comic-Con‘s vast Hall H, remotely, to tee up a sneak peek at Doctor Who‘s next holiday special.
In Joy to the World, as this year’s special is titled, the Bridgerton star plays the titular Joy, “a determined woman whose life is forever changed when she meets the Doctor,” Coughlan previewed.
Little else is known about Joy to the World, though the sneak peek above offers glimpses of 1940 Manchester… 1962 Italy (via The Orient Express)… 1953 Mount Everest… and then modern-day London, where Coughlan’s character is first spied.
“Nicola is wonderful in it, she will break your heart,” former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, who penned Joy to the World, recently shared.
The “new” Doctor Who’s first holiday special, titled The Church on Ruby Road, marked franchise front man Ncuti Gatwa’s first full outing as Fifteen. It also introduced Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, a young woman who as a newborn was abandoned on a church doorstep on Christmas Eve 2004. “Season 1” proceeded to unravel the mystery of that strange night (and who/what all was witness to it), as well as eventually disclose Ruby’s parentage.
TVLine readers gave The Church on Ruby Road an average grade of “A-.”
Joy to the World will premiere Stateside this December 25 on Disney+.
As reported earlier by TVLine, the Doctor Who panel at Comic-Con also announced casting for a new spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, which brings back the Sea Devils and begins filming in August.
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So excited! Such a great idea to cast Nicola in a special – I’m delighted to see this promo and excited for the special!
‘timey whimey’ stuff from moffat as usual with a silurian back for the first time in a while.