Fans were shocked in the run up to this year’s Doctor Who revival that former showrunner Steven Moffat would return to the TARDIS and write his first episode for the series since he departed in 2017, only to be shocked again when it was quickly confirmed that he would also write the 2024 Christmas special for the series. But it turns out that at least part of the reason why we got that double-barreled release of news is for a simple reason: Russell T Davies is really, really busy.
Davies had planned to pen the second Christmas special of his sophomore tenure—and had previously teased progress on it while discussing Who‘s return to the traditional festive TV slot—but, according to Moffat, constraints on the showrunner’s time as Doctor Who ahead of Ncuti Gatwa’s second season as the Doctor necessitated a change in holiday plans.
“The email [from Davies] came through and said ‘Steven, I need to get on series 2, I’m never gonna this Christmas script… could you come in and write one?’” Moffat recalled in a new interview with BBC News. “Not complete his script, but do another one from scratch.”
Production on the second season of Davies’ new era began very quickly after conclusion on the first. Fans saw set pictures of the incoming companion played by Andor‘s Varada Sethu well before she was formally introduced—and even before Gatwa’s first season began airing. It’s no surprise then, that Davies—who already, for better and worse, scripted the majority of Gatwa’s first season himself—found himself in need of another writer when turnaround was so demanding.
As for why Moffat returned, the writer added both a professed love for writing Doctor Who‘s seasonal episodes, but also teased the central hook to the upcoming episode, titled “Joy to the World.”
“Imagine in the far far future… a hotel chain got hold of the idea of time travel,” Moffat teased. “What’s the first thing a hotel chain would do if they had time travel? They’d realize they had an opportunity to sell all the unsold nights in their hotels in history.”
It’s presumable one of those unsold nights, then, that brings Gatwa’s 15th Doctor crashing into the life of Nicola Coughlan’s new character, Joy, as well as the return of Doctor Who‘s ancient amphibian foes, the Silurians. A Time Lord is a bit more than any hotel could bargain for if it came to time-travel reservations, it seems.
“Joy to the World” is currently expected to broadcast on the BBC in the UK, and Disney+ internationally, on Christmas Day.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Trending Products
Thermaltake V250 Motherboard Sync ARGB ATX Mid-Tower Chassis with 3 120mm 5V Addressable RGB Fan + 1 Black 120mm Rear Fan Pre-Installed CA-1Q5-00M1WN-00
Sceptre Curved 24-inch Gaming Monitor 1080p R1500 98% sRGB HDMI x2 VGA Build-in Speakers, VESA Wall Mount Machine Black (C248W-1920RN Series)
HP 27h Full HD Monitor – Diagonal – IPS Panel & 75Hz Refresh Rate – Smooth Screen – 3-Sided Micro-Edge Bezel – 100mm Height/Tilt Adjust – Built-in Dual Speakers – for Hybrid Workers,Black
Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo – Full-Sized Ergonomic Keyboard with Wrist Rest, Phone Holder, Sleep Mode, Silent 2.4GHz Cordless Keyboard Mouse Combo for Computer, Laptop, PC, Mac, Windows -Trueque
