Doctor Who teases a new spinoff series and Christmas special at SDCC 2024

polygon.com:

Ncuti Gatwa, Russell T. Davies, and Millie Gibson shared a sneak peak at Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas special episode during their Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday.

The episode, titled “Joy to the World,” was written by Doctor Who veteran and former showrunner Steven Moffat. It will be Moffat’s 50th episode of Doctor Who, following “Boom,” his tense entry in the series’ 14th season. Moffat told TV Choice it might be his last Doctor Who episode, although he’s said that before. (And he tacitly acknowledged that in the interview: “What I feel slightly sad about is, even if I do another one, I probably won’t know when I’ve done my last one.”)

“Joy to the World” guest stars Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan as Joy, alongside Gatwa’s 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:

Prepare to meet Joy! Nicola Coughlan sent a special message to attendees of Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con… and a first glimpse of <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/DoctorWho?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#DoctorWho

's upcoming festive special! pic.twitter.com/9TAEgCJvEm

Showrunner Russell T. Davies was a little more tight-lipped about Doctor Who’s 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 Andor’s Varada Sethu. That doesn’t mean Gibson as Ruby Sunday is out of the picture, though; she’s still in the show, and Davies promises she’ll play an integral part in the storyline.

“We see The Doctor and Ruby in a new light, and with a new friend,” Davies told Comic-Con regarding Sethu. “Like you’re saying, different friends bring out different aspects of you.”

Beyond that, Davies, Gatwa, and Gibson would only say that the upcoming season provided plenty of their favorite moments. “[It] felt like a chance to flex the muscles properly,”