It’s the most wonderful time of the year: yes, Doctor Who is back this Christmas! The BBC has unveiled its festive line-up, which includes plenty for Who fans.
First and foremost, of course, is Joy to the World, this year’s Christmas special, written by Steven Moffat and starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, which is due to air on BBC1 on 25th December.
There’s also the colourised version of The War Games, on BBC4 and iPlayer, and Doctor Who at the Proms, hosted by Donna Noble herself, Catherine Tate.
There’s also a Ghost Story for Christmas, a familiar staple of the season, and written by Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead; Cold War).
Other highlights that might be of interest include Don Gilet (The Runaway Bride) taking over the lead role in Death in Paradise; Lee Mack (Kerblam!) and David Mitchell (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) joined by Lenny Rush (The Legend of Ruby Sunday/ Empire of Death) for Would I Lie to You?; Nina Sosanya (Fear Her) is the voice of Angela Bowling in Quentin Blake’s Loveykins with Simon Pegg (The Long Game) also voicing characters in Quentin Blake’s Angel Pavement; Nina Toussaint-White (Let’s Kill Hitler) in The Primrose Railway Children; Nicola Walker (Liv Chenka) and Annabel Scholey (Village of the Angels) in The Split; Claire Skinner (The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) in Outnumbered; Bradley Walsh (Graham O’Brien) presenting Gladiators and Blankety-Blank; and Shearsmith joining Steve Pemberton (Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead) to celebrate their hit TV anthology for Inside No. 9: The Party’s Over.
Surely the highlight of the festivities though? Reece Shearsmith (Sleep No More), Peter Kay (Love & Monsters), and Adjoa Andoh (Martha’s Mum, Francine) in Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl!
You can check out the line-up on the BBC but if you’re just interested in Doctor Who, here’s what the BBC says…
Joy to the World
Ham and cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte? The Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, returns this Christmas for a time-hopping trip through the history of Earth.
The episode introduces Joy, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.
Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor’s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?
Joining Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan is a cast of exciting guest stars, including Steph de Whalley as Anita, Jonathan Aris as Melnak, Joel Fry as Trev, Peter Benedict as Basil, Julia Watson as Hilda, and Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia.
The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television, and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK where available.
Doctor Who at the Proms
Doctor Who fan favourite Catherine Tate presents a concert of music, monsters and mayhem featuring soundtracks from the iconic series; a brand new, specially shot feature for the new Doctor and a host of scary aliens as they thrill a packed audience at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
In a concert like no other in all of time and space, the much-loved music, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, is accompanied by specially edited sequences from the series.
Monsters old and new make dramatic appearances in the hall with fans getting the fright of their lives as they confront them face to face.
Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 features a never-before-seen short film by the series’ showrunner Russell T Davies, Pantheon of Discord, featuring Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor, Nicholas Briggs as the voice of The Vlinx and Jinkx Monsoon as the god of music, Maestro. Mrs Flood, played by Anita Dobson, makes a surprise guest appearance, and everything is wrapped up in spectacular lighting and special effects.
The concert showcases Murray Gold’s epic music, including his new themes for the Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday played by Millie Gibson. Alongside the new music, fan favourites such as I am the Doctor, written for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and A Good Man, which perfectly captured Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor also feature. There are also stunning performances of Abigail’s Song and Vale Decem featuring acclaimed Soprano Aida Garifullina, and composer Segun Akinola’s The Thirteenth Doctor written for Jodie Whittaker’s spin as the time-traveller.
No Doctor Who Prom would be complete without a special performance of the show’s iconic theme tune, heard in a new arrangement. Doctor Who makes its much-anticipated return to the Proms, the fourth time it’s delighted audiences as part of the eight-week festival of music.
Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 is co-production from BBC Studios and Livewire Pictures for BBC One Wales, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (1×109’) It was commissioned by BBC Arts and BBC Wales. The Executive Producer for BBC Studios Wales is Paul Bullock and the Commissioning Editors for the BBC are Stephen James-Yeoman and Christina Macaulay.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone
Mark Gatiss brings E. Nesbit’s chilling short story Man-Size in Marble back to life in his seventh Ghost Story for Christmas.
In her final days, author Edith Nesbit recounts the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura. The couple are settling into a small cottage in a quiet village when their idyll is overshadowed by the superstitious warnings of their housekeeper, Mrs Dorman, and the legend of the village church’s tomb effigies – a pair of marble knights who are said to rise from their slabs on Christmas Eve…
Jack dismisses this is as mere folklore. But as the fateful night draws near, he feels drawn to the church, leaving Laura at home, all alone.
Starring Éanna Hardwicke (The Sixth Commandment) as Jack Lorimer; Phoebe Horn (The Motive and the Cue) as Laura Lorimer; Celia Imrie (The Thursday Murder Club) as Edith Nesbit; Monica Dolan (Sherwood) as Mrs Dorman; and Mawaan Rizwan (Juice) as Dr. Zubin.
Written and directed by Mark Gatiss. Adapted from the short story Man-Size in Marble by E. Nesbit.
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Woman of Stone is an Adorable Media production (1×30) for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. It was commissioned by BBC Arts. The Producer for Adorable Media is Isibeal Balance and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Mark Bell.
The War Games — in Colour
It’s time to step into the excitement of The War Games once again, as one of Doctor Who’s classic tales is to receive a spectacular new colourisation.
Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe and Jamie as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War I military zone – but all is not as it seems. They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.
For the first time, these original episodes have been meticulously colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story.
In addition, the episode will also feature the Second Doctor’s never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.
The War Games colourisation is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for BBC. Executive Produced by Russell T Davies, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Joel Collins. Lead Colourisation Artist is Richard Tipple and Edited by Benjamin Cook.
The War Games will air on 23 December 2024 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The original episodes are available to watch in The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer
