Alex Pillai, director of this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, describes Joy to the World as one of Steven Moffat’s best inventions, and promises a whole heap of fun and tear-jerking moments.
In this new interview, he says it’s “a powerhouse episode” and mulls over Doctor Who‘s special connection to Christmas…
What do you think makes Doctor Who at Christmas so special?
I think it’s just that Doctor Who has been a part of the fabric of our nation for longer than I’ve been alive. All of us, even older people, have got those childhood memories. There are certain characters on British television that everyone knows – if you say Del Boy, Peggy Mitchell, or the Doctor, they know exactly who you are talking about.
What you’re looking for at Christmas, whether you’ve got close family or you’re with friends, is something you can enjoy to together, so you can watch the Christmas EastEnders, the Christmas Doctor Who, or the Christmas Gavin and Stacey; these are really solid characters – but, of course, to me, the Doctor is the best.
What can audiences expect to see from Joy to the World?
I would say laughter, tears, a time travelling conundrum, and a dinosaur! To me, that is the logline. Steven has written such a powerhouse episode, so much happens and it’s all very understandable. You are laughing, but it’s very moving; I cry every time I watch it and I’ve watched it a hundred times easily.
What was your reaction when you first heard the idea for this episode?
I missed my stop! I was catching a train back from London to where I live, the script arrived, I put on my headphones, and I actually literally thought Steven had written this episode for me because it has all the things I love in Doctor Who and love in drama in general – there’s a love story, there’s a race to the end, and the dialogue is very witty and funny and fast. I just felt very connected to it.
What was your reaction seeing Nicola as Joy for the first time?
Well… The beret! This is Pam Downe, our costume designer’s masterstroke. She had seen Nicola in a few berets on her social media posts. We had a discussion about whether the beret should ever come off, and Russell said ‘Never! If you’ve got a character who looks right, then let’s not change it’. So then it became red beret, green dress – oh my God, she embodies Christmas! – Julie Kendrick our makeup designer gave her a really lovely kind of Farrah flick that just gave it a kind of fluffiness and an almost ’70s look for her.
Where will you be watching the episode on Christmas Day?
At home with my extended family, and we’ve got it all planned; it’s like a military operation or kind of like a film set – the call sheet will be done. If it’s a Christmas event, I think you have to watch it live.
If you had access to the Time Hotel, where would you go first?
It would be February 22nd 1967 at the Roundhouse in Camden to watch Jimi Hendrix and The Experience play one of his most legendary gigs. The Time Hotel is one of Steven’s best inventions. You could do a whole series called The Time Hotel!
Joy to the World will be broadcast on BBC1 on Christmas Day, at 5:10pm, and will be available to stream on Disney+ outside the UK the same day.
