EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsDoctor WhoWriter Steven Moffat promises that his Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special is lighter and more fun than his previous episodes: “It’s not Blink"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsDoctor WhoWriter Steven Moffat promises that his Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special is lighter and more fun than his previous episodes: “It’s not Blink"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: BBC)

Writer Steven Moffat has penned some of the best Doctor Who episodes of all-time but they aren’t always exactly the lightest of instalments. 2007’s ‘Blink’, which introduced the haunting Weeping Angels to the show, was truly terrifying, whilst most recently ‘Boom’, which we gave thefull five stars to in our review, was a tense affair seeing Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor stranded on a landmine.
However, Moffat promises that his next episode, the upcoming 2024 Christmas special ‘Joy to the World’, will take a different tone. As he tellsSFX magazinein the new issue, which features the upcoming special on the cover and hits newsstands on December 3, for this episode he really leant into the festive spirit with a funnier story.
But this is Moffat we are talking about, so you should still expect plenty of emotion too. The writer teases: “It’s got your Christmas whimsy in there, so I suppose it leans toward the slightly more humorous end, to a degree. But actually it gets quite emotional, and there’s also the fun element that within the context of the wider series the Doctor has just lost one of his mates.”
And whilst that will be explored in the Christmas special, Moffat is keen to emphasize it’s not all doom and gloom: “That puts the Doctor in a particular place, and in the modern show we’ve always honored that. So it’s the Doctor alone – which makes it sound sombre, and it’s really not. It’s whimsical and heartwarming and emotional. It’s not ‘Blink’. That’s how they review all my episodes – it’s not ‘Blink’!”
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The Doctor Who Christmas special ‘Joy to the World’ airs on Christmas Day on BBC One in the UK and streams viaDisney+ in all other territories. Read more inthe latest issue of SFX magazine, which features the episode on the cover and hits newsstands on Tuesday, December 3. Check out the fittingly festive cover below…
The SFX Holiday Special 2024 is on sale from 3 December! This bumper edition comes with #DoctorWho Season 25 art cards and an exclusive double-sided #Terrifier3 poster! Also, see loads of previously unpublished Terrifier 3 set photos!Pre-order coming soon, grab your copy fast! pic.twitter.com/394YJHUJGoNovember 19, 2024
The SFX Holiday Special 2024 is on sale from 3 December! This bumper edition comes with #DoctorWho Season 25 art cards and an exclusive double-sided #Terrifier3 poster! Also, see loads of previously unpublished Terrifier 3 set photos!Pre-order coming soon, grab your copy fast! pic.twitter.com/394YJHUJGoNovember 19, 2024
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