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Special clip for “Doctor Who” 2024 shows classic alien race and the Doctor’s Christmas travels over 84 years

Summary

  • Doctor Who
    unveils the first clip of its 2024 Christmas special during SDCC.
  • Guest star Nicola Coughlan joins Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor.
  • The clip shows the Doctor visiting various Christmases over time before accidentally stumbling upon Coughlan's Joy, whose path crosses that of a Silurian.



Doctor Who has revealed a first look at its upcoming Christmas special during San Diego Comic-Con. The Christmas special has been an ongoing tradition for the sci-fi series since its return in 2005, with 2023's “The Church on Ruby Road” bringing the series back to the time slot for the first time since 2017. The episode usually features a guest star as the Doctor's new companion, and for this year's special, Bridgerton Star Nicola Coughlan will join Ncuti Gatwa’s fifteenth Doctor.

Well, our first official look at Doctor WhoThe 2024 Christmas special was revealed during the show's panel at SDCC, where Screen Rant was present. While the Doctor visits various corners of human history on an assignment for an unknown guest, Joy (Coughlan) arrives at the Sandringham Hotel when a chance encounter with a Siluian in a suit brings the duo together. Watch the clip below:



Why does the Doctor travel alone in the Doctor Who 2024 season special?

Season 14 left the Time Lord desperate and uncertain.

Moffat used seasonal specials to challenge the Doctor in his current stage of life.


Although the Time Lord puts on a cheerful face during his visits throughout history, he is currently in a vulnerable position. While his bigeration by the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) gave the Fifteenth Doctor the opportunity to put his trauma of several lifetimes behind him, Doctor Who At the end of season 14, he questions whether he has had a positive impact on the universe after becoming a pawn in Sutekh's (Gabriel Woolf) plan to bring death to the universe. With Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) on her own adventure to reconnect with her family, the Doctor must deal with these events alone.

Pictures from Doctor Who

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As such, Doctor WhoThe 2024 season special is designed to challenge this plot point with its story-spanning scope, according to returning writer and former showrunner Steven Moffat. During his tenure, Moffat used season specials to challenge the Doctor in this current period of life, whether it be in terms of his grief, his connections with his loved ones, or his coming to terms with his own mortality. As such, the upcoming season special promises to be an emotional bridge between season 14 and season 15.

As you can see in the clip, Doctor WhoThe 2024 season special promises a lighthearted but thoughtful adventure through space and time. As seen in Coughlan's introduction, Joy and the Doctor are two lonely travellers left to wander alone during a season that's all about being together. So the pair may be able to shed some light on each other's lives during difficult times, though Silurians, explorers and mysterious locked doors could cause the pair plenty of trouble.


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