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Doctor Who: Nicola Coughlan Intros, Previews Christmas Special (VIDEO)

Nicola Coughlan had a message for fans at SDCC 2024 Hall H before previewing the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special, "Joy to the World."

Who says it's too early to hear more about Showrunner Russell T. Davies and stars Ncuti Gatwa (Fifteenth Doctor) and Millie Gibson's (Ruby Sunday) upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special? We don't – which is why we're glad that the BBC and Disney+ were kind enough to release an early preview of what's to come. But the best part? It came with a wonderful introduction from guest star Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton), who personally fans to take a look at what the Steven Moffat-written, Alex Pillai-directed "Joy to the World" has to offer. You can check out what Coughlan had to share and the clip in the video above – and then make sure to check out what else we know about the holiday treat ahead of its December debut. So get ready to meet Joy – we have a feeling that the Doctor will be making a serious impact on her world…

Previously, Davies did have some teases to drop during the show's official podcast (more on that in a minute) – and he had more to add in the show's official behind-the-scenes featurette for "Empire of Death." Near the end of the video below (kicking in at around the 8:45 mark), Davies notes, "Now the Doctor voyages forward, and guess what always happens to the Doctor every so often – Christmas! Here comes Christmas. I can't give away much more, but work has begun on it already, and it's mad; it's one of the maddest Christmas specials you'll ever see. It's epic; it goes to so many different places. And it's a great story of who the Doctor is when he's alone." While the segment itself might be a bit dated (filming on the special was happening a few months back), the description of the episode is a pretty intriguing one – one that we can add to the other clues out there so far.

Even though we have a few months to go to process the first season and the storyline threads that are carrying over into Season 2 (let's not forget that we still have a new companion, Varada Sethu, joining the TARDIS), it's never too early to preview what's to come – and that's exactly what we got shortly after the season finale aired on BBC One. While we were hoping for some actual footage, Davies did appear on the show's official podcast (check out the video below, beginning at the 38:40 mark) to drop some teases about Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) and Ruby's story being far from over in terms of the special.

Doctor Who: The Road to "Joy to the World"

In November 2023, Coughlan checked in personally via video to let fans know that they can expect to see her in the 2024 Christmas Special as a guest star in the "Joy to the World":

"Happy New Year's Eve! And the point is – there, right behind us, that's one of the sets from the Christmas 2024 episode of Doctor Who! The future! Right there ♥️ But what terrible secrets does it hide..? (etc)," Davies wrote in an Instagram post on December 31, 2023, dropping one of the earliest clues to what's to come:

In March of this year, social media posts included screencaps of Producer Alison Sterling's CV that listed the 2024 Christmas Special – with Pillai directing and Moffat penning the script. Shortly after, the listing was removed – but not replaced with a "corrected" writer. During the Radio Times Covers Party that same month, Moffat looked to shut down the idea of his returning to the long-running series. "It would be career madness, even by my standard, to go back into a junior capacity on a show I used to run. I would have to be insane to do that!" Moffat added – eventually proving that he truly was insane by penning the Season 1 episode, "BOOM."

Two months later, Moffat confirmed to TV Choice that he was writing the Pillai-directed "Joy to the World" – which would be the writer and ex-showrunner's 50th Doctor Who script. "I should probably introduce that one from an armchair, 'Here we are — number 50,'" Moffat shared. "But I'm not involved in next year's series. There are other things coming for me, so I might never write for 'Doctor Who' again. As I got to the end of 'Joy to the World,' I did think, 'Is that it? My final moment?' So that could be my goodbye. Number 50? I'll take that."

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