For only the second Christmas special of his new era, Russell T Davies hands the laptop over to Steven Moffat and, whilst "Boom" very much has the Moffat stamp, "Joy to the World" feels like a journey back to fifteen years. We have the mind-banding use of time-travel, a mundane observation that opens the door (so to speak) to a deeper mystery the moments of high comedy, and pathos. Tonally, there are similarities to "The Husbands of River Song"and "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", in that there is a lightness to the plot, but the characters show unexpected depth. The Time Hotel may not be the most original of Moffat's concepts, but the package-holiday time travel experience is a perfect framework to hang the story on. This heady brew is mixed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, who manages all of the varying moods and gear shifts with ease aided by a flawless production.
The main thrust of the plot, the detonation of the star-seed is a McGuffin for most of the episode, leaving the dramatic heft to characters. The trips into the past are no more that background details and there is not even an acknowledgement on screen that the mountaineers are Tenzing, Hillary and co. Even a T.rex is not the thrust of the scene in question! Instead the story slows down to highlight the people polulating it. A background character in prosthetics that is never even named (the Silurian manager) is purely a vector for the star-seed in plot terms, but is given a touching death scene. Minor character though he is, Jonathan Aris is still very much recognisable under the make-up. Joel Fry makes a comedic sidekick character into a man who does not let death get away from his purpose in life.
In order to solve a simple puzzle, the Doctor has to live life in the slow lane and in doing to, he must eschew the wonders of the Time Hotel and spend a year in one of its lesser locations, in the company of another manager, Anita. The lovely friendship that blossoms (without a hint of romance, requited or unrequited) is beautiful with Steph de Whalley winning hearts as Anita.
The main support comed from the adorable Nicola Coughlan plays Joy and her wonderful performance elevates the material. Joy is driven by tragedy, a tragedy that many who lived under lockdown shared and her efforts to cope with annually reliving the worst day of her life, at a time when the opposite is expected are easily relateable and very touching.
Loneliness has often been a theme and the Doctor is as isolated as Anita and Joy. However, despite a description of the story indicating that this is would fit into the Moffat era, the characterisation of the Doctor makes it completely a Ncuti Gatwa story. The Doctor's year with Anita is more sedate and kind than his year with the Ponds. The Lonely God and the Madman With a Box have found a happy medium. Even the Doctor berating himself is more advice than self-hatred. Gatwa knocks it out of the park in another performance that firmly puts his stamp on the role.
The star-seed, as said, is a McGuffin, until it blossoms. Joy's self-sacrifice not only saves the world, but brings hope – hope to those people in doubt that the Doctor meets, hope and Joy to her dying mother and, most daringly, hope and joy to the world, with the programme's first direct entry into biblical times. This may not be the greatest Christmas special, but it is tremendous fun, rewarding repeated views with stirring genuine emotion.
NEXT: "The Robot Revolution"
