Summary

• Moffat’s upcoming
  Doctor Who
  episode “Joy to the World” could be a crucial installment for the series’ future.
• The new episode may set up connections to future seasons, showing Moffat’s extensive involvement in the franchise.
• There’s a possible return of Moffat-era characters in the
  Doctor Who
  season 15 finale, hinting at exciting story possibilities.

Doctor Who‘s next episode will air on December 25, 2024, and recent comments from the festive special’s writer suggest it will be an incredibly important installment. After penning Doctor Who season 14, episode 3, “Boom,” Steven Moffat will return to the franchise once again to write “Joy to the World.” The episode will be the former showrunner’s ninth Christmas special, as well as his 50th Doctor Who script overall. With “Boom” immediately becoming one of the best Doctor Who episodes written by Moffat, he has a tough challenge ahead to ensure “Joy to the World” makes a similar impact.

Moffat’s association with Doctor Who predates his time as showrunner, as he wrote for the show before taking over. His era had Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor in the TARDIS followed by Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth, and his high-concept storytelling is one of the biggest hallmarks of his time in charge. Credited with writing and overseeing some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, the upcoming December episode is in good hands and primed to be a pivotal moment in the Disney era.

Moffat’s Tease Suggests Doctor Who’s Upcoming 2024 Special Will Be Important For Season 15

“Joy to the World” could be about to set up the Doctor Who season 15’s finale

In an interview with TV Choice, Moffat confirmed that he had read the scripts for the first five episodes of Doctor Who season 14 before the run aired. However, he also stated that he had read the script for Doctor Who season 15’s finale, and teased that there will be a direct connection to 2024’s “Joy to the World.” Therefore, the upcoming Christmas special could be a setup for the conclusion of Gatwa’s second season as the Doctor.

“Bizarrely enough, I have read the finale of [season 15] – for reasons that will become apparent.”

Moffat also says in the same interview that “Joy to the World” had already completed shooting before 2023’s “The Church on Ruby Road” had even aired. This intense new production schedule is new for Doctor Who, and also means fans won’t be left waiting for the saga to continue, which has happened in recent years. In 2016 and 2019, only one episode was aired per year. Luckily, Moffat’s comments seem to point towards these fallow periods being actively avoided.

Varada Sethu’s Doctor Who Character Could Be The Connection Moffat Is Talking About

Mundy Flynn has already been confirmed to be separate from Sethu’s new character

“Joy to the World” may not be the only connection to Doctor Who‘s season 15 finale. Instead, Moffat may be referring to “Boom,” or more specifically, Varada Sethu’s character and the actor’s casting as the next companion to Gatwa’s Doctor. (Via Games Radar), current showrunner Russell T Davies has already stated that Sethu’s upcoming role is different from her “Boom” character – Mundy Flynn. Sethu’s companion hasn’t yet been named, but even if it isn’t Mundy Flynn, Doctor Who‘s rapid new attitude to the show’s production makes it difficult to believe that there’s no connection between both Varada Sethu characters.

“I think we might as well just be simple with this, because we’ve already said [Varada Sethu is] not coming back as Mundy Flynn.” – Russell T Davies in SFX Magazine.

It’s also possible that “Boom,” “Joy to the World,” and the Doctor Who season 15 finale will be expertly interlinked, as would be expected when someone like Steven Moffat is involved. Of course, it would ultimately be up to Russell T Davies if this were to take place. Thankfully, the two men have worked together in the past and know how to play to each other’s strengths. So, an encrypted Moffat trilogy embedded across the first two seasons of Doctor Who‘s Disney era isn’t completely out of the question.

A Returning Moffat-Era Character Could Appear In Doctor Who Season 15’s Finale

Davies may have run the script by Moffat due to a certain character’s comeback

Doctor Who season 15’s finale may not be a follow-up to any of the previous two Moffat episodes in the Disney era. There could be a completely unrelated explanation for why the former showrunner has read the script so far in advance. One possibility could be that a character from Moffat’s era is returning in the final episode of the upcoming season. If so, even if Moffat hasn’t written the script, Davies may have seen fit to have his colleague look it over and make sure the dialogue and characterization are correct for whoever might be about to come back.

Moffat introduced several key characters during his run, as well as in scripts from before he took over from Davies as the Doctor Who showrunner. For example, he brought Alex Kingston’s River Song into the show’s canon in 2008 and made her an even more important character during the eras of Matt Smith’s and Peter Capaldi’s Doctors. The writer also created other beloved companions like Karen Gillan’s Amy Pond and Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald – both of whom could be written back into the show with creative sci-fi writing. So, Moffat’s Doctor Who season 15 tease opens up many exciting possibilities.

Sources: TV Choice, Games Radar