The Doctor Who Christmas Special this year will see Ncuti Gatwa paired up with a new face following the departure of his companion, Ruby Sunday.

Nicola Coughlan of Derry Girls and Bridgerton fame will be joining the Time Lord this Christmas. Here's everything we know about the upcoming episode.

What happened in Doctor Who in 2024?

The upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, titled Joy to the World, will see the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, travelling alone.

In the previous series, he traversed the universe with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) by his side.

However, at the end of the series finale, Empire of Death, Ruby decided to leave the TARDIS.

Having spent her whole life wondering who her birth mother was, Ruby eventually received the answers she needed after defeating alien god, Sutekh.

Ruby learned that her mum wasn't a god or an alien - she was a human woman called Louise. After emotionally reuniting with her in a coffee shop, Ruby opted to stay on Earth and reconnect with her mum who abandoned her as a baby, leaving a devastated Doctor in the TARDIS alone again.

Prepare for an 'emotional' plot in the Doctor Who Christmas special

This Christmas special will see the Doctor encounter Joy (Coughlan), old enemies the Silurians, a mysterious briefcase, and a dinosaur - and that's just the start of it.

Earlier this month, the BBC released a synopsis for the upcoming festive special.

It read: "When Joy checks into a London hotel in 2024, she opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel - discovering danger, dinosaurs, and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.

"Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor’s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?"

Speaking to the Radio Times, the screenwriter, Steven Moffat, teased some more details about the plot.

"I got to the idea of a hotel chain in the future that discovers the secret to time travel, and says, 'We’ve got a lot of unsold rooms throughout history. We need to flog them'," he said.

"I just thought that for Christmas Day you need something a bit more emotional. And he’s just lost a companion which is always a bother. We’ve got to actually go through that, otherwise it just looks like, 'Oh, well, you’re gone. You’ll do.' Which is roughly what he does, but we try and disguise that."

Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 cast

Several guest stars will be appearing in Joy to the World this Christmas. The cast will be led by Ncuti Gatwa in his second festive special in the titular role.

The biggest casting news, of course, is Nicola Coughlan, who will be playing Joy, the Doctor's new friend. Coughlan is best known for her roles as Clare in Derry Girls and Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton.

Joining Gatwa and Coughlin is Jonathan Aris as the Silurian, Melnak. Aris will be known to fans of Sherlock, where he played Anderson, and fans of ITV's Red Eye, where he played MI5 agent, Tennant.

Plebs and Game of Thrones actor Joel Fry is also among the cast, playing the role of Trev. Fun fact, Fry has been starring alongside former Doctor Jodie Whittaker on stage in London recently, playing her love interest in The Duchess.

Steph de Whalley is also on the bill, playing Anita, with Peter Benedict as Basil, Julia Watson as Hilda, and Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia also featuring.

What time the Doctor Who Christmas is on

There isn't that long to wait for this year's Doctor Who Christmas special. The festive edition of the hit sci-fi show will be airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 5.10pm on Christmas Day.

The behind-the-scenes companion show, Doctor Who: Unleashed, will be airing shortly afterwards at 7.10pm on BBC Three.

That's not all when it comes to the TARDIS on telly this festive season. On Christmas Eve, Doctor Who at the Proms will air on BBC Two at 4.10pm.

Additionally, a colourised, newly-edited version of the classic 1960s serial, The War Games, will be debuting on December 23 at 9pm on BBC Four.

Plenty of Doctor Who to keep you going over the festive period!

The Doctor Who Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 5.10pm on Christmas Day.