Doctor Who: EVERY Steven Moffat Episode Ranked Worst To Best

34. Joy To The World

Doctor Who Joy to the World
BBC Studios

Steven Moffat's latest outing certainly has its moments to shine but overall, doesn't quite reach the heights of many of his other episodes.

The concept of the Time Hotel is absolutely brilliant, and the idea of using the hotel rooms to "microwave" the Star Seed is one of those clever timey-wimey twists we've come to expect from Moffat by now.

But the standout moment isn't Time Hotels, star seeds, dinosaurs, or even Nicola Coughlan, surprisingly underused as the big guest star – it's the year that the Doctor stays behind in order to complete the loop. The chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Steph de Whalley as Anita is wonderful, and the developing relationship between the characters makes their final goodbye so much more heartbreaking.

A solid enough Christmas special but far from Moffat's greatest festive offering. For my full in-depth thoughts, catch my review below!

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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.