Published: December 3, 2024 -- Ham and cheese toastie and a pumpkin latte? The Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, returns to iPlayer and BBC One this Christmas for a time-hopping trip through the history of Earth.

What time is the Doctor Who Christmas Special on Christmas Day?

The Doctor will see you on iPlayer and BBC One from 5.10pm on Christmas Day.

Watch Doctor Who Christmas Specials in The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer BELOW

What's the plot of Joy To The World?

The episode introduces Joy, starring Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), who checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers 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?

Doctor Who Christmas Special Cast

Joining Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan is a cast of exciting guest stars, including Steph de Whalley as Anita, Jonathan Aris as Melnak, Joel Fry as Trev, Peter Benedict as Basil, Julia Watson as Hilda, and Niamh Marie Smith as Sylvia.

The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television, and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK where available.

And there's more Whovian festive fun where that came from...

Doctor Who at the Proms 2024

On Christmas Eve, Doctor Who fan favourite Catherine Tate presents a concert of music, monsters and mayhem featuring soundtracks from the iconic series; a brand new, specially shot feature for the new Doctor and a host of scary aliens as they thrill a packed audience at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

In a concert like no other in all of time and space, the much-loved music, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, is accompanied by specially edited sequences from the series.

Monsters old and new make dramatic appearances in the hall with fans getting the fright of their lives as they confront them face to face.

Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 features a never-before-seen short film by the series’ showrunner Russell T Davies, Pantheon of Discord, featuring Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor, Nicholas Briggs as the voice of The Vlinx and Jinkx Monsoon as the god of music, Maestro. Mrs Flood, played by Anita Dobson, makes a surprise guest appearance, and everything is wrapped up in spectacular lighting and special effects.

The concert showcases Murray Gold’s epic music, including his new themes for the Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday played by Millie Gibson. Alongside the new music, fan favourites such as I am the Doctor, written for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and A Good Man, which perfectly captured Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor also feature. There are also stunning performances of Abigail’s Song and Vale Decem featuring acclaimed Soprano Aida Garifullina, and composer Segun Akinola’s The Thirteenth Doctor written for Jodie Whittaker's spin as the time-traveller.

No Doctor Who Prom would be complete without a special performance of the show's iconic theme tune, heard in a new arrangement. Doctor Who makes its much-anticipated return to the Proms, the fourth time it’s delighted audiences as part of the eight-week festival of music.

Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 is co-production from BBC Studios and Livewire Pictures for BBC One Wales, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (1x109’) It was commissioned by BBC Arts and BBC Wales. The Executive Producer for BBC Studios Wales is Paul Bullock and the Commissioning Editors for the BBC are Stephen James-Yeoman and Christina Macaulay.

Watch Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 on iPlayer and BBC Two from 4.10pm on Christmas Eve

Doctor Who - The War Games

It’s time to step into the excitement of The War Games once again, as one of Doctor Who’s classic tales receives a spectacular new colourisation.

Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), following him and his companions Zoe and Jamie as they land in a battlefield that appears to be a World War I military zone - but all is not as it seems. They soon discover that soldiers from different historical periods have been abducted and are being manipulated in a cruel game. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the War Lord and his twisted experiments, the Doctor faces one of his most difficult challenges.

For the first time, these original episodes have been meticulously colourised and enhanced with updated visual effects edited into a new, 90-minute feature-length experience to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With updated sound and a new score, this newly updated version of The War Games offers both fans and newcomers even more ways to watch the much-loved classic story.

In addition, the episode will also feature the Second Doctor's never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.

The War Games colourisation is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for BBC. Executive Produced by Russell T Davies, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Joel Collins. Lead Colourisation Artist is Richard Tipple and Edited by Benjamin Cook.

Watch The War Games on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Monday 23 December

The original episodes are available to watch in The Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer BELOW