When it comes to Doctor Who Christmas specials, I'm always more forgiving of the over-the-top cheesiness than I am for the rest of the year. If you can't go all out with an in-your-face message about the joy of life at Christmas,

Between this and the way that the Doctor shouts "joy to the world" from the top of a mountain, there's a self-satisfaction to these final moments that, while working as a kind of punchline, threaten to undermine the sad, angry, complicated humanity that animates so much of the episode's best moments.

Promotional still from ‘Joy to the World’ the 2024 holiday special of ‘Doctor Who’ It’s here the Doctor bumps into Joy who, through hijinks, winds up handcuffed to the case in place of the hotel manager.