‘Doctor Who’ fans know who they want for a future companion after “Joy to the World”
Doctor Who excels at Christmas specials. The most recent addition to the list is “Joy to the World,” starring Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan. It’s been getting rave reviews from critics. Many have agreed that a British Christmas Day just isn’t right without the Doctor.
Contains spoilers for Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas Special, “Joy to the World”.
With Doctor Who Christmas specials, it’s common for people to fall in love with the guest star and want them to stick around on the show for longer. (If they survive the episode, that is.) Take Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble as the finest example of this. She first appeared in the 2006 Christmas special, “The Runaway Bride,” and won over all the critics who didn’t want a comedian like Tate in the TARDIS. She returned as the main companion for season 4 and now she’s one of the most beloved Who characters of all time.
Something different happened this year, though. While Nicola Coughlan’s Joy was, well … a joy, she’s not the guest star fans truly fell in love with during “Joy to the World.” No, that honor belongs to another character—Anita Benn, played by Steph de Whalley.
Anita is the manager of the hotel Joy checks into at the beginning of the episode. She charmed fans instantly with her relatable reaction—well, relatable to anyone who’s ever worked in customer service—to the time-travel shenanigans happening all around her, but it was a sequence in the middle of the episode that had people falling in love with her.
To fulfill a bootstrap paradox (and if you don’t know what one of those is, what are you even doing watching Doctor Who?) the Doctor must remain on Earth for a year. He decides to get a handyman job at Anita’s hotel, and gradually he ends up befriending her. The two of them bond over board games and the Doctor’s unorthodox fixes of household equipment. Before long, they’re very close. The Doctor doesn’t often live life in the right order, and this was a heartwarming look at how one special person made him slow down and enjoy the moment. Fans went wild for it and adored Anita just as much as the Doctor did.
And plenty of people wanted Anita to pull a Donna and return as a companion one day.
There isn’t a vacancy for a new companion just yet, as Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra will join the Doctor for his adventures next season. But after that … well, who knows? Anita got a happy ending, receiving a job at the Time Hotel thanks to the Doctor, so there’s every chance he might see her again. But even if not, she’ll go down in Who history (Who-story?) as one of the best side characters the show has ever seen.
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