I’m so glad Steven Moffat made this major change in the 2024 ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special

Of course, even before we were officially treated to Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas Special, “Joy to the World,” we knew the episode was bound to be a genuine … joy. How could it not be, when it included the return of Ncuti Gatwa’s magnetic Fifteenth Doctor and the wonderful Nicola Coughlan’s bubbly new character?

There was another majorly pleasant surprise in the special, however: the prominent inclusion of Stephanie de Whalley’s character Anita, a receptionist at a somewhat rundown yet oddly charming hotel. After some timey-wimey shenanigans involving the fantastic new concept of the Time Hotel forces the Doctor to stay and work with Anita for a year, he finally gets to see what it’s like for regular, everyday people to find “joy” in the little things, whether that be drinking cocktails on the fire escape with a friend, fixing appliances that needed fixing, or collecting small trinkets.

By the end of his year with Anita, the Doctor readily admits that, despite his usual life being filled with adventure and danger, this one, quiet, in-order year on Earth was “amazing,” and that was all down to Anita herself. Viewers loved Anita’s character and her dynamic with the Doctor so much that they’ve been advocating for her to come back on the show, hopefully as a future Doctor Who companion.

Given Anita’s nearly universal appeal, it’s hard to believe she was barely a part of Steven Moffat’s original script for the Christmas Special. In a recent interview with Doctor Who Magazine (via RadioTimes.com), Moffat explained that de Whalley’s character was meant to have a much smaller role. In fact, in the first draft, the Doctor didn’t stay with her at the hotel for a year at all; instead, he was supposed to “travel around the whole world,” as the Doctor is often wont to do while waiting for his encounter with his other self.

Honestly? Thank Joy that de Whalley was so likable Moffat couldn’t help himself from changing the script around her. The Doctor’s homebound year on Earth is so special. Having him travel the world on his own instead would, quite frankly, have been a bit boring and predictable.

He loves humans, but he never really gets to experience what it’s like to be one, and this one year on Earth, where he was forced to slow down and live among humanity rather than dragging someone onto his TARDIS, has undoubtedly fundamentally changed him as a Time Lord. Maybe he finally, truly, emotionally understands what it’s like for his companions to leave their lives behind when they travel with him because he’s actually leaving a genuine, day-to-day life behind for the first time himself.

Now that Anita’s been offered a job at the Time Hotel, I’m hopeful we’ll see her again someday, too. Who knows? Maybe she will one day be the next companion. Whatever happens next, I’m just grateful Moffat saw the value of Anita’s character and de Whalley’s performance. Her time on screen with Gatwa was a bit of holiday magic.