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Warning: contains spoilers for Doctor Who “Joy to the World”.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Doctor Who special, and it wouldn’t be a Doctor Who special without some sneaky little Easter eggs tucked in to the story for fans to discover. Steven Moffat-written “Joy to the World” doesn’t disappoint , and not only tips its cap to Who stories past, but also includes nods to other fictional worlds, from Middle Earth to the Bond franchise, and to Moffat’s previous adaptation for HBO: The Time Traveler’s Wife.
We’ve noted those spots and a few others below. Let us know what we missed in the comments. Merry Christmas!
The First Bond Girl on the Orient Express?
On the Doctor’s undercover exploration of the Time Hotel posing as room service, he steps on board the Orient Express crossing Italy in 1962 and meets a passenger listed in the episode credits as “Sylvia Trench”. Played by Niamh Marie Smith, is that the same Sylvia Trench who was the very first Eon movie Bond Girl, played by Eunice Gayson and featured in Dr. No and From Russia With Love? Dr. No did come out in 1962, and the two characters do share a resemblance…
Bilbo Baggins’ Front Door
In addition to the Star Trek mention in series 14’s “The Devil’s Chord”, here’s more proof that the Whoniverse has thrown open its arms to fantasy crossovers is the appearance of a round door in the Time Hotel (at 31:50 in the episode) that, according to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, should lead directly to Hobbiton in the Shire on Middle Earth. Peter Jackson is a Who fan and rumours that he might guest-direct an episode swirled in seasons past.
The Time Traveler’s Restaurant
Notice the name of (presumably) the Time Hotel’s restaurant? “DeTambles” will have a familiar ring to fans of Steven Moffat’s US TV adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s celebrated novel The Time Traveler’s Wife. DeTamble is the surname of that novel’s titular character, Henry DeTamble, as played by Theo James in Moffat’s HBO version, and by Eric Bana in the less good 2009 film adaptation.
The Eleventh Hour Headlines
The newspaper tucked under the Doctor’s arm when he’s stealing milk from the Time Hotel’s snack bar has a couple of interesting stories relating to Steven Moffat’s first episode as Doctor Who showrunner – “The Eleventh Hour”. The headlines “Prisoner Zero Found Innocent” and (partially visible) “Duck Pond Mystery…” are inspired by the villainous alien of that episode who’d escaped jail through one of the time cracks caused by the explosion of the TARDIS and hidden out in the home of young Amelia Pond. The duck pond reference is also to that episode, when the Doctor realises something is wrong in Amy Pond’s home village because of the lack of ducks on the local pond.
The Girl in the Fireplace in the Press
The newspaper the Doctor is reading while he’s mopping the stairs at the Sandringham Hotel with a mop straight out of Disney’s Fantasia has headlines containing the word “Versailles” and an image of what might be a Clockwork Droid (it’s hard to make out) in reference to Steven Moffat-written series two episode “The Girl in the Fireplace”, itself inspired by Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife (see DeTambles, above).
The Blue Diamond
When the Doctor orders his disguise ham and cheese toastie and pumpkin latte from reception, he’s told “You just pay on the blue diamond”. The blue diamond is of course, the classic and now new-again shape of the Doctor Who logo.
Mr Benn’s Any Era Clothes Boutique
Where does a hotel guest buy era-appropriate garb to wear while on a Time Hotel minibreak? From Mr Benn’s Any Era Clothes, of course, the shop in the hotel lobby that seems to be named in honour of 1970s cartoon character Mr Benn, a bowler-hatted gentlemen who, every episode, went to a magical costume shop that transported him into the world of whatever he dressed up as. Note the costumes on display in the shop window – a suit of armour, a spacesuit, etc. All the same ones as featured in the Mr Benn opening credits.
A Catalogue of Classic Who Destinations!
Check out the options advertised by the Time Hotel’s leaflet and almost all of them have featured in previous Doctor Who historicals, both classic and modern era. To pick out just a few: “The O.K. Corral” is the final episode in 1966 serial The Gunfighters. Pompeii was the setting for 2008 episode “The Fires of Pompeii” (incidentally guest-starring Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillan). 1975 serial Pyramids of Mars featured the pyramids of Giza (and this year’s return villain Sutekh). The Romans took place in the Roman era. An Unearthly Child went back to the Stone Age, and so on.
The Merchant Vampires of Venice?
This may well be a case of looking too hard for something that isn’t there, but the display advertising a West End run of Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice that can be seen next to Anita’s reception desk at the Sandringham Hotel (a real Cardiff hotel, by the way) could refer to Toby Whithouse’s series five script “The Vampires of Venice”, or it could refer to ex-Doctor Who actor Tracy-Ann Oberman’s current stage run as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice 1936. Or, it could just be a bit of set dressing and a nothing. Moving on!
Villengard – An Old Enemy
As explored here and here, this is far from the first mention of intergalactic weapons manufacturer Villengard in Doctor Who, they’re a call-back to Steven Moffat’s first proper episode of the show – series one two-parter “The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances”. There, the villainous corporation was discussed by Captain Jack Harkness and the Ninth Doctor, who alluded to having destroyed its facilities and replaced them with a banana grove. Then, 19 years later, Moffat brought Villengard back in his 2024 script “Boom”, in which they were the baddies masterminding an unending war fought – unbeknownst to its combatants – purely for Villengard’s profit margin. The star seed is just the latest in a long history between the corporation and the Doctor.
Doctor Who: Joy to the World is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ now.
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