Television

Blog about television

the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Anita (Stephanie de Whalley) in Joy to the World (Image courtesy BBC / Disney+)

“Joy to the World” is the 2024 “Doctor Who” Christmas special episode. It’s available in the UK and Ireland on BBC channels and in many other countries on the Disney+ platform.

The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) arrives at a hotel in the year 4202 that offers access to different moments in history. He sees a strange man at the reception with a briefcase attached to him with a chain and becomes suspicious. He starts investigating with the help of security guard Trev (Joel Fry) but the briefcase is passed from person to person until a Silurian takes it to another hotel in 2024. The Doctor follows him and arrives at a room recently rented by Joy Almondo (Nicola Coughlan), much to the confusion of her and manager Anita (Stephanie de Whalley).

Emily Watson in 2024

On December 22, the first season of the TV show “Dune: Prophecy” ended.

Years after the death of Frank Herbert, the author of the original Dune novels, his son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson started writing stories, generally in mini-series of two or three novels, set in the same fictional universe. I read several of them but frankly, at a certain point, I got bored because the level seemed to me to be that of fanfiction that lacked all the nuances that were a great strength of the original works.

“Dune: Prophecy” is set several decades after the end of the Butlerian jihad. The titles indicate a connection with the novel “Sisterhood of Dune” but the show is set after those events, in a period in which the Imperium is still seeking stability.

At the Comic-Con held these days in San Diego, Disney and BBC announced the production of a new “Doctor Who” spinoff called “The War Between The Land And The Sea” with Russell T Davies as the showrunner. The announcement indicates that the show will be produced as a five-part series. The plot will see the return of the Sea Devils, a prehistoric species first seen in the Third Doctor serial “The Sea Devils” with an appearance in the new series in the Thirteenth Doctor’s era. In the new spinoff, the Sea Devils have evil intentions and it will be up to UNIT to face them in defense of humanity.

Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) in Empire of Death (Image courtesy BBC / Disney+)

“Empire of Death” is an episode of the 14th season of the new “Doctor Who” series, also indicated as season 1, and follows “The Legend of Ruby Sunday”. It’s also the season finale. It’s available in the UK and Ireland on BBC channels and in many other countries on the Disney+ platform.

Beware that in various adverts and marketing materials, this season is promoted as season 1, marking the start of production by Bad Wolf and distribution by Disney+, hence the double notation. On BBC’s website, “Empire of Death” is indicated as episode 8 of 8 while Disney+ indicates it as episode 9.

The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in The Legend of Ruby Sunday (Image courtesy BBC / Disney+)

“The Legend of Ruby Sunday” is an episode of the 14th season of the new “Doctor Who” series, also indicated as season 1, and follows “Rogue”. It’s available in the UK and Ireland on BBC channels and in many other countries on the Disney+ platform.

Beware that in various adverts and marketing materials, this season is promoted as season 1, marking the start of production by Bad Wolf and distribution by Disney+, hence the double notation. On BBC’s website, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” is indicated as episode 7 of 8 while Disney+ indicates it as episode 8.