Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who’s “Joy to the World.”
It’s possible that the TV show Doctor Who exists within Doctor Who‘s fictional universe after an amusing clue from the 2024 Christmas special, “Joy to the World.” Doctor Who infamously likes to break its own rules, but that rebellious streak has become more pronounced since Russel T Davies returned as showrunner. Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary specials and season 14 both wreaked havoc upon the show’s fourth wall, becoming more overtly self-referential than ever before with nods to Doctor Who‘s iconic theme song and Mrs. Flood talking directly to the audience.
As a Christmas story, “Joy to the World” understandably eases up on the meta madness and settles into a more comfortable Doctor Who groove appropriate for post-Christmas dinner family entertainment. Nevertheless, the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special does contain one fascinating instance of blurring the lines between reality and fiction, and the line could even mean Doctor Who exists as a TV series within the show itself. If true, this would have major ramifications for Doctor Who season 15 and beyond.
It Looks Like TARDIS Merchandise Exists In Doctor Who
The Doctor Unknowingly Supports His Own Merch Line In “Joy To The World”
The line in question comes during the Fifteenth Doctor’s year with Anita at the Sandringham Hotel. To remind him of the absent TARDIS, the Doctor takes to collecting miniature models of blue police boxes, and when Anita questions her new friend’s curious hobby, the Doctor comments on how common the models are, noting how they seem to be sold everywhere on the internet “for some reason.” The line is clearly a tongue-in-cheek nod to the TARDIS-themed merchandise of the real world.
In an alternate reality where Doctor Who never existed, it’s unlikely there would be many models of old-fashioned British police boxes available online, hence the Doctor’s surprise. Steven Moffat’s “Joy to the World” briefly returns to Doctor Who‘s recent meta space by suggesting the TARDIS models are popular because of the Doctor, just as they are in reality. Take that joke to its logical conclusion, and it’s plausible “Doctor Who” is a franchise within the franchise’s own canon.
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In any other era, the line could have been dismissed as a fleeting joke. After Doctor Who season 14, however, these reality-bending references carry far more meaning. Mrs. Flood, Susan Twist, Maestro, the Toymaker, alien Bridgerton cosplayers – as Doctor Who becomes increasingly cavalier with its own rule book, the prospect of a TV show about the Doctor existing within Doctor Who feels oddly within touching distance. This is especially true when considering Doctor Who‘s mysterious Mrs. Flood, who appears to be a huge Doctor fan and even wears the outfits of past companions.
Doctor Who Might’ve Explained Its TARDIS Merch In 2005
Is The Doctor Unaware Of His Own Fame On Earth?
There is another explanation that can address people selling TARDIS models on the internet in Doctor Who, but without falling all the way down RTD’s fourth wall rabbit hole. Doctor Who season 1 introduced Clive, a man who turned hunting the Doctor through Earth’s history into a hobby. There were others like him too, all delving into the truth of the strange blue box appearing across eras and discussing it over the internet. That theme continued into “Love & Monsters,” which officially gave the Doctor his own fan club, LINDA.
In the years since, the online community dedicated to following the Doctor would have increased exponentially thanks to social media and other advancements in digital technology. The amount of police box models available online could be because of these online in-universe Doctor-spotters who have continued the work of Clive and the “Love & Monsters” gang by tracking Doctor Who‘s TARDIS through the centuries.
The latest season of Doctor Who introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, joined by new companion Ruby Sunday. Their first adventure begins with “The Church on Ruby Road,” where they face powerful new foes and unravel the mystery surrounding Ruby’s origins. The Doctor grapples with the aftermath of a unique regeneration event and battles enemies more formidable than ever before.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Cast
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Ncuti Gatwa
, Millie Gibson
, Susan Twist
, Michelle Greenidge
, Angela Wynter
, Jemma Redgrave
, Yasmin Finney
, Anita Dobson - Seasons
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1
