Nicola Coughlan Confirmed For Doctor Who Christmas Special

Nicola Coughlan is set to make an appearance in Doctor Who. 

The Bridgerton and Derry Girls star is set to star alongside Ncuti Gatwa in a forthcoming Christmas special. 

However, fans are in for a bit of a wait,, as showrunner Russell T Davies has said she has filmed scenes for the festive episode that’ll be airing in 2024.

Nicola sparked speculation she had been cast in the BBC show after a recording of her on set started doing the rounds on social media earlier this month. 

Russell confirmed (via Digital Spy): ”[We’ve got] Nicola Coughlan at Christmas. Not this Christmas, next Christmas. We’re shooting Christmas 2024 now.”

This month sees the return of Doctor Who to our screens, as David Tennant reprises his role as The Doctor for a string of 60th anniversary specials, picking up where Jodie Whittaker’s last episode as the Time Lord left off.

In her final outing in the role, Jodie gave fans a shock as she regenerated into David, who previously played the Tenth Doctor.

David will also be joined by his former right-hand woman, Catherine Tate, in the specials, who will once again be portraying Donna Noble.

In addition to this, Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney has joined the cast as Rose, Donna’s daughter, while Miriam Margolyes will voice a character called Beep The Meep and Neil Patrick Harris will be playing a mysterious new arrival.

The episodes will be followed by a brand new series, starting over the festive period, which introduces Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa as the next Doctor.

Meanwhile, it also looks like Disney+ has revealed the title of the this year’s Christmas special. 

In a poster advertising their list of shows and specials coming up over the next few weeks, the streaming service – which is the new home to Doctor Who internationally – said it included “Doctor Who Holiday Special: The Church On Ruby Road”.

It also confirmed the special is due for release on Christmas Day – which points to the BBC also airing it on 25 December, as the UK broadcaster has the exclusive first airing of the series.

This will be a break in tradition from more recent years, which have seen the festive special airing on New Year’s Day, after it was bumped out of its original 25 December slot in 2019.