Promotional images of Derry Girls star in the Doctor Who Christmas special released

Doctor Who have released the first images of Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan and Ncuti Gatwa ahead of their appearance in the Doctor Who Christmas special.

Excitement for the sci-fi series’ 2024 Christmas special has been steadily building, and it has been ramped up thanks to a number of first-look images for the episode named ‘Joy to the World’.

The teaser pictures were shared by the official Doctor Who X, formerly known as Twitter, account, which have laid hints towards what is in store for the Fifteenth Doctor and Coughlan’s Joy, with the Irish actor also posting the images to her Instagram account.

The pair interact with a Silurian holding a briefcase, explore a cave that could be based in Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius after its eruption of AD 79, and see another image of Gatwa leaning out a doorframe. 

In the promotional image for the episode, included are a TARDIS mug, a poster for Pompeii, a cup of coffee, and a cheese toastie, with these items set to tie into the story.

Part of the announcement included that the episode will be released on Christmas day on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ simultaneously, while the show will broadcast on BBC One.