Doctor Who has been through several formats over the years, from the classic era that began in 1963, to the revived era that saw the show reach its peak popularity, and now to the rebooted era streaming all over the world. However, one thing that’s remained constant throughout all these variations of the show is the recurring characters and villains, creating a sense of connectivity that really binds this show together. And Doctor Who season 15 seems to be continuing this trend with a sneaky reference to a much earlier point in the show.
The fourteenth season of Doctor Who saw the long-awaited return of the Christmas specials, an annual tradition that began way back in 2005 and continued for over a decade until showrunner Chris Chibnall replaced them with New Years’ specials in 2019. While these offered some clever ideas and fascinating stories, the festive spirit of the Christmas adventures was sorely missed. While season 14’s Christmas special was a soft reboot for the show, the upcoming special will see the return of ex-showrunner Steven Moffat for an exciting standalone adventure.
Villengard Will Return In Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas Special
The Weapons Manufacturer Has Been Mentioned In The Show Again
While very few details have been released about 2024’s “Joy to the World” special, there’s been one important revelation that long-term fans of Doctor Who may have recognized. In a seemingly throwaway line during the episode’s most recent teaser, the Doctor mentions the name Villengard, which refers to a planet first introduced in the show’s first rebooted season. In Moffat’s first Doctor Who story “The Doctor Dances”, he introduced Villengard as the planet where Captain Jack’s sonic blaster was created.
Since then, VIllengard has been mentioned in several of Moffat’s best Doctor Who stories. The Doctor even visited the planet himself during “Twice Upon a Time”, where it was revealed to have been destroyed many years ago, the ruins inhabited by futuristic versions of the Daleks. It’s been a running thread in Moffat’s Doctor Who career, and it’s coming back for the 2024 Christmas special – though it’s unclear to what extent.
The Doctor Defeats Villengard At Some Point In The Future
The Ruins Were Revealed In Season 10’s Christmas Special
When the Doctor and Bill Potts visit Villengard in “Twice Upon A Time”, the planet is little more than an empty shell of what it used to be. The weapons factories have been destroyed, the Daleks have taken control of the ruins, and the company that once ran the planet was nowhere to be seen. While the show never explained Villengard’s destruction, one piece of Doctor Who media revealed that it was actually the Doctor who defeated the company and destroyed their planet.
According to the comic The Whole Thing’s Bananas, the War Doctor was responsible for destroying Villengard during the Time War. With the help of Dorium Maldovar, he used a molecular fruit bomb to transform the planet’s weapons factories into banana groves, preventing the Daleks from using Villengard’s facilities and gaining an advantage over the Time Lords in the War. The Time War caused many conflicts that haven’t yet been explored on the show, which creates many possibilities for short stories like these to explain aspects of Doctor Who that don’t solicit an entire episode.
“Joy To The World” Could Be A Sequel To Doctor Who Season 14’s “Boom”
Moffat’s Previous Episode Also Mentioned Villengard
It was 12 years between Villengard’s first mention in “The Doctor Dances” and its second mention in “Twice Upon a Time”, then a further seven years before it was included again in Moffat’s “Boom” episode of season 14. This proves that before now, Villengard hasn’t been a major aspect of the show – it’s simply an Easter egg that Moffat has included in a few stories. However, with its mention in “Joy to the World”, Villengard has now been mentioned twice in one year, causing suspicions that it could finally be coming to the forefront of this story.
Villengard’s presence in two Doctor Who stories this year could definitely be a coincidence, but it’s more likely that Moffat is building towards some kind of narrative thread that connects his two stories. “Joy to the World” could feasibly end up being a sequel to “Boom”, as the Villengard corporation seeks revenge or compensation for the Doctor’s interference in their weapons manufacturing. This could be a fun and exciting way of bookending Steven Moffat’s time on Doctor Who if this truly is his final episode, paying homage to his first adventure in “The Doctor Dances”.
