Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who’s “Joy to the World.”
Doctor Who’s 2024 Christmas special cannot help but nod towards the 1970s children’s TV show it’s very clearly based on. Written by formerDoctor Whoshowrunner Steven Moffat, it comes as no surprise that “Joy to the World” revolves around an intriguing core concept. Moffat was previously responsible for the Weeping Angels' “don’t blink” motif, theDoctor Who/Time Traveler’s Wifecrossover of “The Girl in the Fireplace,” and the “Doctor steps on a landmine” premise of season 14’s “Boom.” In the same vein, “Joy to the World” introduces the ingenious Time Hotel.
Some 2000 years intoDoctor Who’s future, London is home to a hotel where each room contains a portal to another era. Guests then dress up in period costumes and vacation in the past, whether that be assassination tours, historic events, or a dinosaur safari. As with his previousDoctor Whoepisodes, Moffat uses the story’s lofty concept to spin an adventure for the Doctor - in this instance, the evil Villengard Corporation exploiting the Time Hotel for nefarious purposes. Fun the Time Hotel may be, but the idea is based heavily uponMr Benn, andDoctor Whoseems to realize it.
Doctor Who Easter Egg All But Admits “Joy To The World” Is Based On Mr Benn
As If By Magic, The TARDIS Appeared…
Originally a series of books written by David McKee,Mr Bennwas later adapted into an animated TV series that premiered in 1971. Each installment involved the titular Mr Benn visiting his local costume shop, putting on an outfit, then walking through a magic door to the world that costume came from. If Mr Benn dressed as a cowboy, he would visit the Wild West. If Mr Benn dressed as a gladiator, he would visit Ancient Rome, etc. SubstituteMr Benn’s costume shop for a hotel, and what remains is pretty much the exact premise ofDoctor Who’s 2024 Christmas special.
Doctor Whomakes no attempt to hide the similarities between “Joy to the World” andMr Benn, and actually addresses the comparison head-on. When Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor is scanning the hotel’s lobby, he notices thatguests get their costumes from a shop called “Mr Benn’s Any Era Clothes.“Using the name “Mr Benn” - and for a costume shop, no less - is a very clear acknowledgment that “Joy to the World” owes a creative debt to the 1970s cartoon.
Mr Bennoriginally ran for just 13 episodes, but a further special, “Gladiator,” released in 2005.
The Easter egg goes deeper still, as the shop’s logo includes a classic bowler hat exactly like the one Mr Benn would wear before changing clothes. Even better, the shop window displays a red suit of armor - a loving homage to McKee’s first book in the series,Mr Benn - Red Knight
Doctor Who’s “Mr Benn” Easter Egg May Reveal What Happens To Anita
Doctor Who Subtly Confirms A Happy Future For Anita?
Doctor Who’s “Mr Benn’s Any Era Clothes” Easter egg is a very clear reference toMr Benn, but it might also resolve a key plot point from the episode itself. “Joy to the World” sees theFifteenth Doctor befriend Sandringham Hotel manager Anitaas a temporary companion over the course of a year. As a reward for putting up with him, the Doctor recommends Anita as a new recruit for the Time Hotel, offering his chair friend an exciting opportunity for a new life. Crucially, however, Anita is listed as “Anita Benn” in the episode’s end credits.
It cannot be a coincidence that Anita Benn joins the Time Hotel’s staff and the Time Hotel has a shop called “Mr Benn’s Any Era Clothes.” Because of the time-bending nature of the hotel and its recruitment policy, it’s possible the “Mr Benn” who owns the hotel’s costume shop is a future descendant of Anita’s. If so, that would suggest she lived a happy and fulfilled life afterDoctor Who’s “Joy to the World,” starting a family that was happy enough to remain part of the Time Hotel’s staff for multiple generations.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who: Released on August 19, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
