Doctor Who's latest season will be available with a Disney+ subscription later this year, but unfortunately, one character won't be along for the ride. While viewers are thrilled to learn Ruby Sunday will return despite a new companion joining the fray, they may be bummed to discover a recent ally of The Doctor won't be around for the ride.
As thrilled as I'll be to see Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu returning to Doctor Who for more adventures with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor, Steven Moffat revealed to Radio Times that one well-liked character won't be around for further team-ups. I can appreciate his explanation for why, but I'm not sure I'm any less bummed.
Doctor Who Will Not Bring Back Anita From "Joy To The World" In The New Season
"Joy To The World" had a beautiful subplot adventure for The Doctor, in which he was forced to spend an entire year working at a hotel to keep the timeline loop intact and give himself the code to disable the suitcase built by Doctor Who's classic evil organization Villengard. While working, he befriended the manager, Steph de Whalley's Anita, and over the course of the next year, they became great friends.
For the first time in a long time, it seemed as though The Doctor had a real friend, but sadly, we won't be seeing her anytime soon. Steven Moffat confirmed to Radio Times that Anita was a "one-off" character, and she was not written into any episodes that will happen in the upcoming season.
That's a sad reveal for what I genuinely considered the best part of the Christmas special. I may just have to create some headcanon about them secretly staying pen pals between his upcoming adventures.
Steven Moffat Explained Why Anita Was Created, Which Makes Sense
One might wonder why Anita was given so much attention in Doctor Who's "Joy To The World," especially if the franchise didn't have any longterm plans for the character. As a former showrunner for the program, Steven Moffat had an answer, and it turns out it all came down to money:
She is, like all great things in Doctor Who, and this is a fact you can take from me, because I know my Doctor Who facts – all great things in Doctor Who are the result of a budget cut. The spaceship looks like a phone box. Why? Because of a budget cut. That's exactly what Anita was, because we couldn't afford to send Ncuti Gatwa around the world trying to find another hotel.
Sorry to anyone who thought Anita was secretly the mysterious Mrs. Flood in disguise. It turns out the character was created because the story needed The Doctor to remain at a single hotel, and I'd assume having him hang out with a character made the story more entertaining. Unfortunately, they might not have predicted how beloved the character would be with fans; otherwise, they might've found space for the character in the new season.
At the same time, it makes sense Doctor Who couldn't drop any more money by having The Doctor travel the world in search of another locked hotel door to access the Time Hotel. Maybe had Steven Moffat not come in midway and started fresh on the special he could've workshopped more ideas to fix that problem, but I'm happy with the result even if we never get more of Anita.
"Joy To The World" doesn't fall on this fan's best Doctor Who episodes of the series, but it is a fun special. I won't lie, the fact we may never get more adventures or scenes with The Doctor and his holiday cohort does knock the episode down a peg for me in hindsight, but I'll probably watch it next Christmas still.
Despite some downer news, I remain excited for Season 2 of Doctor Who's new era on Disney+. I can't wait to see The Doctor continue to battle the Pantheon of gods in the new season and find out who is really pulling the strings behind this whole adventure.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
