Nicola Coughlan admits she’s baffled by Doctor Who Christmas special plot: ‘I had no idea what was going on’

Nicola Coughlan tells The Graham Norton Show: ‘I can’t tell you anything, not because of secrecy but because I had no idea what was going on’

Nicola Coughlan has humorously confessed she has no idea what happens in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special.

The episode, titled Joy to the World, sees the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) embark on a time-traveling journey through Earth’s history, where he meets Joy, played by Bridgerton star Coughlan.

According to the BBC, Joy discovers a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, uncovering “danger, dinosaurs, and the Doctor.”

Despite her pivotal role, Coughlan admitted she was baffled while filming the festive special, as she didn’t grow up watching the iconic show in her native West of Ireland.

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show alongside Daniel Craig, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, she said: “I can’t tell you anything, not because of secrecy but because I had no idea what was going on.

“I was brought up in Ireland so didn’t see it as a child so when I got the part, I looked it up on Wikipedia – it was like reading War and Peace and it was so confusing with monsters and time travel.”

While Coughlan couldn’t shed light on the plot, she did share how much she enjoyed the experience on Friday’s installment of the beloved chat show.

“It was a fun experience, and I had a lovely time,” the Derry Girls star added. “If they want me back, I would do it again.”

Earlier this month, fans were treated to a trailer for the upcoming episode.

In the teaser, Gatwa, 32, is seen peeking out from the Tardis, asking “is this Christmas?” in a voiceover, before an individual, who appears to be a hotel worker, tells him they are doing “a special Christmas, everywhere, all at once”.

Coughlan’s character, wearing a red beret and jacket, is first seen alongside the Doctor when he enters a hotel room to find her pointing a hairdryer at a Silurian carrying a briefcase.

The Doctor is also seen with a lasso on a moving train, and in another clip he and Joy come face to face with a dinosaur in a sunny location.

The trailer also shows him staring down an identical version of himself, who is wearing the same clothes as him.

Becoming frustrated during his adventure, the Doctor appears to tell himself in a voiceover: “You have to be mysterious all the time, that is why everyone leaves you, that is why you’re alone.”

Guest stars include Plebs actor Joel Fry as Trev and Sherlock’s Jonathan Aris as Melnak.

Gatwa and Coughlan, 37, previously co-starred in Greta Gerwig-directed film Barbie.

Sex Education star Gatwa first appeared as the 15th Doctor during the last instalment of the 60th anniversary episodes of the BBC One show, when David Tennant’s Doctor bi-generated and split himself in two.