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First trailer for ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special introduces a new (super) hero

By Rick Marshall Published October 5, 2021

Doctor Who Christmas Special Trailer - Premieres Christmas Night at 9/8c on BBC America

The Christmas episode of Doctor Who has by now become an annual tradition for fans of the highly popular science fiction series, and this year’s special now has its first trailer.

Titled The Return of Doctor Mysterio, the holiday-themed episode has The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) teaming up with an investigative journalist played by Charity Wakefield (Wolf Hall) and a mysterious superhero to save New York City from a dangerous alien. The trailer for the hourlong episode offers a peek at what’s to come when The Doctor — who’s also a superhero, if you think about it — meets a hero of the more traditional cape-and-mask variety.

Written by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Ed Bazalgette (Poldark), “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” also stars Justin Chatwin (Orphan Black, Shameless), Matt Lucas (Alice in Wonderland), Adetomiwa Edun (Lucifer, Bates Motel), Aleksandar Jovanovic (Collide), and Logan Hoffman (V).

This year’s Christmas episode will not only air on December 25 as usual on BBC America, but it will also be presented to the public via a two-night screening in theaters December 27 and 29. The theatrical screenings will be accompanied by some behind-the-scenes features that will not air during the initial broadcast of the episode. More information about the screenings and tickets to the events are being made available at the website for Fathom Events.

As in previous Christmas episodes of Doctor Who, it’s certainly possible that The Return of Doctor Mysterio could set the stage for the events to come in the upcoming season of the long-running series. The next season of Doctor Who is expected to premiere in April 2017.

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