Nicola Coughlan on Her DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special Role, Working with Ncuti, and TARDIS Love

Nicola Coughlan’s turn as the beloved Penelope on the ever-popular series Bridgerton has made her familiar face to many American households. Now, the Irish actress has made her way to one of the most beloved series to ever come out of the UK: Doctor Who. In this year’s Christmas special, Coughlan portrays Joy, a young woman who checks into a hotel and gets wayyyy more than she bargained for. Joy crosses paths with the Doctor and they run into everything from a T. rex to a Silurian in an adventure that spans time. We caught up with Nicola Coughlan to discuss her time on set, Joy’s personality, and how Doctor Who‘s “Joy to the World” deals with more than pleasant emotions. 

Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+/BBC

Nerdist: What was it about this role and the special as a whole that made you want to be a part of it? 

Nicola Coughlan: Well, I got a call from Russell T Davies, who basically said, “Come play with us in Cardiff.” And I was really drawn to it because he has created the best television over the last twenty years. I am a real fan of Ncuti [Gatwa] and I have been since I first saw him on screen. 

I just think he’s a singular talent, and the thought of working with him was so appealing to me. But then I was terrified! I had to say to Russell, “I don’t really know Doctor Who that well. I don’t want to come in pretending I do.” And he said, “Look, don’t worry. Just come and play!” So it was a mix of being really excited, really drawn to them, and then terrified by the mammoth entity that Doctor Who is. But it was just such a great experience!

That’s awesome. Are you more into Doctor Who now?

Coughlan: I started off with what I thought was a simple thing, but it ended up being a lot! I was like, “I’ll go and read the Wikipedia page.” And even that page is like a full novel. That is not a regular Wikipedia page! [laughs] I was like, “Rigghhhttt, this is above my head.” So I went back and I watched the very first two episodes of Doctor Who with my brother, who got me into other sci-fi stuff when I was a little girl. I watched the last Christmas episode and the bi-generation with David Tennant and all that stuff. I was like, “It’s cool that I get to be a part of this world!” 

The best part is you have all the time in the world to explore. There’s so much! Tell us more about your character Joy and how she fits into this story.

Coughlan: Joy is a real people pleaser who sort of just wants to hang out in the background and never cause any trouble. But she’s causing herself a lot of trouble by doing that. And everything with her is not as rosy as it seems. When she meets the Doctor, that’s exactly who she needs to meet at that moment, and Joy is exactly who the Doctor needs, too. 

Excellent. You know, “Joy to the World,” packs in so much fun, but there’s also a really heavier emotional element to Joy’s story. Grief, guilt, and loss are a few things that she’s processing throughout this adventure. We won’t spoil it for readers, but can you talk about how you prepared yourself to tackle those difficult scenes? 

Coughlan: Absolutely. I think it was such an interesting challenge as a show to film. As an actor, you always film out of sequence. But in this, there’s time travel, so the story is literally out of sequence… you have that humorous element and you want to have that rapport, but you also have this very serious dramatic element. One of the most important things is acting opposite an actor whom you have trust in, and Ncuti is so open as an actor. He gives you so much that it’s quite easy just to go… We got to do a lot of those [lighter] scenes first and build up that rapport. So by the time we got to the emotional stuff, I was in a very safe place.

You can feel the good energy between you two, even in the trailers! So, what was it like to step on set for the first time? 

Coughlan: Very, very cool. Like I said, I was a real novice with Doctor Who, but I knew what the TARDIS was! So I was like, “I really want to see the TARDIS!” I had to get a picture with it and a picture of the inside. And they have a Dalek when you walk into the offices! It’s a proper institution. How cool is it that I get to be part of this?!

Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+/BBC

That is super cool! The TARDIS is iconic. What do you hope fans will take away from this Doctor Who Christmas special? 

Coughlan: I hope it makes them laugh and takes them to this other world. I hope it emotionally resonates with them. It’s so lovely to be part of something that everyone can sit down and watch together. I’m so proud of the work I’ve done [before Doctor Who], but a lot of it has just been for adults. It’s really lovely to think of a grandmother and a grandkid sitting down and watching this and enjoying it together.

Doctor Who’s new Christmas episode “Joy to the World” will stream on Disney+ on December 25 at 9:10AM PT/12:10PM ET.

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