Doctor Who: Which enemy returns in this year's Christmas special "Joy to the World"?

We're now less than a month away from the next Doctor Who Christmas special "Joy to the World", and we're extremely excited to see it. Not just because it's been great having the Christmas specials back after last year's "The Church on Ruby Road". But also because this year's will be written by Steven Moffat.

I had honestly missed Steven Moffat's writing. It wasn't perfect, but he still gave us some of Doctor Who's greatest stories ever, including "The Empty Child", "Blink", and "Heaven Sent". This year's "Boom" was another reminder of how brilliant a storyteller he is. It was also a more than welcome return to the show after being away for over six years.

It's been hinted that the Christmas special might be his last episode for Doctor Who. Emphasis on the "might" - in a recent tweet for the "Boom" watchalong on Doctor Who Day, he hinted that it could be his last episode - but then again, it might not be.

But why was "Boom" selected as the watchalong for Doctor Who Day? Was it simply because it's a great episode, arguably the best of this year's season? Possibly. But at the same time, it's also possible it's because of the main threat of the story - a threat that will return once more on Christmas Day...

Villengard

As revealed in a recent clip from the upcoming Christmas special, Villengard will be the key threat in "Joy to the World". Don't be surprised if the name doesn't ring a bell, as they've only had a few mentions and appearances in the series. In fact, "Boom" was the first time that we got to see them as an actual threat. But it wasn't their first mention in Doctor Who.

In "The Doctor Dances" - the second part of Steven Moffat's first-ever story for Doctor Who on TV - it's established that Captain Jack's sonic blaster was manufactured at the weapons factories on Villengard. The Doctor casually admitted to destroying the factories and replacing it with a banana grove.

We eventually got to see the ruins of those factories in "Twice Upon a Time". It's fitting that Villengard made an appearance in this story, considering it was intended to be Steven Moffat's final episode for Doctor Who. Not just as showrunner, but possibly ever.

Complications of time travel

Of course, once Russell T Davies came back, he wanted Moffat back writing an episode as well. This lead to the episode "Boom", where we got to discover just how dangerous Villengard's weapons truly are. More than that - we also discovered how shockingly ruthless the corporation is. They don't just design weapons for war - they aim to ensure that war keeps going, no matter what. The longer a war lasts, the more weapons they sell.

Honestly, it's very fitting of Moffat to mention the Doctor destroying a weapons manufacturer in one episode, only to feature them as an enemy years later. It's a reminder of how complicated the Doctor's life can be - just because he defeats an enemy for good doesn't mean he'll never encounter them again. It's simply one of the complications of time travel.

But what are Villengard up to in the upcoming Christmas special? What else will we learn about the corporation and their ruthless methods? We can't wait to find out on Christmas Day.