Doctor Who viewers react as fan-favourite character makes unexpected comeback

But there was another return at the beginning of the episode that got viewers very excited too – step forward, everyone's favourite hotel receptionist Anita Benn.

First seen in last year's Christmas special Joy to the World, the character (played by Steph de Whalley) became an instant fan-favourite despite her limited screen time.

Following the festive episode, Whovians called for Anita's return – and Russell T Davies granted them their wish, as she emerged to save the Doctor by pulling him through a doorway to the Time Hotel as he was plummeting to the ground.

She went on to play a crucial part in allowing the Doctor to restore UNIT's memories of reality from the Wish World and also revealed some heartwarming news – she's pregnant!

Taking to social media, Doctor Who fans were united in their delight seeing Anita's return.

"Gasped at Anita’s return, that’s the QUEEN right there," wrote one, while another said: "If Doctor Who gets renewed Anita needs to be the Doctor's new companion. She’s actually such an icon."

"The cheer that was let out when Anita turned up," a third added. "That’s our hotel manager!"

When former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, who wrote Joy to the World, was asked earlier this year whether Anita could return in a future episode, he gave nothing away.

Speaking at the Radio Times Covers Party, Moffat told RadioTimes.com: "She is a one-off character. 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.

"So we just turned it into a little, not exactly romance, but a sort of quasi-romance with Anita. So Anita is a budget cut, but that means in Doctor Who terms, that means Anita is one of the best things that happened."

Anita's return also answers another Moffat-related mystery.

The writer revealed way back in May 2024 that he had already read the script for the season 15 finale – which we can now safely assume was related to Anita playing a key role in the storyline.

Speaking ahead of the airing of last season's episode Boom, Moffat teased to TV Choice magazine: "Bizarrely enough, I have read the finale of the following season – for reasons that will become apparent… he said cryptically."

Now, attention turns to the future and whether or not we will get a Doctor Who season 16, with no confirmation yet of the show's fate.

In the meantime, however, spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw is coming soon, as previewed in an exciting new teaser.

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ outside of the UK.

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