The Christmas specials of Doctor Who have been some of the best episodes of the long-running sci-fi series, but the show’s first ever Holiday episode almost changed the series forever. Doctor Who’s modern era—ever since its 2005 revival—has put more attention on Christmas specials, bringing families together for adventures through time and space almost every year. The classic era of Doctor Who only featured one Christmas special, released on December 25, 1965, and it could have been game-changing for the series if its wildest twist had been continued.
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The fourth serial of Doctor Who’s third season pitted the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions against his most frequent enemy, the Daleks, in “The Daleks’ Master Plan.” Told over 12 episodes from November to January, “The Daleks’ Master Plan” episode 7, “The Feast of Steven,” released on Christmas Day, 1965, and explored a standalone story set at Christmastime. “The Feast of Steven” was Doctor Who’s first ever Christmas special, released 60 years ago today, and it ended with a shocking reveal about the time-traveling Doctor himself.
What Was Doctor Who’s First Christmas Special About & How Did It Change The Doctor?
“The Daleks’ Master Plan” saw the Doctor, Steven Taylor (Peter Purves), and Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) battling the Daleks and trying to stop them from using their Time Destructor. During this fight, however, they took a brief interlude while on the run from the Daleks, and ended up in a Liverpool police station on Christmas Day in “The Feast of Steven.” The trio get involved in some hijinks at the station, with the Doctor himself being referred to as Father Christmas, before they move on a silent film set in Hollywood, where they get involved in more humorous antics.
“The Feast of Steven” was a brilliant and brief break from the lengthy “The Daleks’ Master Plan” serial, and a lovely departure for the story on Christmas Day. This episode almost completely changed the Doctor, however, as it ended with the trio back in the TARDIS and sharing a drink to celebrate Christmas. They bid Merry Christmas to each other before the Doctor turns to the camera and bids everyone at home a Merry Christmas, too. This was one of the few times anyone in Doctor Who broke the fourth wall, and highlighted some of the Doctor’s original backstory.
Originally, the Doctor and Time Lords were intended to have some telepathic abilities as part of their physiology. This was actually directly mentioned in Doctor Who season 1’s “The Sensorites,” but was not continued. Perhaps the Doctor being aware of an audience and breaking the fourth wall was an example of the Time Lords’ telepathy. Some have suggested that this scene was an ad-lib by William Hartnell, and was not intended to be included in the episode—the footage of which has since been lost. Whatever the case, this was the perfect ending for Doctor Who’s first ever Christmas special.
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