While Doctor Who Christmas specials are now known as some of the show’s best episodes, the very first holiday installment nearly altered the series’ direction permanently. Since the show’s return in 2005, Christmas specials have become a tradition, uniting families for annual time-traveling adventures. However, the classic series only had one Christmas special – released on December 25th, 1965 – and a surprising plot twist within it could have dramatically changed Doctor Who if it had been pursued further.
Sixty years ago today, Doctor Who aired its very first Christmas special! It was episode 7 of “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” titled “The Feast of Steven,” and part of the show’s third season. This 12-episode serial featured the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions battling the Daleks – his most well-known foes. While the larger story spanned several weeks, “The Feast of Steven,” released on Christmas Day 1965, offered a self-contained Christmas adventure and concluded with a surprising discovery about the Doctor’s past.
What Was Doctor Who’s First Christmas Special About & How Did It Change The Doctor?
In “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” the Doctor, along with companions Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom, fought against the Daleks and their dangerous Time Destructor. While escaping the Daleks, their adventure took a surprising turn when they briefly landed in a Liverpool police station on Christmas Day in a segment called “The Feast of Steven.” There, the Doctor was playfully mistaken for Father Christmas as they got caught up in some lighthearted chaos. Their journey continued to a silent film set in Hollywood, where they experienced more comical situations.
“The Feast of Steven” offered a welcome, short respite from the long story arc of “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” and it aired on a special Christmas Day. The episode significantly altered the Doctor’s character, concluding with the Doctor and his companions enjoying a Christmas drink inside the TARDIS. They exchanged holiday greetings, and in a rare moment, the Doctor directly addressed the viewers at home with a Merry Christmas – one of the few times a character in Doctor Who broke the fourth wall. This moment also revealed some details about the Doctor’s early life.
Early ideas for the Doctor and other Time Lords included giving them natural telepathic powers. This concept was briefly shown in the first season episode, “The Sensorites,” but wasn’t developed further. Some fans believe the Doctor’s habit of acknowledging the audience – breaking the fourth wall – might have been a hint of this lost telepathy. There’s a story that this moment was actually an unplanned improvisation by the actor William Hartnell, and the original footage is now missing. Regardless, it made a fitting conclusion to the very first Doctor Who Christmas special.
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2025-12-25 15:40