The Enigmatic Origins of Doctor Who's Christmas Episodes

The Birth of a Timeless Tradition

Although it may seem like Doctor Who's Christmas episodes first began when the show was rebooted in 2005, as it turns out, Doctor Who's first Christmas episode premiered all the way back in 1965. Doctor Who is a British sci-fi television series that first premiered in 1963 on the BBC. It tells the story of the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being known as a Time Lord, meaning he can travel through time and space in a device called the TARDIS, which resembles a British police box. The Doctor has been played by 14 actors over the years, the most recent of which is Sex Education star, Ncuti Gatwa. In 2005, Doctor Who was rebooted after being off the silver screen for 16 years. With the show returning to the air, new traditions were established just as new Doctors were cast, and one particular trend that seemingly began in 2005 was Doctor Who's special holiday episodes that premiere every year. So far, there have been 19 Christmas episodes of Doctor Who, and it seems likely that there will be more to come. But, perhaps the origins of Doctor Who's Christmas episodes is not what fans usually assume it to be. Perhaps, Doctor Who Christmas started much earlier.

William Hartnell is The Doctor

Doctor Who's First Christmas Special Explained

William Hartnell as The First Doctor looks slyly in Doctor Who

The Enigmatic Origins of Doctor Who's Christmas Episodes

The very first Doctor Who Christmas special was not 2005's 'The Christmas Invasion,' but was 1965's 'The Feast of Steven.' This was the 16th episode of Doctor Who season 3. At that time, William Hartnell portrayed the Doctor, and furthermore, this episode was part of a Doctor Who story arc entitled 'The Dalek's Master Plan.' 'The Feast of Steven' was released on Christmas Day 1965, but no longer exists in its entirety due to the BBC's erasure of many archived television series during the 1960s and 70s. Therefore, Doctor Who's first Christmas episode only exists as stills in the current day. What makes 'The Feast of Steven' different from the modern Doctor Who Christmas special is that it is less about Christmas, and more about Daleks. Since Doctor Who's start, it had been releasing episodes about Daleks on Christmas, mostly to get the most out of the 1960s 'Dalekmania.' However, 1965's 'The Feast of Steven' was actively designed to be a throwaway episode. Assuming that few people would be watching TV on Christmas, Doctor Who showrunners wrote 'The Feast of Steven' to be lacking in important plot, and instead, as a comedic Dalek story.

Doctor Who's First Christmas Special Broke The Fourth Wall

A Glimpse into the Past

One particularly unique detail about Doctor Who's 'The Feast of Steven' is that it broke the fourth wall. In the episode, the Doctor visits a Liverpool police station and a Silent Era movie set. While at the police station, the Doctor miraculously remembers that it is Christmas Day, and as a result, looks straight at the camera and says, 'Incidentally, a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!' In the end, the first Doctor Who Christmas episode is not only a forgotten episode from the show's early days, but it also includes some special details as well.