‘The Tenth Planet’ (1966)
OK, so the only episode of traditional ‘Doctor Who’ that was ever transmitted on Christmas Day was part of ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’. The episode ‘The Feast of Steven’ was broadcast in winter 1965. Famously, William Hartnell turned to the camera, broke the fourth wall, and wished “a happy Christmas to all of you at home” as the episode ended. But only three episodes are retained in the archives (not including the Christmas one) and frankly, who has time to sit and listen to twelve episodes of an audio soundtrack? So instead, we’re suggesting William Hartnell’s final story, ‘The Tenth Planet’, which is only four episodes in length and only one is missing. After all, there’s an abundance of snowy landscapes, and the death and rebirth nature of the story, as Hartnell regenerates into Troughton, is a traditional Christmas theme.
