A Bluffer’s Guide to Doctor Who: The Feast of Steven
The drunk uncle of Christmas specials: mental, racist, and thinks there’s an audience
Describe The Feast of Steven in six words:
BBC1’s Christmas line-up in one show
This is… the Z-Cars crossover
Episode 97
First broadcast: Christmas Day, 25th December 1965
What Happens?
God knows.
Behind the scenes gossip?
Before Christmas, 1965 there was Christmas 1964. During that November — December period, The Dalek Invasion of Earth had been a ratings success for Doctor Who. As such, Verity Lambert (producer 1963–1965) was interested in repeating that success. Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks and writer of their adventures, was in talks with Lambert for another six-part Dalek serial.
But other parts of the BBC were about to interfere. Huw Wheldon, the BBC’s Controller of Programmes thought that Doctor Who could make more of its success with the Daleks. The proposed idea was an extra long Dalek story (the rumour goes that Wheldon was inspired by this via a comment his mother-in-law made).
Lambert began organising the idea, getting Dennis Spooner to join Nation in writing the scripts. She was in the process of departing her role and left the Dalek story to be inherited by her successor as producer, John Wiles. Wiles and his story editor, Donald Tosh, had to deal with the fact that the twelve-episode serial planned would have Christmas Day in the middle.
Deciding that a bleak story featuring the Daleks’ continuing quest to exterminate life in the universe while the Doctor and Steven were defeated by rising odds was not festive fare, they instructed Nation — who had previously been a comedy writer for Tony Hancock — to write a lighter episode divorced from the main story.
The episode ends with William Hartnell in character as the Doctor turning to face the audience and wishing the viewers a merry Christmas. In fan circles, a rumour persists that this was an ad-lib by Hartnell. However, the line does appear on the director Douglas Camfield’s camera script and the final scene would seem odd without it.
Observations:
If ever there was an episode so of it’s time, it’s this one: the pop culture references to Z-Cars, the Keystone Kops, Hartnell’s line about it being a madhouse “full of Arabs”…
And no intention on forming to any narrative structure at all. Not having the Daleks was the right call: You do not want your Christmas episode to be like “Day of Armageddon”. Yet, it’s hard to argue this sort of aimless series of skits, featuring two non-farces in a Liverpool police station and a Hollywood studio, is an adequate substitute. What we really need is Dennis Spooner to write a comedy villain: like the Jailer from The Reign of Terror, Emperor Nero from The Romans, or maybe even the Monk form The Time Meddler… Can you imagine?
You’d have to know more about Bing Crosby than me to work out how the audience is meant to know that is who the Doctor is talking too.
The novelisation goes into ghastly detail. It’s obvious that author John Peel know he is writing about a much-talked about episode and is trying to be as definitive as possible. But really, the best moments in Peel’s version are the two he adds: First, the Doctor talking to Sara about why they should never forget about the Daleks which shows the First Doctor’s empathic side. Second, Sara and Steven worried that the Doctor is a fish-and-chips addict.
This episode was not telerecorded by BBC Enterprises for international sale meaning that this episode is definitely lost. Which means that obviously it was brilliant and made perfect sense with the visuals.
Steven doesn’t even eat! What a misleading title…
Hot Takes:
I like the Doctor breaking the fourth wall!
And a Merry Christmas to all of you at home!
For the brave among you:
Recommended / Further Reading: