Doctor Who is now officially 60 years old as of last Thursday, and after thirteen long months of no episodes and a steady news cycle, we have finally seen the first of three special episodes to celebrate this anniversary. As has been the point of much discussion in recent years, these specials see former showrunner Russell T. Davies returning full-time to helm the series going forward, and his remit for his second stint in the showrunner chair is to supersize the show in as many ways as possible.
A distribution deal with Disney+ is giving the show top billing internationally on one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, the Whoniverse has been officially launched with every Doctor Who property under one roof on BBC iPlayer, and the show’s budget has received another major boost – apparently more went into the effects budget of this one episode than Russell was allowed for a full thirteen-episode series in his first tenure as showrunner.
So there’s a lot of big changes afoot, but I haven’t even touched on the most important one, being the next Doctor and companion duo arriving in just a few short weeks. Therefore, it seems only fitting that for the 60th anniversary RTD starts with embracing the familiar. Can you possibly go wrong with David Tennant and Catherine Tate as a duo? Can you possibly screw up an Earth-bound (and when I say Earth I of course mean London) alien invasion with a cute fluffy creature? Well, of course you can. But they don’t, and that’s what matters. For Russell’s first full script in fourteen years, The Star Beast is so relievingly comfortable to watch, and it has all of the best elements of his first era along with some promising signs of the future.
The Doctor and Donna’s partnership in Series 4 drew in the highest audiences and public attention of the revived series, so while it may not be reaching into the show’s past as much as some fans may have hoped for, they’re a reliable pair of hands to draw people in and both are absolutely electric here.
Tennant looks like he can’t quite contain his glee at being back, a feeling which manifests itself in the episode’s more kinetic action scenes, but likewise his Doctor’s tendency for high pathos is here in spades, and within minutes we’re sucked back into the story of the Doctor and Donna despite all this time apart. It was always going to be a fine line to walk when approaching the emotional story of Donna’s lost memories, but Russell managed to restore these memories without it feeling too convenient, and I was really satisfied with the way he wrapped this up. Of course we have another two episodes so this could all change, but for now it worked really well for me.
Catherine Tate was always a revelation as Donna, with this trained comedian proving her fantastic acting chops, and while Tate never really unleashes in a flurry of tears and rage here, the script never really calls for that. Instead, Donna’s role is now as a loving mother who feels incomplete and out of touch with herself, and Tate handles this more understated and nuanced take on her character with so much ease.
I am back in this rejuvenated world, and I’m loving every second.
I can’t stress enough just how much fun this duo is. I was far too young to remember their escapades from the late 2000s, so to see them along with everyone else in a brand new adventure was truly a sight to behold, and the ten-minute stretch from when Donna discovers the Meep to the Noble family escaping with the Doctor in a car was so deliriously entertaining I don’t think I stopped smiling once.
In fact that’s something I can say for the entire episode. Russell has truly mastered the art of pacing, as this episode is undoubtedly fast and frenetic but always tight and focused, following one main plot strand and group of characters for the full episode. It was a true breath of fresh air after some Moffat episodes and, hell, basically all of the Chibnall era could never decide which plotline to give focus to. Russell knows what plotline he wants to pursue from the start, and the Doctor and Donna reuniting and reconciling while investigating a cute furry alien that keeps saying “meep meep,” sounds like a good time.
Speaking of the Meep, it’s time to bring up that this episode is a loose adaptation of a comic strip featured in Doctor Who Magazine in the early 1980s, one which David Tennant remembers reading. Side point but it’s well worth watching the behind-the-scenes show Doctor Who: Unleashed to see Tennant meeting the team behind the comic, a moment that truly highlights how much of a superfan he is.
Therefore, the Meep isn’t actually Russell T Davies’s creation, but he manages to strike the happy medium of keeping the Meep faithful to the original creation but also fit into this madcap adventure. The blend between animatronic puppetry and subtle CGI facial movements is truly fantastic, and so is the voice for the creature, provided by none other than Miriam Margoyles. Margoyles’s turn in the audio booth has yielded amazing results, giving the Meep an immensely distinct cute personality in the first half of the episode, before offering a maniacal cackling turn when the Meep’s true motives are revealed.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen Doctor Who pull the “cute aliens are evil maniacs” card. Russell T Davies is responsible for inventions such as the Adipose, Moffat’s era gave us the Emojibots, and Chibnall even used the idea with the Pting in The Tsuranga Conundrum. However, I feel comfortable calling Beep the Meep the best “adorable psycho” since the revival. An extremely memorable one-off villain that might not even be one-off, what with that “boss” line in their final scene, but I’m more than up for more Meep stories rather than more of the bloody Daleks or Cybermen.
Let’s just rattle through all the other things before calling time. The new titles are good, I love that new TARDIS, Yasmin Finney was a good presence as Rose and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her, and the LGBTQ+ messages were well handled without impeding on the story (apart from that one line about being a ‘male-presented’ Time Lord that felt a bit off).
The Star Beast is not a flawless episode of Doctor Who by any means. It’s unabashedly sentimental and unbelievably silly. However, for a 60th anniversary comfort blanket, it’s as close to perfect as you can get, and the escapist value of Doctor Who has returned with a vengeance. It shows how much fun I had with this, when I’m writing this bit at 1am on Sunday morning, I’ve already watched it three times (first time with friends, second time on my own, third time while watching the commentary) and I’m about to listen to the podcast before watching it a 4th time. The Star Beast has succeeded spectacularly in reigniting my profound love for this show, with one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in my time as a fan. I am back in this rejuvenated world, and I’m loving every second.
Doctor Who: The Star Beast is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer
Alex’s Archive – Doctor Who: The Star Beast
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