{"id":40095,"date":"2023-11-30T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T00:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/?p=40095"},"modified":"2023-11-29T20:30:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T20:30:09","slug":"reviewed-doctor-whos-60th-anniversary-the-star-beast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2023\/11\/30\/reviewed-doctor-whos-60th-anniversary-the-star-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewed: Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary — The Star Beast"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Doctor Who<\/em> is back! And I mean back, back. Fun, lively, challenging, and (appropriately) nostalgic… It\u2019s been 15 years since David Tennant and Catherine Tate lit up the screens as one of the very best Doctor and companion combinations (not counting the brief return for The End of Time<\/em> specials). Just think, that\u2019s almost as long as the \u2018wilderness years\u2019…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what was remarkable was how natural it felt to have the Doctor and Donna back together. And returning showrunner, Russell T Davies, didn\u2019t waste time. After a rather clunky (but necessary) exposition-heavy recap, it was straight into the action. Less than 30 seconds pass after the TARDIS lands before the Doctor and Donna are reunited (a reversed riff on their protracted near-misses from their previous reunion in Partners in Crime<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another 30 seconds and we hear that (now iconic) name uttered, \u2018Rose\u2019. This is where it pays to be a longstanding but not obsessive fan of the show. For me (and you probably), we knew Donna was calling her daughter, not the Doctor\u2019s other faithful parallel universe-stranded former companion, played by Billie Piper. That, along with the revelation about Beep the Meep being a baddie and Donna surviving for two more adventures, meant that I probably enjoyed those moments less than casual viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t read Doctor Who Weekly <\/em>in 1980, but I did read the original Doctor Who and the Star Beast <\/em>comic (by Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons) when it was reprinted in Doctor Who Classic Comics <\/em>in 1994. And, for due diligence, I reread it a few weeks ago to inform this review. I know, above and beyond\u2026 RTD has taken the essence of that story but, like the TV adaptation of Human Nature<\/em>, it does not slavishly replicate the source material. However, Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors have been reproduced faithfully to Gibbons\u2019 original drawings. As well they should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RTD has gone on record saying that these early Tom Baker comics are basically the way he writes Doctor Who<\/em>. And you can see how Doctor Who and the Star Beast <\/em>has influenced his writing: spaceships crash landing in city centres, urban environments and ordinary family life interrupted by aliens, even the Doctor escaping in a double decker bus happened back in the pages of Doctor Who Weekly<\/em> 40+ years ago. In fact, the bones of the plot of Doctor Who and the Star Beast <\/em>is essentially the same as Smith and Jones <\/em>in 2007: a harmless-seeming alien is pursued by monsters who turn out to be galactic police seeking a dangerous fugitive hiding on planet Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you have read my previous reviews from the Jodie Whittaker era, you will know that I gauge part of the success of an episode by the reaction of my children: my son (12) and daughter (8). Frustratingly, the Thirteenth Doctor\u2019s adventures were regularly characterised by both of them fidgeting, playing with other things, forgetting to follow the story, and asking questions about the logic of what is happening on screen (and me not having a suitable answer). Not so with The Star Beast<\/em>. Their attention was wrapped — they laughed, gasped, and shouted \u2018no!\u2019 at appropriate moments, staying pretty-much glued to the action the whole time. This was meant to be a welcoming romp, so there were no behind-the-sofa scares in evidence. Hopefully next week\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what do I say? It was a glorious return to a golden era of Doctor Who<\/em>, enough nostalgic call-backs to be a worthy 60th anniversary special, but pushing things forward in the development of the characters and visually more impressive than ever, thanks to the Disney+ funding\u2026 I could go on and on about how wonderful it was. And that lovely cute furry alien was so delightful\u2026 meep meep!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, to hell with this. It was a steaming pile of tired tropes and laughable storytelling. The dreadful episode was a terrible missed opportunity, resorting to desperate fan service rather than pushing the boundaries of the show’s potential. Plus all that Woke nonsense about gender and sexuality, which has no place on a science fiction programme for children. The ‘Most-High’ has an uncontrollable desire to kill Doctor Who! But the ‘Most-High’ must control himself. Business before… PLEASURE!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sorry, I don\u2019t know what came over me\u2026 The Star Beast <\/em>was always going to be in safe hands with Russel T Davies back at the helm, ably supported by veteran director Rachel Talalay, returning producers Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, and Phil Collinson, and Murray Gold\u2019s glorious music. It felt nostalgic rather than naval-gazing; familiar but fresh. On the whole, not the most intellectually challenging of episodes, but the most fun, thrilling adventure for many a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are left with a few questions — hopefully the answers will unfold in the next two specials, or form part of the ongoing arc for the Fifteenth Doctor. First, who is the Meep\u2019s \u2018Boss\u2019? The obvious choice would be the Toymaker, and I can\u2019t help but think we haven\u2019t heard the last of the Psychedelic Sun\/solar psychedelia. And the Doctor\u2019s \u2018face\u2019: why has the Tenth come back, and older? Unlike the Timeless Child \u2018arc\u2019, I suspect RTD has some suitable answers to share. What about the gonk-obsessed woman from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai or Abu Dhabi?) who buys Rose\u2019s creations? Just a throwaway line or is RTD planting a plot seed\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Wilf! We know some scenes were filmed with Bernard Cribbins in a wheelchair, shortly before he sadly died. Was the footage incomplete and Ruth Madeley introduced as UNIT scientific advisor, Shirley Bingham to replace those sequences? Or will Wilf make a final appearance in The Giggle <\/em>when the Doctor and Donna return to Earth? Stay tuned, as I suspect you will (I definitely will), to find out\u2026 as we head towards the Wild Blue Yonder<\/em>. Allons-y!<\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What did Peter Shaw think of the first 60th anniversary special, with Tennant and Tate returning?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":39784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"Reviewed: #DoctorWho's 60th Anniversary -- The Star Beast","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2163],"tags":[4871,4036,280,1858,44,4038,355,1860,281,2348,1869,7272,711,12,49,7179,1873,7307,7180,6862],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/14th-Fourteenth-60th-David-Tennant-Donna-Noble-Catherine-Tate-The-Star-Beast.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39756,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2023\/10\/24\/david-tennant-says-wild-blue-yonder-is-unlike-any-doctor-who-episode-ever\/","url_meta":{"origin":40095,"position":0},"title":"David Tennant Says Wild Blue Yonder Is “Unlike Any Doctor Who Episode Ever”","author":"Philip Bates","date":"24 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"These new specials are Russell T Davies off the leash\".","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Wild-Blue-Yonder-14th-Fourteenth-David-Tennant-Catherine-Tate-Donna-Noble.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Wild-Blue-Yonder-14th-Fourteenth-David-Tennant-Catherine-Tate-Donna-Noble.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Wild-Blue-Yonder-14th-Fourteenth-David-Tennant-Catherine-Tate-Donna-Noble.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Wild-Blue-Yonder-14th-Fourteenth-David-Tennant-Catherine-Tate-Donna-Noble.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Wild-Blue-Yonder-14th-Fourteenth-David-Tennant-Catherine-Tate-Donna-Noble.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40066,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2023\/11\/25\/what-did-you-think-of-doctor-who-the-star-beast\/","url_meta":{"origin":40095,"position":1},"title":"What Did You Think of Doctor Who: The Star Beast?","author":"Philip Bates","date":"25 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's your chance to have your say about the first of the three 60th anniversary Doctor Who specials.","rel":"","context":"In "Polls"","block_context":{"text":"Polls","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/category\/news\/polls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Star-Beast-Beep-the-Meep.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Star-Beast-Beep-the-Meep.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Star-Beast-Beep-the-Meep.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Star-Beast-Beep-the-Meep.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Star-Beast-Beep-the-Meep.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38818,"url":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2023\/06\/25\/catherine-tate-recalls-amazing-alchemy-of-on-screen-chemistry-with-david-tennant\/","url_meta":{"origin":40095,"position":2},"title":"Catherine Tate Recalls “Amazing Alchemy” of On-Screen Chemistry with David Tennant","author":"Philip Bates","date":"25 June 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The pair never acted together before The Runaway Bride. 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