Doctor Who, 60th Anniversary Special, “The Star Beast”
Directed by Rachel Talalay
Written by Russell T. Davies
Adapted from an unique comedian by Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons
Starring David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Yasmin Finney, Karl Collins, Jacqueline King, Ruth Madeley, and the voice of Miriam Margoyles
[This review contains SPOILERS for Doctor Who’s 60th-anniversary special, “The Star Beast.”]
It’s not every single day {that a} TV present will get to have fun its diamond anniversary, but in some way, Doctor Who has persevered all these years. It’s modified and advanced with the instances to remain related whereas retaining its sense of enjoyable and surprise. Such is the order of the day as Doctor Who lastly returned to TV screens after a yr of ready on November 25, 2023, below the returning rule of the exact same showrunner who shepherded the collection into the 21st century in 2005, Russell T. Davies, as he exclaims loudly that it’s time for the present to evolve as soon as once more.
Although technically Doctor Who returned on November 17, 2023, with its in-canon minisode (miniature episode, often across the size of a really quick movie) “Destination: Skaro,” which noticed the brand new 14th Doctor, performed as soon as once more by David Tennant, land on Skaro, the homeworld of the Daleks (the present’s most iconic villains), giving Whovians a weird origin story for the Dalek’s well-known plunger-like sucker weapon. The minisode was produced for Children In Need, an annual British telethon by the charity of the identical identify that helps children with disabilities. Doctor Who has a protracted historical past of making minisodes for this charity occasion, so seeing it again in motion was very nice.
A comic book guide historical past of “The Star Beast”
Back to “The Star Beast,” the episode is, in truth, an adaption of an unique funny story by Pat Mills (Batman: Book of Shadows) and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), initially printed in Doctor Who Magazine points #19-26 in 1980. The story introduces the alien warriors often known as the Wrarth, who’re insect-like humanoids, and extra famously, Beep the Meep, a small, furry, plushie-like creature.
The 4th Doctor, performed on TV by Tom Baker, encounters the Meep when the creature’s ship crashes and lands in London. The Meep is on the run from the Wrarth and seeks out the assistance of some native kids. Although they try and rescue it, it quickly turns into clear that the Meep isn’t every little thing it’s cracked as much as be.
Since their first look, Beep the Meep has had different adventures in comics and audio dramas the place they’ve additionally encountered the 6th, 7th, and eightth Doctors, respectively. But for his or her first onscreen escapade, all of Meep and the Wrarth’s earlier appearances have seemingly been wiped from canon to make this story the Doctor’s precise first assembly with these aliens.
I’m of two minds about it as I get pleasure from most of these earlier adventures. It’s enjoyable seeing how Meep interacts with the completely different Doctors and the way they construct on their earlier encounters. However, I additionally get wiping the slate clear so there’s no baggage laid on the viewer to do homework on decades-old tales.
One very good factor is that proper in the opening credit of the episode, each Mills and Gibbons get credit score for his or her unique story beneath Davies. Showcasing open recognition of the episode’s comedian guide historical past on such a big platform was an unimaginable sight. Please, everybody, do extra of this. (Editor’s word: right here, right here!)
A assessment of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary particular, half 1
As for the episode itself, we open on this very awkward narrative alternative of Davies and director Rachel Talalay (Tank Girl) to offer a recap of the elementary information new viewers might want to atone for the story beats from older episodes. It options Tennant standing on this formless void like a customizable character in a online game, then flashes forwards and backwards between him and Catherine Tate, who’s returning as companion Donna Noble from Tennant’s final season 13 years in the past, each speaking straight to the viewers about their previous adventures.
It’s an audacious narrative and inventive transfer, however I don’t suppose it really works effectively. Plus, it simply doesn’t look good. I merely really feel like there needed to be a greater approach to get that info throughout, because it’s so disconnected from the remainder of the story. Once it’s finished, we transfer on fully, and the true story begins.
From there, the Doctor lands in London. They nonetheless don’t know why they’ve again one among their outdated faces, which is the driving thriller of the three 60th anniversary specials. Almost instantly, they run into Donna, who, so far as we perceive, shouldn’t be allowed to recollect her time with the physician. If she remembers, she may die as a result of she has the ability of the Time Lords operating by way of her mind, although they’re mendacity dormant. But it’s been 15 years since these occasions occurred in-universe, and Donna now has a daughter, Rose, performed by Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper).
Suddenly, a spaceship lands in London, and the Doctor should go and sniff round to search out out what’s taking place. While on-site, he comes up in opposition to the United Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), the present’s resident alien-handling group. UNIT first appeared in 1968 and has been a daily staple in the present ever since; consider them as this franchise’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Doctor is launched to agent Shirley Bingham, performed by Ruth Madeley (Then Barbara Met Alan), a wheelchair person who we later be taught has some sick weapons she will be able to make use of from her transport. Madeley doesn’t get a lot display screen time however is fantastic in each scene.
“You are here, you are seen, you are loved, and you’re not going anywhere.”
While that’s taking place, Donna and Rose are heading residence. We get this topical second the place a bunch of children deadname Rose, who’s trans similar to her actor, displaying the type of uncooked transphobia that trans folks face every single day. I’m highlighting character descriptors corresponding to Rose being trans and Shirley being in a wheelchair as a result of, very similar to Davies very loudly does in this episode, this marks an important second for Doctor Who going ahead. The present could be very brazenly inviting these folks in, who’ve had traditionally little or no or lackluster illustration on-screen, exclaiming, “You are here, you are seen, you are loved, and you’re not going anywhere.”
For Rose, numerous this comes into play later, however now is an efficient time to level out how blissful I’m to see Davies pushing this present to be extra loudly accepting of its viewers and staking his flag right here. While it already was in some methods in the previous, Davies is making it much more overt this time round. At least whereas he’s in cost once more, we’re not going again.
We be taught that Rose has a web based enterprise the place she’s making and promoting creature plushes of her personal design, after which, not lengthy after, is launched to the Meep, who discovered their method from their ship into the alleyway the place Rose runs into them. She takes the Meep again to cover in her shed, nevertheless it isn’t lengthy till Donna discovers the creature. All the whereas, the Wrarth warriors have arrived on Earth to search out the Meep.
UNIT, for its half, a number of troopers have their minds taken over by mysterious vitality whereas surveying the spaceship, going off in search of the Meep as effectively.
Meanwhile, The Doctor reveals up at Donna’s home, having tracked an alien presence. Upon arriving, he’s compelled to confront Donna head-on as they fight to determine what the Meep is and dodge her questions on who they are surely.
Both UNIT and the Wrarth present up at Donna’s home and start to wage a shoot-out inflicting the Doctor to flee. The shootout scene is extremely awkward as each side hardly ever transfer, and there’s this very gradual and drawn-out second the place the Doctor, outfitted with an impressively upgraded sonic screwdriver–the Doctor’s non-lethal protection software–creates these boundaries between each side so that everybody can get by way of the hail of lasers safely. The Wrarth warriors ultimately decide up on what’s taking place proper in entrance of them, nevertheless it’s very lame the way it was dealt with.
Miriam Margoyles because the Meep is a real standout
Our heroes escape. However, as soon as they’re protected, the Doctor summons two Wrarth warriors to a parking storage, the place they put the soldiers and the Meep on trial to determine what’s occurring. Here, we be taught Meep’s backstory, and the creature then drops the helpless act they’ve been carrying this complete time to change into a full-on villain. Miriam Margoyles (The Sarah Jane Adventures) is unimaginable because the Meep and offers a extremely campy, humorous efficiency each when the Meep is attempting to get Rose and the others to sympathize with it and shield it, after which when the Meep turns into the potential city-destroying menace. She’s fantastic in this function and actually a standout.
The Meep’s ship is harboring each a sentient solar who turned this creature into the villain we see at present and an energy-absorbing battery that can tear London aside. Using the UNIT troopers, the Meep rebuilds any harm to its ship, after which the countdown begins because the Doctor tries to cease it from destroying London. This is a departure from the unique comedian from what I bear in mind nevertheless it’s high-quality, the unique comedian concerned a bomb being put contained in the Doctor’s abdomen and I don’t know if that’d have translated effectively for TV.
Both the Doctor and Donna get contained in the ship and try and shut it down however with out a lot luck, till circumstances dictate that Donna, in any case this time, should be made to recollect her previous adventures in order that she might entry the data of the Time Lords to assist the Doctor save the day. It’s a pleasant second between the 2. I loved that as an alternative of this being a lingering challenge for 3 episodes, we’re simply getting it out of the way in which now.
Further revelations reveal that a part of the Time Lord’s vitality handed onto Rose when Donna was pregnant with her, permitting for an additional particular person to share the burden of the huge pressure, making it simpler for Donna to outlive it. This additionally offers Rose the identical talents as Donna and, by affiliation, the Doctor.
With the Meep defeated, UNIT set proper, and the Wrarth arresting their prisoner, the day is saved. However, we then get what I really feel is essentially the most contentious second in the episode, and it sits uneasily for me. It’s arrange by this actually candy second the place the Doctor is described as a “man, woman, neither, and more,” Rose, given this energy, briefly mentions that now she lastly appears like herself. However, that is undercut by Donna and Rose deciding to let the ability of the Time Lords go.
Also, I really feel like there isn’t a universe the place Davies may gracefully resolve the entire Donna scenario. The final time he tried to, it didn’t go effectively and was additionally tremendous awkward, and now it’s much more. I’m glad we’ve dealt with it and are transferring on in order that the following few episodes could be good old style Doctor / Donna tales as a result of they’re an excellent group.
From right here, Donna convinces her household to let her take another journey in the TARDIS, the Doctor’s time-traveling machine that appears like a ’60s police field, and we get the massive reveal of the most recent inside of the ship. It’s actually cool, too. It’s far more huge in scale than what we’re used to seeing in the present, and it has ramps galore, so we’re getting extra wheelbound characters up in this factor quickly. It additionally has over 800 lights that change coloration, and it’s simply so cool.
Finally, Donna by chance spills espresso on the console, and the TARDIS begins to glitch, leaving us on a cliffhanger about the place the 2 of them might find yourself subsequent.
This episode could be very middle-of-the-road in phrases of high quality. It has extra strengths than weaknesses, corresponding to Meep being a splendidly campy villain and a primarily sensible puppet, Jacqueline King, who performs Donna’s mother, getting most likely the funniest moments in the complete episode. Though sloppy in some areas, it was good to see Davies loudly proclaim Doctor Who a protected house. Tennant and Tate are on the high of their recreation, and seeing them again collectively is genuinely fantastic. The new TARDIS inside seems to be nice, and I actually like the brand new multipurpose sonic screwdriver.
But when it falters, it falters exhausting, with some wonky motion scenes that had been a bit jarring to look at, moments that debate trendy gender subjects that I felt may have gone by way of the enhancing course of a number of extra instances, and underwhelming house bugs. Plus, whereas Finney is nice, she actually ought to have been given extra to do all through the episode, permitting her extra time to shine.
“The Star Beast” is again to type for Davies and crew with his period’s particular style of enjoyable space-romping motion journey, and I respect the narrative swings he took even when they didn’t at all times land. It reveals we’re in for a showrunner who, like Tennant returning because the Doctor, isn’t going to play it fully in another way, however he’s acquired some new quirks up his sleeve he’s prepared to point out off—that I’m excited for.
Doctor Who (2023-) is now streaming on Disney+ in the US and globally. You can watch Classic Doctor Who in the U.S. on Britbox and Tubi TV. Revival-era Doctor Who (2005-2022) and its spinoffs, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood, can be found on MAX. Meanwhile, different trendy spinoffs, corresponding to CLASS, could be purchased on Prime Video, and K9 could be streamed on Tubi TV. All of the above, minus K9, are streaming in one place on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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