Liv Thomson
This article contains spoilers.
In a 60-year celebration of the classic sci-fi show, Doctor Who: The Star Beast sees the return of a familiar face, as well as a beloved long-lost companion.
I Know These Teeth
After a highly-anticipated year-long wait, Doctor Who is finally back.
Last October, we said goodbye to Jodie Whittaker’s iteration of the thirteenth time-travelling Doctor, following her deadly run-in with the Master (Sacha Dhawan). While fans expected to see Ncuti Gatwa take up the role following the announcement that he will play the new Doctor, it came as a shock and a delight to many when a familiar face showed up instead.
https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1729190855376830660
After 13 years, David Tennant is back. He played the tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010, before passing the Time Lord baton onto Matt Smith. Catherine Tate also returned as the fiery, big-hearted Donna Noble, the tenth Doctor’s best friend and saddest goodbye.
“It signals the start of a new era”
Doctor Who also now has a whole Whoniverse, thanks to the BBC’s partnering with Disney+. It signals the start of a new era. Whereas Classic Who ran from 1963 to 1989, Modern Who has also now officially finished its run from 2005 to 2022. We are now entering the New Who era, with Russell T Davies back at the helm after 13 years as lead writer and showrunner.
Allons-y!
The first in a run of three specials, Doctor Who: The Star Beast begins in London. The Doctor, newly regenerated, is aimlessly wandering the streets. It’s here that he bumps into Donna, thus setting into motion the wild ride ahead.
Together they must help The Meep (Miriam Margoyles), a fluffy, white, yoda-esque creature on the run from space warriors. The Meep was first created by Dave Gibbons and Pat Mills in the series’ comic strip back in 1980. Margoyles’ iteration of the cute-but-creepy creature is effortlessly comedic and, at times, surprisingly endearing.
“David Tennant continues to embody everything we love about the Doctor”
Tennant and Tate themselves are as funny, dynamic and compelling a duo as they were 13 years ago. Their chemistry hasn’t lapsed in the time that’s passed.
David Tennant continues to embody everything we love about the Doctor. While this current iteration is markedly different to the tenth, given that three other faces have come and gone in between, his unconditional love for the role shines through. Fans will recognise his trademark Converse, skinny suits, spiky hair, and classic “WHAT?”, making his return to our screens, however brief, a joyous occasion.
Catherine Tate sustains Donna’s razor-sharp humour, now mixed with fierce maternal instincts and the deep-rooted need to protect those closest to her. There’s something missing, of course. Where we obviously know the truth of that gut-wrenching memory wipe way back in 2008, Donna remains in the dark. She must, after all — if she remembers the Doctor or any of their adventures through time and space, she will die.
Love Is The Most Powerful Weapon We Have
A key theme and message of this episode is trans-inclusivity.
Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper) plays Rose, Donna’s daughter, who has been struggling with her gender identity. It leads to honest, real conversations between Rose, Donna, and Donna’s mother Sylvia (Jacqueline King) in which they discuss what is and isn’t appropriate to say. The love and support Rose has from her family is clearly good-natured, even if it does inevitably miss the mark sometimes.
The people who claim the trans stuff in Doctor Who is heavy handed are wrong.
That stuff isn't for you. It's for the kids watching who need to learn "it's ok to be different", "Being transphobic is bad".
The trans stuff went over my niece's head because it's subtle for THEM.
— এদেন Bose-Rosling (She/They) (@AidanTheJester) December 4, 2023
There’s also a very touching scene where the Doctor asks for The Meep’s pronouns when prompted to do so by Rose. These conversations are well-handled, and while the delivery could be finessed, the inclusion of the topic is the most important thing.
“There’s no reason why the everyday and fantastical can’t co-exist”
Inclusion and love have always been at the heart of Doctor Who. Promoting trans inclusivity in a family show airing on prime-time TV is a great step in the right direction for living in a more understanding world. Elements of the fantastical remain, of course — the increased budget allows for some truly brilliant scenes — but there’s no reason why the everyday and fantastical can’t co-exist. Perhaps that’s part of Doctor Who’s appeal after all this time: its ability to effortlessly blend the two.
Doctor Who is back with Wild Blue Yonder on Saturday December 2nd on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+.
Stream Doctor Who: The Star Beast and every other episode now on BBC iPlayer and Disney+.
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Featured image courtesy of Super Festivals via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Liv Thomson
Just another argumentative antithetical dream girl trying her best to make her sentences pretty. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology and is currently pursuing a Master's in broadcast journalism.