The Meep’s story could have been very different.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who’s first 60th anniversary special, The Star Beast.
With Doctor Who’s first anniversary special, The Star Beast, finally bursting onto our screens, fans naturally want to know all the details about how it came together – and showrunner Russell T Davies is providing.
The episode, which saw David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to the sci-fi for the first time in 15 years, also introduced us to iconic creatures brought to life from a comic strip from Doctor Who Weekly (now Doctor Who Magazine).
One of them was the adorable Meep, voiced by Miriam Margolyes – but it wasn’t quite everything it seemed. It revealed itself as a menacing villain during the episode, with the Doctor and Donna being forced to sabotage its ship to save London.
Showrunner Davies has revealed that he initially wrote that reveal as happening much earlier in the episode, but bosses at the BBC asked for it to be pushed back.
Speaking on the Official Doctor Who Podcast, Davies explains: “In the very first draft of this script, the Meep revealed himself much earlier.
“In draft one, it was practically straight away, or in Rose’s shed, as in the comic strip, he reveals himself a significant chunk earlier – before the chase, not after the chase. So in the very first script, it’s like he’d be in Rose’s shed and she’d say, ‘I was making toys,’ and things like that, and every time she turned her head…he’d look at camera and go, ‘Soon I will feast on her blood!’ which I thought was really funny.
“I was told, my bosses gave me notes, they said he revealed himself as a villain too soon. I don’t know to this day. I still watch it thinking, I think that was really funny. And then Rose would turn back to him, she’d go, ‘Did you say something?’ And he’d go, ‘Meep Meep!’”
The Meep is voiced by the great Miriam Margolyes, and was created by Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons.
The Star Beast revealed that the Meep was, despite its adorable appearance, a “cruel beast” who “lived for conquest” – the leader and “most cruel and despicable” of all Meepkind.
Margolyes previously told Doctor Who Magazine of her Doctor Who debut: “With the Meep, you do feel that you’re creating something. Because this was a character that only existed in a drawing and it’s up to me to flesh it out and give it something that will be memorable and helpful for the episode.”
She added: “When a character is well written, the voice is consistent throughout and it’s not difficult. And this is a very well-drawn character.”
Doctor Who continues next Saturday (2nd December) at 6:30pm on BBC One. Previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.