The chemistry between a reunited David Tennant and Catherine Tate was lauded by viewers.
Doctor Who is finally back after more than a year and according to fans of the BBC sci-fi series, it was more than worth the wait.
Viewers who tuned in for The Star Beast – the first of three special episodes celebrating the show’s 60th anniversary – applauded the “incredible” episode on social media.
THAT WAS INCREDIBLE HOLY HECK
— Dominic G. Martin (@DominicJGM) November 25, 2023
Ahhhh man, smiling the whole time. Beautiful. Floored. So happy. The Doctor and Donna, back in the TARDIS as they should be. 😍 #DoctorWho
Superb. Absolutely superb. I am one very happy fan. #DoctorWho
— Matthew Toffolo (@batmanmarch) November 25, 2023
Singled out for particular praise was the chemistry between reunited duo Catherine Tate (reprising her role of Donna Noble) and David Tennant (now playing the Fourteenth Doctor, rather than the Tenth).
The chemistry between David Tennant and Catherine Tate needs to be bottled. Many years and several incarnations of The Doctor later and it’s still like they never went away and no time has passed. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/irMA7Glshv
— Jay Thomas (@GroundhogJay_) November 25, 2023
On X, user @pj_campbell described The Star Beast as “like a love letter to what came before”, with returning showrunner Russell T Davies bringing back his two leads who’d last fronted the show more than a decade ago.
Holy wow! The Star Beast was everything I needed for the return of #DoctorWho, while also feeling very much like a love letter to what came before, and being something for new viewers to latch onto. I’m so, so happy. RTD, I’m glad to have you back running the TARDIS. pic.twitter.com/wGg7oDwHzc
— PJ Campbell (@pj_campbell) November 25, 2023
The episode’s adorable antagonist, Beep the Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes), also proved popular with audience members, many of whom were left stunned when the cute creature turned out to be a bloodthirsty warlord…
I just have to say that Miriam Margolyes was a massivestand out with her performance as the Meep! Cute and cuddly one minute, pure evil the next. Brilliant 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/pNtYwmXEis
— Liam Heneghan (@lheneghan_liam) November 25, 2023
There was perhaps only one major gripe to emerge from the Doctor Who fandom – the absence of a trailer for the remaining two 60th specials, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle.
WHERE'S THE POST-CREDITS TRAILER GUYS??? #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/QmTgUXIByq
— Max (@MaxGarfield2003) November 25, 2023
The good news is we have less than a week to wait until the next special. Speaking at a Q&A following a screening of The Star Beast, Russell T Davies said: “The next one is called Wild Blue Yonder, where the TARDIS goes further than ever before – and it’s weird, the next one, it’s kind of scary.
“It’s not super scary, it’s just weird.”
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa’s first episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will follow just 16 days after final 60th special The Giggle, airing on Christmas Day on BBC One.
Titled The Church on Ruby Road, this instalment will also see Millie Gibson make her debut as new companion Ruby Sunday.
Read more:
- Doctor Who – why does the Fourteenth Doctor look like the Tenth Doctor?
- Doctor Who unveils new TARDIS interior in 60th anniversary special
- Doctor Who: The Star Beast ending explained – what happened to Donna?
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide and Streaming Guide.