{"id":40168,"date":"2023-11-21T16:02:57","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1930738"},"modified":"2023-11-21T16:51:24","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T15:51:24","slug":"doctor-who-the-star-beast-review-saturday-night-magic-is-back","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-the-star-beast-review-saturday-night-magic-is-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who \u2013 The Star Beast review: Saturday night magic is back"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s a very big adventure coming. <\/p>

By Louise Griffin\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 21 November 2023 at 15:02 PM<\/p>

\n\n
<\/div> 3.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

David Tennant has reunited with his beloved TARDIS, Catherine Tate<\/a> is back at her best with Donna Noble, and monsters are crash-landing on our screens on a Saturday night. You\u2019d be forgiven for wondering if we\u2019ve travelled back in time, but no, this is Doctor Who<\/a> in 2023, and how sorely it\u2019s been missed.<\/p>\n

Doctor Who hasn\u2019t been at its very best for a long while, plus we\u2019ve had an 11-month wait for a new episode, so anticipation is at an all-time high. So does the first 60th anniversary special, The Star Beast, live up to it? Almost.<\/p>\n

The Star Beast sees the Doctor bump into his old friend Donna \u2013 very disconcerting for him, as he left her 15 years ago and with the assumption that if she ever remembers him, she\u2019d die. Soon, though, everyone\u2019s a bit distracted by the fact that there\u2019s a spaceship crashing into London. And an alien called the Meep knocking about.<\/p>\n

As expected, Tennant<\/a> and Tate create absolute magic. Their chemistry was palpable way back in 2008 and the pair have stayed best buds ever since, something that\u2019s all too clear as they burst onto screens in The Star Beast. We don\u2019t have to wait long for their reunion, and Tate absolutely steals the show when it happens, creating such a genuinely joyful moment that it feels like they\u2019ve never been away.<\/p>\n

\"The\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
The Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate) in Doctor Who.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC Studios\/Bad Wolf\/Disney<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

During his career, Tennant has had plenty of on-screen partners and more often than not has brilliant chemistry with them. But the fact is, no one does it like Tennant and Tate. Throughout the episode, they manufacture moments of hilarity just as easily as they swirl up emotions you might not have seen coming. It\u2019s a testament to the pair of them, and to returning showrunner Russell T Davies, that their characters have developed seamlessly. Of course this is what Donna is like 15 years on. Of course that\u2019s how the Doctor would react when he met her again. Of course.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Star Beast is based on a comic strip from Doctor Who Magazine, which introduced the world to the adorable Beep the Meep, gloriously brought to life in the new episode by none other than Miriam Margolyes. Bring in the towering Wrarth Warriors and we\u2019ve got ourselves our Saturday night monsters, freshly brought from page to screen. It\u2019s a brilliant way to honour the legacy of Doctor Who while still bringing something new to the series, something RTD knows inside out.<\/p>\n

The Star Beast makes sense as the first anniversary special. It\u2019s the type of episode that will have the whole family crowding round the TV, the type that will make kids want to run around with sonic screwdrivers fighting monsters and saving the world, and the type that makes you believe in the magic of Doctor Who again. It\u2019s a fun one, a caper, a bit of a frothy story.<\/p>

It\u2019s not without its flaws, certainly. Some moments are clumsily dealt with, and some crises are resolved very, very quickly. Although it\u2019s clear that the specials are standalone episodes, meant to be enjoyed by themselves, it does feel like The Star Beast will make more sense in a few weeks\u2019 time, when considered alongside Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle, which Davies has said will be \u201cdarker and weirder\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Rose\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Rose (Yasmin Finney) in Doctor Who<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC Studios 2023\/Alistair Heap<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

So what about these brilliant newbies? Yasmin Finney is at her best when interacting with the Meep. She makes her Doctor Who debut as Donna\u2019s daughter Rose, and marks one of the show\u2019s first ever trans characters. Discussions about her identity are not glossed over and it\u2019s not hard to see how important that representation is going to be to generations of fans.<\/p>\n

Rose is a badass (not that we ever would have expected anything else from Donna\u2019s daughter), with Finney and Tate getting to share some spectacular scenes. Just as important is Ruth Madeley\u2019s role as new character Shirley Anne Bingham. We won\u2019t spoil too much about her character but it\u2019s always a rush to see someone know how to put the Doctor in his place.<\/p>\n

We could say so much more, particularly about the new TARDIS, which forms one of the best and most memorable parts of the episode but we\u2019ll leave that part of the magic for Saturday night. Get ready \u2013 there\u2019s a big adventure waiting for us.<\/p>