Ivan Radford | On 26, Nov 2023

You can see the difference in Doctor Who the moment The Star Beast – the first of three 60th anniversary specials – begins. Not just the regeneration from Jodie Whittaker to David Tennant. Not just the slick visuals, bigger scale and lavish effects – the pay-off from a smart partnership with Disney that comes with an MCU-style Whoniverse ident pre-credits. It’s also the confidence of Russell T Davies stepping back into the showrunner seat, as he sets the stage for a new era of the show.

The series picks up after Tennant’s Tenth Doctor has unexpectedly returned as the Fourteenth Doctor, with him also confused as to why that’s happened. Equally confusing is why he’s right back in the path of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), whose mind was wiped of memories of him and the TARDIS, after her brain absorbed the Doctor’s Time Lord energy and knowledge – and if she remembers him, she’ll die.

Also crossing her path is an alien spaceship, which crashes in London, leaving its inhabitant, the Meep (Miriam Margolyes), running around the capital while being pursued by sinister alien forces, the Wrarth Warriors. They look flies from a 1950s B-movie. The Meep looks like a Furby gone wrong – cute with the potential to go sinister at any moment. Or, as Donna succintly puts it, a “mad Paddington”.

The Meep finds a hiding place in the shed of Donna’s daughter, Rose (Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney), who is transgender, and what quickly becomes apparent is that Donna is fiercely protective of her – and will stand up against anyone about to bully her. That, most of all, is the driving force of this episode, as Davies finds some inspired ways to link together discussions on pronouns, articles, gender and identity with sincere and warm affirmation.

The word “warm” isn’t one you’d typically associate with Tennant’s Tenth Doctor, a fast-talking eccentric problem-solver who, the last time we saw him, was a blend of power-hungry, melancholic and lonely. In a lovely tribute to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, who was defined by her compassion, Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor is surprised by how open he is about his emotions – a beautiful note that gives his return to the TARDIS an added layer of complexity.

And so it is that, while the plot of The Star Beast is rudimentary enough, the crux of the episode lies in its beating heart (or hearts), and in the relationship between the Doctor and Donna. Two binary opposites, it’s a joy to see them back together, with Catherine Tate’s boisterous, caustic sarcasm giving Tennant a hilarious partner to bounce off, whether trading insults or admiration. Their dynamic is intrinsically linked to Finney’s Rose – a resilient artist who makes toys and comes out of the episode’s events with an uplifting sense of empowerment.

But that’s not to say that Davies gets bogged down in sentiment: the episode, directed by the superb Rachel Talalay, bounces along with some busy and expansive set pieces – watch out for a souped-up sonic screwdriver that makes the most of that House of Mouse money. There’s wit aplenty, right down to the charismatic Ruth Madeley as no-nonsense UNIT scientist Shirley, and a determination to draw a progressive line into the show’s future – building on the inclusive philosophy of Chibnall’s work. The result deftly balances humour with sensitive character beats, while skipping along with all the energy of Tennant gleefully running around the TARDIS control room or Murray Gold playfully reworking the title theme once again. From the credits sequence onwards, it’s a joyous romp and a reminder of just how good Doctor Who can be. Allons-y!

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