S00.E161: The Star Beast

[DanaK]

Special #1 in the 60th anniversary celebrations

Synopsis: 

The Doctor is caught in a fight to the death as a spaceship crash-lands in London. But as the battle wreaks havoc, destiny is converging on the Doctor’s old friend, Donna.

Starring David Tennant as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble

It will be shown on Saturday, November 25 at 6:30pm GMT in the UK on BBC One and iPlayer and will run 57 minutes. It will be shown on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland, time to be announced

Page on the special https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sx3h

ETA: Per TV Line, Disney+ will start streaming the episode as of 1:30pm Eastern Time (US). Obviously calculate for your specific time zone

https://tvline.com/lists/tv-schedule-what-to-watch-doctor-who-david-tennant-returns-disney-plus/hannah-waddingham-home-for-christmas-apple-tv-plus/

Edited November 21, 2023 by DanaK

[DanaK]

Per US media publication TVLine, the start time for The Star Beast on Disney+ is 1:30pm ET. They said in the comments that Disney confirmed the time to them yesterday

https://tvline.com/lists/tv-schedule-what-to-watch-doctor-who-david-tennant-returns-disney-plus/hannah-waddingham-home-for-christmas-apple-tv-plus/

[DanaK]

Disney+ is now listing Doctor Who and you can put the first episode on your Watchlist

[call me ishmael]

Does anyone know if the Disney start time is just availability and you can stream any time after that?  Or is it only at that time because it’s a special?  Thanks.

[DanaK]

1 hour ago, call me ishmael said:

Does anyone know if the Disney start time is just availability and you can stream any time after that?  Or is it only at that time because it’s a special?  Thanks.

I don’t know with absolute certainty but I feel pretty sure you can stream any time after that

[Llywela]

6 hours ago, call me ishmael said:

Does anyone know if the Disney start time is just availability and you can stream any time after that?  Or is it only at that time because it’s a special?  Thanks.

5 hours ago, DanaK said:

I don’t know with absolute certainty but I feel pretty sure you can stream any time after that

Yes, the way Disney+ works, once a show is up it can be streamed at any time, but it isn't available until the airdate listed.

[DanaK]

New clip from the episode!

 

[DanaK]

Another clip

 

[NeenerNeener]

Ah...so The Futon Critic is wrong about it being available at 3 am today. That explains why I can't get it to play right now at 8 am. It won't be available until 1:30 pm today.

[DanaK]

3 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

Ah...so The Futon Critic is wrong about it being available at 3 am today. That explains why I can't get it to play right now at 8 am. It won't be available until 1:30 pm today.

I think that might have been the original time posted by various outlets, but TVLine indicated recently they updated it to 1:30pm ET after Disney sent out a press release. Disney only sent out a public release on their socials in the last couple of days to indicate the time, so they were holding it close for awhile

[Sailorgirl26]

NAILED. IT. 

What a perfect return! 

[eXiled]

I loved enjoying this show again.

[tkc]

You know that feeling you get when you have a best friend that you haven’t seen for a long time, but when you get together it’s like no time has passed at all?

I'm sure I'll have more thoughts to put down later, but for now -- Meep!

Edited November 25, 2023 by tkc

[baldryanr]

Geez Donna, there's a reason why travel mugs have a lid. 

That's an enormous Tardis room, and it's not some CGI wonder either.  I wonder if they'll keep it for the 15th Doctor.

[John Potts]

20 minutes in and I went "Wait I minute... I've seen this before!" It was in Dr Who Weekly/Monthly back in the 70s/80s, which rather spoilt the twist (though the Meep didn't plant a bomb in the Doctor's stomach in this story). Still, it wasn't a bad story, even if London seemed to recover from having cracks nearly swallowing it up somehow (I guess the Doctor managed to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow and got the drive to fill them in again).

What I didn't like was Donna surviving. Like Rose in Doomsday, while I don't want to see Companions dying, I wish they'd actually commit to having meaningful consequences and have no last minute saves. Floved Donna getting her essential Donna-ness back and shouting at the Doctor before going on to save the day, but she knew it would cost her her life and accepted that (after a bit of a rant, but even the Doctor did that when he saved Wilf) - so to then have her go, "Actually, I'm fine" was a real cop out. Also, thought the ending was just silly - why would the Doctor put a coffee machine in the control room if it could do so much damage? The number of times the TARDIS gets thrown around, it's just asking for trouble.

Overall - fine, but not great.

[DanaK]

Really enjoyed it overall, though the meta crisis DoctorDonna return and then resolution was hard to understand. I gave it a 9 out of 10. It looked cinematic to me

Really enjoyed watching it on Disney+ with great sound and video. It also started on time, which AMC+ (the streaming companion to BBC America in Jodie’s final season) almost never did

[gail56]

Concerning companions dying. Adric did die with no last minute save. I remember watching that episode with no concern for his safety, and then BOOM. Ship explodes with Adric on it, the Doctor explains he can't go back and save him. I was so shocked as I didn't think they would actually kill a companion, and I really liked Adric! 

I don't think they ever resurrected or saved him. Not on the episodes I watched anyway.

[HauntedBathroom]

God, I'd forgotten how much I loved enjoying Doctor Who! I even found Tennant not as annoying as he was pre-2010. Let's just forget ChibWho ever happened, we can all just wake up with the shower running a la Dallas and move on to a better future.

[bugsmum]

LOVE!   Wow, that was hugely fun.   

[ElleryAnne]

That was a fun one.  Tennant and Tate have such good chemistry, and they landed back in their characters as though they'd never left.  Everything else was bonus.

[cardigirl]

Now that was a Doctor Who episode! Lots of callbacks to previous seasons/doctors and even referenced Jodie's doctor, so no complaints from me. 

I did figure the Meep was the bad guy pretty early on, though. 

Donna's mom was great in this. 

I have some niggling concerns about Donna's ultimate fate before the three specials are done, but I LOVED THIS!!!💗

Doctor wondering why everything was leading back to Donna is a good setup for what may be heading their way.

Nice to love Doctor Who again. 🤩

[Sakura12]

Just like the DoctorDonna it was like seeing an old friend again. The RTD era is still my favorite so I'm glad to see him back. I would liked to see what he could've done with Jodie's Doctor. I'm glad they referenced her and the psychic paper hasn't caught up the change yet. Or maybe it doesn't recognize 10/14 as the Doctor. 

Did Rose choose her name because of Rose Tyler? Since they said the shed was the Tardis and the toys were the species they met.

We have 2 more specials I didn't think they'd kill Donna in the first one. Her fate is still up in the air for the last one. I hope they don't kill her though.

[Sailorgirl26]

15 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

Did Rose choose her name because of Rose Tyler? Since they said the shed was the Tardis and the toys were the species they met.

Subconsciously, yes -- everything (the shed, her name, the toys) were all the Doctor half (quarter?) of her coming through. 

I really loved the whole storyline of Donna passing on part of the Doctor to Rose -- it really was a very clever way of tying it all back to Ten/Rose and the original DoctorDonna season, and I floved the tieback to Donna's "binary-binary-binary-binary" -- but she's not!

Edited November 26, 2023 by Sailorgirl26

[JustHereForFood]

It was great! Donna losing her memories was probably my only major complain from all episodes, so I'm really glad that she got them back and gets to live.

The new console room looks cool.

Are they assuming that many people will now start to watch the show from this episode without getting any info about previous seasons, now that it's on Disney+? Because that was a lot of exposition about their previous history (way too much IMO).

[PurpleFishHead]

32 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

Are they assuming that many people will now start to watch the show from this episode without getting any info about previous seasons, now that it's on Disney+? Because that was a lot of exposition about their previous history (way too much IMO).

Yes, I think so. D+ has a massive reach.

[PurpleTentacle]

That recap-exposition at the beginning seems very tacked on. They have that same exposition again during the episode. Seems like some producer at the BBC was worried it wasn't clear enough or something.

The psychic paper not keeping up with the doctor's gender change was fun.

I'm not sure what I should make of the fact that Wilf is still alive. It would have been nice if they'd acknowledged Bernard Cribbins's death. I mean he made it to a good age. It's sad but a part of life.

The sonic blast shields are never going to be seen again, and I'm not a big fan of these kind of things with massive potential applications, that could solve like a million possible situations. The sonic screen seemed fine, with not that many applications, but the blast shields were a bit too much.

I was a bit spoiled on the meep, so no surprise there. Though a psychedelic sun, that went mad? That was a new one.

That "male presenting timelord" speech at the end was a bit obnoxious. Guess RTD always had his slightly cringy speeches from time to time, but now with this kind of thing being in every scifi show, it hits a bit different. It also didn't make much sense. Either the doctor is always non-binary and essentially the same person. Then it shouldn't matter that he is "male presenting" right now. Or the doctor switches between the binary and is different, when they are a man or a woman. Then he isn't "male presenting" right now, he's just "male". In general I think "women are so much smarter and better than men" is so early 2000s-feminism and a huge hindrance to getting to true equality. YMMV.

Also I don't love the "letting it go" in general. It's not like Donna is going to be a long term companion. I assume it's the three specials and then she's out. So why not let her keep the doctor powers? Just say with them split between her and her daughter it's fine. That would have made for a fun two more specials and I think Donna is really great as the Doctor-Donna.

Aaaaand of course Donna spills coffee into the Tardis and makes it malfunction. That is very in character. Gorgeous new Tardis set btw.

Overall, a very fun episode.

Edited November 26, 2023 by PurpleTentacle

[NeenerNeener]

Whoops! This went into next week's episode, where it doesn't belong.

I'd forgotten how good RTD is until I watched this episode. The quality of the writing has been subtly decreasing with each new showrunner, and this episode was a total reset. RTD can really bring it when he wants to.

[magdalene]

Reunited and it feels so good!  Don't piss me off, show, and kill Donna off at the end of these specials.

[festivus]

I thought it was great. I hated the way Donna's story ended so I'm fine, just fine, with that changing. Loved that Rose's animals were like the creatures she's seen, very clever. 

It was like 15 years hadn't passed and I'm here for it. Ten and Donna and Ten and Martha's adventures have always been my favorites. 

There were so many good callbacks. I'm ready to go right now and watch it again.

[PurpleTentacle]

4 hours ago, baldryanr said:

That's an enormous Tardis room, and it's not some CGI wonder either.  I wonder if they'll keep it for the 15th Doctor.

I would assume so. You don't build a set like that for 3 specials.

3 hours ago, John Potts said:

why would the Doctor put a coffee machine in the control room if it could do so much damage? The number of times the TARDIS gets thrown around, it's just asking for trouble.

The doctor didn't put it there. The Tardis did. Guess she did not see that coming. Or maybe she did and is just putting on a show with all those fires. With the Tardis you never know.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, PurpleTentacle said:

That "male presenting timelord" speech at the end was a bit obnoxious. Guess RTD always had his slightly cringy speeches from time to time, but now with this kind of thing being in every scifi show, it hits a bit different. It also didn't make much sense.

Fucking stupid and, took me right out of the episode. I also hated "Rose", I get that it was the part of The Doctor being passed down but, I HATED Ten/Rose, they were so obnoxious and insufferable.  

This was OK, it will probably be better now that Tate and Tennet can actually be The Doctor and Donna. It's a shame I'll never get Donna and, River interactions because that would be a hoot.

I also didn't like the new Tardis, too modern and cold/sterile.  

Also, Donna's Rose is supposed to be 14? Maybe they should have used a different actor, this one looked 18. I was wondering why the little neighbor kid acted like they were friends. 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Morrigan2575

[Vikitty]

10 was never my favourite Doctor, and I am still so angry at how RTD ended Donna's story. There is a lot of broken trust there for me.

But this was fantastic. Tennant and Tate have so much chemistry, it's insane. The way they somewhat resolved the metacrisis by transferring half of it to Rose was really well done.

Some bits did feel a bit clunkier, and there were so many explosions -- guess they wanted to make use of that big anniversary budget.

Weirdly, while the special itself was added to Disney+ for me here in Canada, the rest of the series is not. However, it's now on Amazon Prime Video for me (until the end of Capaldi's run).

[DoctorAtomic]

They almost got me. I thought for half a second Donna was going to die. I liked that she never lost her own Donna-ness; they won all the money and she knew more people needed help. When Fourteen told her she was going to die, she didn't even hesitate. 

Clever reset though. 

I did like after asking about the pronouns being 'the', the Doctor said, 'makes sense to me'. 

It seems to me that the 'old face' means there's some unfinished business, and it would stand to reason that's going to resolve for the regeneration. I think that's fine. 

I would have like a little more difference between Fourteen and Ten though. Minor criticism. However, the Doctor being upset about how it ended with Donna and getting the old face and immediately seeing her; it stands to reason there's going to be some similarities even though there's been three more regeneration. Fourteen is significantly older. 

[Llywela]

Watched this episode with my 8yo niece -her first time watching Doctor Who live. She had so much fun, she wanted to stay up all night watching all the Doctor Who ever made (she'd already mainlined a 6 episode Pertwee earlier in the day, so she knew what she was asking for!) but I persuaded her that would take more than one night.

Fun episode. Not very anniversary-ish - like Moffat before him, Davies mostly wrote an episode resolving his own plot points rather than celebrating the entire history of the show (okay, so Moffat also wrote an episode resolving Davies's plot points, but you get my drift!), but such seems to be the modern take on these things.

9 hours ago, John Potts said:

Also, thought the ending was just silly - why would the Doctor put a coffee machine in the control room if it could do so much damage?

To be fair to the Doctor, he didn't put the coffee machine there. The TARDIS did. He didn't know the desktop had rebooted until he walked in and saw it.

8 hours ago, gail56 said:

Concerning companions dying. Adric did die with no last minute save. I remember watching that episode with no concern for his safety, and then BOOM. Ship explodes with Adric on it, the Doctor explains he can't go back and save him. I was so shocked as I didn't think they would actually kill a companion, and I really liked Adric! 

I don't think they ever resurrected or saved him. Not on the episodes I watched anyway.

No, Adric died and stayed dead. A formative memory of my childhood! No reprieve, no last minute save, no going back to undo it. It happened and it stayed happened.

6 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

I'm not sure what I should make of the fact that Wilf is still alive. It would have been nice if they'd acknowledged Bernard Cribbins's death. I mean he made it to a good age. It's sad but a part of life.

Bernard Cribbins was still alive when these episodes were filmed.

 

He was seen on location filming, even, so I'm expecting him to pop up in a later episode. It was the last thing he ever made.

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Llywela

[DanaK]

Overnights number was 5.08 million viewers on BBC One. Strictly won the night with 7.67 million viewers, I’m a Celebrity got 4.83 million viewers. Best overnight number for the show in nearly 5 years. Highest rated drama launch of the year and 2nd for the night behind Strictly. Very good result for the current ratings environment

[baldryanr]

11 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Also I don't love the "letting it go" in general. It's not like Donna is going to be a long term companion. I assume it's the three specials and then she's out. So why not let her keep the doctor powers? Just say with them split between her and her daughter it's fine. That would have made for a fun two more specials and I think Donna is really great as the Doctor-Donna.

Donna, not to mention other companions, have never needed a Time Lord's intellect to be important to the Doctor and world.  Giving her that power was the culmination of RTD's misguided (in my opinion) goal of making the companion the most super duper being in the galaxy - there's nothing wrong with a regular person finding it within themselves to do incredible things.

[Llywela]

2 hours ago, baldryanr said:

there's nothing wrong with a regular person finding it within themselves to do incredible things.

More than that, ordinary people finding it within themselves to do extraordinary things is what Doctor Who has always been about, since the very beginning, way back in 1963, so that plot point here was perfect.

Not to mention that it is a well-trodden sci fi trope for an ordinary person to accidentally get great power or knowledge downloaded into them, use it to save the day, and then have to give it up again to save their life.

[starri]

12 hours ago, Valerie said:

Weirdly, while the special itself was added to Disney+ for me here in Canada, the rest of the series is not. However, it's now on Amazon Prime Video for me (until the end of Capaldi's run).

Disney+ has streaming rights for these specials forward.  The classic Who as well as the previous revival stuff is staying where it is for now, which at least in the US is with AMC+ for Classic and Max for the revival up through Thirteen.

All hail the Meep!

[DoctorAtomic]

I think the TARDIS knew what she was doing with the coffee machine. Like Donna wasn't going to spill it. 

[DanaK]

1 hour ago, starri said:

Disney+ has streaming rights for these specials forward.  The classic Who as well as the previous revival stuff is staying where it is for now, which at least in the US is with AMC+ for Classic and Max for the revival up through Thirteen.

All hail the Meep!

Actually, in the US, it’s Britbox North America that has Classic Who

It’s been said that Max has the license for Series 1-13 up to mid-2025, so we’ll see what happens then and whether Disney+ takes those seasons; I have doubts that they would want Classic Who, but I’m not sure if Britbox NA has the exclusive rights in the US or not

Edited November 26, 2023 by DanaK

[starri]

Just now, DanaK said:

Actually, in the US, it’s Britbox North America that has Classic Who

Ah.  I watch it through an Amazon Prime subscription, and I have both BritBox and AMC+. so I thought it was the latter.

I just don't have the words to describe how much I loved this special.  I haven't enjoyed Who this much in a long, long time.  If anything, I'm only sad we only have two more of these.

The BBC put all of Disney's money on screen.  That's the best the show has ever looked.

[Affogato]

I was sure Donna was going to survive the first of three specials, and I'm pretty sure she is going to survive all of them. Also with some money, so Mum can stop buying her giant sausage rolls and Rose can go to school. I like the stuffed aliens, I wonder if they will market them.

I was fairly unspoiled about the Meep, but there does seem to be the possibility of a return story. Sometime.

This was a lot of fun and I look forward to the next two.

[baldryanr]

56 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I was sure Donna was going to survive the first of three specials, and I'm pretty sure she is going to survive all of them. Also with some money, so Mum can stop buying her giant sausage rolls and Rose can go to school. I like the stuffed aliens, I wonder if they will market them.

Well, if she does then maybe this time she won't be shortsighted enough to give all of it away to charity.  Keep a few million in a trust for your kid and/or emergencies, at least.  Without the subconscious influence of the Doctor she should be able to do it without feeling guilty this time.

Edited November 26, 2023 by baldryanr

[JustHereForFood]

18 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

That "male presenting timelord" speech at the end was a bit obnoxious. Guess RTD always had his slightly cringy speeches from time to time, but now with this kind of thing being in every scifi show, it hits a bit different. It also didn't make much sense. Either the doctor is always non-binary and essentially the same person. Then it shouldn't matter that he is "male presenting" right now. Or the doctor switches between the binary and is different, when they are a man or a woman. Then he isn't "male presenting" right now, he's just "male". In general I think "women are so much smarter and better than men" is so early 2000s-feminism and a huge hindrance to getting to true equality. YMMV.

Also I don't love the "letting it go" in general. It's not like Donna is going to be a long term companion. I assume it's the three specials and then she's out. So why not let her keep the doctor powers? Just say with them split between her and her daughter it's fine. That would have made for a fun two more specials and I think Donna is really great as the Doctor-Donna.

Yes, I completely agree with this. That line was so cringy, it reminded me of Moffat's style of writing when he thought that making a female character announce how superior she is to men means writing a strong female character.

Also, while I admit I don't completely "get" non-binary identity, I really don't understand how the Doctor is supposedly binary when he had just changed gender (shouldn't that make the Doctor genderfluid?) and at the same time, Rose is a trans girl who uses she/her pronouns and looks very female-presenting, yet is called non-binary.

But it's a very small complaint about otherwise great episode.

I also have to give a shout-out to DT for having so much energy at his age. All of that running about when they were trapped in the control room and then at the end in the new TARDIS, wow.

I guess with the Meep turning out to be evil, there will not be any plush toys for the Holidays? Or maybe some of the other toys representing all of the villains? Come on Disney, we know how much you love merchandise.

[festivus]

31 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

I guess with the Meep turning out to be evil, there will not be any plush toys for the Holidays? Or maybe some of the other toys representing all of the villains? Come on Disney, we know how much you love merchandise.

Oh there better be. I already want it looking all sweet then you push the button or whatever and those teeth come out. 

[Llywela]

32 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

I guess with the Meep turning out to be evil, there will not be any plush toys for the Holidays? Or maybe some of the other toys representing all of the villains? Come on Disney, we know how much you love merchandise.

Yes, this. I watched the episode with my 8yo niece - her first time watching a new episode live - and she adored the Meep...and was distraught when it turned out to be evil, but then once the episode was over, practically the first thing she did was ask if there was a Meep toy she could have for Christmas!

[cuppasun]

On 11/25/2023 at 5:00 AM, NeenerNeener said:

Ah...so The Futon Critic is wrong about it being available at 3 am today. That explains why I can't get it to play right now at 8 am. It won't be available until 1:30 pm today.

Yeah, they're my go-to listings source, too, and when I couldn't play the special early in the morning, I ended up checking other sources and found the error. I sent them an email to alert them, but I have no idea if that does any good (though I imagine I wasn't the only person to alert them!). What I read is that the start time in the U.S. corresponds to the start time on BBC in the UK, which makes sense. If FC doesn't correct their listings, I'm just going to assume the rest of the specials (and probably episodes, too) will also drop around the same time as this one.

Really wish Disney was more forthcoming!

[angora]

I loved it. Ten and Donna are my all-time favorite Doctor-companion team for new Who, and David Tennant and Catherine Tate were spectacular together. They slipped back into these roles so seamlessly, it was like no time had passed, and yet both of them also played their parts conscious of how the Doctor and Donna have changed and grown since they last saw each other.

Fourteen mostly seems like Ten, albeit older and wiser. I absolutely loved his reaction to the new TARDIS console room, and everything between him and Donna on the Meep’s ship was beautiful.

I enjoyed Rose Noble, even if she felt a little underwritten, and loved that Mum Donna was equal parts “I will destroy anyone who hurts my daughter” and “how many flipping times have I told you to take out the bins?” So interesting to see how Sylvia has changed since season 4 and what her relationship with Donna is like now. I like that we got the chance to get to know Shaun a little and that he seems like such a solid guy. Lovely mention of Wilf.

I haven’t decided how I feel about the new sonic yet. Besides feeling overpowered, the projected screens/force fields have a Tony Stark-tech look to them that, to me, doesn’t look right for Doctor Who. And more than anything, if the new sonic can do all this stuff, I would’ve at least wanted the Doctor to go, “Whoa, since when can you do that?!?”

I knew that we were getting the Meep from the old Fourth Doctor comic “Doctor Who and the Star Beast,” but I hadn’t realized we were getting pretty much the exact same story! While it was amusing to watch it in live action, it felt a little flimsy compared to the much stronger personal storyline with the Doctor, Donna, and her family.

So glad to have fresh Who content with these old faces. Really excited for the next two specials, and nobody let RTD do anything terrible to Donna!

[Morrigan2575]

3 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Also, while I admit I don't completely "get" non-binary identity, I really don't understand how the Doctor is supposedly binary when he had just changed gender (shouldn't that make the Doctor genderfluid?) and at the same time, Rose is a trans girl who uses she/her pronouns and looks very female-presenting, yet is called non-binary.

Did I misunderstand what was going on? I thought "Rose" came out as non-binary because the Doctor regenerated as a female? I thought all of "Rose" was tied to the Doctor (her she'd, toys, gender fluidity). That's why at the end she said, she finally felt like herself? 

[DoctorAtomic]

9 minutes ago, angora said:

Fourteen mostly seems like Ten, albeit older and wiser.

I'd like Tennant to not just do Fourteen as an older Ten because there's been 3 regenerations and a lot of time since then. To be fair, Fourteen seemed a little more emotional, or expressive of emotion. He said "I loved that man," about Wilf, and seemed surprised he said it out loud. He also called Donna his 'best friend'. 

He was clearly concerned as to why he has on the 'old face' and not bottling it up either. 

I know people want to see basically Doctor Tennant. And who doesn't like the guy? I'd enjoy a little more of his take on an older Doctor who just came out of a female regeneration.