Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Showrunner Russell T Davies and David Tennant Discuss Bringing a Comic Character to Life

Summary

• Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary will feature a trilogy of episodes, with the first one titled “The Star Beast,” bringing back David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor
• The inspiration for “The Star Beast” comes from a 1979 Doctor Who comic strip featuring Beep the Meep, an alien who befriends schoolchildren on Earth and longs to return home. Russell T Davies decided to adapt this classic story for a new generation of viewers.
• Early reviews for the 60th anniversary episode are overwhelmingly positive, praising Russell T Davies for his script’s blend of action, humor, and thought-provoking themes centered around gender identity. The episode sets up an exciting future for the Fourteenth Doctor.

Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary is on the horizon, and fans are in for a treat with a trilogy of episodes, the first of which is titled “The Star Beast.” David Tennant, known for his portrayal of the Tenth Doctor, will be returning as the Fourteenth Doctor, teaming up once again with Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble to face off against a formidable adversary known as the Toymaker. To shed light on the inspiration behind the first episode, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies and Tennant made a guest appearance on the BBC’s The One Show.

During the interview, they shared their admiration for a 1979 Doctor Who Weekly comic strip that centered around Beep the Meep, an alien who lands on Earth, befriends schoolchildren, and yearns to find a way back home. Russell T Davies, upon his return to the series, decided to adapt this comic strip into a live-action episode, bringing a classic character to a new generation of viewers.

“Many years ago in 1979, there was a Doctor Who comic strip, which is fantastic, written by Pat Mills, drawn by Dave Gibbons, who are titans of the comic industry, about a little alien, the sweet little meep, falling to Earth. Being lost, wanting to get back home, and making friends with school children. You’d think that was stolen off ET, but it was printed two years before ET. It actually precedes it, it’s a great story. So when I came back, I just thought, “Why not adapt a really brilliant story?”

David Tennant, who fondly remembered reading the comic strip as a child, also embraced the opportunity to see it come to life on the screen.

“I remember reading it! I remember getting Doctor Who Weekly as a kid. So, when I opened the script, I was like “Adapted from “The-?” I remember that!”

RELATED: Doctor Who: Past Showrunner Reveals Why the Series Scarcely Has Spinoffs

Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Special “The Star Beast” Receives Glowing Early Reviews

BBC

Early reviews for the first episode of Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary special have been pouring in, and the consensus is overwhelmingly positive. MovieWeb’s Olly Dyche commended Russell T. Davies for crafting a script that seamlessly blends action, humor, and thought-provoking themes centered around gender identity. Davies’ handling of these important themes leads to emotionally resonant character moments, intertwined with moments of brilliant humor.

“Russell T. Davies presents a script full of action, shocking twists, rip-roaring humor, and important themes revolving around gender identity. Davies tackles these themes with delicacy and levity, leading to many emotional and important character moments, which are soon paralleled with some brilliant moments of humor. “The Star Beast” offers a brilliant set-up for the 14th Doctor’s future, and gets us incredibly excited about the rest of the 60th anniversary specials.”

In a sneak peek clip from “The Star Beast,” Tate’s Donna Noble finds herself face-to-face with Beep the Meep. The scene unfolds in Rose’s family home, where she is attempting to hide the alien among the plushies. Check it out below.

Doctor Who’s anniversary specials are set to stream on Disney+ starting on November 25.

Doctor Who

Release Date March 26, 2005

Cast Jemma Redgrave, Ncuti Gatwa, Jodie Whittaker, David Tennant, Karen Gillan, Catherine Tate, Christopher Eccleston, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi

Genres Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Seasons 14

You can view the original article HERE.