DONNA?! Doctor Who *The Star Beast* 60th Anniversary Special Reaction

[@MurkMovies]

Okay. I guess I must've spoke over it but I didn't realise the resolution of the metacrisis energy was that they can let go because they are women. That's actually dreadful and really hurts the episode in my opinion. It retroactively damages everything series 4 did as well.

[@rjenyawd]

Is that the actual mechanic? I thought it was just a joke about guys "not being able to let things go". ... Or if anything, it could be another trans/non-binary tie in. Something something about people existing on a binary identity spectrum being too rigid to allow the energy to freely flow/control and release it. (Either way though, i do agree that it was handled a bit clumsily and didn't quite land the way they were probably intending)

[@MurkMovies]

@@rjenyawd I can't really tell exactly how that worked but the scene is bad either way

[@mpg272727]

Beep the meep on tv after 43 years of waiting make this episode an instant 11/10

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

I read this comic back in the early 1980s, so I've been keeping the plot twist about Beep the Meep secret for months. Although, full disclosure it's been fun seeing reactors like you twig about the character's true nature. It was a fun story; good to see Donna and her family again. Hopefully we'll see Wilf sometime during one of the future episodes. And now for Wild Blue Yonder!

[@torchwoodboy5564]

God I love Donna. I really liked the episode!

[@wavygoddess3845]

Your face when meep changes and shows it’s evil is priceless 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@hardwickd]

Personal nitpick, the Doctor was U.N.I.T.'s second scientific advisor. The first was Liz (Elizabeth) Shaw.

[@OnlineFanBoy]

I think they meant the number 1 favourite.

[@stuartwho]

Had Liz accepted the job and signed the contract! 😀

[@60sDalekAnimations]

Doc met UNIT before Liz did

[@LewDawn]

bro forgot nerris

[@DoctorWhoShorts]

Nerys 😅

[@russytherutan]

Very entertaining fun episode. Loved sweet Meep and Evil Meep despite knowing the twist. Doctor and Donna were great together. Loved the Noble family.

[@davidm7847]

I think The Doctor could’ve always made a forcefield with the sonic screwdriver but he will not mess about with Donna again. If it means being more boldly involved in proceedings, so be it.

[@soupdragon1971]

Well done getting your upload done so quick. My comment while seeing the new Tardis was 'they can't hide the money'.

[@stickytapenrust6869]

0:50 - call that a crazy quiff? Oh you just wait until the second half of Pertwee’s time! Then you’ll see what a crazy quiff is!

[@BronyDanProductions]

13:41 ‘So, you just carry that around with you?’ Don’t worry, that’s not the first time he’s pulled that wig out. You’ll get there eventually in Classic Who.

[@johnking5174]

The TARDIS interior was always going to change, as production moved from Roathe Lock Studios to Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff. Jodie's TARDIS interior was dismantled straight after the Power of the Doctor completed filming. Now with the massive sound stages at Bad Wolf, we have a mega size interior.

[@Moviemaniac28]

9:59 She was a cousin of Donna’s who was at her first wedding

[@vickster5001]

The meta crisis energy split between them when her memories came back. It would’ve been too much for one person and killed her. A bit convenient, but it works storywise. Also, we’ve seen River Song choose to give up her regeneration energy entirely to save Matt Smith’s Doctor, so here again the women are choosing to let go of that energy, so again a bit simple but it fits storywise.

[@chazo1367]

I think it also makes sense the Doctor wouldn't think of it, there had never been a human-metacrisis before Donna so he didn't know how it could be resolved any other way and Donna was single at the time and then getting married, the thought of a child likely never crossed his mind about it.

[@memyselfandi8237]

The intro sequence music is here 😂

[@johnking5174]

The "Next Time" clip is now uploaded to their KZbin channel, as apparently they want each episode to be a simple stand alone concept.

[@stickytapenrust6869]

13:00 - CGI can give the impression that something is higher budget than it actually is. In comparison to today, Doctor Who of 1963 did have a lower budget, though, but it still received the standard drama budget pro-rata’d (per minute of each episode) as any other BBC drama series. But out of that budget, Who had to make special bespoke effects, costumes, make-up, props etc. Other drama series typically don’t need effects that often, have standard TV/movie makeup and use already existing costumes, scenery and props that can be hired in (which is much cheaper to do). This is why the BBC started to hate the show throughout the 80s as internal management structural changes within it started to shift the control of creative output from actual creatives to the accountants. Sci-fi in general - and *especially* those in an “anthology” format where the majority of sets and characters change every few weeks is usually quite wasteful as once used, there was limited re-use potential of special props, costumes and scenery. BBC property stayed BBC property. Now they outsource such things to other companies and it’s those companies who own the props they make, so they can now lease them out to all sorts of productions for all sorts of broadcasters.

[@johnking5174]

Whenever I see "Written by Russell T Davies" - I breathe a sigh of relief. Even when Moffat was at the helm, I felt sort of secure. As when I saw "Written by Chris Chibnall" all I thought was, oh dear, this is going to be dreadful, and usually I was correct.

[@dh9892x]

My absolute favourite part was Donna fully ready to drop kick that furry wee fuck for calling Rose weird😂😂😭😭

[@reniljoseph2261]

13:58 reminds me of 2nd doctors last episode war games

[@KeithAndrewPGbiz]

Similar feeling. 7/10 for me. All good fun, some lovely moments, Donna just "letting go" felt a bit silly and very RTD.

[@stuartwho]

I really enjoyed this. Knew the comic strip and its twist. Miriam Margolyes did a brilliant voice for the Meep. Doctor, Donna and Sylvia were brilliant like they have never been away. Nerys was Donna's friend in The Runaway Bride who became her bridesmaid in The End of Time. And the new console room is fucking ridiculous. It’s so awesome - may be my favourite ever. Doctor Who Unleashed was great too - realised I missed Confidential and they had the sneak preview for next week. Don’t know if you have ever listened to big finish stories but they did the Star Beast with Tom Baker about 5 years ago. The Meep Song is so funny. Think you can hear the track on KZbin. Well done for getting the reaction up early. 😊

[@rodanandme]

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by Sylvia but she honestly brought so much to this episode and I think she was super great, the writing for her really made me feel like I was back with the same old crew in a way where I knew theyd write 10 and Donna well but with Sylvia getting very in-character writing, i knew i was in safe hands if that makes sense

[@fatboysamurai4419]

I had fun, i have some issues, and i really thought the trans representation was good, until around the end, i will admit hearing someone struggling identity basically making fun of the doctor for not being a woman anymore struck me the wrong way, with that said, besides some of the heavy handedness i thought Yaz was a great addition, and honestly added more to Donna as a character, when Donna said she'd burn the world for her i was in genuine tears, story 6/10, not perfect a bit rush but the fun was 10/10, i havent watched since capaldi but i felt like a little kid during this

[@MrGlenbw]

19:36 - 19:46 What do you expect, this is afterall an RTD show and when it comes to this showrunner, he loves to blow stuff up, Michael Bay-style but in a GOOD WAY. 😆

[@paulflint6254]

Wish I'd gone in without any spoilers too. My fault lol. Got a feeling there's a twist coming that Donna becomes evil, due to The Toymaker.

[@josephryan362]

The star beasts is amazing episode of doctor who i give this episode a ten out of ten

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

4:18 is that a foldable phone? It looks like the oppo find n, dosen't look like a galaxy fold (off topic but Samsung's fold and flip were in star trek Picard). Or it cold be a pixel fold, it also looks like the surface duo. Also how dose beep get up the stairs?

[@jeffreyhaas]

I've said it before the episode premiered and I'll say it again. Donna (or possibly Rose) will regenerate to 15

[@user-ej8en5df6c]

Never thought that great udea

[@itsclaybee]

We already know Ncuti Gatwa is going to be 15, announced in May 2022. We're getting the three specials with Tennant as 14, as a nice bridge getting back into Davies' writing again and ending with the regeneration. Then a Christmas special with Ncuti at the helm as 15

[@zemoxian]

Don’t remember Neris? All the complaints about her from Donna?

[@TheAtual]

Must be an age thing, but not my cup of tea, hate Beep the Meep. Donna ‘Catherine Tate’ is good and I loved Sylvia ‘Jacqueline King’ smacking David Tennant across the chops, the CGI was spectacular but overall it’s a bit to Marvel universe for my taste. I’m old school and prefer the original Dr Who, Daleks, Cybermen as metaphors for fascism, The War Machine and The Savages. Stories about the misuse of technology, war and socio-economic and political injustice, traveling to past civilization and to distant and advance futures, that’s my Doctor Who.

[@joedesmond22]

Ngl felt like during men’s mental health awareness month implying that only women can let go of things is a bit counter intuitive especially when they made a whole point of you shouldn’t make assumptions about genders and how the doctor is more than genders

[@Progressunlikely]

Ok so this has been bugging me since watching and I think maybe it is meant to be "letting go... of power" but it got lost in the delivery or wording. I don't think it landed the message it was intending.

[@joedesmond22]

@@Progressunlikely even then the point stands if the whole point is the doctor is essentially also a trans character as was highlighted literally minutes before making the resolve of the metacrisis being “you wouldn’t understand your a man” feels counter productive to all the things they just tried to establish

[@cameronallan3034]

How do you not know who neris is have you even watched the original

[@simonorourke4465]

To be fair to him Nerys was never anything but a throw away back ground character that showed up about twice over a decade ago.

[@chazo1367]

She is a forgettable as hell character to be fair, she appears in like two actual scenes with like one line of dialogue in each of them.

[@marcos-ll2yr]

You are cute. Love your reaction 😊

[@SadBnnuy]

21:40 nothing like 2023 writing like belittling men to make women better 😎

[@Rik77]

It's just a throw away joke, a very donna thing to say.

[@ozzie1397]

The doctor gets called out for assuming an aliens pronoun and the gets insulted by Donna with sexist comments after he helped save everyone and Donna's family. Remember, kids, sexism is ok when it's aimed at men. Rip doctor who.

[@MurkMovies]

I think the episode was good for most of the runtime but i agree the comment at the end is dreadful

[@alex6027]

The comment at the end was really weird and not in a good way. But the scene about The Meep's pronouns wasn't like, insulting to the doctor? Not just straight up assuming a sentient beings pronouns for no reason without asking at all is, a completely reasonable thing to point out as maybe something you should avoid. It made sense Rose would point it out, and 14's response was splendidly acted by Tennant

[@Just_Proudy07]

Why has this face returned??? ,in show we don't know BUT in reality............ Because Chris Chibnall ruined the show and they have had to reboot the show with the most popular Doctor 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@JynxedKoma]

So glad we have a based Meep to call out this trans bullshit.

[@paulflint6254]

exactly 😁

[@MurkMovies]

hahahahaa

[@The-Radio-Demon04]

Loved the episode, Didn't like the woke parts but i just ignore it

[@cameronallan3034]

She has the doctors mind not the tardis rose was the one who took the tardis in her mind have you even bothered to watch doctor who at all your defo not a true fan

[@carviss4179]

Highly disappointed with the weak story. Maybe my high expectations were too high. 3/10 is my rating

[@MurkMovies]

I wouldn't rate it that low but i think my expectations were too high also

[@kevinator41]

This episode was bloody ridiculous and dumbed down for a childish audience . (O well i hope it gets better) I so repose it will be good for clicks and like jesus!

[@victoriantravels8801]

that was the point for this episode tbh this special is light hearted an re-introduction however the next two have been said dark

[@kevinator41]

@@victoriantravels8801 lets hope so !

[@Rik77]

It's like a light season opener, much like the adipose one. I expect it will feel better in context of the whole mini series.

[@philipbroughton8920]

Well done for getting your reaction out so quickly. Sorry for me this is proof that Dr Who needs to go away for a while and reevaluate it's roots and the art of telling a good story with heart. To me this felt like a continuation of the Chibnall era 'let's bash viewers with an alternative trope, throw lots of Disney money at it, a few big bangs and the idiots will lap it up.' No depth, no pathos, no real story. Not to mention the diservice of the Doctor Donna theme, which apparently you can just wish it away. This was decidedly not good. It seems that the BBC et al, are selling out. RIP Dr Who.

[@MurkMovies]

I liked it overall. definitely elements of it I thought were shit. I need to see more to decide whether or not I'm on board with this new era