TL;DR – We hit back to the joyful chaos of the past, and not even a couple of clunky moments hold it back from being a delight.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Doctor Who Review –

Well, there are many constants in the universe, and one of them is Doctor Who getting a new regeneration, or well, in this case, an old regeneration, to prepare for a new regeneration. Look, this is the first time this has happened, but also, this feels like something that could happen all the time. This is also the moment Doctor Who takes a real jump across the pond with the global backing of Disney+. It is both a brand-new era and the return of what has come before, a very Doctor Who situation.

So to set the scene, at the end of The Power of The Doctor, The Doctor regenerated, but something odd happened. Instead of a brand-new body, he knew those teeth, he knew that face, and he was still not a ginger. For The Doctor (David Tennant) had regenerated into the same body as the Tenth Doctor [who technically already got a regeneration, but we don’t count that]. Something is very wrong, or it could be that this version of The Doctor has some unfinished business that he needs to take care of. Which is right when he runs into Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and her child Rose (Yasmin Finney) and then a spaceship crashes into the heart of London. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

I do have to say that I came into this episode and this series of specials with more than a bit of trepidation. I have a long history with Doctor Who with the old episodes always being shown on repeat on the ABC here in Australia. But I truly fell in love with the show during the Russell T Davies soft-reboot that happened in 2005. Since then, I have waxed and waned on individual seasons, but I have mostly enjoyed my time with Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi. However, while we started with some strong episodes like Rosa and Demons of the Punjab, I struggled to connect with the writing and arcs of the Chris Chibnall era, even though I liked Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor.

Going back to Russell T Davies as a showrunner should be a reassuring move for someone like me. However, to be fair, 2005 was a long time ago, and not all of the episodes and management decisions have aged well. Also, you can’t help but feel a little pandering to nostalgia to create a buffer between the last era and Ncuti Gatwa’s turn coming at the end of the year. How will these special episodes sit within that context? This is the question we are looking at today.       

If I could sum up my feelings now that I have watched it, I would say that there is a reserved but genuine smile across my face. I can feel that hit of nostalgic dopamine running through my brain as The Doctor and his tight suit burst into London just as it all fell apart. This episode had a very classic feel, well, classic with a budget boost. Part of that is helped by many of the old guards coming back, like Murry Gold and his musical score. Also, part of it is just writing it so David Tennant gets to run around pushing buttons for most of the episode.

There is this moment when chaos reigns down. Multiple factions are fighting each other, and Sylvia (Jacqueline King) is at the door, stopping The Doctor from coming in as aliens explode half of her house. Donna has a Meep (Miriam Margolyes, Cecily Fay, Brian Herring & Phill Woodfine) attached to her leg. It is here where I knew they had found that core of what makes this show work, and if I were concerned that this feeling would be fleeting, well, then all The Doctor would have to do is pull out a barrister’s wig, intercept and redirect a transporter beam, sight The Shadow Proclamations, and then hold an impromptu court case.

Everyone here gets the vibe that this episode is going for, which I think will be different in the more horror episodes in the future. I loved that Jacqueline King got to come out literally and metaphorically swinging from the first moments. Miriam Margolyes chewed every bit of scenery she could get her hands on. Catherine Tate continues to be a delight, and I have missed her chaotic energy in the show. Also, how great Ruth Madeley and her gadget-filled wheelchair were.

David Tennant is clearly having fun running around the place, most notably in the beautiful new TADIS set. But I liked the small touches that show the echoes of Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor is still there. It could have been so easy to brush that all away and ignore it, but they respect the past while forging forward. Indeed, I think you see why they got Russell T Davies back: he could chart the same delicate balance between the past and future when he was in charge of the last soft re-boot. There was a bit more of an opening dialogue than we got last time. But then I think this works because you need to introduce this to a much larger audience.   

On that front, the opening did feel a bit clunky with that opening voice-to-camera section, but we get to blow by it fast with the gorgeous opening titles. It will be interesting to see what people think of them undoing the Doctor-Donna in the end, much like a lot of Doctor Who, this episode’s ending felt a bit too neat for me. However, if it means getting a couple more episodes with Catherine Tate, then I will not complain. I did like the comparisons between The Meep and The Doctor, heavy-handed as they were. You can ask The Family of Blood about how cruel The Doctor can be if they so choose.

In the end, do we recommend Doctor Who: The Star Beast? Yes, we would. I am still not entirely convinced that this rush to nostalgia will last, and I think we will need to see all of the specials before we can answer that completely. However, I had a lot of fun here in this blast from the past, and I hope the next episodes can work just as well.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Doctor Who yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 
  
Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Doctor Who
Directed by – Rachel Talalay
Written by – Russell T Davies, Pat Mills & Dave Gibbons
Production/Distribution Companies – BBC Studios, Badwolf & Disney+
Starring – David Tennant & Catherine Tate with Yasmin Finney, Jacqueline King, Karl Collins, Ruth Madeley & Miriam Margolyes and Cecily Fay, Dara Lall, Jamie Cho, Brian Herring, Phill Woodfine, Robert Strange, Stephen Love, Jordan Benjamin, Vassili Psaltopoulos, Ronak Pantani, Ned Porteous & John Hopkinson