The Star Beast - a review

Spoilers ahead...

As with Dalek or Human Nature - which were also based on pre-existing Doctor Who media - those of us lucky enough to have read the original Doctor Who Weekly comic strip which inspired The Star Beast already had a head start as regards the basic plot. RTD2 could have taken liberties with this, but he has elected to remain faithful and respectful to the source material.

It's condensed, of course - the comic strip ran over 8 issues. Certain subplots, mainly involving the Wrarth Warriors, are set aside as we cut to the heart of the story.

Cute alien crashes to Earth, hunted by nasty looking insectoid aliens. The Doctor and friends naturally assume cute is good and insecty is bad - only to find they've been fooled. Cute is a psychotic despot, and the insectoid bunch are out to arrest it. 

It's a "don't judge by appearances" tale, so hardly original. Doctor Who has been using this scenario since the Hartnell era.

As an example of the story type, however, it's a very good one thanks to character and design - and now performance. Into this mix we have the first story for a new, complex Doctor. Complex in that, for the first time, he's assumed a face he's worn before, and doesn't know why. 

In lieu of a scary or action-packed pre-credit sequence, we have the Doctor and Donna, separately, recapping for the benefit of those who missed, or can't recall, the events of 2008/9.

As performed, this isn't simply him looking like the Tenth Doctor. This is the Tenth Doctor, back again.

The first thing he does is bump into Donna Noble. Back in 2008/9, the coincidences  revolving around her and her granddad Wilf were cosmically significant. 

What's going on here, we don't yet know. Interestingly, in the accompanying Unleashed show, RTD2 claimed that in the third special they are going to do something never seen before in 60 years if the series...

We get a cryptic comment this week from the Meep about its "boss". Presumably this will be the Toymaker.

The Meep was wonderfully realised (details of how it was brought to life shown in the BBC 3 show). I worried about the voice in advance, but needn't have. 

I loved the new UNIT scientific adviser, Shirley Anne, and hope to see her again in the third special, and into the fifteenth series.

It was obvious from her first casting that Yasmin Finney's Rose would have some significance. Davies wouldn't be casting her just to use her as a background character.

Her true role turns out to be key - the reason why Donna regaining her memories doesn't kill her. The Metacrisis has been passed on and shared by mother and daughter.

A preview talked of this episode being preachy, but I didn't feel this. Yes, it has something to say about gender fluidity, but this is germaine to what's going on with the character in the context of the story. There's no lecturing going on, of the type we suffered under the previous regime. 

I'm sure most of us were looking forward to seeing Bernard Cribbins, but it looks like that bittersweet pleasure will have to wait until The Giggle.

Donna and the Doctor separated by a glass wall at the crisis point reminded us of Wilf and the Doctor in The End of Time II, and the Doctor producing a barrister's wig from his pocket looked like a nod to The Stones of Blood, which fell on the 15th anniversary.

The new TARDIS is magnificent. In general plan it has elements of the 2005 incarnation, but with different levels joined by sweeping ramps. What makes it special for me is the fact that its lighting can be changed to suit the scene or the mood. The plain grey look is impressive, but could be a bit cold and clinical if left unchanged over long periods - especially a space of this massive size.

(I recall wishing they'd bring back the original design, only to regret when they did it in Heaven Sent. It just lacked atmosphere). 

The new opening titles were wonderful - visually very exciting. I wasn't sure about the closing theme, which sounded overly cluttered with effects - not that we got to hear much if it thanks to those pointless continuity announcements. 

No preview of next week's episode - unless you switched to BBC 3.

Unleashed contained a brief clip from Wild Blue Yonder, and it was followed by a trailer. 

If I had one issue with the episode, it was to do with the contraction of the plot.

The true nature of the Meep is found out really rather quickly. It might have been nice to have prolonged the mystery a little longer, but the Doctor guesses what's going on after five minutes. 

A superb start to the new era, I think it could have benefited from an extra 30 minutes.