Adapting the 4th Doctor comic of the same name was a bold choice to kickstart Russell T Davies' new era of Doctor Who, it beings back that feeling of child-like imagination and wonder that makes the future of the Whoniverse look brighter than ever before.
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...
After the past 5 years, getting a coherent and beautifully directed episode feels like a godsend. Bringing back Rachel Talalay was a stroke of genius on Russell's behalf, she cooked here, bringing to life the art of Dave Gibbons. The episode wastes no time getting stuck into the action, just when you think it's going to be a quiet little character building start, a spaceship crash-lands and it's all business as usual.
Tennant and Tate slip effortlessly back into their old routine, mile-a-minute chatter and wounding one-liners matching each other all the way. Tennant absolutely steals the show but Tate isn't very far behind, their enthusiasm and chemistry never wavers leaving me with a goofy smile I couldn't wipe from my face.
Granted there's a really badly timed joke on behalf of the late Bernard Cribbins but he gets a loving little tribute and cameo by journey's end which really made me well up with happiness. On the other hand though, Yasmin Finney's Rose adds nothing to the story that couldn't have been filled by Sharon in the original source material, but then again we wouldn't have gotten to experience such extremely lukewarm acting from Finney... Beep the Meep, however, is brilliantly realised. The genocidal fluffball has always been a fan favourite and he's done a great service by Miriam Margolyes' understated brilliance.
Murray Gold's return left me with mixed feelings but he brings back many of his classic themes from his last tenure while adding something new giving the story the dramatic weight it needed.
Despite my misgivings, with plenty of narrative hand-waving, goofy dialogue and telegraphed twists you can spot a mile off, The Star Beast is real return to form that we deserved. Silly, sincere and jam-packed with plenty of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey shenanigans that lays loving tribute to 60 years of Doctor Who whilst teasing a tantalising new era for the show... and the best part? It feels like the best is left to come. Allons-y!
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...
After the past 5 years, getting a coherent and beautifully directed episode feels like a godsend. Bringing back Rachel Talalay was a stroke of genius on Russell's behalf, she cooked here, bringing to life the art of Dave Gibbons. The episode wastes no time getting stuck into the action, just when you think it's going to be a quiet little character building start, a spaceship crash-lands and it's all business as usual.
Tennant and Tate slip effortlessly back into their old routine, mile-a-minute chatter and wounding one-liners matching each other all the way. Tennant absolutely steals the show but Tate isn't very far behind, their enthusiasm and chemistry never wavers leaving me with a goofy smile I couldn't wipe from my face.
Granted there's a really badly timed joke on behalf of the late Bernard Cribbins but he gets a loving little tribute and cameo by journey's end which really made me well up with happiness. On the other hand though, Yasmin Finney's Rose adds nothing to the story that couldn't have been filled by Sharon in the original source material, but then again we wouldn't have gotten to experience such extremely lukewarm acting from Finney... Beep the Meep, however, is brilliantly realised. The genocidal fluffball has always been a fan favourite and he's done a great service by Miriam Margolyes' understated brilliance.
Murray Gold's return left me with mixed feelings but he brings back many of his classic themes from his last tenure while adding something new giving the story the dramatic weight it needed.
Despite my misgivings, with plenty of narrative hand-waving, goofy dialogue and telegraphed twists you can spot a mile off, The Star Beast is real return to form that we deserved. Silly, sincere and jam-packed with plenty of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey shenanigans that lays loving tribute to 60 years of Doctor Who whilst teasing a tantalising new era for the show... and the best part? It feels like the best is left to come. Allons-y!