When Chris Chibnall took over as “Doctor Who” showrunner with Jodie Whittaker’s run, he made it his mission statement to avoid existing a bunch of existing “Doctor Who” lore – especially in regards to the exobiology of the ‘Who’ universe.
That mandate changed in his second and third seasons as he started to bring back familiar races, including the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Sontarans, the Silurians, the Weeping Angels, the Ood, and a new take on perennial antagonist The Master.
Former Eccleston and Tennant-era “Who” showrunner Russell T. Davies is taking over starting with the “Doctor Who” 60th anniversary specials in November 2023. Unlike Chibnall, Davies shows no signs of any initial hesitancy to embrace the show’s lore – in fact, the recent trailer for the special shows off just how deep Davies intends to dive.
Gizmodo has revealed that two of the alien creatures seen in the trailer – a mouselike creature with massive eyes and insectoid aliens fighting soldiers in the streets – both originate from a highly obscure 1980 comic “Doctor Who and the Star Beast” contained within an issue of Doctor Who Weekly magazine.
The furry creature is Beep the Meep, a criminal mastermind from a violently aggressive war-like race that was defeated in a galactic war. Beep fled to 1980s Earth and used his cute, innocent-like appearance as a cover to carry out his nefarious goals. The insectoids are the Wrarth Warriors, members of a multi-species police force created to fight the Meep race. Two of their kind pursued Beep to Earth and, with the help of the Fourth Doctor, managed to imprison him.
What this means for the specials is not clear. We know Neil Patrick Harris is playing the mysterious villain, but it’s not clear who he is. We know Yasmin Finney will be playing a mysterious character named Rose Tyler, the same as Billie Piper’s main companion character from Davies’ previous showrunner era of ‘Who’. The trailer also indicates Rose is the first one to encounter Beep the Meep.
Speculation will no doubt continue throughout 2023 ahead of the trio of specials arriving near year’s end.
