Hi everyone! How are you all? Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. This time, I am reviewing The Star Beast by Gary Russell, the first novelisation of the three Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials.
Doctor Who: The Star Beast was first published in ebook format in November 2023 and in paperback in January 2024 by BBC Books and is 160 pages long.
The Plot
The Doctor, an alien from a race of people called the Time Lords, has found himself in 21st Century London, wearing a familiar face without knowing why. To make matters worse, he bumps into the one person in the whole world he should not be bumping into – Donna Noble. Bumping into Donna would mean her death if she remembers him. What has drawn them back together? Could it be the alien battle that has found its way to Earth, or is that just a coincidence?
Characters
The Doctor
The Doctor, an alien from a race known as Time Lords, comes from the planet Gallifrey and travels throughout space and time in a ship stuck in the shape of an old police box (which is bigger on the inside).
In this story, the fourteenth incarnation of the Doctor is the central character. He has found himself back in 21st-century London, wearing an old face, in the company of his best friend in the whole universe – Donna Noble.
He knows that if Donna remembers him even a little, her brain will explode due to the Time Lord-human meta-crisis (a process where Donna took the brain of a Time Lord into her own) in the series 4 (2008) finale. The Doctor (at that time, in his tenth incarnation) had to erase all knowledge of himself and their adventures from her memory to save her.
Donna Noble
In The Star Beast, we find Donna Noble fifteen years older than when we last saw her; in some ways, her life has changed, and in others, she is still the same Donna we know and love.
In the intervening years since the Doctor last saw her, Donna has become a mother and, much to the Doctor’s chagrin, she has given away every last penny of her lottery winnings (his wedding gift to her, bought with money he went back and borrowed from her late father).
Rose Noble
Rose Noble is Donna’s daughter. She is a bright teenager who has built a small business selling plushy creatures to help support her family. She’s a kind and thoughtful person who, upon finding the Meep hiding behind the bins outside her house, wants to try and help them.
Additionally, throughout the story, she provides some of the emotional turning points and, along with her mother and grandmother, showcases the strong bond between the Nobles.
Sylvia Noble
Sylvia Noble, Donna’s mother, adds another layer of family drama to the story. She has been protective of her daughter over the last decade and a half, and when aliens start appearing all over the place, she tries to pretend like they’re not real; she’s desperate to keep anything away that might trigger Donna’s memories. Then, when the Doctor reappears, Sylvia fears that Donna will remember him, causing her brain to burn up, and in true Sylvia style, she isn’t shy in telling the Doctor what she really thinks.
Shaun Temple
Shaun is Donna’s loving and loyal husband, whom Doctor Who fans were introduced to in 2009’s The End of Time Parts One and Two. Here, he is a London cab driver, and the standout thing about his character is that he is devoted to and loves his family dearly.
Shirley Anne Bingham
Shirley Anne is a new character. She is a wheelchair-using Scientific Advisor to UNIT, who helps to showcase the diversity and inclusivity that Doctor Who has become known for in recent years. Despite her physical limitations, she is shown to be a smart, capable, and invaluable member of the UNIT team.
Beep The Meep
Beep The Meep is the ‘Star Beast’ from the title. Initially, the Meep presents as a cute, cuddly and fear-filled creature escaping a violent, bloodthirsty race of aliens – the Wrarth Warriors. However, all might just not be quite as it seems.
Writing Style
In this novelisation, Gary Russell’s writing style is wonderfully engaging, making it easy for readers to get lost in the story from the first page.
Additionally, the characterisations are spot-on, with the Doctor and Donna, in particular, portrayed in a way that feels authentic to their on-screen counterparts.
As in the TV episode, The Doctor feels like an old friend, and it’s the same in the book version; with a novelisation, sometimes an author can get the thoughts and actions of the characters completely wrong, but that’s not the case here. And, just as he has with the Doctor, Russell has captured the essence of Donna’s character beautifully, transferring her wit, humour, and intelligence onto the page with an expert hand.
This shouldn’t be a big surprise; Gary Russell is no stranger to Doctor Who; over the years, he was an executive producer for the Big Finish audio dramas before moving to the TV series as a script editor.
Fans of the show will appreciate how Russel manages to stay true to the tone of Doctor Who while adding his unique touch to the story through the characters’ internal thoughts and scene tweaks and extensions. There are even a few scenes and characters new to the story, such as those featuring Steve Ferguson, a worker at the factory where the Meep’s ship ‘crashes’.
Like a live-action episode, the book is jam-packed with thrilling action, moments of suspense and heartwarming interactions between all the characters; the interactions between the Doctor and Sylvia are particularly memorable.
Final Thoughts
Doctor Who fans were thrilled to hear that David Tennant and Catherine Tate were returning for another round of adventures in space and time in three special episodes to mark the show’s 60th anniversary.
I am a massive Whovian, so none were more excited than I was.
Some of my loveliest memories involve my dad and me watching Doctor Who. The first episode I saw was Planet of the Spiders, Jon Pertwee’s final regular appearance as the third incarnation of the Doctor. However, I must have seen a rerun because it was first broadcast in 1974, and I wasn’t born until the following decade.
I remember being captivated by the story and enraptured by the character of the Doctor and his infinitely enormous spaceship, the TARDIS.
Ever since, I have been an avid consumer of all things ‘Who’. My favourite run of episodes is 2008’s series 4, featuring Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble.
Overall, The Star Beast – both the episode and the novelisation – gave me great nostalgia and, if I’m honest, made me feel utter glee at the resolution of Donna’s story (her previous ending was just too sad).
The book is a must-read for Doctor Who fans, especially those who favour the pairing of 10/14 and Donna Noble. It is well-written, entertaining, and engaging and captures the spirit of Doctor Who perfectly.
Also, I would like to say that if you have never seen an episode of Doctor Who, you need not feel like you can’t climb aboard the Doctor Who train. This book and its episode are a great jumping on point. There is enough backstory to clue you in on what has come before and more than enough action, comedy and drama to get you hooked.
I am giving Doctor Who: The Star Beast full marks: 10/10.
Are you a Whovian? Did you enjoy the 60th anniversary specials? Have you read the Star Beast novelisation? Let me know your thoughts.
As always, thank you for stopping by to read my review. It means a lot.
Until next time,
George
© 2024 GLT
Categories: Book Reviews, Reading
GEORGE L THOMAS 
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