Sunday, 26 November 2023

DW 60th Anniversary Special #1: The Star Beast

  A guide to classic Who references in new Who.




Doctor Who  BBC Anniversary Special #1 in which the new Doctor meets and old friend...


May contain spoilers for 
"The Star Beast"


[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic series (or the film).

The following are also covered:
[1ST] - Things that first appeared in this episode.
[NEW] - Things that first appeared in the new series.
[REAL] - Things that first appeared in outside the series itself.
[OTH] - Things that first appeared in outside the series itself.

Previously on Doctor Who...

The Doctor
  • [OLD]  The main character of Doctor Who, classic series and new. Born on Gallifrey, he is a Time Lord. Due to Time Lords' ability to regenerate this is the "Fourteenth Doctor."

Time Lords
  • [OLD]  The time traveling ruling elite of Gallifrey.  It is noted here that they are not easy to come by.  This has probably always been true, however since the Time War they have been trapped outside the universe and then relegated to the end of time.  This would make them hard to find. They have two hearts.

Donna/The Doctor Donna
  • [NEW] One of the Tenth Doctor's companions first appearing in  "The Runaway Bride" (Doctor Who (2005) 2006 Christmas Special), and joining the Doctor in "Partners in Crime"  (Doctor Who (2005) series 4). She last appeared in "The End of Time (Part 2)" (Doctor Who (2005) New Year's Day Special 2010).

The TARDIS
  • [OLD] The Doctor's time and space travel vehicle.  It stands for Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space.  Like a lot of the Doctor's race's technology, it is "bigger on the inside."  The Doctor stole her second-hand TARDIS when fleeing her Gallifrey. It is an older model ("Type 40") and unreliable, often ending up in the wrong location, and being unable to blend into its environment (a feature TARDISes should have). Other Time Lords have their own TARDISes.

Racnoss
  • [NEW] The villainous race in "The Runaway Bride" (Doctor Who (2005) Christmas Special 2006), Donna's first appearance.
The Daleks


Sontarans
  • [OLD] A race who frequently appeared in classic Doctor Who. "The Sontaran Stratagem"/"The Poison Sky" (Doctor Who (2005) Series 4) was their first appearance in new Who, which is where Donna met them.

Vashta nerada
The Shadow Proclamation
    • [NEW] A galactic police force, first mentioned by the Ninth Doctor in "Rose" (Doctor Who (2005) series 1),  and visited by the Tenth Doctor and Donna in "The Stolen Earth" (Doctor Who (2005) series 4).  They use the Judoon as a police force.

    "Saved the universe"
    • [NEW] Donna saved the universe (at a terrible cost) in "Journey's End" (Doctor Who (2005) series 4). when she accidentally took in the mind of the Doctor, becoming "the DoctorDonna" allowing her to defeat the Daleks. However, since a human mind can't contain that much information she was doomed to die, so the Doctor erased her memories and advised Donna's mother, Sylvia, and her grandfather, Wilf, that if he remembered her, she'd die.

    Vesperform
    • [NEW] A giant wasp creature that the Doctor, Donna amd Agatha Christie faced in "The Unicorn & the Wasp" (Doctor Who (2005) series 4). 

    The Pyrovile
    • [NEW] Rocky creatures that the Doctor and Donna encountered in Pompeii (in "The Fires of Pompeii" (Doctor Who (2005) series 4)).

    An Adipose Nursery Ship
    • [NEW] A craft seen by the Doctor and Donna in "Partners in Crime" (Doctor Who Series 4),


    Now on the show...

    Rose
    • [1ST] The first appearance of this character. The name comes from Rose Tyler, the companion of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, who Donna met.

    Wilf

    "This Face"/"The One in the Skinny Suit"
      • [NEW] The Fourteenth Doctor shares a face with the Tenth Doctor. He was noted for being skinny, especially by Donna.

      Shaun Temple
      • [NEW] Donna's husband. First appeared as Donna's fiance in The End of Time (Part 1)  (Doctor Who (2005) Christmas Special 2010). His marriage to her appeared in "The End of Time (Part 2)" (Doctor Who (2005) New Year's Day Special 2010).
      Psychic Paper
      • [NEW] An item usually used by the Doctor to create false identification for the Doctor.  It first appeared in "The End of the World" (Doctor Who (2005) series 1).

      Grand Mistress/"I'm a woman."
      • [NEW] The previous, Thirteenth, Doctor was female.

      Nerys
      • A friend of Donna's with whom she shares an antagonist relationship. She was frequently mentioned by Donna (including in Donna's first appearance, The Runaway Bride" (Doctor Who (2005) 2006 Christmas Special)), finally appearing as a bridesmaid in "The End of Time (Part 2)" (Doctor Who (2005) New Year's Day Special 2010).

      Lottery
      • The Doctor gave Donna a lottery ticket as a wedding gift (in "Journey's End" (Doctor Who (2005) series 4), with the implication that, as a time traveller he knew she'd win. The money he used to purchase it he borrowed from Donna's deceased father.
      UNIT

      Sonic Screwdriver
      • [OLD] The Doctor's favourite tool: the sonic screwdriver. First shown to be used by the Second Doctor in "Fury of the Deep" (Doctor Who (1963) season 5), it has been used almost constantly since. While it has been destroyed a couple of times and replaced it has been implied to be the same device rebuilt ("Day of the Doctor" (Doctor Who (2015) 50th Anniversary Special). Although Doctor has suggested he initially built it ("The Doctor Dances"  (Doctor Who (2015) series 1) & "A Christmas Carol"  (Doctor Who (2015) Christmas Special 2010). It's been said to be self-repairing "A Christmas Carol"  (Doctor Who (2015) Christmas Special 2010) and on at least one occasion the repaired it for him ("The Eleventh Hour"  (Doctor Who (2015) series 5)). The previous Doctor built her version in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" (Doctor Who (2015) series 11). This appears to be the Tenth Doctor's sonic returned. It has a variety of powers. This is the first time it's created a shield. One of its weaknesses is "deadlock seals."

      Sylvia Noble
      • Donna's mother. First appeared in "The Runaway Bride" (Doctor Who (2005) 2006 Christmas Special). Very dismissive of her daughter and her abilities, but also deeply protective of her. One of the people aware that the Donna remembering the Doctor will kill her.

      Beep the Meep
      • [OTH] First appearing in the comic strip "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" (Doctor Who Weekly (#19 - 26), and later "Star Beast II" (Doctor Who Yearbook 1996) and "TV Action!"  Meep bares witness against the Doctor in "A Matter of Life and Death." This episode is an adaption of  "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" which instead featured the Fourth Doctor, so those appearance may no longer count.

      Meepkind
      • [OTH] The alien race that Beep the Meep is a member of. (Though that should have been obvious from his name). A Meep appeared as a background character in the comic strips "Party Animals" (Doctor Who Magazine #173), although it's not clear if this is Beep or not.

      Wrarth
      • [OTH] First appearing in the comic strip "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" (Doctor Who Weekly (#19 - 26), alongside Beep the Meep. They also appear in "Party Animals" and "A Matter of Life and Death." amd  later "Star Beast II" (Doctor Who Yearbook 1996). "Crimson Hand" (DWM #416 - #420). Again, as this episode is an adaption of  "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" which instead featured the Fourth Doctor, so those appearance may no longer count.

      Double Bladed Dagger Drive
      • [1ST] First appearance of this environmentally unfriendly starship engine.

      Scientific Adviser #1
      • [OLD] The Second Doctor worked with UNIT in "The Invasion" (Doctor Who (1963) season 6). The Third Doctor was a full time scientific advisor to UNIT for most of that incarnation.


      "I wear a bowtie"
      • [NEW] The Eleventh Doctor wore a bowtie, frequently pointing out that they are cool.

      "I'm a Scotsman"
      • [NEW] The Twelth Doctor had a Scottish accent.

      The Beast

      Kate Stewart
      • [OTH] Kate Stewart. The current head of UNIT (see below). First appeared in the non-BBC Doctor Who spin-off Downtime (pictured) and was introduced to the official series in "The Power of Three" (Doctor Who (2005) series 7). Her father was The Brigadier, a long time member of the organisation.

      Psychedelic Sun/Solar Psychedelia
      • [1ST] First appearance of this concept. However, the idea appeared in "Revenge of the Wrarth" ("Doctor Who and the Star Beast" part 5 (Doctor Who Weekly (#23)), as a "Black Sun."
      A Judoon
      • [NEW] First appearance in "Smith and Jones" (Doctor Who (2005) series 3) and have made cameo appearances since then. They had a major role in "Fugitive of the Judoon" (Doctor Who (2005) series 12) where they were chasing The Fugitive Doctor (Ruth). Donna met them when she visited The Shadow Proclamation with the Doctor in  in "The Stolen Earth" (Doctor Who (2005) series 4). 

      A Cyberman
      • [OLD] The cybermen were foe of the Doctor from the classic series who have frequently appeared in the new series, although Donna never met any herself.

      An Adipose
      • [NEW] Adipose - First appeared in "Partners in Crime" (Doctor Who Series 4), the episode in which Donna rejoined the Doctor.
      A Lupar
      • [NEW] A species is pair-bounded to humans that first appeared in  Doctor Who: Flux Chapter 1 ("The Halloween Apocalypse" (Doctor Who (2005) series 13). Donna did not meet one during her time with the Doctor.
      The Ood
      • [NEW] Recurring race in the new series. Often bad guys due to the interference of outside forces. They first appeared in "The Impossible Planet" (Doctor Who (2005) series 2). In "The Planet of the Ood" (Doctor Who Series 4) Donna and the Doctor freed them from slavery.

      The Boss
      • [1ST] Presumably the first cryptic reference to this being.

      Mars/Chaucer/Robot Shark
      • [1ST] Or it actually happened. You know.
      - DUG.


      The Time Crash blog was created to help New Who fans understand Classic Who references - and to know if something isn't a reference but a new idea.  If there's a reference I missed or a subject that you feel needs more explaining, please comment. 

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