“The Star Beast” doesn’t explain why the Doctor looks like Tennant again. Instead, the story, written by returning show runner Russell T Davies, is more concerned with reuniting the Doctor with former companion Donna Noble (Tate). When we last left Donna at the end of the season four finale “Journey’s End,” she had taken in the Doctor’s regeneration energy and combined with Time Lord energy, it transformed her into the DoctorDonna. While that transformation allowed her to save the world from Dalek invasion, it also threatened to destroy her human brain. Thus, the Doctor had to wipe all of memory of their adventures from her mind, as the recollection could kill her.
And yet, when the Doctor, once again wearing the face and spiky hair of David Tennant, encounters Donna on a London street in “The Star Beast,” her brain does not explode. Nor does it explode when the duo battle the evil Beep the Meep and the aliens come to apprehend it. Instead, Donna has passed the excessive Time Lord energy to her non-binary child Rose (Yasmin Finney), allowing her to access her power without danger, and then for the two of them to choose to let it go.
When Is Wild Blue Yonder Available in the US?
American viewers can see the second Doctor Who special “Wild Blue Yonder” on Disney+. The special will appear on the streaming service at 1:30 pm EST on December 2, 2023. It will be followed by the third and final anniversary special “The Giggle” on December 9, 2023.
In the UK, “Wild Blue Yonder” airs on the same day at 6.30 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, after which it’ll be followed by its own episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed, an in-episode commentary available to watch on BBC iPlayer, and a new instalment of The Official Doctor Who Podcast.
What is Wild Blue Yonder About?
In contrast to “The Star Beast,” Russell T. Davies isn’t dropping many hints about “Wild Blue Yonder.” As previously reported, Davies told Doctor Who Magazine that he wanted to “protect this one” and “try to reveal nothing about it.” However, in that same article, Davies did admit that he wanted to make use of working with Tennant and Tate again. “[T]his was a chance to focus on them,” he explained; “to see where The Doctor and Donna have been, what they think, what they’re like in extreme circumstances, how they react to each other now. And it’s glorious.”
The teaser for “Wild Blue Yonder” shown after “The Star Beast” backs this up, showing the Doctor and Donna in a cramped, empty facility. Although the Doctor does find life sign readings, he and Donna respond with horror at some off-screen threat. “Who are they?” asks Donna.
