Donna Noble is again and prepared for a battle in trailer for Physician Who specials Categorical Instances

Physician Who marks its sixtieth anniversary this 12 months with three specials that includes David Tennant because the Fourteenth Physician, with the primary slated to air in November. The most recent trailer reveals the great Physician reunited together with his former companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and going through off in opposition to two traditional adversaries from the Whovian archives: an alien race known as the Meeps and a celestial being often known as The Toymaker, performed by Neil Patrick Harris.

(Spoilers beneath for prior seasons of Physician Who.)

When the BBC introduced that Ncuti Gatwa would succeed Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Physician as the brand new incarnation of Physician Who, followers naturally anticipated Gatwa to make his first look within the conventional regeneration sequence. As an alternative, within the 2022 particular “The Energy of the Physician,” Whittaker’s Physician regenerated into an incarnation bearing a hanging similarity to the Tenth Physician—each performed by Tennant. It was a savvy advertising and marketing transfer, given the big recognition of Tennant’s Physician. With showrunner Chris Chibnall stepping down and Russell T. Davies re-assuming the reins for the present’s sixtieth anniversary, what higher time to revisit that character, together with my private favourite of the companions, Donna Noble?

The primary of the three sixtieth anniversary specials is named “The Star Beast,” drawing on the storyline of a 1980 sketch that includes the Fourth Physician, who encounters a seemingly cute alien creature dubbed Beep the Meep. However Beep and his fellow Meeps have really turn into conquering savage beasts due to radiation from the Black Solar. That very same radiation permits the Meeps to primarily flip folks into “zombie drones.”

Additionally featured is one other traditional character known as The Toymaker, aka the Crystal Guardian and the Mandarin. The character, initially performed by Michael Gough, hasn’t been seen since a four-episode arc in 1966, solely one in every of which (“The Closing Take a look at”) nonetheless survives within the BBC archives. This everlasting being of seemingly infinite energy captures the First Physician (William Hartnell) and his two companions, Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane). Steve and Dodo are compelled to compete in a collection of lethal kids’s video games whereas the Physician should resolve an elaborate ten-piece puzzle earlier than they escape within the TARDIS, destroying the Toymaker’s realm within the course of.

The trailer opens with Donna confessing to a lingering sense of one thing lacking, “like I had one thing beautiful and it is gone.” Then a spaceship crashes in entrance of her home, and he or she discovers Beep the Meep (voiced by Miriam Margoyles), reacting as solely Donna would react: “We have a bloody martian within the shed!” Reduce to Tennant’s Fourteenth Physician reminding us that he wiped Donna’s reminiscence to be able to save her life, but when she does regain her reminiscence, she’s going to die. And if that occurs, can the Physician save her life once more? He is not so positive. In the meantime, the Physician additionally begins to recollect The Toymaker and their prior historical past, looking for to guard Donna and others from his former adversary: “Your battle is with me!”

We additionally catch a glimpse of Donna’s daughter Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney) and Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbrige-Steward, head of UNIT, which seeks to stop alien invasions of Earth. I am guessing Kate and UNIT will play a job in defeating Beep the Meep and/or the Toymaker. The ultimate shot is a closeup of Gatwa because the Fifteenth Physician.

“The Star Beast” will debut on the BBC within the UK and Eire in November, airing on Disney+ in different areas. It is going to be adopted by two extra episodes within the arc: “Wild Blue Yonder” (Half 2) and “The Giggle” (Half 3), though we do not but have official air dates. One assumes “The Giggle” will characteristic the Fourteenth Physician regenerating and the arrival (lastly) of Gatwa’s Fifteenth Physician.

Itemizing picture by BBC