This November, Doctor Who fans rejoice worldwide as the timelord’s 60th-anniversary specials air featuring favorite incarnations David Tennant and Catherine Tate alongside beloved showrunner Russell T Davies resuming show running duties. Equally exciting is the live-action debut of legendary troublemaker Beep the Meep, voiced in fan-pleasing fashion by acting veteran Miriam Margolyes.
Who is Beep the Meep?
While the diminutive extraterrestrial menace debuts onscreen within The Power of the Doctor’s opening adventure, The Star Beast, Beep the Meep boasts a strong Doctor Who history from the 1980s. This cruel alien tyrant renowned across galaxies for cunning conquests and chaos first appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly comic strips penned by Pat Mills and John Wagner featuring art by acclaimed Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons. There, the lead Meep plagued Fourth Doctor Tom Baker’s comic book adventures for years with his tornado-like speeds and electrostatic discharge abilities, wreaking endless havoc until an embarrassing defeat.
Yet now Beep returns, voiced by a Harry Potter legend, to vex David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor upon the new regeneration saving past companion Donna Noble, presumably picking up old wicked ways. The Pepperpot-shaped extraterrestrial may utilize more quirky weaponry like his infamous kazoo, which once hypnotized scores of foes. Whatever schemes this interstellar deviant has planned spells trouble for the Doctor’s celebratory return.
Beep the Meep and David Tennant: A Perfect Comedic Matchup Reunites
Casting the vocal cords for this notorious alien agent of chaos proves pivotal, considering Beep’s blending of humor and threat. Who better to bring such a notorious figure to life than Miriam Margolyes?
Casual fans recognize the acclaimed actress as Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter films, where her warm yet sassy delivery earned fan affection. She also shined in period pieces like The Age of Innocence plus voicing characters across children’s animations, even winning a BAFTA for monkey puzzle tale Monkey Love. That range easily captures this extraterrestrial trickster’s mischief and menace, delighting Doctor Wholoyalists globally.
And Margoyles’ voice should wonderfully bounce off David Tenant’s Fourteenth incarnation, himself entirely known for balancing dramatic and comedic skills given past iconic turns in Shakespearean dramas and sitcoms. Much like the Tenth Doctor sparring with the devious Lady Cassandra, perhaps Beep the Meep pushes this latest timelord’s buttons while he attempts to reconnect with past companion Donna Noble. Either way, such perfect casting means stellar antagonistic performances lie ahead once Beep hits screens.
The Legacy of Beep the Meep Within Doctor Who Lore
Beyond providing laughs and conflict for The Power of the Doctor’s 60th-anniversary launch, Beep The Meep’s inclusion nods toward a deeper history, sure to appease long-term fans. Alongside other legacy returns like the Sea Devils or the iconic bygone planet of Telos rematerializing after decades, show lead Russell T Davies continues honoring the franchise’s rich mythology.
Beep remained absent from live action because of bureaucratic complexities over rights issues tied to crossing mediums, thus complicating integration by Davies and other previous showrunners despite apparent fan demand. Yet now, within his second show-running tenure, Davies rights past wrongs.
This honors not just 1980s comic strips but also Pat Mills’ profound influence on shaping Doctor Who’s more expansive genre scape, given his renown for pushing sci-fi storytelling into satirical and political directions still felt today. Such reverence for the show’s multimedia foundations bodes wonderfully for the 60th festivities.
Brave New Universe Awaits With Beep the Meep Running Amok
Between David Tennant’s anticipated return alongside Catherine Tate’s Donna, showrunner Davies reclaiming creative control, and celebrated star Miriam Margolyes stealing scenes, Doctor Who’s 60th-anniversary specials should delight viewers old and new. The mayhem sparked by Beep the Meep coming to vivid life uniquely ties this celebratory 2022 revival to the more excellent show’s pioneers like Pat Mills, who took Gallifreyan tales into bolder territories.
So expect loving tributes towards Doctor Who’s past, present, and future, with Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor racing to thwart his latest comic come-to-life rogue in riotously fun fashion. What havoc will the infamous Meep unleash? How far does his menace stretch against a still regenerating Time Lord? Tune into the specials premiering this November to find out! Yet another brilliant alien invasion awaits, thanks to Davies and Moffat’s efforts to honor what came before by bringing this perfect villain like Beep to the screen for the first time rather than just on the comic page. Geronimo!
