I felt exactly the same - he sorted out a lot of story elements effortlessly. The key was the Doctor's relationship with Donna. So the plot was largely seen through her eyes. Everything else was secondary. That held our interest the most and meant other story aspects could be skipped over or dealt with briefly.
Such a thrill to see your name and Dave’s in the opening credits. And a thrilling, heartfelt episode to boot. Fantastic stuff. Not all nostalgia is lazy remembrance.
I'm not a natural Dr Who tv fan... the music and flying down the inside of a long intestine intro was enough 40 years ago to make me cringe behind the sofa 😂
However, my sons at an equivalent age are clearly made of sterner stuff than their progenitor. We all loved The Star Beast 😊. Really fast paced, no previous knowledge required to enjoy the spectacle and just a great blast.
The nigh universal online comment is that The Star Beast is a Dr Who episode for the ages and for all ages. Mills' magic strikes again!
Thanks. That's great to know. As I said in a post, I'm known for my intense storylines,but this was even more intense and that's what makes it so thrilling. There is something iconic about the Star Beast as a creature. It presses all kinds of buttons in us. I'm sure it will return!
Donna Noble became a pivotal character in Doctor Who's revival. Catherine Tate delivered an incredible star turn alongside David Tennant.
Donna Noble's compassion for people was damn near Messianic at times. Previous Companions were usually just there for peril, to motivate The Doctor, or for exposition. Donna Noble was the one Companion who reminded the Time Lord that there were people involved - lives.
She was the Companion who could stop The Doctor from going too far.
I'm going to write up a post on my Substack about Donna Noble, and the huge moral and ethical crises she regularly found herself facing.
That is so well observed. When I was writing my abortive Space Whale for Doctor Who (see Pageturners book now out) I had three companions - Tegan, Nyssa and Adric. And none of them set me alight, or the script editor, or the audience. It was rough. Whereas Catherine Tait's persona as well as the character gives the whole Doctor and companion a whole new spin, taking it to another level. It's fair to say it dominated the episode and I think that was a good thing. It provided the glue to hold it all together.
And as you pointed out in your post earlier, Pat - all hail John Wagner too, for doing the decent and honest thing of leaving the credits to you and Dave Gibbons.
John was great. I hope one of his Doctor Who stories gets considered in the future, hopefully before we're not too ancient to care. The production staff told me they're already working on the next series
Nov 27, 2023·edited Nov 27, 2023Liked by Pat Mills
I loved it. Russell had a lot to do, in terms of writing. He had to bring back David, solve an impossible story dead end about Donna and her metacrisis, introduce on screen Beep and The Wrarth for a new generation of kids, set up the new TARDIS, Sonic Screwdriver, UNIT cast, introduce Rose Noble, and set up the next two specials. I thought he made a lot of hard work look and feel effortless with your story as the foundation. Also, Beep's CGI is the best I've ever seen, for sure. I hope there's a rematch soon.
It was the first time I'd sat down to watch an episode of Dr Who for years and years and I really enjoyed it. Funny warm and scary. I read the comic so long ago that It stood on its own two feet rather than being a cover version. I'm glad you enjoyed it to Pat! Now I'm looking forward to the next one!
I felt exactly the same - he sorted out a lot of story elements effortlessly. The key was the Doctor's relationship with Donna. So the plot was largely seen through her eyes. Everything else was secondary. That held our interest the most and meant other story aspects could be skipped over or dealt with briefly.
Brilliant story well told.
Great to see you & Dave on "Doctor Who: Unleashed".
Thanks. I'm still taken aback by how star-struck I was, to the point of being speechless. Not my usual mode!
Lol!
Such a thrill to see your name and Dave’s in the opening credits. And a thrilling, heartfelt episode to boot. Fantastic stuff. Not all nostalgia is lazy remembrance.
It was done so well! So much to absorb from Russell's story techniques.
All the family sat and we watched it together. We all loved it.
Russell managed to make a family story cool - no mean achievement. There was something there for everyone. I'm taking notes!
I'm not a natural Dr Who tv fan... the music and flying down the inside of a long intestine intro was enough 40 years ago to make me cringe behind the sofa 😂
However, my sons at an equivalent age are clearly made of sterner stuff than their progenitor. We all loved The Star Beast 😊. Really fast paced, no previous knowledge required to enjoy the spectacle and just a great blast.
The nigh universal online comment is that The Star Beast is a Dr Who episode for the ages and for all ages. Mills' magic strikes again!
Thanks. That's great to know. As I said in a post, I'm known for my intense storylines,but this was even more intense and that's what makes it so thrilling. There is something iconic about the Star Beast as a creature. It presses all kinds of buttons in us. I'm sure it will return!
Donna Noble became a pivotal character in Doctor Who's revival. Catherine Tate delivered an incredible star turn alongside David Tennant.
Donna Noble's compassion for people was damn near Messianic at times. Previous Companions were usually just there for peril, to motivate The Doctor, or for exposition. Donna Noble was the one Companion who reminded the Time Lord that there were people involved - lives.
She was the Companion who could stop The Doctor from going too far.
I'm going to write up a post on my Substack about Donna Noble, and the huge moral and ethical crises she regularly found herself facing.
That is so well observed. When I was writing my abortive Space Whale for Doctor Who (see Pageturners book now out) I had three companions - Tegan, Nyssa and Adric. And none of them set me alight, or the script editor, or the audience. It was rough. Whereas Catherine Tait's persona as well as the character gives the whole Doctor and companion a whole new spin, taking it to another level. It's fair to say it dominated the episode and I think that was a good thing. It provided the glue to hold it all together.
And as you pointed out in your post earlier, Pat - all hail John Wagner too, for doing the decent and honest thing of leaving the credits to you and Dave Gibbons.
John was great. I hope one of his Doctor Who stories gets considered in the future, hopefully before we're not too ancient to care. The production staff told me they're already working on the next series
I loved it. Russell had a lot to do, in terms of writing. He had to bring back David, solve an impossible story dead end about Donna and her metacrisis, introduce on screen Beep and The Wrarth for a new generation of kids, set up the new TARDIS, Sonic Screwdriver, UNIT cast, introduce Rose Noble, and set up the next two specials. I thought he made a lot of hard work look and feel effortless with your story as the foundation. Also, Beep's CGI is the best I've ever seen, for sure. I hope there's a rematch soon.
It was the first time I'd sat down to watch an episode of Dr Who for years and years and I really enjoyed it. Funny warm and scary. I read the comic so long ago that It stood on its own two feet rather than being a cover version. I'm glad you enjoyed it to Pat! Now I'm looking forward to the next one!
And it was so fast! It took my breath away. That excitement is infectious.
A work of true enthusiasts, I think. More power to the collective elbow!