"The Star Beast" is the first of three hour-long special episodes of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, marking its 60th anniversary.

Upon his arrival to present-day London, he is caught up in a fight to the death when a spaceship crash-lands, with an alien army of Wrarth Warriors pursuing a small furry creature known as the Meep.

The Doctor describes his confusion as to why he resembles his tenth incarnation and his re-entry into Donna's life, believing the two events are connected.

Rose's friend tells her of an escape pod from the ship landing near her home, and she soon encounters a small creature called the Meep.

[3] The episode commences the fourth era of production in the revived series, following Davies' first tenure as showrunner from 2005 to 2010, Steven Moffat's from 2010 to 2017 and Chibnall's from 2018 to 2022.

[7][8] Davies was joined by the Bad Wolf production company, which was founded by fellow former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner and former BBC head of drama Jane Tranter.

[13][14] Phil Collinson, Gardner and Tranter all returned to the show as executive producers, alongside newcomer Joel Collins.

[17] The story is based on the comic strip "The Star Beast" written by Pat Mills and illustrated by Dave Gibbons that appeared in Doctor Who Weekly in 1980.

[18][19] The comic strip features the Fourth Doctor facing off against Beep the Meep,[20] and was adapted into an audio story by Big Finish Productions in 2019.

[29] The BBC later confirmed the surname of the character to be Noble, revealing that Finney would play the daughter of Donna and Shaun.

[45] The episode also had a special screening as part of the anniversary celebrations on 23 November at the Royal Television Society in Cardiff.

The site's consensus reads "A lively romp that reunites David Tennant and Catherine Tate, 'The Star Beast' returns fan-favorite characters for a nostalgic adventure that hints at Doctor Who's broader reinvention.

[55] The Guardian's Jack Seale rated the special a 4/5, describing it as being "fun, light and fast", and praised the performance of Tennant and Tate, saying they had perfect chemistry.

[20] Anita Singh, writing in The Sunday Telegraph, rated the episode a 4/5 and said that it was "... a perfect re-entry for a franchise that needs to win back public affection.

"[56] Writing for The Independent, Ed Power praised the episode's 'back to basics' approach after the convoluted Chibnall era, in particular singling out Tennant's performance as the Fourteenth Doctor.

[61] "The Star Beast", along with the other two specials "Wild Blue Yonder" and "The Giggle", were released together on DVD and Blu-ray on 18 December 2023 as part of the "60th anniversary collection".

[63] The paperback edition was available for pre-order in July 2023, and was released on 11 January 2024 as part of the Target Collection,[64][65] and as an audiobook read by Jacqueline King on 1 February 2024.