Doctor Who‘s 60th Anniversary Monsters Have a Deep Cut History

When the BBC dropped ourfirst gravid lookat the Doctor Who sixtieth day of remembrance special over Christmas , there were plenitude of surprise — more looks atDavid Tennant ’s newfangled - old doc , teases for just how Donna Noblere - enters the Time Lord ’s domain , Neil Patrick Harris ’ mysterious showman . But perhaps the biggest of all ? Just how rich down the rabbit hole Russell T. Davies is going .

That ’s because the drone gives us two glimpses at strange foreign force play a role in the coming celebrations . At first glance , the two sets of beings — a furry , mouselike creature with massive eyes , and insectoid aliens shown campaign soldiers in the street — calculate like they could be fresh among Doctor Who ’s cavalcade of creatures and monsters . And to most Doctor Who winnow , they might as well be . But , as befitting a celebration of 60 year risk in fourth dimension and space , they are n’t really new at all : and they have a very strange , very specific Doctor Who account .

Who Is Beep the Meep?

allow ’s deal with this furred lilliputian fella first : this cute critter is n’t actually very cute at all once you know who he is . And who that is isBeep the Meep , the hilariously named opposer of a comic story in Doctor Who Weekly that ran in 1980 , Doctor Who and the Star Beast . It ’s a tale famous for other reasons beyond Beep , as it also usher in a new companion for Tom Baker ’s quaternary Doctor , Sharon Davies — the first comedian - original associate to the Doctor , and the first person of color to be a foresighted - term fellow in any culture medium in Doctor Who history .

Criminal brainiac and drawing card of the Meeps — little ball-shaped furred creatures with large eyes and mouselike ears — Beep hail from the Wrarth galaxy , where his people were once a peaceful civilization . After their planet crossed orbits with a Black Sun expelling severe , corruptive actinotherapy , the Meeps were suddenly transformed into a rage - fill , mean wash , and began a campaign of intergalactic conquering . World after world fell to the Meeps , who harvested Black Sun radiation to apply in their warships — and as a creature that could mentally enthrall their foe into violent rages , as they were before them . finally , the Star Council of other races in the Wrarth extragalactic nebula came together to establish a new police force-out to fight back against the Meeps , overcome them in a grand battle .

But Beep himself fled the war , and fly the coop to 1980s Earth . Using his cute appearance to ingratiate himself to Sharon and her undecomposed friend , Beep also handle to pull a fast one on the Dr. into think he was an innocent being hunt without reason . When the Doctor discovered the Meeps ’ story , however , he facilitate save Sharon and her hometown from Beep ’s thrall , using Black Sun radiation sickness to brainwash them into repairing his ship , and helped capture Beep . Beep would escape imprisonment several times over the years in next Doctor Who comics , attempting to get retribution on Earth and the Doctor for his detainment — a regular in - joke for the Doctor ’s comic escapade .

Screenshot: BBC

Who are the Wrarth Warriors?

The insectoid Wrarth warrior are identify as such because they are the law force that the Star Council created to crusade the Meeps . produce as an amalgam of the five strong species in the Wrarth Galaxy , the warriors press back the Meeps until the engagement of Yarras , where the Wrarth wiped out the Meep armada for well , save for Beep ’s personal starship . Two Wrarth agent , Zogroth and Zreeg , quest for Beep to Earth , and although initially opposed by the medico , believe Beep to be as free as he front , finally the duo worked together with the Time Lord to detain Beep . The Wrarths never had quite the comic staying power as Beep himself did though , and although they would receive the occasional mention in other Doctor Who stories , the Wrarth languished in an even more relative obscurity .

What do Beep and the Wrarth Mean for Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary?

Well , apart from the fact that it ’s decipherable that the BBC are willing to have Russell T. Davy do literally anything with his counter to Doctor Who ’s stewardship if “ alive action mechanism Beep the Meep ” is a thing that is happen , it ’s toilsome to say right now . What lilliputian we ’ve seen of the 60th day of remembrance special does n’t really tell us much of what to expect . Are Beep and the Wrarth connect to the mysterious scoundrel play by Neil Patrick Harris ? Will Doctor Who fall in these two comics obscurities a home on the small-scale screen door be a hazard to re - ideate them for a major consultation , or will the account of a 1980s comic strip be vital to Doctor Who ’s big day of remembrance celebrations ? What is Rose , the likewise mysterious case played byHeartstopper ’s Yasmin Finney , become to have to do with this , considering it await like she ’s the one who first run into Beep ?

We ’ve got virtually a whole yr to speculate — doc Who will reelect for a trio of specials celebrating its sixtieth anniversary in November 2023 .

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Image: Doctor Who Weekly