Doctor Who: Who is Beep the Meep?
Doctor Who fans were treated to an unexpected Christmas present this year. Although there was no Christmas special episode, we’ll have to wait for a little longer for them to become a regular fixture again, Whovians did get a taste of 2023 in the shape of a trailer for the upcoming 60th-anniversary specials of Doctor Who that will be airing in November 2023.
And as exciting as it was for us all to see David Tennant as the Fourteenth and the return of Donna Noble played by Catherine Tate, as well as our first glimpse at Yasmin Finney as Rose, one of the biggest talking points from the 60 seconds of footage was a certain creature who appeared on screen during the trailer – yes, you know who we’re talking about… Beep the Meep.
Who is Beep the Meep?
Perhaps to the untrained eye, the character who we see very briefly in the trailer for the 60th anniversary could be mistaken for a new Doctor Who star, or perhaps if you’ve had too much Christmas spirit, the mutant brother of Baby Yoda!
But in fact Beep the Meep is a character that has been seen in the Whonivesre before…
Beep the Meep was first seen in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine as part of a comic strip, before later appearing in audio dramas from Big Finish.
Beep may seem cute and cuddly, but under the big eyes and furry exterior is a nasty piece of work who wants to take over most things.
When did Beep the Meep first appear?
Beep the Meep first appeared in the 1980 comic Doctor Who and the Star Beast written by Pat Mills and John Wagner and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. The story ran across seven edition of Doctor Who Magazine.
Beep the Meep is the leader of the Meeps, an advanced race who are peaceful until they are exposed to radiation from the passing of a Black Sun which turns them into baddies who want to take over the universe and rapidly, and aggressively, expand the Meep empire.
The Wrath Warriors defeated the Meep armada, but Beep escaped and crashed into the English city of Blackcastle on Earth. Beep hid in plain site with two schoolchildren who believed he was nothing more than a cuddly creature to avoid detection. During this period, he came into contact with the Fourth Doctor who protected him from those who wished him harm until it became clear the Beep the Meep was not friendly at all. Beep the Meep used hynopsis to get humans to repair his ship and try to escape from Earth, but the Doctor foiled his plan and he was taken away, apparently to face justice for his crimes.
Have we seen Beep the Meep since?
Yes, Beep the Meep returned for a small appearance in the 1991 magazine strip Party animals and again in 1996 as part of The Star Beast II. He also appeared in several later comic strips including coming into contact with the Eighth Doctor and his companion Izzy.
Big Finish released The Comic Book Adaptations Volume 1 in 2019 which featured a version of Doctor Who and the Star Beast and had Beep voiced by Bethan Dixon Bate.
We will see the return of Beep the Meep, who will we’re sure be causing problems for the Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials in 2023. That extravangaxa will be followed by Doctor Who season 14 starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson.
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