We've been excitedly waiting for Dr Who: The Star Beast for some time now, and the show didn't disappoint casual fans or hardcore Whovians: last night's episode, the first of three 60th anniversary specials, delivered all the excitement, spectacle and heart of the very best Dr Who episodes.
The Guardian says it's "fun, light and fast... Doctor Who is flying again", while the Independent says it's "an unabashed homage to heartwarming 1980s escapism... the Doctor is back to his eccentric best." David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on top form, and new addition Yasmin Finney, who plays Tate's screen daughter Rose, is a delight. And there's a half-time twist that takes the whole show in an unexpected new direction.
My social media feeds were full of tear-soaked delight: by all accounts, it's a triumph.
It's also a triumph that I forgot to watch, so if like me you're scatter-brained or just had better things to do last night, here's how to catch up on what you missed – and when to set your calendar for the next two issues.
Where to stream Dr Who: The Star Beast in the UK
You can stream Dr Who: The Star Beast on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and while it's produced in association with Disney Plus it's not currently streaming on the Disney service: while a listing appears in Google searches for the show you'll be shown a "this content is not available in this territory" message when you open it inside the app.
iPlayer isn't officially available to viewers in Ireland beyond Northern Ireland (because the licence fee is UK-only), but a VPN can address that.
Where to stream Dr Who: The Star Beast in the US
In the US, Dr Who streams on three different services: classic episodes are streaming for free on Tubi, and shows from 2005 are streaming on Max. But the service you need for these new episodes is Disney Plus, which has the exclusive streaming rights in the US.
It's a similar story elsewhere in the world: if you want to see The Star Beast, you'll need a Disney Plus subscription.
When are the next two Dr Who specials streaming?
The next two episodes will stream on Saturday 2nd December and Saturday 9 December 2023.
As with The Star Beast, the streaming times will be synchronised with the BBC broadcast in the UK – so that means the show's 6.30pm streaming time will be mirrored in the US with appropriate time adjustments – so that means 10.30am Pacific time and 1.30pm EST.
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