We’re a year away from new episodes of Doctor Who. That’s a long way away, so we’re clinging to whatever information we can get. Recently, we found some fascinating rumours that got the fanbase buzzing. Apparently, the iconic Miriam Margolyes will be joining the cast of the 60th Anniversary specials. The Sun broke the story, reporting that an unnamed source had told them the actress would appear in Doctor Who.
“With an acting career almost as old as Doctor Who itself, it’s a surprise to think she hasn’t already featured in an episode over the past six decades. But that only makes her even more of a prestige addition to a cast which already features Neil Patrick Harris and Catherine Tate, who returns to play the Doctor’s assistant Donna Noble. The show’s creators felt that she was such a great character in real life that she was a natural choice to play the character she will have on the sci-fi show, which the BBC are keeping a closely guarded secret. And at the grand age of 81, her career is enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment.”
Unnamed Source – The Sun 14/11/22
Hasn’t Miriam Appeared in the Whoniverse Before?
There are many theories about who Miriam Margolyes might be playing in the show. She already played Leef Apple Glyn Slitheen-Blathereen in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Russell T Davies has teased a potential return for his original monster, the Raxacoricofallapatorians. They appeared in the first season of his revived Doctor Who.
Following that, they only appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures, which saw them dumbed down and less of a threat. With Davies returning, the iconic monsters might make another appearance. Miriam also played Frau Tod in Big Finish Audio “The Beast of Orlok”.
Could Miriam Margolyes Be The Doctor’s Mother?
Some theories suggest she might play a new iteration of the Mysterious Woman. At the time, fans believed that the Woman was the Doctor’s mother. She appeared in “The End of Time” and “Hell Bent” and was played by Claire Bloom and Linda Broughton, respectively. “The End of Time” was Russell’s final episode as showrunner the first time around, and he later confirmed:
I like leaving it open, because then you can imagine what you want. I think the fans will say it’s Romana. Or even the Rani. Some might say that it’s Susan’s mother, I suppose. But of course it’s meant to be the Doctor’s mother.“
Russell T Davies – The Writer’s Tale
Since Russell T Davies confirmed it himself, maybe with his return, he will explore the plot thread further. While this is an exciting theory, we’ve had a lot about the Doctor’s family lately. The Timeless Child arc shook things up, so it’s unlikely to resurface unless RTD undoes that.
Miriam the Meep
Sifting through what we know about the 60th anniversary, one character stands out for Miriam’s casting. Back in June, set pictures revealed a person dressed in what looked like a rabbit costume. At the time, it was speculated that this character was “Beep the Meep”. Obviously, the character seen on set would be a stand-in and not quite the same as what we see on screen. The real thing will be CGI or a detailed puppet when we see the show. Still, the glimpse of this creature got fans very excited.
Beep is a recurring character in the expanded universe of comics and audio. He has tried to enslave humanity, turn people into murderous monsters like himself, and destroy the Doctor multiple times. The character has been voiced by men and women in the past, with Bethan Dixon Bate providing the voice for the character in The Comic Book Adaptations for Big Finish. Additionally, Toby Longworth voiced the cute creature in The Ratings War for Big Finish, so there are no rules on casting for who can voice the alien.
There’s also the possibility that the Meep the Doctor meets in this story isn’t actually Beep. It could be a different member of the species entirely. With it being an “adaptation” of Doctor Who and the Star Beast comic, we could see many changes while loosely following the basic premise of the comic.
Final Thoughts
The Meeps are a cute, peaceful and highly-advanced race who were renowned for their happiness. That is until the rays of a Black Sun mutated the entire race and turned them into murderous psychopaths. Beep was allegedly the sole survivor of the Battle of Yarras, in which the Meeps fought the Wrath Warriors. We’ve also seen these aliens involved in the filming for the 60th anniversary, further fuelling the rumours of the infamous Meep playing a part too.
Whether the character might be Beep or a new Meep, Miriam Margolyes would be genius casting since the aliens can control their sweetness to manipulate people before turning on them in a split second. As such an accomplished actress, Miriam has the charm to play lovely and twist it to a dark place instantly. For these reasons, we’re convinced Miriam will lend her vocal talent to a psychotic Meep. Sadly, this episode is a whole year away, so all we can do is wait and speculate. Who do you think Miriam might play in the Anniversary specials?
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