Beep the Meep
Encyclopedia
Beep the Meep is a fictional alien
who appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly
comic strip based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. The cute and cuddly appearance of Beep the Meep — a round, furry biped with large, expressive eyes and long ears — belies his true nature as a malevolent, homicidal would-be conqueror and dictator. The canonicity of the comic strips, like other Doctor Who spin-off
media, is open to interpretation.
Beep first appeared in the comic strip Doctor Who and the Star Beast, written by Pat Mills
and John Wagner
and drawn by Dave Gibbons
, which ran in issues #19-#26 of Doctor Who Weekly. The Meeps were an advanced and peaceful race, who lived in harmony and happiness until their natures were radically altered by their planet's orbit passing close to the Black Sun. The radiation
from the black star mutated them into an aggressive, expansionist species who began to mercilessly conquer and subjugate other planets.
Eventually, the Star Council authorized the use of the Wrarth Warriors, a genetically engineered insectoid race who acted as interstellar law enforcers. The war against the Meeps came to an end with the destruction of the Meep armada at the Battle of Yarras, but Beep, the Meeps' ruler, escaped. Beep's ship was pursued and shot down over Earth
where it crash landed in the English city of Blackcastle. Beep sought refuge with two schoolchildren, using his fuzzy appearance to masquerade as a hapless, harmless creature being hunted by the ruthless Wrarth. It was in this guise that he encountered the Fourth Doctor
, who protected him from the Wrarth until Beep's true nature was revealed to him. He hypnotised some people and tried to use them to repair his spaceship, deciding to take off in a hyper-space jump, even though this would destroy Blackpool. The Doctor
then aided the Wrarth in apprehending Beep, and he was taken away to face justice.
Beep the Meep's weapon of choice was black star radiation, which he used both as a power source for his spaceship and for brainwashing people by exposing them to it. He also usually kept an energy pistol on his person, in a pouch concealed under his fur. Beep is a memorable and popular villain, mainly due to the contrast between his appearance and his true nature, and his constant fuming at not being taken seriously because of his cute appearance. He has returned to bedevil the Doctor several times, often targeting Earth as well because of the indignities both have heaped on him.
Released on parole fifteen years after being taken into custody by the Wrarth, Beep sought revenge in The Star Beast II (published in the 1996 Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook) but the Fourth Doctor used black star energy to trap him inside the children's movie For the Love of Lassie
.
Eventually, Beep managed to escape. In Doctor Who Magazine #283's TV Action! he travelled to the 1979 of a parallel world where the Doctor was the subject of a television programme titled Doctor Who. Beep tried to take over the BBC Television Centre
, planning to broadcast black star radiation into households across Britain in an attempt to turn everyone as evil as himself. However, he mistook the actor Tom Baker
for his hated nemesis and, while distracted, was defeated by the Eighth Doctor
, his companion
Izzy
and various other television personalities.
Beep left the realm of the comic strip in an audio play
produced by Big Finish Productions
, The Ratings War
, which was on a promotional CD given away with DWM #313. In the play, Toby Longworth
provided the voice for Beep, who went up against the Sixth Doctor
, voiced by Colin Baker
. There, Beep tried much the same ploy as he did in TV Action!, except this time he produced a children's programme called Beep and Friends to effect a conquest by guile rather than by force. He was once again defeated by the Doctor and handed back to the Wrarth.
In a cameo appearance
, an inebriated Beep tried to kill the Seventh Doctor
at a party in the story Party Animals in DWM #173, but simply started a bar brawl instead. A hallucinatory Beep appeared in the Eighth Doctor strip A Life of Matter and Death (DWM #250). The Meeps (although not Beep himself) appeared in the spin-off
short story Wish Upon A Star Beast by Steve Lyons, published in the charity anthology Perfect Timing.
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
who appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strip based on the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. The cute and cuddly appearance of Beep the Meep — a round, furry biped with large, expressive eyes and long ears — belies his true nature as a malevolent, homicidal would-be conqueror and dictator. The canonicity of the comic strips, like other Doctor Who spin-off
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
media, is open to interpretation.
Beep first appeared in the comic strip Doctor Who and the Star Beast, written by Pat Mills
Pat Mills
Pat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
and John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
and drawn by Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
, which ran in issues #19-#26 of Doctor Who Weekly. The Meeps were an advanced and peaceful race, who lived in harmony and happiness until their natures were radically altered by their planet's orbit passing close to the Black Sun. The radiation
Non-ionizing radiation
Non-ionizing radiation refers to any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy per quantum to ionize atoms or molecules—that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule...
from the black star mutated them into an aggressive, expansionist species who began to mercilessly conquer and subjugate other planets.
Eventually, the Star Council authorized the use of the Wrarth Warriors, a genetically engineered insectoid race who acted as interstellar law enforcers. The war against the Meeps came to an end with the destruction of the Meep armada at the Battle of Yarras, but Beep, the Meeps' ruler, escaped. Beep's ship was pursued and shot down over Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
where it crash landed in the English city of Blackcastle. Beep sought refuge with two schoolchildren, using his fuzzy appearance to masquerade as a hapless, harmless creature being hunted by the ruthless Wrarth. It was in this guise that he encountered the Fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
, who protected him from the Wrarth until Beep's true nature was revealed to him. He hypnotised some people and tried to use them to repair his spaceship, deciding to take off in a hyper-space jump, even though this would destroy Blackpool. The Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
then aided the Wrarth in apprehending Beep, and he was taken away to face justice.
Beep the Meep's weapon of choice was black star radiation, which he used both as a power source for his spaceship and for brainwashing people by exposing them to it. He also usually kept an energy pistol on his person, in a pouch concealed under his fur. Beep is a memorable and popular villain, mainly due to the contrast between his appearance and his true nature, and his constant fuming at not being taken seriously because of his cute appearance. He has returned to bedevil the Doctor several times, often targeting Earth as well because of the indignities both have heaped on him.
Released on parole fifteen years after being taken into custody by the Wrarth, Beep sought revenge in The Star Beast II (published in the 1996 Doctor Who Magazine Yearbook) but the Fourth Doctor used black star energy to trap him inside the children's movie For the Love of Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
.
Eventually, Beep managed to escape. In Doctor Who Magazine #283's TV Action! he travelled to the 1979 of a parallel world where the Doctor was the subject of a television programme titled Doctor Who. Beep tried to take over the BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
, planning to broadcast black star radiation into households across Britain in an attempt to turn everyone as evil as himself. However, he mistook the actor Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
for his hated nemesis and, while distracted, was defeated by the Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
, his companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
Izzy
Izzy Sinclair
Isabelle "Izzy" Sinclair, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
and various other television personalities.
Beep left the realm of the comic strip in an audio play
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
, The Ratings War
The Ratings War
The Ratings War is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was given away free with Doctor Who Magazine issue 313 along with the first episode of the Eighth Doctor audio play Invaders from Mars.-Plot:Beep the Meep has a...
, which was on a promotional CD given away with DWM #313. In the play, Toby Longworth
Toby Longworth
Toby Longworth is a British actor who has appeared on film, radio and television. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath...
provided the voice for Beep, who went up against the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
, voiced by Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
. There, Beep tried much the same ploy as he did in TV Action!, except this time he produced a children's programme called Beep and Friends to effect a conquest by guile rather than by force. He was once again defeated by the Doctor and handed back to the Wrarth.
In a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
, an inebriated Beep tried to kill the Seventh Doctor
Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
at a party in the story Party Animals in DWM #173, but simply started a bar brawl instead. A hallucinatory Beep appeared in the Eighth Doctor strip A Life of Matter and Death (DWM #250). The Meeps (although not Beep himself) appeared in the spin-off
Doctor Who spin-offs
Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
short story Wish Upon A Star Beast by Steve Lyons, published in the charity anthology Perfect Timing.