Doctor Who casts LGBTQ+ icon Miriam Margolyes as legendary villain – and fans are living for it
Doctor Who villain Beep the Meep (L) will be played by Miriam Gargolyes. (BBC/Getty)
Miriam Margolyes has been cast in Doctor Who as legendary villain Beep The Meep, becoming the latest LGBTQ+ star to join the 60th anniversary cast.
As returning showrunner Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, It’s A Sin) ushers Doctor Who into a new era this November, the British sci-fi series is returning bigger and queerer than ever.
In a surprise casting announcement on Thursday (14 September), the BBC announced that lesbian icon Miriam Margolyes – best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film franchise – will be voice acting as Beep the Meep, the fluffy toy-like antagonist threatening life on earth.
The classic Doctor Who villain already made a cameo in the 60th anniversary trailer earlier this year. The trio of November specials – titled “The Star Beast”, “Wild Blue Yonder”, “The Giggle” – see David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprise their roles as the 14th Doctor and former companion Donna Noble respectively.
When Donna’s daughter Rose (played by Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney) stumbles across the innocent-looking creature one day, she takes the Meep home, only for disaster to ensue when she gets caught up in an alien conspiracy.
In an official statement, the 82-year-old actor said: “I’m relieved I got to work on Doctor Who before I died. With sci-fi you never know. Thank you for making an old woman very happy.”
And fans are joining Margolyes to share their excitement at her casting.
“Miriam Margolyes as Beep the Meep may be one of the best, if not THE best, casting decisions Doctor Who has ever made,” one fan wrote.
“Miriam Margolyes as Beep the Meep is going to be a thing of beauty,” another fan added.
While others have pointed out the hilarious irony of the notoriously sweary actor playing a villain called Beep the Meep.
The 82-year-old actor joins a swathe of LGBTQ+ cast members dropping into the TARDIS team throughout the 60th anniversary specials, which will air ahead of Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the 15th Doctor in 2024.
Alongside trans icon Finney, gay Hollywood star Neil Patrick Harris will play another mysterious villain facing off against the Doctor in the upcoming episodes. The 14th series will guest star Fellow Travellers‘ Jonathan Groff, drag legend Jinkx Monsoon, and rising trans actors Pete McHale and Mary Malone.
Doctor Who will return in November on BBC One for the UK and Ireland. Disney+ will be the exclusive home for new seasons of Doctor Who outside of the UK and Ireland.
