Anniversary celebration
However, while the trilogy works well as a tribute to Davies’s own era, the question has to be asked: how well does it work as a celebration of sixty years of Doctor Who?
On the surface, the episodes don’t feel like anniversary specials, at least not in the usual sense. As exciting as Tennant’s return is, it's still strange knowing that no past Doctors make an appearance, even as a cameo. In fact, no other Doctors appear at all until The Giggle, where we’re introduced to Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor in an incredibly unusual way. Considering these were released just over a year after The Power of the Doctor, which was filled with past Doctor cameos, the lack of other Doctors was initially disappointing.
On the other hand, the vast history of Doctor Who is acknowledged. The Star Beast is a great example. Taking a classic Fourth Doctor comic story and adapting it for a new audience was a fantastic way of embracing Doctor Who’s history beyond the TV series. We also had the long overdue return of the Toymaker - a villain who hadn’t been seen since William Hartnell’s era.
It’s hard not to compare these episodes to previous anniversary specials, though. It’s even harder not to miss the opportunity of seeing other past Doctors for such a significant occasion.