David Tennant & Catherine Tate Reflect On Their Shared Doctor Who Adventures
David Tennant and Catherine Tate reflect on the shared history of their characters in Doctor Who ahead of the show's 60th-anniversary specials.
Ahead of Doctor Who‘s 60-anniversary specials, David Tennant and Catherine Tate reflect on their shared history on the show. During Tennant’s stint as the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010, Tate portrayed one of his most memorable companions, Donna Noble. Although she initially started as a guest star on Doctor Who in 2006, she was later elevated to a lead role in season 4. Noble and the Doctor would have one of the saddest goodbyes, but their story is finally picking up after 13 years as Tennant and Tate will reprise their roles for Doctor Who‘s three-part 60th-anniversary specials.
Tate and Tennant filmed a short video on the Doctor Who YouTube channel to recap their shared history. Check it out below:
The pair recap everything that happened between Noble and the Doctor ahead of their reunion onscreen. It’s quite a chaotic and humorous summary as they try to recall every detail of their history together, with Tennant seemingly remembering more than Tate about Doctor Who‘s history. However, it’s enough to remind viewers of all the significant milestones in Doctor and Noble’s adventures together.
What You Need To Know About Donna Before Doctor Who’s Anniversary Specials
Tate and Tennant’s whirlwind explanation of the Tenth Doctor and Noble’s Doctor Who story may be overwhelming, but there are few significant plot points to understand the story in Doctor Who‘s 60-anniversary specials. Tate’s first appearance was one of the franchise’s biggest surprises, as she is randomly transported into the Doctor’s TARDIS in the final scene of the season 2 finale, “Doomsday.” Her story picked up in the 2006 Christmas special “The Runaway Bride,” where it is revealed she appeared in the TARDIS because she was steeped in huon particles.
Noble’s family is also an essential part of her story, and the Doctor had a close friendship with her grandfather, Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbans).
It turns out that Noble’s fiancé had inundated her with the particles as part of his scheme to aid the alien Racnoss Empress (Sarah Parish). By the end of their journey, Noble parted with the Doctor and had to navigate a new life without her partner or former job. Her worldview changed as she went from being a close-minded, naive, and somewhat obnoxious woman to realizing a bigger world exists. That’s why when she ran into the Doctor again in season 4, episode 1, “Partners in Crimes,” she jumped at the chance to join him and become his official companion.
Together, they shared many great adventures, including meeting the Doctor’s daughter, Jenny (Georgia Tennant), and his wife, River Song (Alex Kingston). In the season’s final episodes, she becomes imbued with Time Lord knowledge to save the world from Davros (Julian Bleach), but it’s too much for her human mind. The Doctor wipes her memory to save her, causing her to forget he existed. It is later revealed she went on to marry Shaun Temple (Karl Collins) and live a normal life. With Noble returning in Doctor Who‘s 60th-anniversary specials, the pair will finally reunite and perhaps receive a happier ending.
