Donna Noble
Template:Doctorwhocharacter Donna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series, "Doomsday", and in the second Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride". The character will return as a full-time companion in the fourth series.[1]
Character history
Donna Noble is a temporary secretary at H.C. Clements, a security firm (in actual fact a front for the Torchwood Institute). Little is known about her family or past life. Both of her parents are at her wedding, and her mother is heard to mention that on her first day at school, she was sent home for biting.
On the day of her wedding, she is accidentally pulled into the TARDIS as a result of being doped with Huon particles by her duplicitous fiancé who had been told to do so by the Racnoss Empress. She aids the Doctor in defeating the Racnoss Empress, but declines the Doctor's invitation to travel with him — she is frightened not only by his adventures, but also, to a certain extent, by the Doctor himself.
The character of Donna Noble will be returning to Doctor Who as the Doctor's full time companion for Series 4. She will appear in all 13 episodes alongside David Tennant;[1] Freema Agyeman will return as Martha Jones partway through the series.[2]
Personality
Donna's strident reaction to her sudden appearance in the TARDIS includes yelling at the Doctor and leaping to the conclusion that she has been kidnapped. The Doctor appears to find her loud-mouthed manner off-putting at first, saying "I don't want you here, anyway". He sarcastically wishes Lance "good luck" with the marriage, and later reminds Lance in person of his pending promise to "honour and obey". Even at the end of the episode, when the Doctor and Donna are on better terms, he remarks, "Blimey, you can shout." Series producer Russell T Davies at one time dismissed Donna's potential as an ongoing companion due to her abrasive personality, saying that "she'd get on your nerves".[3]
The Doctor says that Donna is neither special nor clever. Upon learning that she missed the events of "The Christmas Invasion" and The Battle of Canary Wharf due to hang-overs and holidays respectively, he takes her to task for missing "the big picture". Fixated on her interrupted wedding, Donna initially shows little interest in understanding the strange things she encounters, such as the TARDIS and robot Santas, viewing them instead as obstacles between her and her goal. Upon being informed that "this is serious" by her husband to be and asked what they are going to do, she responds by recommending a new date for their wedding. Once his duplicity toward Donna is revealed, Lance criticises her for her preoccupation with "trivia".
Nevertheless, as she begins to trust the Doctor more, she follows him as he investigates H.C. Clements, and stands up to the Empress of the Racnoss. Gaining perspective on the human condition after witnessing the formation of the Earth, she decides to make something of her life, walking "in the dust" of the Earth and no longer taking "the big picture" for granted. When the Doctor tells her to "be magnificent", she intends to do just that.
Despite her faults, and her failure to discover Lance's villainy earlier, Donna shows a surprising amount of insight in her interactions with the Doctor. Shocked and scared by his merciless defeat of the Racnoss, she initially turns down the Doctor's offer of full time companionship, but urges him to find someone else to travel with, "because sometimes I think you need someone to stop you".
List of appearances
Other appearances
Donna has not appeared in any other media, nor has she been mentioned in subsequent episodes by the Doctor. When quizzed by his next travelling companion, Martha Jones, as she enters the TARDIS, he only mentions that he recently travelled with Rose.
Production and publicity
Catherine Tate, the actress who portrays Donna, was the first guest star to be named in the show's opening credits, and her character was considered by the production team to have companion status long before the announcement of the character's return.[3] Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman, and John Barrowman (during his tenure with Tennant only) have all been credited in this manner for their continuing roles as companions.
References
- ^ a b "Donna says "I do!"". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-07-03.
{{cite news}}: Text "accessdate 2007-07-03" ignored (help) - ^ "More Martha!". bbc.co.uk. 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Cook, Benjamin (January 31, 2007 (Cover Date)). "The Runaway Bride — Along Came A Spider". Doctor Who Magazine (378). Panini Magazines: 25–26.
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