Catherine Tate was a major guest star when she cropped up in the Runaway Bride and yet when she was announced as the companion of Series 4, there was a largely negative reaction from media and fans. She proved them wrong with the emotional core she brought to the role, creating David Tennant’s best Doctor and companion dynamic and becoming the most popular companion in the modern series. After coming back for the 60th Anniversary, I’m going to be exploring why I think Donna Noble is the most relatable companion there has been.
When she was first introduced in the Runaway Bride, you probably wouldn’t expect Donna to become the most realistic Doctor Who companion, but that’s what she ended up being. What I like about her in the Runaway Bride is that although she has a lot of on the surface unlikeable qualities, she’s also shown to be brave and compassionate and has character-driven reasons for the way she is. There is an angry and belittling bossiness to Donna when we first meet her and an ignorance that just works and fits with Catherine Tate’s comedy. This made sense for a one-time character. You have an individual who is hurt and angry at the world and inflicts her anger upon everybody else around her, which makes logical sense for where she is in her life.
Russell T Davies does a solid job of building Donna’s goals and motivations into part of her as a person. Donna is kind of directionless in her life, simply floating from one job to the next with little motivation pulling her forward, which is very relatable as we’ve all felt like we have little purpose or place in the world at some point in our lives. That feeling has caused her to rush through things and not think through her life direction with Lance. Donna is looking for anything to give her a direction in life to make her happy and is rather desperate, which gives her an accessible grounded nature. I like Donna’s arc across the Runaway Bride as she is inspired by the Doctor and has her eyes opened to the possibilities of the universe and is able to see the brilliance of humanity and life on earth. I appreciate how the Doctor impacts Donna positively to see things more optimistically and the way she takes her life into her own hands and decides to make something of herself. This works well for her character and the message across the story as she is put in a much better place by the end of it.
There is an element in Donna’s character in the Runaway Bride that would be vital for the Doctor and Donna dynamic and relationship and would contribute wonderfully to the arc of the Tenth Doctor across his run. This is the fact that Donna pulls the Doctor away and makes him leave when he commits genocide on the Racnoss. Overall, I really like the way the modern series has given the companion a different function in influencing the Doctor and ensuring they stick to their morality and their values. It appropriately recognises the Doctor is an alien with a different moral mindset. They can go too far and need a human presence to keep them grounded in their values of compassion and care. Donna perfectly represents that idea at its very best.
It's Donna’s actions in pulling the Doctor away in the Runaway Bride that proved her perfectly as a great fit for the Doctor’s companion and yet she wouldn’t get to fulfil this role right away. Catherine Tate returned as Donna Noble at the start of Series 4 in Partners in Crime where she was able to fully take on the role.
Donna’s place and position in her life makes complete sense within Partners in Crime. Donna now knows what she wants from her life but has been unable to make it a reality. I think it’s very relatable how Donna has become frustrated, being unable to find the life she would like on earth as she craves the adventure and the opportunities on the Tardis with the Doctor. It’s well-reasoned considering how the Doctor impacted Donna in the Runaway Bride. Having had time to grow separately, I really love how Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble and David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor have become a better fit for each other. This is displayed right away in their reunion as they work together again in Partners in Crime and are a joy to watch. After a lot of overcomplicated romance with the Doctor, especially with Martha which became irritating, it feels refreshing to have a simple friendship on board the Tardis, which is usually the kind of dynamic that works best. It’s a streamlined, uncomplicated dynamic of friends having fun, which speaks to us all and works so well as a result of the simplicity.
The Second Doctor and Jamie, and the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane worked due to the amazing friendship and chemistry between the actors that translated on screen, and I think the same is the case with David Tennant and Catherine Tate. The thrilling pleasure of enjoying one another’s company is terrific fun to watch on screen, and yet is incredibly believable because it feels very truthful and natural. David Tennant and Catherine Tate have natural chemistry and bounce off one another excellently. There is a comedy double act between them that is both humorous and fun and creates something very authentic which the audience can get on board with. I like the fact that Donna has the bossiness, stubbornness and confidence to stand up for herself and won’t blindly take orders from the Doctor. It helps the Doctor continually learn from Donna and become a better person through human values.
I think the key to the way Donna was rethought as a character and for the companion role though is the fact that the fundamentals of her as a person and her struggles are incredibly identifiable and truthful for so many people. I think Donna feels like the most real companion because of her battles with depression and self worth. Mental health awareness is something that has been given a lot more spotlight in recent years and with good reason, because it’s something that so many people battle with. Donna has difficulties with her own mental wellbeing that are well tracked and developed with an emotional and meaningful message. She stands to be so firmly relatable because of this core component in her as a character. Aspects of her relationship with her family superbly tie into her mental health and make her feel like a believable and fleshed out person that is so easy to connect with because her experience is so engaging and accessible. It feels very ahead of its time in its mental health attitudes which is to be commended.
Russell T Davies puts a lot of attention on family dynamics and relationships, which deepens the characters and gives a sense of cost to a companion’s adventures with the Doctor and the impact on their personal life. Donna’s Mother Sylvia, played by Jaqueline King, is a really interesting character because she does a fine job of explaining why Donna is the way she is. Sylvia is frequently unsupportive of Donna and always talks down to her and acts like she is disappointed and has given up on her. You can understand from this why Donna would feel like she isn’t important or valued and would have a negative voice in her head dragging her down with little self-worth and belief in herself and you feel sympathy and regret for her. Sylvia always sees the negative side of things and you can relate to Donna’s state of mind from this. Donna’s mother's treatment of her has taken its toll on her as a person and it takes her experience with the Doctor to be able to see herself as she truly is, which is a lovely and encouraging development in Donna. It’s through the Doctor that Donna gets to utilise her compassion, her love for people and her true courage and bravery. She gets to see the goodness in herself and use her strengths for good and from that her confidence and self-esteem grow. There is an underlying message that everyone is important and valued, which is an uplifting and heartening important message to send.
I think Bernard Cribbins, as Donna’s Grandad Wilfred Mott, is also a really nice addition of a character to the family dynamic. Wilf is the positive influence in Donna’s family life and Bernard Cribbins brings a natural generosity and fun childishness to his character. Donna feels comfortable in his presence and the two clearly understand one another. They both have the same passion for adventure, for the stars and for the universe and I enjoy that Donna has someone she can share her experience with the Doctor with. Wilf is supportive of Donna going and living her dreams with the Doctor and therefore it’s a really nice and comforting idea that Donna has someone to return to, to come home to that understands her and the life in which she is leading and the dazzling nature of it. Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins have marvellous chemistry with one another and it’s a glorious and believable relationship.
One of the best things about Donna once she starts travelling with the Doctor though, is her reactions to what she sees. Beyond seeing wondrous sights, a fair amount of the adventures in the Tardis come with a great deal of trauma and harrowing things. I appreciate how what Donna sees in the Tardis impacts her as a person and she struggles to deal with the emotional gravity and weight of what she sees. The stories display the profound impact very realistically and truthfully and I adore that.
You see this right from the start in the Fires of Pompeii with the lesson of Donna learning that history can’t be changed; learning the burden that lies upon the shoulders of the Doctor and the moral compromises that come with his responsibility. This is challenging and heart-breaking and a very valuable lesson is learnt for Donna as a character. I like how she convinces the Doctor to save Caecilius and his family, returning to the important theme of the Doctor needing someone to keep him grounded and Donna fulfils that purpose immediately in a rewarding and emotional manner. However, she still struggles to take in the cruelty of the treatment of the Ood as she must come to terms with the reality of the universe and horrors that exist out in space and time. It’s presented with an emotional agony that feels very real and true to Donna, and Catherine Tate excels in her performance.
Donna Noble is put through immense harrowing affairs across her run and you get a superb opportunity to see her suffer and be shaped as a result. I think the best case of this is in Turn Left, which is a story which is entirely centred around Donna and her experiences with a parallel universe, where she never met the Doctor. There is a well-played hopelessness, desperation and depression in Catherine Tate’s performance as Donna in Turn Left as she struggles to find light in dark circumstances, and the state of her life and lack of purpose only worsens as the story goes on. You feel considerable empathy for her and learn a lot about her self-worth and her relationship with her family as a result of the story. There is a powerful emotional range to Catherine Tate in Turn Left and Donna leads the whole thing brilliantly. It was an inspired story to tell, showing Donna’s unfulfilled purpose without the Doctor, unable to see how brave and valuable she is and the story presents that point terrifically.
A trope I really like in the Russell T Davies series finales is seeing the companion save the day at the end as it gives them a real sense of importance. It shows them having learnt from the Doctor and manages to use their best qualities in the most dramatic and rewarding of fashions, showing the value and worth of ordinary people and their great potential which the era is centred around. Therefore, seeing the combination of the minds of the Doctor and Donna quite literally used to save the day is very satisfying and demonstrates the fantastic value of Donna’s contributions in a very positive way. Donna’s importance to the story and the Doctor creates a message that emotionally resonates. The mind of the Doctor being too much for her to bear and the Doctor having to wipe her brain of all their adventures is an idea which is incredibly emotionally crushing, and is my favourite companion exit.
It gives a sense of consequence to the overall story. It feels so upsetting because of all the development of Donna as a person that is being reversed. The audience has seen Donna grow into a more compassionate and brave person, becoming happier and more confident in her travels in the Tardis. It’s emotionally draining to see all that development removed, as she goes back to the way she was before in her rather unhappy position. It’s heart-breaking for Donna to lose what she learnt about herself, her own importance and self-worth, and go back to an emotionally regressive place. It is nice to at least see Donna building a life for herself by getting married to Shaun Temple in the End of Time, even if Donna’s use in the Tenth Doctor’s final story is rather limited.
It would indeed turn out that Donna would have a third act to her story that would come about in the 60th Anniversary Specials alongside David Tennant returning as the Doctor with the character returning to an old face. This could have easily felt like a regressive rehash of the past, but I think what separates the 60th Anniversary Specials from other legacy sequels is the character work that is done and the way it uses the characters time away from one another to show how their separate experiences have changed them as people when coming back together.
The Star Beast does a fitting job of showing how Donna’s life has changed in the last 15 years, being happy with her husband Shaun, having a daughter named Rose and with a more healthy relationship with her mother. It’s nice to see Sylvia having reassessed her priorities and how protective she has become of Donna’s life. I also love how firmly protective Donna is of her trans daughter’s identity. Donna’s aggressively supportive vibe fits her perfectly with her empathetic character and sends a progressive message. The story shows Donna having changed but also feeling somewhat lost without the Doctor as you feel sadness for her and what she has lost. The Star Beast also manages to find a clever way to restore Donna’s memory in a dramatically satisfying and emotional way whilst also not undermining Donna’s original exit with the Meta Crisis, passing down to Rose which fittingly builds off of the original concept.
Wild Blue Yonder is the highlight of the 60th Anniversary Specials as it manages to develop the Doctor and Donna characters and evolve them in a natural way which pushes them. You can relate to the worry of Donna’s situation, now having developed other priorities and a life of her own that she cares about getting back to. Donna’s primary worry of getting back to Rose and her concern for her daughter feels very truthful and reflective of reality and you feel great worry for her when the Doctor almost leaves her behind. The drama of the Not Things and the isolated environment is an opportunity for the Doctor and Donna to reacquaint themselves with one another as they learn about each other and how they have changed. With the mind tricks that are played with the characters and the audience, their relationship with another is put to the test in an emotional and challenging manner. They can only succeed through their undeniable bond, understanding of one another and relationship with each other. The way the Flux and events since the Doctor last encountered Donna have impacted them is given spotlight which only makes sense in evolving their relationship with things having changed.
Donna has always been a perceptive character who is able to understand the Doctor, see through his facade, understand his pain, sadness and the emotional strain they have experienced. She understands their needs and has been a positive influence on their life. It aligns that Donna would be the one to recognise how exhausted and worn out the Doctor is and the needs of them having a settled life where they are able to find happiness. With the tragedy of the Stolen Earth/Journey's End it feels relieving for these characters to get happiness at the end of the tunnel and the natural endpoint for them. Donna has been able to help the Doctor in many ways through their pain and the Fourteenth Doctor, becoming a part of Donna’s family, feels very emotionally satisfying.
So what makes Donna Noble such a relatable companion? Even with a more comedic vibe to her in her first appearance in the Runaway Bride, I think we can all relate to Donna’s situation and want for a direction in life. Donna is really pushed to the limit with her travels on the Tardis having a very emotional impact on her, with some superb performances from Catherine Tate. You have a relationship and chemistry between the Doctor and Donna that thrives through its simplicity and a dynamic we can all get on board with, and the 60th Anniversary Specials still push Donna to interesting places that continue to shape her. I think Donna’s battles with self-worth, depression and her general mental health root her in things we can all understand, and make her one of my favourite companions.
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