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Russell T Davies and Catherine Tate on Doctor Who's Donna Noble - Radio Times, June 2008 |
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Doctor Who's Russell T Davies and Catherine Tate talk about Donna Noble as she faces the climactic conclusion to the show's season four.
"The Doctor and Donna are the bestest of friends in the whole of time and space," says Davies. "A good mate, to laugh with, to run with, and to battle the enemies alongside. There's none of that fancying nonsense with Donna! She brings out the Doctor's sense of fun, but she's brilliant at bringing him down to Earth. She's a breath of fresh air, after the intensity of Rose and the complications of Martha. I think Donna is the first one to truly understand him. He can be completely honest with her, admitting when he's scared, or lost, or powerless."
It's taken the Doctor a long time to find this best friend - but can he keep her? "Huge events are in store for Donna," promises Davies. "The returning companions have incredible status - as the finale swings into action, we've got Rose, with her ability to stride parallel worlds, alongside Captain Jack and his Torchwood team, plus Martha with the military might of UNIT behind her, and Sarah Jane with her alien-busting career - and yet it's still Donna at the heart of events. The ordinary human! It's what Doctor Who is all about."
Donna's defining scene
"For me, it's in this week's Turn Left, when Donna returns to the circle of mirrors. It's the most blazing performance from Catherine, so full of fear and hope and bravery. It's just about my favourite performance in anything I've ever done. Even then, it's small fry compared to what she does in the finale…but let's not get ahead of ourselves!"
Catherine Tate on Donna
"Donna's learnt to trust herself," says Tate. "She learnt that she wasn't silly. I think she had her eyes opened.
"In the Runaway Bride there was this brilliant speech Russell wrote in which her fiancé, Don Gilet, summed her up: that the height of excitement for her was a new-flavoured Pringle. 'Text me, Big Brother, text me!' She was into her pop culture and that was kind of it.
"And as the stories unfolded, all of that was stripped away and she became hungry for more adventure. She realised what a fantastic opportunity this was for her. She says to Martha at one point, 'I'm never going to stop wanting to do this' - because all the companions get to a point where they know it's time to go. But she says, 'I'm going to travel with that man [the Doctor] for the rest of my life.' She doesn't tire of it, she will never tire of it."
Find out more about how Russell T Davies sees the companions - and what the women who play them think too:
Read what Russell thinks about the role of companions in Doctor Who
Russell T Davies and Freema Agyeman on Martha
Read Russell's thoughts - and Billie Piper's - about Rose and the Doctor
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Now take a look at our full Doctor Who guide.
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