Watch out, sunshine! Donna Noble is returning to Doctor Who for a new series of audio adventures.

Advertisement

Voiced by original star Catherine Tate, the Tenth Doctor’s no-nonsense companion will enjoy her first solo adventures – flying the Tardis, protecting the Earth and dealing with controlling mother Sylvia (a role reprised by Jacqueline King) – across four new stories from Big Finish Audiobooks in 2020.

Tate, who first appeared on Who’s TV version in the 2006 Christmas special, said: “It’s lovely that Donna is in charge! The characters carry on developing and having a life on audio. You get a glimpse into the richness of what Donna did. It all adds to the tragedy that at the end Donna loses everything, and it’s all the worse to be forgotten.”

So what will actually happen in the stories? Hinting at a few plot details, titled Donna Noble: Kidnapped!, script editor and writer Matt Fitton said: “There were a few directions we could take for a solo Donna Noble set – from before her travels to during them – but I thought an interesting angle would be the fallout from the Library (when she experiences life with a perfect family then has it ripped away from her). After that she just wants the comfort of home for a bit.”

These adventures will also feature a new Doctor Who companion, with Donna's best female friend from school, Nat (voiced by The Catherine Tate show’s Niky Wardley), along for the ride.

More like this

“[She’s] everything Donna isn't: a career woman, happily married, successful and confident,” said Fitton. “But when Nat sees what Donna's life is really like, Nat starts to question her own; perhaps it's not all as perfect as it's painted. It's a lovely relationship, and great to give Donna an 'assistant' to herself.”

With her new companion in tow, Donna will star in these new adventures:

  • Out of this World by Jacqueline Rayner
  • Spinvasion by John Dorney
  • The Sorcerer of Albion by James Goss
  • The Chiswick Cuckoos by Matt Fitton

Alongside Tate, Wardley and King, Kidnapped! will also feature Pirates of the Caribbean’s David Schofield (as Parval), Alan Partridge’s Phil Cornwell (Parsnip) and Tracy Beaker’s Nisha Nayar (Coleridge). The Doctor (perhaps kidnapped?) isn't mentioned in the cast list.

A companion to David Tennant’s Time Lord in series four of the modern version of the show, Noble made her last TV appearance during 2010’s The End of Time. However, Tate has since reprised the character in several audio stories, starring again with David Tennant in several Big Finish adventures.

Advertisement

Donna Noble: Kidnapped! will be crashing into Earth’s atmosphere in May 2020. It is available to pre-order now from BigFinish.com priced at £24.99 on CD or £19.99 on download.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement