Doctor Who‘s Donna Noble is easily one of the most recognizable Doctor Who companions and there are many reasons why she trumps the other companions of the Tenth Doctor. Since the show’s initial release in 1963, Doctor Who has seen hundreds of companions over the years, introducing audiences to various friends of the Doctor’s as they travel the universe with them. However, Donna notably had an effect on the Doctor that no other companion has matched.
Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) met the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in the festive special “The Runaway Bride” in 2006, before being brought back as a full-time companion for Doctor Who season 4. Tennant and Tate’s pairing was so successful that it saw the two actors work on several other projects together, including a version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The two will also reunite for the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary special in November 2023. The highly anticipated return of the Doctor and Donna only further proves that Donna was the best companion of the Tenth Doctor.
10 Donna Had A Bite
Donna’s attitude was an important element to her characterization, never afraid to shout back at the universe when she felt it was needed. Despite often being vocal about why the Doctor chose her, filled with self-doubt and not considering herself to be anything special, Donna didn’t hesitate to argue back when she felt that her opinion wasn’t validated. She was also particularly vocal about the Doctor’s Time Lord mindset and was quick to argue that his species shouldn’t allow him to dictate huge, universe-wide decisions.
9 Donna Wasn’t Afraid To Stop The Doctor
Along with being highly opinionated concerning the Doctor’s decision-making abilities, Donna also didn’t hesitate to try and step in and steer him in another direction. This can be seen clearly in the Doctor Who season 4 episode “The Fires Of Pompeii”. Despite Pompeii being a fixed point in time, Donna was quick to point out to the Doctor that not everybody should have to die, and just because he told her that there was nothing they could do, that wasn’t necessarily true. Her arguing set the Doctor to save Caecilius (Peter Capaldi) and his family, something that stuck with the Doctor through several regenerations.
8 The Most Important Woman In The Whole Of Creation
Doctor Who season 4 saw a huge storyline set up for Donna Noble, cementing what the Doctor already knew about her: she was special. In “Turn Left”, it was shown that with just one small decision from Donna, not only did her entire life change but so did the Doctor’s. In fact, by not meeting him on her wedding day, the events on Earth from Doctor Who seasons 3 and 4 continue without the Time Lord’s assistance, slowly destroying the Earth. Donna also created the Doctor Donna Metacrisis, and due to her complicated and fixed timeline, was able to absorb the Doctor’s knowledge and help save the universe.
7 Donna Noble Wanted To Dress For Practicality, Rather Than Fashion
When it came to clothing, Donna was notably in favor of having practical fashion choices when traveling with the Doctor. While packing, she made sure she had clothing for every weather, and even a hat box, just in case. This element of Donna’s characterization was prominent from her very first episode, with a recurring joke about her wedding dress having pockets.
It makes sense that after the events of “The Runaway Bride”, Donna decided to be prepared in case she and the Doctor ever crossed paths again. This can be seen in the season 4 episode “Planet of the Ood”, and as Donna steps out of the TARDIS and onto a beautiful, but cold, alien planet. Although excited about a new world, she was more concerned about grabbing a big fur coat to keep herself warm.
6 Donna’s Priority Was Her Family
Throughout Doctor Who season 4, Donna made it clear how dedicated she was to protecting her family. Having lost her father Geoff (Howard Attfield) at some point between “The Runaway Bride” and “Partners In Crime”, Donna became closer than ever to her mother Sylvia (Jacqueline King) and grandfather Wilf (Bernard Cribbins). Donna often did her best to try and get the Doctor to think in the same way as her, and in “The Doctor’s Daughter”, was very supportive of Jenny’s existence, encouraging the Doctor to open his hearts up to his child.
5 Donna Wasn’t Romanced By The Doctor
Unlike the Tenth Doctor’s previous two companions, Donna wasn’t romantically charmed by the Time Lord. She was often quick to voice her disgust of the implication of her and the Doctor together, confused as to how it would even work considering they were different species. Donna made it clear that she didn’t see the Doctor in that way, and considered him her best friend, and her strong opinion on the alien allowed for hilarious comments, and some of Donna Noble’s best quotes, such as: “You’re just a long stick of nothing.”
4 Why Donna Was A Better Companion Than Martha
Donna was excited to meet Martha (Freema Aygeman) when the two companions crossed paths. Despite knowing how she once felt about the Time Lord, Donna made the effort to move away from the subject and instead cheerfully discuss Martha’s upcoming nuptials with her. She also made a point to break the awkwardness for Martha by making jokes about her past with the Doctor. Unlike Martha, Donna was able to disconnect from the glorification of the Doctor, and although she would have done anything to protect him, saw him for exactly who he was.
3 Why Donna Was A Better Companion Than Rose
Donna was also semi-aware of the Doctor’s past with Rose (Billie Piper), and so when Rose was brought up in conversation, she always made sure to be delicate about the topic. A lot of Rose’s motivations came from her feelings for the Doctor, and her relationship with the Time Lord was very different from the one that Donna shared with him. Unlike Rose, Donna’s lack of romantic feelings towards the Doctor allowed her to see him in a more realistic light.
2 Donna Missed The Bigger Picture, But Always Saw The Small Details
Compared to the rest of Planet Earth, Donna’s attention to detail when it came to alien life was a little different from most. Donna was quick to miss the larger events around her, such as the thousands of Daleks and Cybermen in the sky during the events of the Doctor Who season 2 episode “Doomsday”. The Doctor was stunned to hear this from her, and when questioned, Donna reasoned that she had been on holiday in Spain scuba diving.
Although Donna missed the bigger things going on around her, she did have a way of picking up on the smaller things, something that no other companion did as well as Donna. While in dangerous situations, Donna was often quick to point out little details that didn’t make sense to her. This included instances such as the lack of bees on Earth in 2008, as well as picking up on the complicated time-space dates dotted around Messaline in “The Doctor’s Daughter.”
1 Donna Was The Doctor’s Funniest Companions
Donna’s comedic timing has been unmatched by any former Doctor Who companion, even breaking the Time Lord into hysterics at her comments. Most of the time, Donna wasn’t even trying to be funny, but Tate’s comical background was always going to see the character in amusing situations. Donna’s ability to miss the bigger picture often led to these moments, such as in “The Forest of the Dead”, which saw her become frustrated that her dieting efforts had gone to waste, rather than being concerned that she was stuck inside a computer system on an alien planet.
