Doctor Who: Donna Noble spin-off from Big Finish announced for 2020!

Donna Noble fans, you’re going to love this latest news! A spin-off series has been announced by Big Finish Productions starring Catherine Tate as the popular Doctor Who companion!

Big Finish have announced their latest Doctor Who spin-off, and it’s certainly an exciting one! Donna Noble: Kidnapped! will be released on CD and download in May 2020, and will feature four new adventures focusing on the Tenth Doctor companion.

If you’re worried that the series will undo the character’s memorable and tragic ending in Journey’s End, don’t be. The series is set in the later part of Series Four, after the character has been through one of her more difficult adventures, as script editor Matt Fitton reveals.

"Donna – on her own and saving the world! It’s just irresistible, isn’t it? 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."

The aftermath of Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead. That’s actually a pretty good idea. Both the Doctor and Donna went through so much in those episodes. The Doctor met River Song for the first time (at least, so he thinks,) and witnessed her death, while Donna had this amazing life that wasn’t even real. So it makes sense that they want time apart, for a little bit. Of course, Donna at home also means spending time with her mother!

Sylvia Noble is such a great character. Not because she’s a wonderful mother like Rose’s mum Jackie, but because she’s the exact opposite! She’s a character that you just love to hate! Jacqueline King always plays her brilliantly, so it’s great that she’s also in this series.

The series will take place after the events of Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, when Donna needs some time away from the Doctor…

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

The perfect life?

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But it’s not just Donna’s family that will feature in this series. We’ll also meet her school friend Nat. Fitton explains what we can expect from this relationship.

"Nat, played by Niky Wardley, is everything Donna isn’t: a career woman, happily married, successful and confident – Sylvia hopes it’ll rub off on her daughter! 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."

I’m excited to hear this pairing. Not only is Niki Wardley a great voice actress (her most notable role for Big Finish was as the doomed companion Tamzin in The Eighth Doctor Adventures). She’s also worked with Catherine Tate a great deal, and even regularly appeared in The Catherine Tate Show. So her playing the role of Donna’s best friend from school is definitely a natural fit.

Another notable guest character in this series is Josh Carter, as played by James Joyce. Carter has been a regular character in the spin-off series UNIT since 2015, so it’s great that we’re getting another link between Big Finish’s various spin-offs.

It all sounds very exciting, and Catherine Tate herself is particularly keen for Donna to have her own series.

"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."

Donna Noble: Kidnapped! will be released on CD and download in May 2020, and is available to pre-order from Big Finish now.

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Are you excited that Donna’s getting her own spin-off series? Do you think the character could work without the Doctor? Let us know in the comments below.

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