Donna Noble is one of the most loved companions in Doctor Who, yet despite her popularity, she didn’t actually have much screen time compared to the other companions featured in the show. Although she appeared in every episode of the fourth season alongside David Tennant, Doctor Who brought in lots of other companions, such as River Song, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, and Rose Tyler. This inevitably limited Donna’s screen time – making it even more impressive that she managed to have such an outsized impact.
Despite her lack of time on screen, Donna still had enough presence to make the audience fall in love with the character, so much so that Catherine Tate returned as Donna alongside David Tennant for the 60th-anniversary specials in 2023. Donna was clever, witty, and sarcastic, along with being caring and nurturing, making her a perfect companion in Doctor Who. Donna Noble’s close, platonic bond with Tennant’s 10th Doctor created an irreplaceable dynamic – making her relative lack of screen time even more surprising in hindsight.
Donna Featured Heavily In Her First Couple Of Episodes But Soon Began To Appear Less
After Martha Jones Returned, Donna’s Screen Time Began To Reduce
For the first three episodes of season 4, Donna was a relatively typical Doctor companion, accompanying him on his travels while helping him save lives. She even demonstrated her independent streak, going against The Doctor in “The Fires Of Pompeii”, urging him to change the past and save the lives of some civilians in the Roman city. One of her best appearances was in “Planet Of The Ood” where she helped save all of Ood kind and demonstrated her inherent empathy. However, once Martha Jones returned to the series in “The Sontaran Stratagem”, Donna began to take a back seat.
Following Martha Jones’ reappearance for three episodes, more companions just kept coming into The Doctor’s life throughout season 4, taking time away from Donna and The Doctor. River Song was introduced to audiences in the episodes “Silence In The Library” and “Forest Of The Dead”, which led to Donna being trapped in the virtual world, alone, cutting her off from the episode’s main narrative. In “Midnight”, Donna was only in the opening and closing scenes, and in the two-part season finale, all the companions from the revival era returned, meaning that Donna inevitably became an even more peripheral presence.
Donna’s Separate Storylines Made Her Feel Like She Had Even Less Time
The Show Began To Give Donna Storylines Away From The Doctor
Compared Martha’s time as a companion, Donna’s era sees her play a much less central role in the wider story. Even though the two companions were with The Doctor for the same number of episodes, the storylines of the characters are much more distinct, with Martha being a major player in virtually every story. Martha was on-screen for most of the third season as she always traveled alongside The Doctor and didn’t really stray away from him. However, Donna loses The Doctor a lot, highlighting her free-spirited nature but resulting in less screen time.
In the episode “Partner’s In Crime”, The Doctor and Donna are divided almost immediately, compromising her role. In “The Sontaran Stratagem”, Donna goes on a side quest to find her family, reuniting Martha and The Doctor in the process. In “Silence In The Library”, she gets sent away from The Doctor into the virtual world, while “Midnight” only includes her for two scenes while The Doctor goes on a journey alone. Then, in “Journey’s End” Donna is alone when everyone thinks she is dead, before she becomes Doctor Donna.
…Donna rarely appears all the way through an episode, as Rose did in the first two seasons or Martha did in the third.
All of these examples mean that Donna rarely appears all the way through an episode, as Rose did in the first two seasons or Martha did in the third. Instead, when she is given her separate storylines from The Doctor, she will only often appear on screen for around half an episode. This causes Donna to have less screen time relative to other companions.
Donna Noble Still Being So Beloved Shows How Great A Character She Was
Her Personality Reached Audiences Despite Her Lack Of Screen Time
Donna was only originally supposed to appear in the Christmas special, “The Runaway Bride”, but audiences loved Donna so much that she became a series regular for the fourth season, and returned again for the 60th-anniversary specials. Donna’s sarcasm and humor are addictive, making audiences fall in love with her whenever she is on-screen. This, along with her playful, platonic relationship with The Doctor, and the redemption story that turns Donna from being a selfish, uncaring person, to being a selfless, savior of humanity, makes Donna even more beloved by audiences.
That she remains so popular despite her lack of screen time compared to other Doctor Who companions is a testament to Donna Noble’s character. Time and again, she proved herself capable of stealing the limelight and dominating the story, even if she was technically on the periphery. It’s for this reason that she has been brought back to the show on multiple occasions, ranking as one of the rare companions who can survive apart from The Doctor.
