@@BritanyBinges people watch this episode, and hate her. Then when she comes back, they don't like to give her a chance. I think she is the best companion, she starts off as this self centred, rude person, but at the end; I shed a tear. She has the most character growth by far. And her last regular ep, "I can’t go back. Don’t make me go back. Doctor, please! Please don’t make me go back." It's heartbreaking.
“Find someone…because I think…you need someone to stop you.” This line alone properly begins what might as well amount to the Doctor’s therapy arc, and healing from his war scars fighting in the Time War, scars that lingered enough for him to so willingly and coldly commit genocide on the Racnoss. Rose was the spark to bring him back from the darkness of war, and enjoy his life again travelling through time and space. Having someone human around who’s smart enough to tell right from wrong, is the best therapy he could ask for. That more than anything is why Tennant was the best Doctor, he looks cool with his tight suit, wicked hair, long flapping coat and Converse, he’s funny, sassy and clever, but the writing around his evolution as a character is so strong and more psychologically complex than people often give it credit for.
I think they included Donna at the end of the last one to keep people from tuning out after the loss of Rose. Catherine Tate was a well known comedienne in the UK. Made people curious. A reason to tune back in. And then Donna was sort of a palate cleanser. A buffer between Rose and the next full-time companion. And I thought she was a hoot. I love that not everyone immediately falls for the Doctor or is in awe of him.
Donna is supposed to come of as annoying at first. Part of the fun is watching her grow as a character and being with the Doctor definitely changes her for the better.
I think the thing with this Christmas special is that it was very focused on Donna Noble as a character (and introduction to her), but also it's one of those episodes which you have to be British to fully appreciate - not because of the storyline itself unlike some other episodes as that was universal, but more because of Catherine Tate herself. She's one of our biggest comediennes and actresses here in the UK. Back then in 2006, she had her comedy sketch programme The Catherine Tate Show on BBC Two, which was massive and she was one of the biggest stars in this country. So for us it wasn't so much of a big thing to have that year's Christmas episode focused so much on her because she was (and still is) one of the biggest television stars here, so we were familiar with her. But as an American, it must have seemed strange to focus so much on a one off (at the time) character without knowing the context of her popularity in this country.
Yeah, I definitely had more of an appreciate as I was editing it than I did the first time around b/c it was fun to see her start to become the Donna I came to love by the end of this episode.
Honestly when I first met Donna, I thought: "Gosh, she's shouty" and so happy she only stayed for one episode. Then we got her back and I learned to appreciate her and now looking back, it all fits, why she is so shouty. But most of all, she managed to become one of my favorite companions. (Though I like most of the other companions very much too)
Knowing that you're on or around the 50th special on patreon I gotta say, and I know you'll know what I mean, Donna saying 'Well you can hurry up and lose me!' hurts so, SO much.
“I’m…I’m I’m…I’m not…I’m not from Mars.” And of course the “YES! You look lovely! C’mon!” The former doesn’t get mentioned enough in terms of iconic quotes from Ten.
Not long after this aired there was a Doctor Who Experience exhibition at a museum in Manchester where I live, which I took my niece and nephew to - I was just as excited as them, but needed some kids to take so I didn't look like a saddo! The Empress of the Racnoss was very impressive. It's a huge physical prop with a counterweight at the back so that it could move up and down. The actress (Sarah Parish) was sort of slotted into the front of it wearing prosthetics over her head and torso that merged with the main body of the prop for the scenes.
Im still so surprised Sarah Parish did it. I’ve always seen her as so stoic and professional as an actress, quite serious roles or deadpan moody type roles. So it was so mad to see her playing this giant over the top spider it’s so outside what I thought was her wheelhouse.
I'm the opposite: apart from David Tennant's scenes within The Christmas Invasion, I feel like this is a much stronger special. But I'm also biased, as I adore Catherine Tate -- I used to watch her show, The Catherine Tate Show -- and so seeing her in this, I was so happy! I definitely agree that she's abrasive in the episode, but like you said it's fully intentional. I haven't got a bad word to say about the episode really! I'm sorry you weren't into it :/
Ha, I can see why some people struggled to get past their first impression of Donna! :D I always cut her some slack as she *had* just been abruptly kidnapped away from her wedding!
Yeah, she definitely had a right to be upset, but she also treated Lance like crap before she knew he was faking it. So, I think it was pretty clear that was just her personality then. :-/
Rewatching this episode and even putting out of my mind just how great of a character Donna would become in series 4, I don't find her nearly as annoying as a lot of people do. Put yourself in her shoes, how would you react if all of this just happened to you out of the blue. Also, it's a refreshing take on the start of a Doctor/Companion relationship, where most companions just go along with the Doctor's insane antics and lifestyle, Donna is one of the few that pushes back. And not in a condescending way like Clara, but in a realistic way. They really feel like peers. A lot of that is due to Tennent and Tate's chemistry which is just so fun and energetic.
Trust me, although you’re probably ages ahead on Patreon, but speaking to your past self, give her time. 😊 From here on out, Tennant really begins to shine as the Doctor, he wasn’t given much room to breathe with Rose despite some iconic moments. Standing there coldly watching the Racnoss drown surrounded by falling water and fire is hands down top 5 Tenth Doctor moments. Watching this when I was 8 years old, if I hadn’t fallen in love with Tennant as an actor yet, I did now. I love seeing the truly dark side of the Doctor when he gives the enemy a chance, ignorantly refuses and then gets what’s coming to them. Makes for a very intriguing and complex Doctor.
I actually just released the 50th Anniversary special on Patreon last week, so I'm long past Donna's era. But, I did give her a fair shot when she came back around and did end up loving her and appreciating that she brought a type of companion I had yet to see.
I like this episode a lot to be honest. I like the design of the Racnoss and I got a cool figure of it as a kid and still to this day it is hanging off the curtains in my childhood room. I like Donna (you know why) and I LOVE that chase scene. It is just cool seeing the Doctor fly the TARDIS with string as he races down the motorway. I feel like the Roboform and the Christmas Tree are things that didn't need to come back but watching these on christmas was always a highlight. Also I had waited a while to hear them name drop Gallifrey and it made me so excited.
The thing about the Christmas specials is you have to go in expecting them to be kind of cheesy and fun; it's a holiday special! There's always that little bit of an emotional punch and a tie-in to the broader story, but there does tend to be an extra bit of absurdity to these episodes. It's delightful.
About the footage looking clearer, that's one of the reasons why they reshot the ending of "Doomsday". The Tardis lighting changed between episodes, plus, they needed to show what happened from Donna's POV.
That church is roughly opposite the shopping centre Jacqueline Tyler meet those this Autons. When it was renovated after, one of the blank faced men in the back of the mural gained square handles in his head.😂
The villain is so goofy and her acting is over the top, but this is a great episode. Donna is one of my favorite companions, partly because she is one of, if not the ONLY companion that doesn't end up with any level of a romantic relation with the Doctor. Just a good friend.
I’ve always loved this episode, it’s just so much fun! I think you caught it but this is the first time the name of the Doctor’s planet has been dropped in the new series!
@@markdavidson9100 I can see that. We always still technically have the Doctor, but we can't say the same for the companions. :( I definitely miss Ian and Barbara more than I miss the first Doctor.
@@BritanyBinges at least they had a short scene after departing the Tardis, and they were happy to be home. Is nice that they have leaving scenes rather than an adventure finishing, next adventure with a new companion with no idea how they joined
I'm binged all your DW content here on YT and now I'm gonna sign up for Patreon because I need to see your reactions for Season 4 and I don't wanna wait lol
Usually, at this point, I try and distract my reactor by saying that Catherine Tate was just too well-known of a (UK, anyway) name to be in the show for any more than the Christmas special in the hope that it saves the reactor from being spoiled for S4... But I can see from your description notes that you're WAY ahead now... Donna is my favouritest (and that SHOULD be a word!) companions of New Who, and one of my all time best including Classic Who... Can't wait to watch you form your own opinion, but my fingers are crossed you get to love her too. ;)
Don't read the rest of the comment if you prefer to find out how I ended up feeling about Donna by watching the reactions as they happen... . . . . . . I did end up loving her. I really appreciated that she brought a type of companion to the show that I had yet to see (someone who wasn't in love with Doctor and had no issues calling him out when needed). I was mess with how her era ended.
@@BritanyBinges I appreciate you giving me the space to make my own mind up as to how I watch your show... The YT posts, however, didn't include your considerate spacing: SO glad you enjoyed Donna's era and cannot wait to watch you watch it! And, yeah: Donna's end is probably THE worst way to go... :o :/
The Confidential, BTS episode for this is really interesting. Sarah Parish was REALLY uncomfortable in that contraption and did have trouble with the fangs. I really like Sarah Parish. She and David are friends and have been in many projects together, including two of my favorite DT shows, Recovery and Blackpool.
@@BritanyBinges you don't need to feel bad, honestly doctor who is one of those shows where a lot of fans are divided on certain eras and characters etc, and it's always fun to watch your reactions regardless of your opinion on the episode :D
Yeah, being so far ahead has definitely helped me avoid some spoilers. Although, to be fair, I do say how far ahead I am both in the video and the description. So, I'm sure at least some of them saw that and knew they could talk about her coming back without giving away any spoilers.
As you’ve already seen, the Christmas specials, especially the early ones, basically have to be judged on a different curve than the regular episodes. PS lovely shirt btw.
To answer your question about the lighting in the TARDIS, this is a result of the show moving their studios between series 2 and 3, hence why it looks a bit different. That and a different director to Doomsday
@@BritanyBinges Actually, what the person said above was factually incorrect, not to make anything sound bad, but the reason the lighting changed isn't because of studio or camera changes. But it was because of they had a new Lighting Director for the TARDIS Interior. The Studios they used for Series 1 and 2 were used up until the end of the first half of Series 7. From the 2012 Christmas Special to 2021 they used a different studio that was constructed within 1 year from 2010 to 2011. And opened to Filming for Doctor Who in 2012. In 2022 a new studio replaced the previous one which is the one they are filming at now. So currently there has be 3 Studios Doctor Who has filmed at within the 2005 Revival.
There's a skit that can be founded on TH-cam which features Catherine Tate in a classroom with other students. And in walking the substitute teacher, none other than David Tennant. There's a Doctor Who reference, but explaining it would take the enjoyment out of watching the skit.
I have been reacting to Classic Who over on Patreon. Currently in season six. They'll come to TH-cam eventually, but not likely on a regular basis for a while as there are two other shows that will need to be brought back to the channel on a regular schedule first.
@@grafotter Yes, with the exception of two stories (Genesis of the Daleks and Terror of the Zygons) that people on Patreon asked me to watch before I recorded the reaction to the 50th last week. But, now that that's been released I've resumed where I left on in season 6.
With Doctor Who your always going to have weird ridiculous monsters that's just the nature of the show. I'm the opposite i prefer this to "The Christmas Invasion" simply because it was more of an action packed episode i love the TARDIS chase scene and for the first time since The TV Movie (1996) that the name Gallifrey is mentioned and Donna's first episode even though she's a guest star in this what i like about Donna is she's the first nuwho companion who has zero romantic interest in the Doctor i like it better when its just friendship between the Doctor and his companions because the romance takes it out of the story alittle bit. I found the spider lady actually really scary as i'm very arachnaphobia of spiders. The beginning of the episode where Donna is transported to the TARDIS and The Doctor constantly saying "What?" was re-shot because of a change in the TARDIS studio as it's alot brighter than it was in the first two series if you notice the difference between this and the ending of "Doomsday".
So I wanted to join your patreon for your classic Who reactions, but I checked and you don't have an exclusive tier for your reactions to it. I'd have to join the "Whoniverse", which includes all your DW related content. To be clear, I love a lot of modern Who too and the RTD era is my favourite era of DW ever, but I've seen reactions to all these episodes many times and the youtube market is flooded with them. Reactions to classic Who are a lot rarer and I also think classic Who is more consistent, as I think modern who pretty much fell off a cliff after series 5.... Anyway, to cut short the rambling, would it be possible for you to create a separate tier for classic Who reactions? Thanks.
It's only been two days, and I've been sick. I also typically receive like a 50-100 comments a day between TH-cam, Patreon, and Discord. I also put out at least eleven reactions a week on Patreon, and have an entire separate business I run that takes priority as it's my main source of income. So, I don't always have the time to immediately reply to every single comment. I have created a Classic Who-only tier. However, in order for the videos to show up on that tier, I have to manually go back and edit the settings for every Classic Doctor reaction that has been posted so far (over 100) and assign it to that tier. I will start back at the first episode and go in order, but it will be a lengthy process that might take me a day or two as I have limited time this week.
@@BritanyBinges Okay, thanks for the response and I apologize for how I may have come across. I understand and appreciate the difficulty in having to split your time between this and your real-life responsibilities. Thanks for creating that tier too, it is a lot more convenient for those of us only interested in your classic Who reactions. I look forward to joining you on the rest of your classic Who journey and even going back and watching some of your past reactions to it.😊 P.S. I know you've been skipping certain stories in these first six seasons because a lot of them are either partially or entirely missing, but from the final story of season 6 onward, every classic story exists in its entirety. So I was wondering if you're still going to be skipping stories and if that's the case, if you take recommendation for which stories to watch and which to skip?
@@Mrazmatmahmood Thank you for understanding! And, apologies if I came across as being a little short. I tend to get grouchy when I'm not feeling well. lol I was actually just talking about how to handle the stories from season 7 onward on the Patreon Zoom call last weekend and it seems like most people would prefer to go back to how I did it for the first couple of seasons where I put out a poll with all the stories from the season and people voted on which ones they thought I should react to. I would just eliminate the clear losers (there were always stories that received 0 or 1 or two votes while the stories received several), and react to all the rest. So, yes, your vote/input would definitely be appreciated when the polls go out in. (Season 7 will be starting the fist week of July, so that poll will go out in June.) Also, I've already added the reactions for all the season 1 stories I did to the new Classic-only tier. So, you could start watching those right away.
@@BritanyBinges Nice to know about the polls. One thing to note about season 7 onward is that the seasons were pretty much halved in length. Seasons 7-21 have 5-7 stories/20-28 episodes as opposed to the 40+ episodes the first 6 seasons have. We'll talk about the seasons after season 21 that once you get to them, don't want to overwhelm you with too much information right now! 😅With that in mind, perhaps these seasons would be easier to tackle in their entirety because they're so much shorter? Obviously it's your call though.
I'm a lot further ahead on Patreon and I've seen through episode 8x1. :) But, it was requested that I rewatch Fires of Pompeii before watching the 2023 Christmas special and it was interesting hearing them say Donna had something on her back. It was a nice bit of foreshadowing.
Thankfully donna got much more likeable in series 4. Decent enough comedy christmas episode, but the raknoss is soooo ott camp, but I suppose its xmas, they usually tend to be more silly and fun. I always forget this is the first story in modern who where gallifrey is named. It took longer in classic who for it to finally be named
That's more difficult than choosing a favorite companion. lol Christopher/Nine will always have a special place in my heart. David/Ten is probably the Doctor I most enjoy watching and his era has some of my favorite individual stories/episodes. But... Eleven's era has some of my favorite running story arcs (finally getting answers about River and everything with Clara that I've seen so far). So, it really is impossible to choose.
Donna is definitely a bit intense and irritating at first but she grew on me after a few episodes. Her personality takes getting used to but once you do she’s a very fun character. She’s actually my favorite aside from the Ponds.
I had a similar view on this episode when I first watched it. I thought omg she's annoying and was very glad when she decided not to go with the Doctor. Over time and seeing more of her, this episode grew on me. It's still not one of my favourites but also wouldn't say it's one of the worst either. Christmas episodes can be a little extra cheesy at times but that's ok. As with Mickey, she has great character development and ends up being many peoples favourite companion.
That's tough. I love them all for different reasons (even Donna, though you wouldn't guess that based on the reaction to this episode lol). If I had to choose, I would say Rose and Amy are probably tied. With River coming in after the two of them.
@@helloneighborfan1626 I loved everything about River's story and the reveal. Although, I do still find some of it confusing. Eventually I'll go back and watch a few of the key episodes again to see if that helps clear some things up for me, but I still enjoyed it all.
Hi so I'm sorry about last time when I told you russel t davies was returning for the 60th specials and beyond. Anyway what did you think of the 50th special?
Shush she hasn't watched it so stop trying to throw opinions on others let her decide what she thinks of it by herself when she gets there I personally enjoyed it. Personally being the key word because opinions are personal.
@@helloneighborfan1626 I'm not sure where the 60th fits in terms of the running list of episodes, but I'm getting ready to start series 8 this week and I release two episodes per week on Patreon. So, however many episodes there are between 8x1 and the 60th is when I'll get to it. lol (I don't want to know when that will be.) As for the spoilers, being so far on Patreon REALLY helps. There have been a lot of comments here on TH-cam that would've been spoilers had I not already seen the episodes. Plus, I have amazing moderators who help with the comments here on YT. I've had a few close calls because there is some crossover between fandoms so things like Facebook and TikTok like to show me Doctor Who content because it thinks I'll like it, but I always click to hide it or that I'm not interested. So, that's happening less and less.
I completely agree. I actually say in my mid-series thoughts video for series three that the main reason I didn't like her character was because she yelled most of the time.
@@BritanyBinges so many of us were not too impressed with her here, but yes, by the end, she became one of the best in New Who, if not the best. Obviously, at this one, they didn't know she would come back. They didn't think Tate would want to. She was a big comedian in her own right with her own show at the time.
@@hornorsilk2901 Yeah, I feel bad now that I was so annoyed with her in this but, even the Doctor found her to be a bit much most of the time in this soooo.... lol
@@BritanyBinges that happened to me as well but then she grew on me. After watching this episode with my parents they still weren’t that big of a fan of her, I personally love her humor.
I also didn't like this episode the first (few) time(s) I saw it. Once it's in the far rear-view, you can appreciate the campiness of the episode. Especially of the Racnoss Queen! 😆
I'm so glad Donna was toned down after this episode. The first time I saw this, she came off too mouthy and yelling all the time and it got annoying. I much prefer the next "friend" of The Doctor's 😊
Donna is definitely a bit intense and irritating at first but she grew on me after a few episodes. Her personality takes getting used to but once you do she’s a very fun character. She’s actually my favorite aside from the Ponds.
I love Donna. She is one of the few companions that put the doctor in his place.
That is exactly why I eventually came to love her as well. :)
@@BritanyBinges people watch this episode, and hate her. Then when she comes back, they don't like to give her a chance. I think she is the best companion, she starts off as this self centred, rude person, but at the end; I shed a tear. She has the most character growth by far. And her last regular ep, "I can’t go back. Don’t make me go back. Doctor, please! Please don’t make me go back." It's heartbreaking.
@@nicholasbyrne6485 Yo, Spoilers!
I don't mind her, she's just LOUD
@@nicholasbyrne6485she had a great arc and that made her ending so heartbreaking but good.
The recent stuff doesn't exist.
"Donna. A little abrasive." Yep, that's a good summation.
I feel like this is an episode that plays much better on a rewatch, when you know where Donna went as a character.
“Find someone…because I think…you need someone to stop you.”
This line alone properly begins what might as well amount to the Doctor’s therapy arc, and healing from his war scars fighting in the Time War, scars that lingered enough for him to so willingly and coldly commit genocide on the Racnoss.
Rose was the spark to bring him back from the darkness of war, and enjoy his life again travelling through time and space. Having someone human around who’s smart enough to tell right from wrong, is the best therapy he could ask for.
That more than anything is why Tennant was the best Doctor, he looks cool with his tight suit, wicked hair, long flapping coat and Converse, he’s funny, sassy and clever, but the writing around his evolution as a character is so strong and more psychologically complex than people often give it credit for.
I think they included Donna at the end of the last one to keep people from tuning out after the loss of Rose. Catherine Tate was a well known comedienne in the UK. Made people curious. A reason to tune back in. And then Donna was sort of a palate cleanser. A buffer between Rose and the next full-time companion. And I thought she was a hoot. I love that not everyone immediately falls for the Doctor or is in awe of him.
I watch this episode every Christmas purely for Donna Noble and the relationship she forms with the Doctor
Donna is supposed to come of as annoying at first. Part of the fun is watching her grow as a character and being with the Doctor definitely changes her for the better.
I think the thing with this Christmas special is that it was very focused on Donna Noble as a character (and introduction to her), but also it's one of those episodes which you have to be British to fully appreciate - not because of the storyline itself unlike some other episodes as that was universal, but more because of Catherine Tate herself. She's one of our biggest comediennes and actresses here in the UK. Back then in 2006, she had her comedy sketch programme The Catherine Tate Show on BBC Two, which was massive and she was one of the biggest stars in this country. So for us it wasn't so much of a big thing to have that year's Christmas episode focused so much on her because she was (and still is) one of the biggest television stars here, so we were familiar with her. But as an American, it must have seemed strange to focus so much on a one off (at the time) character without knowing the context of her popularity in this country.
I really liked the Runaway bride first time....and now i love it even more thanks to series 4.... its a beautiful start to a beautiful friendship...
Yeah, I definitely had more of an appreciate as I was editing it than I did the first time around b/c it was fun to see her start to become the Donna I came to love by the end of this episode.
Honestly when I first met Donna, I thought: "Gosh, she's shouty" and so happy she only stayed for one episode.
Then we got her back and I learned to appreciate her and now looking back, it all fits, why she is so shouty.
But most of all, she managed to become one of my favorite companions.
(Though I like most of the other companions very much too)
Knowing that you're on or around the 50th special on patreon I gotta say, and I know you'll know what I mean, Donna saying 'Well you can hurry up and lose me!' hurts so, SO much.
“I’m…I’m I’m…I’m not…I’m not from Mars.”
And of course the “YES! You look lovely! C’mon!”
The former doesn’t get mentioned enough in terms of iconic quotes from Ten.
Yeah, I couldn't bring myself to cut any of the Mars/Martian bits from this. It was just such a brilliant running joke throughout the episode.
“Her name was Rose” 😭😭
Going back and watching it after series 4 gives this episode a completely new perspective. Especially with the foreshadowing of events to come.
“She’s screaming infront of everyone” I imagine having every cell in your body dematerialise can be quite painful 😅
That is a very valid point.
Not long after this aired there was a Doctor Who Experience exhibition at a museum in Manchester where I live, which I took my niece and nephew to - I was just as excited as them, but needed some kids to take so I didn't look like a saddo!
The Empress of the Racnoss was very impressive. It's a huge physical prop with a counterweight at the back so that it could move up and down. The actress (Sarah Parish) was sort of slotted into the front of it wearing prosthetics over her head and torso that merged with the main body of the prop for the scenes.
Im still so surprised Sarah Parish did it. I’ve always seen her as so stoic and professional as an actress, quite serious roles or deadpan moody type roles. So it was so mad to see her playing this giant over the top spider it’s so outside what I thought was her wheelhouse.
I love the mapcap music as the TARDIS chases the taxi down the motorway.
Donna
I'm the opposite: apart from David Tennant's scenes within The Christmas Invasion, I feel like this is a much stronger special. But I'm also biased, as I adore Catherine Tate -- I used to watch her show, The Catherine Tate Show -- and so seeing her in this, I was so happy! I definitely agree that she's abrasive in the episode, but like you said it's fully intentional. I haven't got a bad word to say about the episode really! I'm sorry you weren't into it :/
You can tell losing rose broke the doctor and don’t make the doctor angry especially when he warns you
Ha, I can see why some people struggled to get past their first impression of Donna! :D I always cut her some slack as she *had* just been abruptly kidnapped away from her wedding!
Yeah, she definitely had a right to be upset, but she also treated Lance like crap before she knew he was faking it. So, I think it was pretty clear that was just her personality then. :-/
Rewatching this episode and even putting out of my mind just how great of a character Donna would become in series 4, I don't find her nearly as annoying as a lot of people do. Put yourself in her shoes, how would you react if all of this just happened to you out of the blue. Also, it's a refreshing take on the start of a Doctor/Companion relationship, where most companions just go along with the Doctor's insane antics and lifestyle, Donna is one of the few that pushes back. And not in a condescending way like Clara, but in a realistic way. They really feel like peers. A lot of that is due to Tennent and Tate's chemistry which is just so fun and energetic.
lol, your thumbnail picture for this killed me! I thought for sure it'd be directed at Donna, but I'm glad it wasn't (not entirely, anyway).
Great reaction
I really like Donna
She still one of my favorite companion
So glad you enjoyed it! I really came to appreciate what Donna brought to the show as a companion. :)
Trust me, although you’re probably ages ahead on Patreon, but speaking to your past self, give her time. 😊
From here on out, Tennant really begins to shine as the Doctor, he wasn’t given much room to breathe with Rose despite some iconic moments.
Standing there coldly watching the Racnoss drown surrounded by falling water and fire is hands down top 5 Tenth Doctor moments.
Watching this when I was 8 years old, if I hadn’t fallen in love with Tennant as an actor yet, I did now.
I love seeing the truly dark side of the Doctor when he gives the enemy a chance, ignorantly refuses and then gets what’s coming to them.
Makes for a very intriguing and complex Doctor.
I actually just released the 50th Anniversary special on Patreon last week, so I'm long past Donna's era. But, I did give her a fair shot when she came back around and did end up loving her and appreciating that she brought a type of companion I had yet to see.
I like this episode a lot to be honest. I like the design of the Racnoss and I got a cool figure of it as a kid and still to this day it is hanging off the curtains in my childhood room. I like Donna (you know why) and I LOVE that chase scene. It is just cool seeing the Doctor fly the TARDIS with string as he races down the motorway. I feel like the Roboform and the Christmas Tree are things that didn't need to come back but watching these on christmas was always a highlight.
Also I had waited a while to hear them name drop Gallifrey and it made me so excited.
1:29 lol I hope you end up liking her. She's a standout character for me, I think David and Catherine have a fun dynamic.
The thing about the Christmas specials is you have to go in expecting them to be kind of cheesy and fun; it's a holiday special! There's always that little bit of an emotional punch and a tie-in to the broader story, but there does tend to be an extra bit of absurdity to these episodes. It's delightful.
About the footage looking clearer, that's one of the reasons why they reshot the ending of "Doomsday". The Tardis lighting changed between episodes, plus, they needed to show what happened from Donna's POV.
honestly, you're one of the only creators I've considerd patreon-ing to. Haven't got the money for now. But once I have I'm definitely considering it
Thank you so much!!!
That church is roughly opposite the shopping centre Jacqueline Tyler meet those this Autons.
When it was renovated after, one of the blank faced men in the back of the mural gained square handles in his head.😂
I definitely would want pockets in my wedding dress.
The villain is so goofy and her acting is over the top, but this is a great episode. Donna is one of my favorite companions, partly because she is one of, if not the ONLY companion that doesn't end up with any level of a romantic relation with the Doctor. Just a good friend.
I just noticed the extrapolater is the surf board thing from boom town.
I’ve always loved this episode, it’s just so much fun! I think you caught it but this is the first time the name of the Doctor’s planet has been dropped in the new series!
Christmas episodes tend to be like Sampson’s Treehouse of Horrors episodes, they’re “disposable”, to a degree.
Yeah, I can definitely see that now that I have a few under my belt.
What are your favourite Christmas specials and also who is your favourite new who doctor so far.
Hi, I like this episode now, however I did miss Rose initially, especially with a couple of flashbacks. They were a fantastic partnership
Yeah, I was glad they worked in the bits about Rose so it didn't feel like we were just moving on carelessly, but they were still rough to experience.
@@BritanyBinges as a kid with the classic series, I always missed companions more than Doctors after regenerating. Rose was one of the best
@@markdavidson9100 I can see that. We always still technically have the Doctor, but we can't say the same for the companions. :( I definitely miss Ian and Barbara more than I miss the first Doctor.
@@BritanyBinges at least they had a short scene after departing the Tardis, and they were happy to be home. Is nice that they have leaving scenes rather than an adventure finishing, next adventure with a new companion with no idea how they joined
The robot santas where robot santas in the Christmas invasion as well, it's a line said by the doctor as well as robot sounds when they walk.
I'm binged all your DW content here on YT and now I'm gonna sign up for Patreon because I need to see your reactions for Season 4 and I don't wanna wait lol
That will keep you busy, she is waaaay ahead 🙂
Happy to have you join us over there! :D
Usually, at this point, I try and distract my reactor by saying that Catherine Tate was just too well-known of a (UK, anyway) name to be in the show for any more than the Christmas special in the hope that it saves the reactor from being spoiled for S4... But I can see from your description notes that you're WAY ahead now... Donna is my favouritest (and that SHOULD be a word!) companions of New Who, and one of my all time best including Classic Who... Can't wait to watch you form your own opinion, but my fingers are crossed you get to love her too. ;)
Don't read the rest of the comment if you prefer to find out how I ended up feeling about Donna by watching the reactions as they happen...
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I did end up loving her. I really appreciated that she brought a type of companion to the show that I had yet to see (someone who wasn't in love with Doctor and had no issues calling him out when needed). I was mess with how her era ended.
@@BritanyBinges I appreciate you giving me the space to make my own mind up as to how I watch your show... The YT posts, however, didn't include your considerate spacing: SO glad you enjoyed Donna's era and cannot wait to watch you watch it!
And, yeah: Donna's end is probably THE worst way to go... :o :/
@@thequietguy1648 Oh, no! I'm so sorry about the spacing not working out. :(
@@BritanyBinges Nay worries... I love it that we're on the same page already... :) ;)
I will say one thing, that is one heck of a costume to be put into and I bet those fangs weren’t fun to wear.
Oh, yeah... for as ridiculous as some of the things are on this show, the costume and makeup department always kill it.
The Confidential, BTS episode for this is really interesting. Sarah Parish was REALLY uncomfortable in that contraption and did have trouble with the fangs. I really like Sarah Parish. She and David are friends and have been in many projects together, including two of my favorite DT shows, Recovery and Blackpool.
I've recently watched this one on Patreon... It's a nice chill episode 👍
I love Donna
Great reaction!
I'm really looking forward to seeing your reactions to series 3 as its one of my favourites and Martha is my favourite companion
So glad you enjoyed it! I always feel bad when I don't love an episode.
I'm excited to get into series three on here as well. :)
@@BritanyBinges you don't need to feel bad, honestly doctor who is one of those shows where a lot of fans are divided on certain eras and characters etc, and it's always fun to watch your reactions regardless of your opinion on the episode :D
@@bryn6411 Thanks for being so understanding! :)
It’s a good job you’re ahead, there a loads of people just outright telling you she comes back for series 4 🤦🏻♂️ it’s a good job you already knew
Yeah, being so far ahead has definitely helped me avoid some spoilers. Although, to be fair, I do say how far ahead I am both in the video and the description. So, I'm sure at least some of them saw that and knew they could talk about her coming back without giving away any spoilers.
We got more information
Me: yeah I know 60 years worth of information I've got
As you’ve already seen, the Christmas specials, especially the early ones, basically have to be judged on a different curve than the regular episodes.
PS lovely shirt btw.
To answer your question about the lighting in the TARDIS, this is a result of the show moving their studios between series 2 and 3, hence why it looks a bit different. That and a different director to Doomsday
Changing the studio (and maybe the camera equipment?) must have been it. The quality of the image just seemed better than it previously had.
@@BritanyBinges Actually, what the person said above was factually incorrect, not to make anything sound bad, but the reason the lighting changed isn't because of studio or camera changes. But it was because of they had a new Lighting Director for the TARDIS Interior. The Studios they used for Series 1 and 2 were used up until the end of the first half of Series 7. From the 2012 Christmas Special to 2021 they used a different studio that was constructed within 1 year from 2010 to 2011. And opened to Filming for Doctor Who in 2012. In 2022 a new studio replaced the previous one which is the one they are filming at now. So currently there has be 3 Studios Doctor Who has filmed at within the 2005 Revival.
When Donna told the Doctor that it was Lance who proposed to her and kept nagging her, they showed us the truth, that it was the other way around.
Right, I was just confused as to the significance of it until we got to the reveal.
It went HD in this season.
Before it was released in standard definition
There's a skit that can be founded on TH-cam which features Catherine Tate in a classroom with other students. And in walking the substitute teacher, none other than David Tennant.
There's a Doctor Who reference, but explaining it would take the enjoyment out of watching the skit.
I had it sent to me. I don't usually like sketch comedy, but it was funny. :)
I wonder if you'll try Classics eventually like, say, Sesskasays }89
60s may be a little slow, but it's very gratifying to see how it's all started
I have been reacting to Classic Who over on Patreon. Currently in season six. They'll come to TH-cam eventually, but not likely on a regular basis for a while as there are two other shows that will need to be brought back to the channel on a regular schedule first.
@@BritanyBinges Are you going in order?
@@grafotter Yes, with the exception of two stories (Genesis of the Daleks and Terror of the Zygons) that people on Patreon asked me to watch before I recorded the reaction to the 50th last week. But, now that that's been released I've resumed where I left on in season 6.
With Doctor Who your always going to have weird ridiculous monsters that's just the nature of the show.
I'm the opposite i prefer this to "The Christmas Invasion" simply because it was more of an action packed episode i love the TARDIS chase scene and for the first time since The TV Movie (1996) that the name Gallifrey is mentioned and Donna's first episode even though she's a guest star in this what i like about Donna is she's the first nuwho companion who has zero romantic interest in the Doctor i like it better when its just friendship between the Doctor and his companions because the romance takes it out of the story alittle bit.
I found the spider lady actually really scary as i'm very arachnaphobia of spiders.
The beginning of the episode where Donna is transported to the TARDIS and The Doctor constantly saying "What?" was re-shot because of a change in the TARDIS studio as it's alot brighter than it was in the first two series if you notice the difference between this and the ending of "Doomsday".
Donna's intro episode unforgetable
People's opinions often change about this episode
So I wanted to join your patreon for your classic Who reactions, but I checked and you don't have an exclusive tier for your reactions to it. I'd have to join the "Whoniverse", which includes all your DW related content. To be clear, I love a lot of modern Who too and the RTD era is my favourite era of DW ever, but I've seen reactions to all these episodes many times and the youtube market is flooded with them. Reactions to classic Who are a lot rarer and I also think classic Who is more consistent, as I think modern who pretty much fell off a cliff after series 5.... Anyway, to cut short the rambling, would it be possible for you to create a separate tier for classic Who reactions? Thanks.
It would be nice to get a response....
It's only been two days, and I've been sick. I also typically receive like a 50-100 comments a day between TH-cam, Patreon, and Discord. I also put out at least eleven reactions a week on Patreon, and have an entire separate business I run that takes priority as it's my main source of income. So, I don't always have the time to immediately reply to every single comment.
I have created a Classic Who-only tier. However, in order for the videos to show up on that tier, I have to manually go back and edit the settings for every Classic Doctor reaction that has been posted so far (over 100) and assign it to that tier. I will start back at the first episode and go in order, but it will be a lengthy process that might take me a day or two as I have limited time this week.
@@BritanyBinges Okay, thanks for the response and I apologize for how I may have come across. I understand and appreciate the difficulty in having to split your time between this and your real-life responsibilities. Thanks for creating that tier too, it is a lot more convenient for those of us only interested in your classic Who reactions. I look forward to joining you on the rest of your classic Who journey and even going back and watching some of your past reactions to it.😊
P.S. I know you've been skipping certain stories in these first six seasons because a lot of them are either partially or entirely missing, but from the final story of season 6 onward, every classic story exists in its entirety. So I was wondering if you're still going to be skipping stories and if that's the case, if you take recommendation for which stories to watch and which to skip?
@@Mrazmatmahmood Thank you for understanding! And, apologies if I came across as being a little short. I tend to get grouchy when I'm not feeling well. lol
I was actually just talking about how to handle the stories from season 7 onward on the Patreon Zoom call last weekend and it seems like most people would prefer to go back to how I did it for the first couple of seasons where I put out a poll with all the stories from the season and people voted on which ones they thought I should react to. I would just eliminate the clear losers (there were always stories that received 0 or 1 or two votes while the stories received several), and react to all the rest.
So, yes, your vote/input would definitely be appreciated when the polls go out in. (Season 7 will be starting the fist week of July, so that poll will go out in June.)
Also, I've already added the reactions for all the season 1 stories I did to the new Classic-only tier. So, you could start watching those right away.
@@BritanyBinges Nice to know about the polls. One thing to note about season 7 onward is that the seasons were pretty much halved in length. Seasons 7-21 have 5-7 stories/20-28 episodes as opposed to the 40+ episodes the first 6 seasons have. We'll talk about the seasons after season 21 that once you get to them, don't want to overwhelm you with too much information right now! 😅With that in mind, perhaps these seasons would be easier to tackle in their entirety because they're so much shorter? Obviously it's your call though.
No spoilers but there is an episode coming up in the next couple of seasons called Turn Left... wait to have your mind blown 🤯🤯
I'm a lot further ahead on Patreon and I've seen through episode 8x1. :)
But, it was requested that I rewatch Fires of Pompeii before watching the 2023 Christmas special and it was interesting hearing them say Donna had something on her back. It was a nice bit of foreshadowing.
@@BritanyBinges Nice... i think Turn Left has to be in my top 3 favorite episodes
Thankfully donna got much more likeable in series 4. Decent enough comedy christmas episode, but the raknoss is soooo ott camp, but I suppose its xmas, they usually tend to be more silly and fun. I always forget this is the first story in modern who where gallifrey is named. It took longer in classic who for it to finally be named
Hi who is your favourite new who doctor and what are youre favourite christmas specials oh and also jack aka boe what did you think of that?
That's more difficult than choosing a favorite companion. lol
Christopher/Nine will always have a special place in my heart.
David/Ten is probably the Doctor I most enjoy watching and his era has some of my favorite individual stories/episodes.
But... Eleven's era has some of my favorite running story arcs (finally getting answers about River and everything with Clara that I've seen so far).
So, it really is impossible to choose.
Yeah then jack being boe what are your thoughts on that?
The Jack/Face of Boe reveal was 🤯🤯🤯.
I don't really remember all the Christmas specials well enough to have a favorite.
Oh OK talk to you on the next video that releases.
Of doctor who.
THANKS for this!!!!
Donna is definitely a bit intense and irritating at first but she grew on me after a few episodes. Her personality takes getting used to but once you do she’s a very fun character. She’s actually my favorite aside from the Ponds.
I feel like Donna Noble is a hard character to go along with at the start but you really soften up to her later on
I completely agree. :)
Catherine Tate was the special episode guest & the story was intentionally silly in places, for the afternoon family Christmas audience
I had a similar view on this episode when I first watched it. I thought omg she's annoying and was very glad when she decided not to go with the Doctor. Over time and seeing more of her, this episode grew on me. It's still not one of my favourites but also wouldn't say it's one of the worst either. Christmas episodes can be a little extra cheesy at times but that's ok.
As with Mickey, she has great character development and ends up being many peoples favourite companion.
Oh also who is your favourite companion so far in new who?
That's tough. I love them all for different reasons (even Donna, though you wouldn't guess that based on the reaction to this episode lol). If I had to choose, I would say Rose and Amy are probably tied. With River coming in after the two of them.
I know what did you think of rivers reveal also it is nice to talk to a fellow whovian.
@@helloneighborfan1626 I loved everything about River's story and the reveal. Although, I do still find some of it confusing. Eventually I'll go back and watch a few of the key episodes again to see if that helps clear some things up for me, but I still enjoyed it all.
Hi so I'm sorry about
last time when I told you russel t davies was returning for the 60th specials and beyond. Anyway what did you think of the 50th special?
That's okay. I'm not really that concerned about who showrunners are. Mostly just actors/characters.
I loved the 50th! :)
When do you think you will start watching the 60th anytime soon like next year. Also how are you so good at keeping away from spoilers?
Shush she hasn't watched it so stop trying to throw opinions on others let her decide what she thinks of it by herself when she gets there I personally enjoyed it. Personally being the key word because opinions are personal.
@@helloneighborfan1626 I'm not sure where the 60th fits in terms of the running list of episodes, but I'm getting ready to start series 8 this week and I release two episodes per week on Patreon. So, however many episodes there are between 8x1 and the 60th is when I'll get to it. lol (I don't want to know when that will be.)
As for the spoilers, being so far on Patreon REALLY helps. There have been a lot of comments here on TH-cam that would've been spoilers had I not already seen the episodes. Plus, I have amazing moderators who help with the comments here on YT. I've had a few close calls because there is some crossover between fandoms so things like Facebook and TikTok like to show me Doctor Who content because it thinks I'll like it, but I always click to hide it or that I'm not interested. So, that's happening less and less.
@@BritanyBinges Unfortunately the 13th Doctor's arrival coincided with the imaginary culture war so many people are fighting....
Donna Noble (That's all I have to say on this one) 😅
Donna grows on you. but Martha is awesome.
Donna was a bit too “Shouty Mc Shouterson” for me, up until the Ood episode where she started to mellow (no spoilers)
I completely agree. I actually say in my mid-series thoughts video for series three that the main reason I didn't like her character was because she yelled most of the time.
Donna is my favorite.
Didn't you think the TARDIS chasing the taxi was well done though?
Yes, I did. I really enjoyed that bit.
Donna is great... once she lets herself to be
Yeah, her character arc is incredible. I really did come to love her.
Yeah and then journeys end happened and it broke us.
@@BritanyBinges so many of us were not too impressed with her here, but yes, by the end, she became one of the best in New Who, if not the best. Obviously, at this one, they didn't know she would come back. They didn't think Tate would want to. She was a big comedian in her own right with her own show at the time.
@@hornorsilk2901 Yeah, I feel bad now that I was so annoyed with her in this but, even the Doctor found her to be a bit much most of the time in this soooo.... lol
I love Donna.
I obviously didn't at first, but she won me over. :)
@@BritanyBinges that happened to me as well but then she grew on me. After watching this episode with my parents they still weren’t that big of a fan of her, I personally love her humor.
I also didn't like this episode the first (few) time(s) I saw it. Once it's in the far rear-view, you can appreciate the campiness of the episode. Especially of the Racnoss Queen! 😆
I'm so glad Donna was toned down after this episode.
The first time I saw this, she came off too mouthy and yelling all the time and it got annoying. I much prefer the next "friend" of The Doctor's 😊
Dona 😍😍
Love your profile pic! Supernatural is my favorite show of all-time. :)
@@BritanyBinges oh thank you 😍 i am So glad to know that because it is my fav show too 😍😍
Donna Noble > All other companions.
SPOILERS. Donna becomes the Doctor's best friend.
Donna is definitely a bit intense and irritating at first but she grew on me after a few episodes. Her personality takes getting used to but once you do she’s a very fun character. She’s actually my favorite aside from the Ponds.