As those who know me already know, Donna Noble, as played by the superbly talented Catherine Tate, is my absolute favorite companion that has ever graced the world of Doctor Who. From her introduction in "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special some years ago, to her full season of episodes, to her return in the last two David Tenant specials, to the numerous books and audio books, and now in the upcoming mini-series of episodes once again starring David Tenant, I have loved this character without end! A few years ago, Big Finish Productions, who has been producing Doctor Who audio books for many years now, as well as Dark Shadows audio stories continuing and building upon the original series, put out a five-disc special audio series starring none other than Donna Noble herself! I immediately bought the box set, but unfortunately, as my car CD player had quit working by then, I did not have the opportunity to listen to it. Well, a recent vacation with a rental car gave me plenty of driving time within which to listen to the CDs, and I can say the story (and hearing Catherine Tate's voice once again!) was well worth the wait!
Donna Noble: Kidnapped is a four-part story that is made up of four short stories with an over-arching tale of alien invasion. While each of the four tales is written by a different author, the characterization remains consistent throughout all of them. Catherine Tate, of course, reprises her role as Donna Noble, while Jacqueline King once again plays Donna's mother. Dan Starkey, who is a long time Doctor Who actor who has played numerous roles over the years, takes on a couple of characters in the stories. Wrapping up the main cast is Niky Wardley as Donna's best mate, Natalie, and Isla Blair as a speed dating organizer named Marge. Most of the other characters are specific to each of the four tales, and at the very end, there is a special appearance by David Tennant as the 10th Doctor!
The story takes place shortly after the two-part "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead" episodes in series four, in which Donna finds herself in an alternate reality where she is married and has two children. Coming back to this reality has left Donna a bit rattled, as she still remembers her husband and children and must deal with the loss of them as mere memories for a reality that no longer exists. These four short audio tales touch upon that loss and further Donna's relationship with her overly-controlling mother (although, admittedly, we see a side of Sylvia Noble that we haven't seen before, which may alter the view of those who find the character not likable at all!). They work seamlessly into the "between episodes" of the fourth series, and it's loads of fun to see Donna take all that she has learned while traveling with the Doctor and basically ask herself, "What Would the Doctor Do?"
The first story, "Out of this World," sets the stage for the whole adventure. Donna reluctantly joins her friend Natalie for a night of speed dating - in which the two meet a mysterious young man who takes a rather healthy interest in Donna. She wonders if perhaps he was sent by the Doctor, but it quickly becomes clear that aliens are involved, and when she, Natalie, and a couple of others are beamed aboard a spaceship, Donna is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the TARDIS!
"Spinvasion" continues the adventures of the Doctor ... er, I mean Donna (who is now passing herself off as "The Doctor") her companion (a/k/a best friend) Nat. Donna manages to get her and Nat away from the alien spaceship, but they crash onto a planet that is being invaded - willingly! A marketing team has convinced the citizens of the planet that they actually want to to be invaded, and Donna knows that she must free these people - after all, it's what the Doctor would do!
The next tale, "The Sorcerer of Albion," find Donna and Nat trying desperately to get back home - and they manage to get to Earth, only a few centuries too early. It's the Middle Ages, and an aging sorcerer mistakes Donna for an incarnation of Merlin - and he captures her, doing everything in his power to steal her "magic" so he can defeat the monsters that are attacking his realm. But Donna and Nat quickly come to question who is the real monster here?
The adventures of Donna and Nat conclude with "The Chiswick Cuckoos," as the troublemaking twosome manage to get home - only to discover that an alien plot has already hatched, and Donna is smack dab at the center of it! There's only one person who can save Earth, and Donna and Nat are the only two who can free the Doctor so he can put an end to the machinations of ... well, no, that would be telling! Let's just say in this four-part story, you can't really be sure that anyone is who they say they are...
So much adventures, so much danger, so much alien action, and so much fun - we definitely need more adventures of Donna Noble! Are you paying attention, Big Finish? MORE DONNA NOBLE! After all, she's so much more than just a temp from Chiswick!
RATING: 10 mail flyers advertising speed dating out of 10 for giving fans a much needed fix of Donna Noble - but definitely leaving us all wanting for more!
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