The Runaway Bride

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer This was my first Doctor Who that I got on DVD! :-)

Blimey, it's that shot of the moon zooming into the Earth AGAIN! 

Hang about, that's not Rose's estate. It's a wedding!  

50dw50@50dw50 i love Donna, sad to see her father after what happened to the actor 

The bride is beamed away... and aboard the TARDIS! 

What? What? WHAT? 

This has got Nerys written all over it, apparently. 

Crikey, this bride's got a gob on her. 

She's planning to sue the living backside off the Doctor. Her name's Donna. 

"It's freezing with these doors open." Love her reactions, she just doesn't care about how amazing all this is.  

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer  Donna is my favourite Tennant era companion. I think everyone knows someone who similar to Donna Noble! :-) 

"What do you mean lost?" Raw nerve. 

atruedrwhofan@atruedrwhofan Donna. A Noble name :D 

50dw50@50dw50 i was working in Penrith when this was first shown, a driver broke the speed limit to get me home to see the start! 

The Doctor wonders if her fiance has a zipper in his head...

He takes her back to Chiswick, but fails to get her to the church on time. 

50dw50@50dw50 love donna's reaction to the police box 

atruedrwhofan@atruedrwhofan its nice to have had a reversal of "its bigger on the inside" by having Donna see the inside first.

Brilliant gag from RTD, the pockets thing. 

I'm not a Martian... 

More recycled locations... 

"Is it Christmas?" "Well, duh!" 

How much do we all wish we could sonic the cash machine... 

50dw50@50dw50  another roasting hot xmas day! 

Global warming caused by the ash cloud from the Sycorax ship? :-P 
Donna nabs a taxi, but the Doctor recognises that brass band... 

Donna's taxi driver is a robo santa! Another pinch from an Auton story! 

Seriously. Xmas. Plastic. Autons. How is this not a no-brainer? 

The motorway chase is great; the police box careering down the lanes, the Doctor puppeteering the TARDIS. 

50dw50@50dw50 santas a robot! great line!, i just love the Tardis chase scene 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Like this TARDIS/taxi scenes. And Donna's reaction. :-) 

atruedrwhofan@atruedrwhofan fun fact. One of the cars (think its the one the TARDIS lands on) has the same numberplate as Gwen Coopers car. 

Isaac Dakin@IWhittakerDakin The pilot fish here was a bit unnecessary I feel

Yeah, their presence (should that be presents? ;-P) is a bit nonsensical.

Donna jumps for it and the TARDIS whisks her away to a rooftop.  

She's missed her wedding now. 

Not really sure why the Doctor's so coy about it being a time machine. 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Because Donna would pester him about going back so not to miss wedding? :-)

Great view of St. Paul's and the Gherkin here.

50dw50@50dw50  they reglazed the gherkin i see

Donna didn't notice The Christmas Invasion, she had a hangover. 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Who needs cracks in time... Moffett should have just given everyone a hangover in series 5! :P 

As much as I was sick to death of Rose by this point, the references and mourning here are spot on. No incredible character-undermining glossing over of a companion's loss here. Necessary to address it, so as to move on. Sadly RTD refused to move on and made all of Martha's story about Rose, the brought Rose back in s4 to add insult to injury. 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Liked the references at start, especially TARDIS/taxi chase. Gets annoying when he has flashbacks later on.

Donna tells us how she met Lance, making her coffee when she was temping... 

They had the reception without her. THANK YOU, NERYS! 

Donna side steps the awkward questions with some waterworks. 

Murray Gold and Neil Hannon shamelessly rip off Al Wilson's "The Snake" for the evening do. 

The Doctor watches the rushes of Donna's wedding video, and spots some ancient particles. Didn't realize Bruce Forsythe had been invited. 

50dw50@50dw50  the phones and the cameras rather date this!  

Turns out the Doctor has failed to dampen Donna. As if anyone could! ;-P 

The pilot fish wouldn't attack again, would they? They don't have the baubles. Oh, yes they do! 

50dw50@50dw50  this wedding reception must be at 2 in the afternoon to be daylight in december

Erm... sunspots? Nah, I give up.

50dw50@50dw50  thats why Wilf is not there, he is in hospital with december sunburn!

Having sonicked the sound system, the Doctor uses a robo-head to track his adversary... & the story can start! 

Donna also missed the battle of Canary Wharf. Scuba-diving. Probably whilst hungover. 

The star is made from web, and the creature at its heart is a rather large spider. Fetch a giant slipper! 

The Doctor, Donna and Lance investigate at the office...  

...then segueway into the next scene. 

They've come out at the Thames barrier... a secret base under a major London landmark, eh? 

Someone's been filling Donna with Huon particles. But why? 

Someone's been digging... 

Eh? That hole goes to the actual centre of the Earth? Where are all the primords, then? 

I love that Donna suspects Dinosaurs.  

The Empress of the Racnoss makes her grand entrance. 

Donna tries to distract the Empress, but Lance is a traitor! 

Donna can't even point to Germany on a map. Well, it is hard to find, all tucked away down there...  

A moment's silence as we remember the horror that is the X-Factor is still with us and sadly not deceased. 

Lance is one of those 'evil companion' types - he wants to see the universe, but has thrown his lot in with a killer. 

50dw50@50dw50 

 all Dr Who's companions throw their lot in with a killer...

True!

The Doctor reverses the polarity of Donna's particles, and beams them up to the TARDIS... 

...but despite being keen to spare her feelings just now, he doesn't spot that her mask has finally slipped. 

This scene of them observing the birth of Earth from the TARDIS is like a reversal of the scene in Pyramids Of Mars when the Doctor shows Sarah what will happen if they don't act. 

Donna's disappearance is bad news for Lance - time for him to take his Huon particle medicine! 

Donna is recaptured as the Doctor rabbits away to himself. Should've realized it was too quiet sooner!  

The particles are done cooking in the Donna oven, so are released down the spider shaft. 

As the Racnoss prepares to unleash her newborn spiderlings, she spots one of the Santas acting oddly - it's the Doctor! 

Apparently falling Donnas don't land on their feet.

 The Empress gets her one and only warning... 

Pockets! Great pay off. 

The Doctor prepares to wash the Spiders down the drain...

 

GALLIFREY. Such a big deal at the time, the naming of Gallifrey. 

Simon Pittman@LibraryPlayer Was that the first time it was mentioned in New Who? Probably also start of Doctor using his reputation to defeat enemies?

Yes on both counts there.

Donna's horrified at the screams "You can stop now!" 

The Empress beams up to launch a scorching attack on Earth. 

"Orders from Mr. Saxon..." and the webstar is obliterated. 

The Doctor takes Donna home for xmas dinner, and makes it snow. All in a day's work. 

Donna plans to travel. She will do, but not just yet... 

Donna turns down the chance to board the TARDIS right now, and tells him that he needs someone to stop him going too far.  

"Blimey, you can shout!"

Great work from RTD, how much Donna's character evolves in just this one episode.

50dw50@50dw50 and her mother cooks a christmas dinner despite her daughter having vanished without a trace after an blown up reception...

"Her name was Rose." AND NOW WE DON'T NEED TO MENTION HER EVER AGAIN. 

And toodle pip, Donna, be seeing you again soon! 

TTFN! K.

Coming Soon... The Next Doctor