Doctor Who!

Didja see Doctor Who last night? Well, didja?

Oh. My. Dog!

Actually, this isn't about the series finale, but a resounding cheer for Donna Noble, as played by Catherine Tate.

Who thought, last year when we were told that the new Companion would be played by Catherine Tate, something along the lines of "Oh no, she'll wreck a fabulous series!" I confess, I did. I've seen her own show, although not much of it, because it grated when watching it, and so I didn't try to get into it. Unlike some shows with which I've made an effort, The Catherine Tate Show had no devotees in my ken to enthuse about it and encourage my own enthusiasm. I'd made more effort for The Office, a program I found spectacularly uncomfortable, and which, ultimately I didn't enjoy. I have since found Ricky Gervais to be a very limited actor, always playing the same role. While I did enjoy him in Extras, perhaps because I felt a certain sympathy for the character, his performance in A Night at the Museum jarred, the same performance he'd given in The Office, and completely out of place in what was, otherwise, quite a fun film. I realise it's difficult for actors to move from Comedy into mainstream drama, as testified by the numbers of actors who have successfully achieved this. But those who do are the gems.

While I loved Doctor Who while Rose was the companion - just exactly as a companion should be: beautiful and spunky (can I use that word without being ridiculed?) Martha, who never seemed to come into her own until she starred in Torchwood, was a pretty and brave companion. But Donna Noble - wow! What a heroic companion! What a range of people, from Donna the shallow temp, to Donna who really doesn't like killing people, through to Donna-Doctor at the end, and then, sadly back to Donna the shallow temp. I cried real tears when the Doctor wiped her memory and she had to go back to her life. A real feeling of despair came over me, so real was her own.

So, Catherine Tate, kudos to ya girl! I'm looking forward to finding out what you're going to do next.

And, of course, I'm wondering who the doctor will have as his next companion...