Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who 60th anniversary special "The Star Beast."
Summary
- Donna Noble's family plays a significant role in Doctor Who, with various getting involved in the Doctor's adventures.
- Donna's mother, Sylvia, has tried to prevent Donna from ing her travels with the Doctor and remains skeptical of him.
- Shaun Temple, Donna's husband, only learns about her secret past and connection to the Doctor in the 60th anniversary special.
Donna Noble may be the most notable member of her family in of saving the universe from temporal doom, but all of her relatives have some importance to the world of companions who have come and gone from Doctor Who, however, Donna Noble has the most story-significant family .
This is especially true after Doctor Who's first 60th anniversary special, "The Star Beast." Catherine Tate returning as Donna Noble herself may be the big headline, but various of her family come along for the ride, each playing an important part in the Doctor's battle against the Meep. Despite the prominence of Donna's loved ones in Doctor Who, new additions combined with missing can make the Noble family tree hard to follow, especially when keeping track of which characters know about Donna's secret travels with the Doctor, and which do not.
Donna Noble
The Tenth Doctor's third full-time companion after Rose and Martha
When Donna first met the Tenth Doctor in the 2006 Doctor Who Christmas special "The Runaway Bride," she was living in Chiswick, London, and working a temporary office job. Very much looking forward to marrying her fiancé, Lance, Donna's bridal ambitions were scuppered when the Doctor revealed Lance to be working for the Empress of the Racnoss, with Donna's marriage nothing but a ploy to serve the alien ruler. The Doctor and Donna went their separate ways, but fate brought them back together in Doctor Who season 4's "Partners in Crime." Inspired by her initial encounter, Donna had started investigating strange incidents in hope of reuniting with her Gallifreyan friend.
Donna traveled with the Doctor until Doctor Who season 4 finale "Journey's End." In a last-ditch effort to avert the TARDIS' destruction and her own demise, Donna merged with the regeneration energy the Doctor had siphoned into his severed hand from 2005's "The Christmas Invasion." Donna became half-Time Lord as a result, but because no feeble human mind can contain so much knowledge and power, the Tenth Doctor was forced to shut away all memories Donna had of traveling in the TARDIS. Since this incident, Donna has been oblivious to her true nature, convinced her memory loss was due to a "breakdown."
Thanks to the Tenth Doctor's fiddling, Donna won the lottery following her TARDIS exit. The repressed "Doctor" part of Donna, however, subconsciously encouraged her to give most of this money away, leaving her family in a more humble financial position. Donna has since reverted to office work, but lost her most recent job after spilling coffee on a computer.
Sylvia Noble Is Donna's Mother In Doctor Who
Sylvia has tried desperately to stop Donna ing the Doctor
Portrayed by Jacqueline King, Sylvia Noble (née Mott) is every bit as formidable as her daughter, albeit with the volume turned down. Sylvia made her Doctor Who debut alongside Donna in "The Runaway Bride," then continued to feature as a ing character throughout Doctor Who season 4. Initially unaware that her daughter had become the companion of a time-traveling alien, Sylvia showed begrudging when she eventually learned the truth. Nevertheless, Donna's mother always remained skeptical of the Doctor, and resentful of the danger he put Donna in.
Sylvia is one of only two family who have always known the truth about Donna's memory. After the Tenth Doctor warned that Donna would die if she ed their adventures together, Sylvia spent the next 15 years diverting Donna's attention from anything remotely connected to aliens and outer space, while also keeping up the pretense of a "breakdown." The Doctor Who 60th anniversary ending only strengthens Sylvia's belief that the Doctor is simultaneously brilliant and someone she never wants to see knocking at her door again.
Wilfred Mott Is Donna's Grandfather In Doctor Who
Wilf is Sylvia's father
A World War II veteran, Wilf has always remained close to his daughter, Sylvia, and her daughter, Donna. Unlike Sylvia, however, Wilf's keen interest in UFOs endeared him wholeheartedly to the Doctor. Not only did Wilf champion Donna becoming a TARDIS companion, the pensioner temporarily ed the Doctor Who companion ranks himself during "The End of Time," and was partially responsible for the Tenth Doctor's regeneration. Highlighting Wilf's importance to Doctor Who canon further, he is one of precious few characters to have interacted with the mystery woman who may or may not have been the Doctor's biological mother.
Wilfred Mott did not make his Doctor Who debut in "The Runaway Bride," with his absence from Donna and Lance's wedding attributed to illness. Indeed, Wilf's first Doctor Who appearance actually came as a London newsstand merchant in "Voyage of the Damned" - an episode completely unrelated to Donna Noble. Like Sylvia, Wilf has been forced to keep his knowledge of the Doctor a secret from Donna, or else risk his granddaughter's life. Behind-the-scenes images showed Wilf actor Bernard Cribbins filming alongside David Tennant for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials, but, tragically, Cribbins ed away in July 2022.
Shaun Temple Is Donna's Doctor Who Husband
Shaun has no idea about Donna's secret past
Following her unconventional breakup with Lance, Donna remained single throughout her stint on Doctor Who. After leaving the TARDIS and her memories behind, Donna then appeared in "The End of Time" alongside new partner Shaun Temple. Played by Karl Collins, Shaun's role in Doctor Who was little more than a fleeting cameo, and his face was soon replaced by John Simm's regardless. Doctor Who 60th anniversary episode "The Star Beast" reveals much more, showing Shaun working as a taxi driver, and frequently highlighting his pride in both Donna and their daughter. At Donna's insistence, she and Shaun kept their own surnames after getting married.
Shaun only learns about his wife's true nature and connection to the Doctor in "The Star Beast." Prior to this, Sylvia and Wilf evidently elected not to bring him into their circle of trust, perhaps reasoning that the fewer people knew the secret, the less risk there would be to Donna's mind. In stark contrast to Lance, Donna and Shaun's love is genuine. This is no doubt partially due to his uncanny ability to take massive shocks on the chin, whether that be Donna giving millions away to charity, or a furry alien trying to kill him.
Rose Noble Is Donna & Shaun's Daughter
Rose saved her mother's life
Rose Noble is a teenager when Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials begin, and since 15 years have ed between "Journey's End" and "The Star Beast," Rose must have been conceived around the time of Donna and Shaun's wedding in "The End of Time." This conception was no normal one, however. The Doctor's Time Lord energy that Donna absorbed during "Journey's End" ed down into the unborn child, meaning that Rose, just like her mother, was born part-Time Lord.
Doctor Who's "The Star Beast" tacitly reveals that when Rose was born, Donna and Shaun gave her the name "Jason." At some unspecified point during her upbringing, Rose revealed that she identified as non-binary, and began using she/her pronouns. Rose also chose her own name, unknowingly finding inspiration in Donna's friend and ex-TARDIS companion Rose Tyler. Doctor Who strongly implies that Rose identifying as non-binary is at least partially due to inheriting the Doctor's regeneration energy, since the Doctor is both male and female. Rose's Time Lord side also expressed itself through her creativity, such as the plush monster toys she made to resemble classic Doctor Who villains.
What Happened To Donna's Father In Doctor Who
Donna's dad has appeared in Doctor Who
Geoff Noble appeared in "The Runaway Bride," proudly walking his daughter down the aisle. When Donna returned as an official Doctor Who companion, however, her father was implied to have died during the interim. Geoff's actor, Howard Attfield, sadly ed away in 2007, and while DVD footage confirms he was in the process of shooting Geoff's return alongside Donna and Sylvia in Doctor Who season 4, Attfield's role was ultimately taken by Wilf. Doctor Who paid tribute to both the actor and the character in "The End of Time," when the Tenth Doctor revealed the winning lottery ticket he gave Donna as a wedding present was paid for by Geoff.
What Happened To Donna's Grandmother
Eileen Mott has not featured in Doctor Who
Donna's grandmother represents a missing branch on the Noble-Mott family tree. Wilf confirmed that his wife was already deceased in "The End of Time," remarking to the Tenth Doctor, "My wife's buried down there. I might never visit her again now." It can be assumed that Eileen died prior to Donna and Wilf's involvement in the Doctor Who story.
Who "Nerys" Is In Doctor Who
Nerys is not a member of Donna's family, but has been seen in Doctor Who
While not an actual member of Donna's family, "Nerys" has been synonymous with Catherine Tate's character in Doctor Who. Portrayed briefly by Krystal Archer, Nerys was a guest at both of Donna's weddings, appearing in "The Runaway Bride" and "The End of Time." Nerystheless, the character is more famous for being the frenemy Donna constantly referenced during her adventures with the Doctor. That running joke continues in "The Star Beast," with the Doctor posing as Nerys' friend to explain how he knows so much about Donna.
