Doctor Who Confidential (2005–2011): Season 4, Episode 1 - A Noble Return - full transcript
Series Four, we've got Catherine Tate,
who's back as Donna.
(MOUTHING)
Oh, my God!
It's great to be back, yeah.
It's as if I never left, actually.
Help me!
This is all your fault.
"I should have stayed at home."
Just like old times.
NARRATOR: With the script for
Partners in Crime complete,
the cast and crew are gathered
at their Cardiff studios
for the first read-through
of the series.
Until you hear the actors you've cast
reading those lines,
it's the first time, really,
that the whole thing comes to life.
Marvellous, yes, hooray.
I'll be reading the stage directions,
which is always exciting.
A lot of them in here.
“Exterior, Nobles' house.
"Fast, cheeky music. Donna steps out,
head held high, on a mission."
"Donna walking along, left to right."
"The Doctor walking along,
right to left."
"Donna stops in the street.
There is a tower block,"
"which is the HQ of Adipose Industries."
And the first half of the episode
is basically about the fact
that the two of them
kind of keep missing each other.
-Does it need a code?
-Thanks, then.
And that Donna's been looking for
the Doctor.
(HORN HONKING)
It's pretty surprising when the Doctor
sees Donna for the first time.
It's fairly unlikely.
(MOUTHING)
It's a great way to reintroduce
the characters to each other.
In a moment of great peril,
you have this sort of dumbshow.
And you saw that on the page.
"The Doctor looks straight ahead
and Donna looks straight ahead."
"And she sees him and he sees her."
(MOUTHING)
Doctor?
"She does a little mime.
(RAPIDLY) "'Trouble. Internet.
Pills. Place is weird."
"'T hid there. Crept along.
Heard this lot."
"'You.' And on 'they'..."
(ALL LAUGHING)
Marvellous.
I said to James Strong, the director,
the day before, I said,
"Have you got any thoughts
about that? You know, at all?"
And he said, "No."
And he said, "I'll ask Russell."
And the message came back was,
"Oh, see what Catherine comes up with."
So, I kind of did it a bit
on the hoof, actually.
Well, as we were filming it, really.
And just mucked about with it,
and we'll be taking
a career in mime a lot further.
It's funny. Catherine's first day on set
just felt like she'd never been away.
It was like, you know,
catching up with an old mate.
'Cause it's the second time
I've worked with him, he...
I don't have to curtsey every morning,
which was the ritual when I was in
the Christmas special,
which was a little bit,
you know, much. But fair enough, really.
So, now I don't have to.
So that's great.
Obviously, we know Catherine Tate
as a great comic actor.
So you've got all that
coming out of the script
because people know that
they're writing for her,
and also, the way she'll turn a line
will keep surprising you.
And then she'll surprise you again
by fulfilling all the emotional moments
as powerfully as she does as well.
She seems to have a valve
that taps right into her soul
and into the soul of Donna.
You're right.
'Cause he's still out there, somewhere.
And I'll find him,
even if I have to wait 100 years.
I'll find him.
FOSTER: Adipose Industries,
the 21st-century way to lose weight.
And here it is.
"One capsule,
once a day for three weeks,"
"and the fat, as they say.."
DAVIES: (IN SINGSONG VOICE)
"The fat just walks away."
It's not without reason that Donna
calls her "supernanny",
that's literally where the costume
came from,
the glasses and the pose and everything,
'cause everyone latched on to that
and said she's
supernanny-cum-space villain.
-Action.
-Matron Cofelia, listen to me.
No, I don't think so, Doctor.
And... Whatever...
Whatever I say next.
-Really? Start again?
-Keep rolling.
-Do you want a reminder? You all right?
-No, I'm fine.
Here we go.
(CLEARS THROAT)
And action.
DOCTOR: Matron Cofelia, listen to me!
Oh, I don't think so, Doctor.
And if I never see you again,
it'll be too soon.
Oh, why does no one ever listen?
I'm trying to help you!
Get across to the roof.
Can you shift the levitation beam?
What, so you can arrest me?
Listen,
I saw the Adiposian instructions.
They know it's a crime
breeding on Earth,
so what's the one thing
that they wanna get rid of?
Their accomplice.
I'm far more than that.
I'm nanny to all these children.
Exactly.
Mum and Dad have got the kids now.
They don't need the nanny any more.
MAN: Lights!
Drop.
I don't think she's a baddie.
If she is a baddie,
maybe it's just that we're seeing things
from a slightly different perspective.
But I've persuaded myself that
actually she's quite a nice lady.
Back to it.
"So then, Tardis."
Where do you want to go?
Oh, I know exactly the place.
Which is?
Two and a half miles that way.
Set and action.
What?
Donna? Donna!
Donna! Donna!
Donna, it's... It's the flying blue box!
What?
Donna! Donna!
And action!
David, can you do your wave
a smidge more to your head?
David, can you put that arm down?
Donna! Oh!
(GASPING IN DISBELIEF)
Donna!
That's Donna! That's... That's Donna.
And that's him. That's him!
That's him! That's him!
(YELLS EXCITEDLY)
Go on, girl! Go on, get out there!
(WHISTLING) Hey!
(LAUGHING)
It's just the joy,
the joy of someone being able to
travel off in time and space.
To see that via her grandfather,
one of my favourite things
we've ever done.
He doesn't resent that,
he doesn't envy her.
He stands there and cheers
and waves her off and says,
"Go get it, girl, and grab it,
and do what I never did."
who's back as Donna.
(MOUTHING)
Oh, my God!
It's great to be back, yeah.
It's as if I never left, actually.
Help me!
This is all your fault.
"I should have stayed at home."
Just like old times.
NARRATOR: With the script for
Partners in Crime complete,
the cast and crew are gathered
at their Cardiff studios
for the first read-through
of the series.
Until you hear the actors you've cast
reading those lines,
it's the first time, really,
that the whole thing comes to life.
Marvellous, yes, hooray.
I'll be reading the stage directions,
which is always exciting.
A lot of them in here.
“Exterior, Nobles' house.
"Fast, cheeky music. Donna steps out,
head held high, on a mission."
"Donna walking along, left to right."
"The Doctor walking along,
right to left."
"Donna stops in the street.
There is a tower block,"
"which is the HQ of Adipose Industries."
And the first half of the episode
is basically about the fact
that the two of them
kind of keep missing each other.
-Does it need a code?
-Thanks, then.
And that Donna's been looking for
the Doctor.
(HORN HONKING)
It's pretty surprising when the Doctor
sees Donna for the first time.
It's fairly unlikely.
(MOUTHING)
It's a great way to reintroduce
the characters to each other.
In a moment of great peril,
you have this sort of dumbshow.
And you saw that on the page.
"The Doctor looks straight ahead
and Donna looks straight ahead."
"And she sees him and he sees her."
(MOUTHING)
Doctor?
"She does a little mime.
(RAPIDLY) "'Trouble. Internet.
Pills. Place is weird."
"'T hid there. Crept along.
Heard this lot."
"'You.' And on 'they'..."
(ALL LAUGHING)
Marvellous.
I said to James Strong, the director,
the day before, I said,
"Have you got any thoughts
about that? You know, at all?"
And he said, "No."
And he said, "I'll ask Russell."
And the message came back was,
"Oh, see what Catherine comes up with."
So, I kind of did it a bit
on the hoof, actually.
Well, as we were filming it, really.
And just mucked about with it,
and we'll be taking
a career in mime a lot further.
It's funny. Catherine's first day on set
just felt like she'd never been away.
It was like, you know,
catching up with an old mate.
'Cause it's the second time
I've worked with him, he...
I don't have to curtsey every morning,
which was the ritual when I was in
the Christmas special,
which was a little bit,
you know, much. But fair enough, really.
So, now I don't have to.
So that's great.
Obviously, we know Catherine Tate
as a great comic actor.
So you've got all that
coming out of the script
because people know that
they're writing for her,
and also, the way she'll turn a line
will keep surprising you.
And then she'll surprise you again
by fulfilling all the emotional moments
as powerfully as she does as well.
She seems to have a valve
that taps right into her soul
and into the soul of Donna.
You're right.
'Cause he's still out there, somewhere.
And I'll find him,
even if I have to wait 100 years.
I'll find him.
FOSTER: Adipose Industries,
the 21st-century way to lose weight.
And here it is.
"One capsule,
once a day for three weeks,"
"and the fat, as they say.."
DAVIES: (IN SINGSONG VOICE)
"The fat just walks away."
It's not without reason that Donna
calls her "supernanny",
that's literally where the costume
came from,
the glasses and the pose and everything,
'cause everyone latched on to that
and said she's
supernanny-cum-space villain.
-Action.
-Matron Cofelia, listen to me.
No, I don't think so, Doctor.
And... Whatever...
Whatever I say next.
-Really? Start again?
-Keep rolling.
-Do you want a reminder? You all right?
-No, I'm fine.
Here we go.
(CLEARS THROAT)
And action.
DOCTOR: Matron Cofelia, listen to me!
Oh, I don't think so, Doctor.
And if I never see you again,
it'll be too soon.
Oh, why does no one ever listen?
I'm trying to help you!
Get across to the roof.
Can you shift the levitation beam?
What, so you can arrest me?
Listen,
I saw the Adiposian instructions.
They know it's a crime
breeding on Earth,
so what's the one thing
that they wanna get rid of?
Their accomplice.
I'm far more than that.
I'm nanny to all these children.
Exactly.
Mum and Dad have got the kids now.
They don't need the nanny any more.
MAN: Lights!
Drop.
I don't think she's a baddie.
If she is a baddie,
maybe it's just that we're seeing things
from a slightly different perspective.
But I've persuaded myself that
actually she's quite a nice lady.
Back to it.
"So then, Tardis."
Where do you want to go?
Oh, I know exactly the place.
Which is?
Two and a half miles that way.
Set and action.
What?
Donna? Donna!
Donna! Donna!
Donna, it's... It's the flying blue box!
What?
Donna! Donna!
And action!
David, can you do your wave
a smidge more to your head?
David, can you put that arm down?
Donna! Oh!
(GASPING IN DISBELIEF)
Donna!
That's Donna! That's... That's Donna.
And that's him. That's him!
That's him! That's him!
(YELLS EXCITEDLY)
Go on, girl! Go on, get out there!
(WHISTLING) Hey!
(LAUGHING)
It's just the joy,
the joy of someone being able to
travel off in time and space.
To see that via her grandfather,
one of my favourite things
we've ever done.
He doesn't resent that,
he doesn't envy her.
He stands there and cheers
and waves her off and says,
"Go get it, girl, and grab it,
and do what I never did."