Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“THE RUNAWAY BRIDE – DONNA NOBLE’S BIG ENTRANCE IN A FESTIVE FRENZY”

Bridging the gap between Series 2 and Series 3, The Runaway Bride marked a bold tonal shift for Doctor Who’s Christmas specials. This was the first episode of the revived series not to feature Rose Tyler, instead introducing Donna Noble—an outspoken bride-to-be who literally bursts into the Doctor’s life mid-flight through the time vortex. It’s a high-concept, high-energy reintroduction to the Tenth Doctor post-heartbreak, and one that sets the stage for a whole new dynamic.

Donna’s sudden appearance in the TARDIS, clad in full wedding regalia and shrieking in disbelief, is both bewildering and hilarious. The juxtaposition between her grounded, no-nonsense attitude and the Doctor’s hyperactive alien energy immediately sparks something magical. Catherine Tate’s performance is instantly memorable—loud, proud, hilarious, and incredibly human. While originally intended as a one-off companion, it’s easy to see why Tate’s chemistry with Tennant and the popularity of her performance led to her return in Series 4.

TAXIS, TARDISES, AND TINSEL TERRORS

Russell T Davies delivers a pacey script that balances screwball comedy with seasonal spectacle. Within minutes, we’re off on a fast-paced romp across London as the Doctor tries to get Donna to her wedding. The scene where he chases a taxi with the TARDIS—hovering alongside it mid-air while Donna attempts to leap from car to time machine—is one of the most memorable action set-pieces of Tennant’s era. It’s thrilling, slightly ridiculous, and brilliantly festive.

Donna, meanwhile, has zero patience for any of the Doctor’s techno-babble. Instead of marvelling at the TARDIS or swooning over space-time, she demands answers and takes charge, even as events spiral into sci-fi madness. Her groundedness, refusal to be awed, and biting humour are refreshing in the wake of the emotional farewell to Rose.

A GLIMPSE OF GRIEF AND A TASTE OF DARKNESS

Though The Runaway Bride is mostly a jolly adventure, there’s a moment of stillness when Donna innocently asks about Rose, and the Doctor’s face falls. Tennant plays it beautifully—a tight-lipped expression that hides a world of grief. It’s a subtle, wordless reminder that behind the Christmas glitter, he’s still mourning.

That grief re-emerges in the story’s climax, where the Doctor, having offered the villain a chance for mercy, unleashes a terrifying vengeance instead. The Racnoss Empress, a gloriously theatrical spider-creature brought to life by Sarah Parish, is exterminated with cold resolve as the Doctor silently watches her children drown in a flood he unleashed. It’s a chilling moment that foreshadows the darker edges of his character—edges that Donna will later challenge in The Fires of Pompeii and Journey’s End.

A MONSTER WORTHY OF A SPECIAL

The Racnoss Empress is one of Doctor Who’s most ambitious creature designs, and she remains impressively effective nearly two decades on. A towering, part-practical, part-CGI creation, the costume design is genuinely stunning: from the intricate spider limbs and jewel-encrusted exoskeleton to the rich red and gold colour palette, she looks like a creature out of a twisted fairytale. Sarah Parish sells every moment with her flamboyant performance—snarling, preening, and gurgling with grotesque delight.

What’s more impressive is how well the visuals hold up. The blend of CGI and practical effects is judicious and smart, and the effects—particularly the Doctor’s TARDIS-taxi chase and the Racnoss’s web-draped lair—still look polished on modern rewatch. Given that this was made in 2006 on a television budget, it's a testament to how well Doctor Who's creative team stretched every penny.

MEET THE NOBLES AND THE VILLAINS

Donna’s family is introduced here as well, notably her overbearing mother Sylvia, and her would-be husband Lance, played with sinister charm by Don Gilet. Initially presented as a supportive, if slightly smarmy fiancé, Lance's betrayal—revealing that he’s been poisoning Donna with Huon particles for months—is a nasty shock. His descent into villainy and eventual demise (hurled into the abyss by the Racnoss) are classic Christmas pantomime villain fare, but satisfyingly executed.

The plot itself mixes returning festive threats—like the robot Santas and deadly Christmas trees—with the larger mythology of the show. Torchwood is subtly woven in, with its remnants under Canary Wharf being used to create Huon particles. The idea that ancient alien forces (the Racnoss) have lain dormant within the Earth for millennia continues Doctor Who’s love of blending science fiction with creation myths.

A STRONG INTRODUCTION TO A STRONG WOMAN

Though The Runaway Bride is first and foremost a romp, it’s also a strong character piece. Donna might be loud and brash, but she’s far from one-note. There’s heartbreak beneath the surface—abandonment, betrayal, and loneliness—but she never lets it consume her. When her family holds a wedding reception without her, it’s both outrageous and deeply sad. Yet Donna doesn’t wallow—she gets on with it, proving herself to be one of the most emotionally resilient and forthright companions the Doctor has ever met.

That final scene—where the Doctor invites Donna to travel with him and she turns him down—lands perfectly. It’s not rejection out of fear or disinterest, but out of wisdom. She recognises the darkness inside him and urges him not to travel alone. It’s a powerful capstone that leaves a door wide open for her return.

📝 VERDICT: 86/100

THE RUNAWAY BRIDE is a sparkling, fast-paced holiday adventure that gives the Tenth Doctor a much-needed breather after the heartbreak of Doomsday while launching one of Doctor Who’s most beloved companions. With killer Christmas trees, robot Santas, ancient spiders and a motorway TARDIS chase, it's got the spectacle and energy of a festive blockbuster. But its true strength lies in Donna Noble—introduced as a brash comic foil, but revealed to be so much more.

The visual effects hold up remarkably well, and the Racnoss is one of the most visually striking villains in the modern series, bolstered by stunning costume design and a delightfully unhinged performance. Funny, sharp, emotionally resonant, and just a little bit dark, this is Doctor Who at its most festive and most characterful—a proper Christmas cracker with a bite.

New Who Review #28

The Runaway Bride ❄️

This story was a blast. I really enjoyed it. It's a good starting point for Donna who we will see again in series 4. I thought the Racnoss a charming villain and really suited the Christmas vibe. Having the robot Santa's back was awesome. This is also our first look at the dark side of the Doctor and we actually re visit this story in a series 4 episode. This is one of my favourite Christmas specials. Catherine was on top form and made me laugh alot throughout this story. 10/10

This episode introduces Donna Noble, who won’t be a companion for a while but has a one off adventure here. The Doctor is attacked by evil santas once again, and fights the Empress of the Racnoss, who seems to have a thing for corny jokes

We also get to see the Tardis in a car chase, as well as messing around with Huon particles. Overall this episode is just a really fun watch

Love that Donna said hell no I'm not going with you wtf you tried to kill them kids.

I adore this episode, and it's one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever. It introduces one of my favorite characters of all time in anything ever in Donna, and it's just so silly.

Ten is mopey and sad and wet and pathetic and it's incredibly funny and touching to see someone like Donna (self-absorbed, forceful, and very keen on being a nuisance, but ultimately a good person with a big heart) break through the shell of his grief a little bit and unintentionally save him from himself.

Catherine Tate and David Tennant have fantastic chemistry and it's always so nice to go back and rewatch this knowing that that's why we ended up getting a full season of Donna as a companion. They just bounce off of each other so well and it's delightful.

I just adore this! Tennant and Tate together are gold and watching this made me desperate to rewatch all of Series 4!

There is so much that's great about this episode, but the best bit is the script. The dialogue between Tennant and Tate is perfect and plays as a perfect contrast to the smugness that had crept into Series 2 between the Doctor and Rose.

The rest of the cast quickly define their roles and it is a testament to Tate and Jacqueline King that their performances continue seamlessly over a year later; such a terrible shame that Howard Attfield - who is also very good in this story - was too ill to continue in the role and, ultimately passed away. Don Gilet is great as Donna's fiancee and alien collaborator, Lance.

The TARDIS chasing Donna's taxi down the motorway is another great sequence perfect for a Christmas day episode - lots of action and laughs is precisely what we want on Christmas Day. It makes the rather dark turn the story takes at the end a little awkward, foreshadowing the direction the 10th Doctor will take, although not for a couple of series yet (so it seems a little out of place here).

The other element I can never quite make my mind up about is the Empress of Racnoss herself. Sarah Parish is having a whale of time chewing the scenery (and the lights, script, CGI effects and probably a couple of gaffers and a teaboy while she's at it) but her costume is so immobile that it just makes the finale all a little static. No amount of quick cuts and edits (which are horribly disorientating) can make up for the fact that she is stuck in a spider's arse for the entire time she is on screen. She is far mor effective when just a spindly arm aboard her webstar (a great spaceship design).

The chaos of the webstar's lasers is a bit naff too and nowhere near as scary as the blood-controlled humans of The Christmas Invasion. It's more reminiscent of the slightly impotent Auton massacre from Rose. Much better is the attack by Christmas baubles at Donna's wedding reception.

Oh, and its a bit of a shame it clearly isn't Christmas Eve in any scenes set outdoors during the day, because it's so blooming sunny!!

Yes, I have a few more niggles with this story that The Christmas Invasion, but the core of Tennant and Tate is more than enough to keep me coming back to this episode. Definitely in the running for best Christmas episode.

I love how this story shows sometimes people meet the doctor and can’t accept the offer of travelling and later we follow up on that later I love it

Lovely my Donna!

Amazing they both see each other's truth in their own best and worst time!

Very happy to see a woman so human will be brilliant, not dimmed even in the light of the doctor.

This episode is fun but not fantastic. I get why some people don't like it, and the comedy can be a little lacklustre along with the special effects, but it is a very strong performance piece that introduces us to our first little taste of Ten and Donna. I do think it is a much-needed cool-down episode after all the drama of Doomsday. The light-hearted nature of The Runaway Bride is welcome in that regard, even if I wasn't laughing *that* much along the way.

I also really like the Racnoss as a plot point, showing the more interesting aspects of the Doctor's darkness growing within this character at the time and I am especially here for that. I think that particular angle on the character is our main draw for an otherwise pretty mediocre production otherwise. It's also really neat to introduce Donna here only to have her return later in such a major way (and return she would a few times now, which is cool too!).

As much as I love what is going on with the Doctor and Donna when dealing with the Racnoss, the aliens aren't really the best looking of this era and that holds things back a bit because of it. I also found Sarah Palish a little too over the top, even if that was intentional in her performance. It's fine, but definitely worth watching, even with a good amount of unnecessary choices like the evil Christmas trees returning. For that matter, this really didn't feel like it needed to be a Christmas episode at all. It also gets incredibly overstimulating and overwhelming at times.

Easily the best Tennant Christmas Special. It's for sure one of those episodes which won't be for everyone and Donna and/or the Racnoss are definitely going to get on your nerves at least once here, but I think it's just nice? And cosy?

It just doesn't really take itself too seriously, which I think is a tone that just fits Christmas really well, but also has an underlining level of darkness to it, just to give it that lil extra bite. The Racnoss is also superbly realised and they're given good amounts of backstory to get you quickly invested.

When I was younger I held up The Christmas Invasion as a particularly fine example of a Christmas special, and The Runaway Bride as an average one - but now it’s quite the opposite. This is a tightly plotted effort from RTD. It’s poignant when it needs to be then camp and spectacular when it needs to be.

Understanding the brilliance of this larger than life iteration of Donna (as opposed to the more refined version we meet later) is the key to enjoying this story. I used to think that her and the Racnoss pushed the theatricality a bit too far, but that was just me being a sour faced, overly serious fan. Fans often over praise the serious stories and underrate the crowd pleasers.

The set piece on the motorway is the best chase scene in all of Doctor Who. It’s both visually interesting and hilarious. Sylvia Noble is wonderfully cast, this is a stand out character, and one that I’m delighted returns.

Donna performs an important role in the arc of the new series. RTD is letting the new audience know that the companion role is one that gets refreshed regularly, paving the way for a new arrival. It also helps us process the loss of Rose and highlights how important a good companion is. In this story, Donna is put in the role of the imperfect companion, or someone who isn’t quite ready - this yields interesting results.

Tate and Tennent’s chemistry is phenomenal. Tate is an outstanding actor and brilliant comic talent. We’re lucky to have her.