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Were you surprised when Donna Noble returned for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special? Seeing Catherine Tate reunite with David Tennant was a heartwarming moment that recaptured the magic of their old adventures. If Donna’s appearance was a pleasant surprise, then you can thank Catherine Tate. It turns out that the actress had to keep her return a secret for three years!

During a spotlight panel at Dragon Con, Tate was asked if it was hard to keep Donna’s return a secret. The actress had an interesting answer. “It wasn’t difficult because no one expected it. But actually Dave [Gibbons] and I, and Russell [T Davies] sat on that. The first time it was thought up to when we came onto the tv screens, it was probably about three years.”

“It was a long time. We filmed it eighteen months before it aired, and we knew about it as a definite go ahead a year before that, and it was six months before that when Russell had kind of gone, ‘I’ve got this idea.’ So it was a long time.”

Three years is a long time to keep Donna’s return under wraps. Take note, if you need to trust someone with a secret, then Catherine Tate is your woman. 

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