Inside the heartbreaking theory Donna is going to die in the final Doctor Who special

The last two Saturdays on the trot have been a return to halcyon days. Halcyon days where we tuned in of a weekend to see Catherine Tate and David Tennant give us arguably the greatest Doctor Who pairing ever – the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble. With Russell T Davies back at the helm, it’s just been delicious – especially last week with Wild Blue Yonder, for my money one of the best episodes potentially ever. In that episode, Donna came dangerously close to dying – and this theory suggests that she’s not out of the woods yet and is going to die in the final episode of the Doctor Who specials coming this Saturday.

Donna Noble and the Doctor were never meant to meet again. Back in 2008, he wiped her mind of him to ensure she forgot he existed because if she ever remembered – and that was looming for the entirety of The Star Beast. Donna turned out fine, despite everyone’s worry, because she’d halved the weight of her problem with her daughter Rose.

Via BBC

In Wild Blue Yonder, the Doctor and Donna were set upon by two doppelgängers at the edge of the universe. In the final moments, the Doctor almost saved the wrong Donna – and for a brief time it genuinely felt like the real Donna was going to be left to die. Thankfully, she was saved in the nick of time. She’s dodged death twice in the specials at this point.

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In the trailer for the specials, there’s a line the Doctor says that hasn’t aired yet. He says “I don’t know if I can save your life this time”. Um, I’m scared. Obviously these kind of lines are thrown about in telly a lot during final acts – to build tension and threat, but there’s something about the nature of returning to these characters that makes it feel final.

Worse still, before the specials started airing the official Doctor Who account teased the phrase “Doctor, danger, dancing, Donna” on Instagram, to which Russell T Davies replied: “Doctor, danger, dancing, Donna… and disaster”. Is this another big theory that Donna is going to die as the Doctor Who specials wrap up?

Some fans think that when Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the 15th Doctor for the Christmas special, he’s even off to visit Donna’s grave. This is all a bit tinfoil hat, but I’m nervous all the same.

Is Russell really going to kill Donna in the 60th specials and have the 15th Doctor visit her grave in the Christmas Special?! 💀🥺#doctorwho #drwho pic.twitter.com/s4IfJYjbir

— Jack | Spooky Den 🎃 (@nerddenreal) July 30, 2023

More rumours have spiralled too because Yasmin Finney, who plays Donna’s daughter Rose, said she’s only just finished filming – which means she’s appearing in more episodes than just these Doctor Who specials. Why would she be in them and her mother not? Everyone’s very worried. Especially me, who would literally lay down my silly little life for Donna Noble. SOS, guys. We need to make a prayer circle for Saturday.

Every episode of Doctor Who is available on BBC iPlayer here.

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