So, that most special of days is almost here. No, not my wedding day! And, as well as it being Christmas Day, the 25th December 2006 is the day of the second “Doctor Who” Christmas Special… the third if you count “The Feast of Steven”. Following on from last year’s story, “The Christmas Invasion”, “The Runaway Bride” sees the return of the brass instrument-laden deadly killer Santas, and this time with redesigned masks. Oh, the horror! More importantly, perhaps, this is the first episode since the return of the series last year that won’t co-star Billie Piper as the Doctor’s companion, Rose. Love it or loathe it, her story has been the binding factor, the continuity if you like, from episode-to-episode over the last two years. The question is, therefore, how will the Doctor fare without her? Why not sidestep the issue with a suitable diversion? Then, when the series returns, viewers will have, hopefully, forgotten the question ever arose and move on without further ado…
Thus, before settling down with new sidekick, Miss Jones, the Doctor faces a brief encounter with bride-to-be Donna, as played by actress and comedienne Catherine Tate. I’m not familiar with her sketch show but you’d have to have been living as an exile on the planet Gallifrey not to know her catch phrases. The best known of these was being repeated, ad nauseam, in the DVD department of one of the local supermarkets a few weeks ago whilst I was out tracking down Bond, James Bond. You might think Sainsbury’s wouldn’t be the place to uncover a secret agent but you’d be wrong! Anyway, I best know Catherine from her brief appearance in episode four of last year’s BBC production of “Bleak House” in which she played Mrs. Chadband. Others may recognise her as Mitzi Kosinski from ITV1’s “Marple: A Murder is Announced”, also from last year, and which coincidentally featured Cassandra actress Zoë Wanamaker.
Starring opposite David Tennant, in “The Runaway Bride”, is actress Sarah Parish playing the sinister Empress of the Racnoss, seen here together at the Bafta Television Awards, 2005. They’ve also worked together before on “Blackpool” and, perhaps of some interest, Sarah has additionally worked with Ms. Piper but not on “Doctor Who”. They both appeared in last year’s reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and, if you don’t already know, no prizes for guessing which playwright pops up in the second episode of next year’s new season of Time Lord adventures. I reckon they eat a lot of Chinese takeaway in the television industry, influencing them to use few ingredients but in every possible permutation! However, the publicity for this year’s Special seems focused on Ms. Tate so, as it’s Christmas, I’ve prepared another ten-picture gallery for your delectation. After all, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without one of Mr. Davies’ famous plum puddings!!
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