Doctor Who: What To Watch Before Tate's Donna & Tennant's Doctor Reunion Special

The "Doctor Who" 60th Anniversary Special, a three-part event set to release this November on the BBC for those in Ireland or the U.K. and on Disney+ for those in the U.S., will chronicle the brief but exciting return of the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) — and now technically the Fourteenth. But Ten isn't the only familiar face returning for some timey-wimey fun: Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) will star in the special as well. For long-time Whovians, the 60th Anniversary Special is an extra strength dose of undiluted nostalgia. For newer fans, it must feel like walking into a room packed with strangers who all know each other in an extremely stressful situation.

Within the post-2005 revival era, there are currently 13 released seasons of "Doctor Who." Only three seasons — Seasons 2, 3, and 4 — star Tennant's iteration of the Doctor. For newer fans who want the full Tennant experience, these seasons — along with the specials released between 2005 and 2010 — cover everything that would make the 60th Anniversary Special so special. Tennant also appears in the 2006 Christmas Special, "The Runaway Bride," and the 2013 Christmas Special, "The Day of the Doctor." However, that episode only makes sense to those who also watched Matt Smith's run as the Eleventh Doctor, which doesn't appear to tie into this upcoming event. For those with little time to spare, we recommend excluding everything in the Tennant era that doesn't feature Donna as his companion — though you'll sorely miss the Rose (Billie Piper) context that is essential to understand Donna's effect on the then-gloomy Doctor.

So, who is Donna Noble? Donna becomes introduced into the Whovian world with the 2006 Christmas Special as the titular Runaway Bride. She serves as the revival era's first companion with no romantic interest in the Doctor whatsoever. After "The Runaway Bride," which is the transitionary special between Seasons 2 and 3, Donna doesn't appear again until Season 4. During her time away, the Doctor becomes a darker, more arrogant figure, with something of a god complex. To better grasp the two drastic edges of Ten's personality, we recommend the 2005 Christmas Special, "The Christmas Invasion," and Season 3's Episodes 8 and 9 to be included as part of your watchlist.

Fast forward to Season 4, Episode 1, "Partners in Crime," and Donna returns for a full stint as the Doctor's companion. Her time with Ten offers some of the best onscreen chemistry of the entire series. David Tennant and Catherine Tate became fast friends in real life and the pair relishes any chance they get to be hilariously mean to each other on screen. Donna appears in all 13 episodes of Season 4. After Season 4, she appears briefly in "The End of Time," the two-part special that closes out Tennant's run as the Doctor. We recommend that it be added to the watchlist but less for a better understanding of Donna and more for a better understanding of how the Doctor's last moments as Tennant went. Spoiler alert ... it's gutwrenching.

While Kate Lethbridge-Stewart's return doesn't carry the same heft as the Tenth Doctor's or Donna's, she was a steady presence for several seasons. For those who don't want a longer watchlist, think of the Chief Scientific Officer of UNIT as a variant of the MCU's Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). She's a figurehead for a top-secret government organization dealing with "bigger threats."

For those who don't mind a little extra time watching "Doctor Who," we recommend Season 7's "The Power of Three," Season 8's "Death in Heaven," Season 9's "The Zygon Invasion" and "The Zygon Inversion," and Season 13's "Survivors of the Flux" and "The Vanquishers." Keep in mind that none of these seasons focus on the Tenth Doctor, so be aware that they might require additional context to understand, and, at that point, you're almost better off just watching the whole thing in chronological order.

Kate also appears in two specials — "The Day of the Doctor," which we've already briefly discussed, and "The Power of the Doctor," the latter of which is the final appearance of the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and features her transformation back into Ten. Should we call him Fourteen at this point? Yes, it's confusing ... but that's "Doctor Who" for you.

Science fiction might be a bit difficult to follow because time travel is a writer's nightmare but we're going to make our recommended watchlist as digestible as possible. Here's the whole thing in chronological order, along with a little bit of additional context:

The Tenth Doctor
• The 2005 Christmas Special "The Christmas Invasion" (Beginning of Tenth Doctor)
• "Doctor Who" Season 3, Episodes 8 and 9, "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood"
• The 2006 Christmas Special "The Runaway Bride" (Beginning of Donna Noble)
• "Doctor Who" Season 4 (13 episodes)
• The 2009 Christmas Special "The End of Time — Part One" and its 2010 January follow-up "The End of Time — Part Two" (Technical end of Tenth Doctor/End of Donna Noble)

The Eleventh Doctor

• The 2013 Christmas Special "The Day of the Doctor" (Official End of Tenth Doctor/Beginning of Kate Lethbridge Stewart)
• "Doctor Who" Season 7, Episode 4, "The Power of Three"

The Twelfth Doctor

• "Doctor Who" Season 8, Episode 12 "Death in Heaven"
• "Doctor Who" Season 9, Episodes 7 and 8, "The Zygon Invasion" and "The Zygon Inversion"

The Thirteenth Doctor

• "Doctor Who" Season 13, Episodes 5 and 6, "Survivors of the Flux" and "The Vanquishers"
• The 2022 October Special "The Power of the Doctor" (Most recent release)

This list is less daunting than it might appear. After all, it boils down to one linear season and one non-linear season because Season 4 features 13 episodes, and the rest of this list combined features 14. That's not so bad, now, is it? Finish it out by watching the upcoming special's latest trailer and "Doctor Who" has never looked more cinematic. But Neil Patrick Harris' role might add some questions to this list too ...

Neil Patrick Harris isn't playing a new role. The "Doctor Who" 60th Anniversary Special will undoubtedly cover all the necessary bullet points but the "How I Met Your Mother" star portrays the Celestial Toymaker. (Don't worry, it's okay to not know who that is.) Initially portrayed by Michael Gough, the Celestial Toymaker is an immortal, godlike entity who caused havoc for the First Doctor (William Hartnell, more recently David Bradley). For a modern reference, it's easiest to compare the Celestial Toymaker to antagonists like Superman's Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Ignoring audio dramas, short stories, and novelizations, the Celestial Toymaker appeared in the original 1963 run of "Doctor Who" for four consecutive episodes ... and the first three of those episodes are literally missing. The old film reels may be sequestered away in someone's private collection, but it's more likely that the BBC intentionally erased or burned them to save space. That was just something they did — causing at least 150 "Doctor Who" episodes to vanish forever. Still, "Doctor Who" Season 3, Episode 33, "The Final Test," still exists and can be viewed by anyone willing to reach back into the annals of time and science fiction. Besides, it's only 25 more minutes of television. See, that didn't add too much to the watchlist, now, did it?