It's fair to say that Catherine Tate, unveiled today as Doctor Who's new companion, is not everyone's cup of tea, despite her successful BBC2 sketch show. But is she the right choice for the role?
Tate auditioned for the full time role in last year's Doctor Who Christmas special, playing Donna, the eponymous Runaway Bride of the show's title.
From what I recall Tate pretty much screeched her way through the whole thing, stripping paint as she went. But then I guess that's the character she was asked to play.
When she stopped shouting and/or screaming at poor old David Tennant, there were one or two tender moments between the pair, made all the more striking by all the shrieking that had gone on before.
And I thought it was quite a good joke by Russell T to have party girl Donna being too hammered or otherwise indisposed to have remembered any of the mayhem the Doctor Who showrunner had inflicted on London over the course of the preceding two series.
It's surely a good move to get away from the young female eye candy provided by Billie Piper and Freema Agyeman. But someone needs to adjust Tate's volume control.
According the Wiki page for Tate's Donna character, even Russell T thought her too irritating for the role of full time companion, apparently telling Doctor Who Magazine in January that 'she'd get on your nerves'. What changed his mind? Or was he just throwing Whovians off the scent?
