Doctor Who 4x2 Reaction!! "The Fires of Pompeii" 

This episode really took me by surprise. I'm still in awe of Donna in this episode. Thanks for watching! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

"Just save someone" is one of the most quintessential moments of Doctor Who.

People were really doubtful of Catherine Tate's acting ability, as she was mostly known as a cheap comedy actor. This episode really changed people's opinions on her!!

Donna's "just save someone" speech is when she went from being a companion I loved to being my favorite companion of all time. And she still is. She has the fiercest heart and Catherine Tate is one of the finest actors to ever appear on Doctor Who.

And somehow Peter Capaldi was not the only actor in this episode to go on and play a big role in later series of the show

I love that Donna argues with the Doctor in a way we haven’t really seen in the other companions, Rose and Martha were both too in love, too in awe to really snark at him. I always enjoy it as a refreshing change of pace.

Donna is such a great companion. She really changes during her travels with the Doctor. No spoilers, but you’re going to be blown away.

The relationship between Donna and the Doctor is my absolute favorite! "Oy, space man!!"

“The Donna… no, crap, I mean Donna! I swear I’ll eventually get it right!!!” Ten minutes later: “The Donna”… you just can’t catch a break can you 😂

Best companion, best doctor. Peak doctor who. You will laugh, you will cry. Oh you will cry, and you won’t be alone :)

Honestly Donna is such a quality companion, personally my favorite companion overall! She & the Doctor play off each other so well, the writing she gets is often stellar plus the chemistry of the actors & the sheer experience they both have truly shines through during the heavier scenes.

Capaldi is a life-long Who fanatic (to the point that the BBC thought he was annoying when he was a child!!), so I find it really cute that he's played multiple roles in the Whoniverse 😊

At this point you should just keep calling them The Doctor and The Donna. Just keep it in. It's cute, and I do believe Donna would absolutely agree with being called that.

Peter Capaldi has said he was filming The Musketeers when he heard he'd got the role of the Doctor although obviously it had to be kept secret for a while yet. There was a child extra on set who was a big fan of Doctor Who and wanted Peter's autograph just because he'd been in this episode. Peter was signing stuff for him saying "I think you should get several pictures of us together" and asking if there was anything else he wanted signed knowing the kid would be upset in the future if he'd missed out on more interactions with the actual future Doctor. But as Peter said the kid didn't know this yet so Peter just came off as a weirdo who this kid was only mildly interested in as someone who was in one episode of Doctor Who and the kid didn't really want a lot of stuff signed or photos with this person who'd only briefly been part of his favourite show. At least Peter tried.

This episode actually references a First Doctor story 'The Romans' from early 1965. In the beginning of this episode Tenant says "that fire had nothing to do with me" in reference the great fire of Rome and well sorry Doctor, it definitely was at least a little your fault, even if accidentally 😅

Caecilius, Metella and Quingtus were real inhabitants of Pompeii (the daughter was invented), and Karen Gillan appeared in this episode too.

I love the end of this episode "save just one"

Peter Capaldi wasn't the only face in this episode that will show up again in Doctor Who in later seasons ;)

1:24 "Who is that" That my friend is Nebula :)

Peter Capaldi is not the first actor to be cast as the Doctor after having appeared in the series in a completely different role. The actor who played the 6th Doctor was previously cast as a villain in an earlier story. I think this is basically due to the fact that the UK acting pool is fairly small - at least when compared to the US.

Such good writing, such great acting skills. Donna's emotions goes right through the screen. The chemistry. The supporting cast. All worked fantastic in this episode. Thanks for a great reaction to this astonishing good TV show. 🎉

Absolutely incredible episode. No matter how many times you watch it, it hits you every time! Donna and the Doctor are such a perfect pair.

I just love that you keep calling her The Donna. Maybe you have the sight... 😂

0:20 I love watching The Donna and Doctor have adventures!

The first time I saw Peter Capaldi, he was John Frobisher. And to this day, whenever I see him, this role comes to mind. He really sold it. It's anotherone of those "if you know, you know"s...

There had to be a witness, to bring forth the name 'Volcano'. The family saved was meant to be saved for the rest of history to play out as Donna and the Doctor knew it.

This is the episode that made Donna my favourite companion. Along with how she grows from this point.

The lead Sister at 4:07 was played Sasha Behar who I'll always remember for her role on the UK soap Coronation Street back in 2004 as Maya Sharma or as some would call "Mad Maya".

THE Donna, who totally deserves the emphasis, is my most loved companion to the Doctor and I've been a fan my entire life. That you adore her too, makes me so happy. Thanks as always Chris x

Funnily enough, Capaldi wasn't the first actor to have a role on the show and become the Doctor later on. In Classic Who, Colin Baker, who would go on to play the 6th Doctor, appeared as a side character in a Peter Davison (5th Doctor) episode.

Chris, you are now my unofficial "lunch date" on the days you post your "Whoniverse" reactions. They go out right before my lunch. So when I sit down to eat and open RU-vid, to see what to watch, there you are. 😁

this one ALWAYS makes me cry

I was really impressed with Tate. For an actor know so well for her work in comedy, just to show she is fully capable of bringing the audience to tears as well

This one was such a moral dilemma. My heart was with Donna on this one!

I feel that there might be a misunderstanding with The Doctor's choice in this episode. The Doctor thought that the eruption of Vesuvius was a fixed point because it is such a defining moment in human history, but it wasn't. If The Doctor never travelled to Pompeii and pushed that button, then Vesuvius never would have erupted. He learns that this earth-shaking tragedy where hundreds of people choked and burned and died in agony was not just something that *needs* to happen in order for the proper history to be maintained. It's not like anything he tries to do here makes the eruption happen anyway. It's a very real choice.

Catherine Tate’s ability to shift from hilarious to heartbreaking is impressive. If you can ever find a bootleg of her and Tennant doing Much Ado About Nothing (it pops up on RU-vid now and then) her “Kill Claudio” is such a quick change and it’s so brilliant. She is my absolute favorite.

This is one of my favourite episodes. So good. So important for the characters. Also an interesting episode for featuring future cast.

Same. Doctor / Donna are the best !

Peter Capaldi and David Tennant are my favorite doctors, and revisiting this episode and seeing them act together is such a gift! Both of them watched Doctor Who growing up - in different decades.

She absolutely is THE Donna

The show got to return to the sets of the HBO/BBC production Rome in Rome to shoot this.

there were 2 big names in this episode that will be important later, but i dont know if i should say the other one yet... but Peter Capaldi was so good in this episode

This episode is so so underrated. Donna is amazing in this one and Tate's performance is incredible.

Yep it's Capaldi - Dr. Who has a tradition of actors appearing in one role and returning in a later season as another character - most notably Collin Baker appearing as Maximus early in the penultiimate season of Peter Davison's run as the Doctor and then takes the role of the Doctor at the end of next season. In fact there's another actor in this episode who appears in the show before Capaldi's "return" - but just not as easily recognisable as Capaldi - in fact I didn't find out about it until years later. The same thing happened in Star Trek: TOS mere seasons apart - Morgan Woodward (Dagger of the Mind & Omega Glory), Barry Russo (Devil in the Dark & The Ultimate Computer) & Diana Muldaur (Return to Tomorrow & Is There in Truth No Beauty?). It also happened in some longer running older shows (Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Wagon Train, Bonanza...) but usually farther apart.

Donna really does have some banger episodes.

This episode is good, but this series only gets better as it goes. A few actors have played guest roles in DW and then played leads later on. Fun fact: The family in this episode are based on the Cambridge Latin textbook series which follows the story of a family living in Pompeii. So Caecilius was remembered centuries later!

Peter Capaldi told the story of how he got The part in this episode. He’s been a fan all his life & when his agent rang him to offer it, he said, “Yes!!” before he’d stopped speaking. When he was given 12, he was over the moon. Lifelong fan.

Donna is amazing and brilliantly played by Catherine Tate. By far my favourite companion. So, so good.

Many of the Doctor's companions have fought against what the Doctor decides in difficult positions, even left because of it. Many have accepted those decisions in time. Many have even tried to force certain decisions and been left behind, or forgiven, but it still wounded their relationship with the Doctor for a time. Donna here, however, did what very few have ever done: Take on the responsibility of the decision together with the Doctor, not only agreeing that it must be done, but that it wasn't just the Doctor deciding and them agreeing in the end. She put her hands with the Doctor in making the decision, even if it meant her own life if they weren't able to escape. The fate of the world, and what it meant to time and the universe, necessitated taking on the guilt of being the one to cause such destruction, whether it was fated or not. It was still her choice, and she accepted it, if it would help the Doctor realize he wasn't alone in taking on that burden. When Donna first started out as a companion, I thought she was not as clever, just lucky. In this episode, she showed her heart and her mind, right from the start. She wanted to save as many as she could even with what was known historically. She wondered what would happen if you tried to use the language of the area if the Tardis was already tranlating that language for you, something which even the Doctor hadn't considered before. Donna ended up becoming such an important companion because of this season, but especially this episode and some yet to come. I won't spoil those, but damn was it a wonderful season. The others before it had to come to build upon, but even without them and just taking context from what is said within the season and holiday episode introducing Donna... you really, really get a feel for what Doctor Who was through that entire run.

I like these "fixed point in time" episodes. No matter how much power they have to change things, they must let them happen.

It is wild that Capaldi eventually becomes Doctor Who, coincidently in another movie completely unrelated to this, he also plays a Dr. of the W.H.O.

I just loved watching this episode with you - how youre not worried about showing your emotions, and crying atbthe same bits I am also crying at. Peter Capaldi was a huge fan of Dr Who since childhood, famously pestering the BBC to run the Dr Who fan club and later fulfilled his dream to be Dr Who. Theres a history of characters who have previously been in the show coming back as bigger characters - Freema Agyeman, Karen Gillan and Peter Capaldi just in NuWho.

Donna is the absolute best character. She doesn’t take any crap. But she is the most empathetic person.

One of my absolute favourites and the one where Donna earns her stripes. The moment she places her hands on the plunger to share his burden is the moment she became my favourite companion. So good.

Donna is my favorite companion of all of doctor who, i'm so happy we're here :)

1:24 "who's that?" ... That would be Karen Gilan, best known these days as Nebula, though lot's of other stuff too

Peter Capaldi wasn't even the first actor to guest star on the show before becoming the Doctor (happened before in Classic Who). Anyway, I really love this episode as well. As you said, it really cements the relationship between the Doctor and Donna and showcases Donna's big heart and desire to help people. And Catherine Tate got to show everyone that she's not just a sitcom actress; she's brilliant at drama too. On to the next one!

Great actors all around in this episode - and some doc who actors without spoiling it :) Tennant and Capaldi are my top 2 fav actors rn

Catherine Tate is wonderful in this episode. Before it, she was primarily known for comedy in the UK even though she had been a member of the National Youth Theatre and attended Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Like you, Donna is my favourite Who companion. I love that she can stand up to the Doctor, has a big heart and humour. She has the best character arc of any companion. I agree the Doctor needs his companions who bring humanity. It's not unusual for Doctor Who to recast actors after they've used them because they have gotten to know what they can bring to the role. If you recall, Freeman Agyeman played 2 roles in Doctor Who. Before she was Martha Jones, she played a character named Adeola in "Army of Ghosts" (they later explained the resemblance as Martha's cousin.

Capaldi, Tennant, and Ecclestone are my favourite doctors. I think they really manage to capture the light and dark sides of his character without it feeling jarring.

Did you notice that the priestess that first saw the Doctor and Donna arrive is Karen Gillian, lately of Marvel fame, that also appears later in the series as a companion?

there are actually two actors playing future main characters in this one episode, not just capaldi ;) I hope this is vague enough btw

Wow! Most reactors need to get a lot further into series 4 before they believe us that Donna is the best companion. Good on you for catching on so quickly! 😜 Have fun with this run, it only gets better!

As an Aussie, I hadn’t heard of Peter (apart from this) before 12 was announced. I looked up his 2 previous well-known parts & got VERY nervous. Although I did greatly admire his acting ability, so was also hopeful.

It’s definitely not just you… *everyone* falls in love with Donna 😁 Love Peter capaldi too. The end of his run - from Christopher eccelston to capaldi is where my brain cuts off that magical section of doctor who. Then it became endless dry spells and changes and different. So it’s old, nu, that squiffy bit in the middle and the new new stuff lol.

There is a few times when actors come back in different roles. I won't say who, but another actor in this episode returns in a different role in a future episode, also you probably already know this but in case you don't - I know you've been watching the Torchwood series (gotta watch your reactions to that still) but Gwen Cooper's actress is the same actress that was in the season one episode with Charles Dickens and the gas creatures - she was the woman with the sight acting as the bridge for the gelth. And the actress in the previous episode 'Turn Left', the fortune teller is, I believe, the same actress who played Chan Tho in the Master's episode

There are several actors who have played multiple roles, including several really important roles.

"Not the whole town. Just save someone."

"The Donna" is just so brilliant

This episode is a favourite of mine. I could gush about everything that makes it especially awesome, but then my comment would become more of an essay, so instead I'll offer up some fun trivia: The textbooks for the Cambridge Latin language course, first published in 1970, describe several scenarios featuring a marble merchant named Caecilius, his wife Metella, and their children Quintus and Evelina.

Donna is my favorite companion of Nu Who. Leela was my favorite of classical Who.

2 actors in this episode later show up in doctor who playing different roles, Karen Gillan and Peter Capaldi however Peter Capaldi actually plays 3 roles in the doctor who series.

this episode will forever make me cry Catherine's acting asking the doctor to saver someone will always break me

Peter Capaldi is in World War Z as a doctor based at a W.H.O. facility in Cardiff - and Dr Who is filmed in Cardiff, a nice coincidence I think....

A lot of people at the point this was made were only familiar with Catherine Tate from her sitcom, and were not impressed that she'd been cast as the new companion. So I kind of think they wanted to blow people's expectations away completely. They did, and she became one of the best companions.

Karen Gillan, too. Casting earned their pay on this one.

Donna and Doctor... nice alliteration 😅

yes that is our deer Peter the 12th doctor, and there is also a future companion in this episode, but she is a bit harder to spot

Colin Baker played a character who shot the Fifth Doctor - and was later cast at the Sixth Doctor

I love how you keep accidently saying The Donna, bring the drama 😂

Always liked this episode just because of that line just save someone. Every home should have a house god. Mines a cute 300 year old Martian cyborg who gets a little techy when she don't get her chocolate offerings.

Now you see! Much more great things to come. I think this is my favourite run of Russel T Davies' v1.0 NuWho. And a lot of that is very much down to Donna's development and her chemistry with Tennant.

It is interesting how this story plays with prophecy considering how much of the show's future is here too....

Peter is excellent. He could read the dictionary and I would love to listen to him. Some of his Dr. Who episodes are amazing. Some have flawed scripts. To me his best acting is in Torchwood. That is what nailed down his role as The Doctor.

Yes, that is Capaldi. You might have noticed that people get a trial as a throw away character only in one episode, then get invited back for a bigger role. Donna was still learning how to be likable here. You don't change history. Also, scruffy Chris is a good look.

Peak Doctor Who episode.

Excellent episode with a very strong cast. Obviously Capaldi in the main role is some time away, but for some British context, he had a huge profile in the UK around this time for his Malcolm Tucker from Thick Of It. I'll leave that for you to look up yourself (it's 'political' but well worth it) but imho his Malcolm Tucker was one of the best characters ever from British TV comedy, but most definitely comes with a NSFW warning. In fact, it was impossible to even imagine the move from Swear Lord to Time Lord...

Loving these reactions.

Having had some initial reservations about whether Donna Noble would be a good companion for a whole series, the moment she tearfully put her hand over the Doctor's so that they could press the button together she won my heart forever! (That and the 'Just save someone!' scene) She was so much more than the spikey stroppy woman of the Runaway Bride! Peter Capaldi is not the only actor in this episdoe who has a future in Who ( not as their character from this- so that's not spoilerific - and it's way down the line)

The darkest secret of this episode is the stealth reveal of one of the Doctors powers. Shhhh don’t tell anyone. He ‘made’ Pompeii a ‘fixed’ point in time.

Top notch episode. "Sometimes I need someone"

Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillian in the same episode......love it

I adore Donna. She's my favorite Who companion of both the old series and the new. You should check out Catherine Tate's comedy specials, they are sidesplitting, and Tennant appears in several sketches!

I's say the only thing letting this episode down is the rather modern feeling and stereotypical family dynamics of the roman family and the unneeded epilogue in Rome. The central conflict of pragmatism vs compassion between Donna and The Doctor where Donna struggles seeing the bigger picture while The Doctor refuses to see beyond it is perfectly executed and packs a real punch in the end when they start to see eachothers viewpoint.

Donna is hands down my favorite companion.

Its not that it was always going to happen. Nothing was going to happen (except the the pyroviles plan to convert people) but the Doctor had to take the action that must always be taken. The Doctor is the reason the event is fixed.

Peter Capaldi isn’t the first Doctor who appeared in the show before being cast. Colin Baker actually tried executing his predecessor in a Peter Davison story.

The Doctor and Loki were here at the same time!!!!!!!!

It will always bother me that they claimed there is no word in latin for "volcano". There is: vulcanus.

You're a way better judge of character than I am! At first I found the Donna abrasive and pushy and just didn't like her, but then I got to know her, and she grew on me, quite a lot. She's fantastic. So you noticed Peter Capaldi, eh? 😆 Understandable you didn't notice the other one. 😉