10 Doctor Who Cliffhangers That Made You Say WHAT?!

8. Donna In The TARDIS (Doomsday)

Doctor Who Doomsday confused David Tennant
BBC Studios

Doomsday really was an emotional rollercoaster of an episode. It marked the end of an era for modern Doctor Who, as we saw the departure of its first companion.

There wasn’t a dry eye across the nation after that heartbreaking farewell between the Tenth Doctor and Rose on Bad Wolf Bay, but before we – or even the Doctor – had time to process this loss, a huge shock was dropped in the form of Catherine Tate in a wedding dress. Oh, and she was also inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor’s famous “What? What? WHAT?!” reaction made its debut in this iconic moment, and the no-nonsense banter from Tate immediately set a very different dynamic and tone for the following episode, The Runaway Bride.

This ending left you in a rather conflicted state of both utter devastation at the loss of Rose, but also a (somewhat guilty) feeling of excitement and anticipation about what was to come from the sassy Donna Noble.

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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.