Doctor Who Cast: Where Are They Now?

Catherine Tate was already a superstar in the UK before she was cast as Donna Noble, having already headlined her own self-titled sketch show. Like many actors before her, there was scepticism that Tate could bring the necessary depth to the part and not just be a one-note clown for thirteen episodes.

The fact that Donna is cited by many Doctor Who fans as their favourite companion of the revival series should say it all. After her tragic departure in the series four finale, Tate appeared once more as Donna in both parts of The End of Time.

Her next big role, and arguably her most recognisable one for international audiences, was that of temporary Dunder Mifflin manager Nellie Bertram in the US adaption of The Office. Tate played the role from the series seven finale until the show's final episode in 2013.

Tate has since been seen sporadically on British television in comedy programmes such as Big School and Catherine Tate's Nan. She has also appeared in DuckTales as Magica DeSpell and has recently returned as Donna Noble for a series of Big Finish audio adventures, both seeing her once again team up with co-star David Tennant.