Yahoo News Why does the Doctor wipe Donna's memory in Doctor Who?
We are counting down the days until David Tennant and Catherine Tate returns as the Doctor and Donna Noble in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials.
To celebrate the iconic sci-fi show turning 60 years old on 23rd November, for the next three Saturdays three special episodes will air on the BBC that will see the Doctor and one of his favourite companions Donna reunite to tackle foes old and new.
As mentioned in the trailer for the upcoming specials, the last time we saw Donna Noble, the Doctor had wiped Donna's memory in order to save her life and if she remembers him she will die.
Now, while we haven't had our memories wiped, given it's been 15 years since the episode in which Donna's memory was wiped, we're in major need of a refresher as to why the Doctor did what he did. Here's everything you need to know about what happened to Donna Noble and why the Doctor wiped her memory.
Why did the Doctor wipe Donna's memory?
Donna Noble was one the Tenth Doctor's most favourite companions, and unlike his previous companions their relationship was strictly platonic.
The pair traveled through time and space together, meeting everyone from Agatha Christie, to the Doctor's literal daughter.
However, their time together came to an end during the final episodes of Doctor Who season four. During 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' the Doctor and Donna try and locate Earth after it has been stolen along with 26 other planets by the Daleks.
After being attacked by the Daleks, the Doctor begins the regeneration process, but is able to stop it, by transferring all his energy into his severed hand. Donna ends up touching his hand and receives the totally of his knowledge, and briefly becomes 'Doctor Donna'.
With all this new knowledge she is able to stop Davros and the Daleks, saving the universe. However, the total sum of the Doctor's knowledge is too much for a human brain and as we see in one scene it is too much for Donna's mind to handle.
And so, even though she asks him not to, the Doctor has to wipe Donna's memory of anything to do with himself, the Tardis and their adventures together in order to save her.
He then takes her home to Sylvia and Wilfred where he explains the gravity of the situation, adding that she cannot remember at all, even for a second or otherwise she'll burn up.
What happened to Donna after the Doctor wiped her memory?
Despite her memory being wiped this is not the last time we get to see Donna Noble on screen.
Her memory is nearly restored during the 'End of Time' episodes when the Master turns every human on Earth into a clone of him, however a fail-safe the Doctor had implemented manages to keep her memories wiped.
In the final scenes of the episode we see Donna marry her fiancé Shaun Temple, as the Doctor watches on. The Doctor speaks to Sylvia and Wilfred where he reveals he went back in time to see Donna's dad who gave him a pound, which the Doctor uses to buy a winning lottery ticket that Sylvia and Wilfred give to Donna.
Doctor Who returns on Saturday 25th November on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer
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