Kidnapped!: Out of this World

"I'm steering clear of skinny boys in suits."

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Format: Audio

Released: March 2020

Series: Donna Noble 1.01

Featuring: Donna

Synopsis

Donna's home, but she's not quite herself. Sylvia has some ideas to bring her out of herself – involving an old friend, and speed-dating...

As schoolgirl BFFs Donna and Natalie get reacquainted, a mysterious stranger dogs their steps. Is the Doctor keeping tabs on her, or is the truth far more sinister?

Verdict

Out of this World was a brilliant start to the Kidnapped! first series of the Donna Noble spinoff! I think this is such a fun idea for a spinoff and whilst it is sparked from a really tough time in Donna's life, she's an easy choice of character when it comes to leading their own series. Catherine Tate is just marvellous and starting off with Donna and Sylvia bickering was perfect. The humour that came with the delivery mishap and the latter's mother not being a fan of 'that' Doctor was delightful. It was right in line with what we saw on television during Series 4. The speed dating invitation was great stuff and Sylvia being the one to set her up there with Natalie was very amusing. Nat going despite being married said a lot about her and I liked that the Doctor's presence was felt with Donna thinking she'd seen him at the dating location. Adrian being a late arrival was immediately sceptical and his going on exotic travels somehow made me instantly suspicious of him, as I'm sure was intended. Donna making up a quick story for each person she was speed dating was just excellent and her comments about breaking the sub-two minute mile and being 119 were glorious. This was Donna at her best. Adrian being curious about the TARDIS added to his shadiness and it was a lot of fun for Donna to think he was sent by the Doctor to keep an eye on her whilst he was away from her. The timeline being established for Donna as being fresh off the events of Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead was very good and she was really impacted by the reveal that she never had a husband or children as she had lived out in the Library computer. That was really sad and it was nice to know she had come home to recover. A burglary at the Noble household wasn't exactly ideal but Sylvia bashing the burglar with a golf club was tremendous. Sylvia hiding the note from the Doctor was a little sad and it was nice that he was off investigating on his own for something and warned her not to be suspicious of sighting the TARDIS. Sylvia was so suspicious of the Doctor but she was also dealing with the grief of losing her husband really which was very strong continuity and a nice way to place a timeline on the death of Donna's dad from when we saw him in The Runaway Bride. Donna going off investigating the disappearances that Wilf had assembled knowledge on was tremendous and the fact that humans and their non-human synthetics were being separated was very creepy! Shoes being left behind was an eery image. Nat showing her concern with a secret call to Sylvia was intriguing and I wonder how the dynamic of their pairing will turn out for the rest of the series. Dennis being the prime suspect was good and his apparent monkey testing and suspicious warehouse added to that eery atmosphere. Donna and Nat were denied entry and the comedy that followed about not being defeated by a fence was outstanding. The guard dogs did the trick! Adrian also being there confirmed he was up to no good despite the cover story of fixing the IT maintenance issues. Donna matching with Adrian was great and her conversation to Marge about not having any other matches was terrific. She certainly seemed to care desire not initially wanting to go! Nat matching with Dennis provided the perfect opportunity for a double date and Nat proving there was a bad guy was really good as she showed how all of the missing people were contained in Dennis's file. Dennis describing a break in at the warehouse with missing livers was horrifying especially as there was no surgery involved. That all pointed to Adrian and some alien activity. Dennis wife being missing but him saying she'd left him added to the suspicion on him, but I was torn once Adrian positioned himself to investigate Dennis. Nat being his next victim did seem to add up and the plan for Adrian and Donna to go to Dennis's house first and leave the date early was strong. Donna picking up on Adrian's faux pas of knowing that Sylvia was Donna's mum without her mentioning was good and something I'm glad wasn't let to slip. Marge going to Sylvia and warning her of Adrian but her mistaking the murderer for the Doctor was excellent stuff! Marge going to the restaurant was good but Nat's twist of knowing it was Adrian all along was cleverly done. She knew that it was him that had taken Dennis's wife instead but the murderer was feigning a love interest for Donna when she questioned him after the taxi detours. His reveal that his method was by absorption and literally becoming one not meaning a relationship was great. He extracted the essence he needed to keep his failed organs going and then liquidised what was left. It was gruesome stuff! Marge being in league with Adrian was something I didn't expect so that was a fantastic late twist, and they'd both found the TARDIS which led them to Donna because of the traces of it on her. She had knowledge they needed on it. Marge's faulty transmat only taking human matter provided a brutal death for Adrian but an ingenious way for Donna to get the upper hand on him, and we had a very intriguing conclusion! Marge had the TARDIS and the doors had been left open, only for Donna to claim she was the Doctor and Nat was her companion! I thought that was marvellous and a terrific way to set up the rest of the series. Overall, a really strong start to the spinoff! 

Rating: 9/10