Catherine Tate, who plays Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors companion, Donna Noble, has revealed that she’d love her character to meet the Ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston.

When asked which character she’d like to interact with who Donna hasn’t met before, Catherine replied:

“I understand the assignment. It would be Chris Eccleston’s Doctor. Yes, because she’s as feisty as he is. And let’s have his northern energy meets my southern energy. That’s who I’d have!”

And it’s a good choice! Eccleston had a lot riding on his back, and he excelled — sadly, because he only did one series back in 2005, he’s often overlooked; so while others frequently respond to such a question with longer-running Doctors like Matt Smith or Jodie Whittaker, it’s great to see the wonderful Christopher Eccleston getting a mention.

It would be interesting, too, to see Eccleston’s Doctor with a different companion, seeing as, on TV, he only really had Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and, for a few episodes, Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). He does at least get other companions of sorts in Big Finish audios, though the big news, of course, is that the latest series of The Ninth Doctor Adventures also stars Billie Piper.

In our review of the first release in the audio season, we said:

“Overall, Snare is a fantastic opener to 9DA Series 4. A character-driven masterpiece which acts as a perfect Big Finish starting point for fans and casual listeners alike, right up there with Respond to All Calls.”

Still, it would be neat to hear or see the Ninth Doctor with a few more companions, including Donna.