Doctor Who script reveals never-before-seen Tenth Doctor and Donna scene
Silence on the Beach?
With hundreds of Doctor Who scripts being released on the BBC's Script Library, fans are discovering never-before-seen moments, including one glorious scene between David Tennant's Tenth Doctor and Catherine Tate's Donna Noble.
The script for season 4, episode 8, titled Silence in the Library, reveals a full deleted scene showing the Doctor prattling on about the best beaches in the universe before he gets called to the library (where he would go on to meet Alex Kingston's River Song and encounter the Vashta Nerada).
The scene takes place inside the TARDIS, with the Doctor declaring: "Beaches! People never stop loving beaches!" before telling Donna about a beach with "intelligent sand".
It all sounds lovely – until he reveals that the beach in question dissolves all living matter into a protein slime when it gets hungry once a year.
The scene then shows the Doctor receiving a worrying message on his psychic paper, before changing tact and declaring: "Books, yes. People never stop loving books!"
Silence in the Library was the first of a two-part story in season 4, concluding with Forest of the Dead. At this point in the timeline, Kingston's River Song had met the Doctor many times – but this was the first time he had met her.
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Also included in the Whoniverse collection on the BBC Script Library is Ncuti Gatwa's audition scene, which had never been read by fans before.
The eight-page script was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and sees the Doctor encountering a monster named the Spikemaster.
It includes various monologues from the Doctor, a mention of the TARDIS, and even a nod to Chris Chibnall's Timeless Child arc.
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It was Gatwa's one and only audition, with Davies previously saying: "I was very lucky that I did the audition with Ncuti, and it was one of the most astonishing afternoons of my life, because you were just so amazing – to actually be in a room with you and to see you face-to-face.
"He did one audition. Normally there's, like, 27 auditions – one! He just got it."
You can read more Doctor Who scripts in the Whoniverse collection in the BBC Script Library.
Doctor Who will return in May. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
