Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Episode 1 Ending & Donna’s Memory Explained

The first of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary specials tackles the problem of Donna Noble’s lost memories, and reveals a secret about her daughter, but in typical Doctor Who fashion, neither is straightforward. When Catherine Tate left Doctor Who in 2008, Donna Noble departed the TARDIS under a cloud of tragedy. Upon merging with the Tenth Doctor’s regeneration energy, Donna’s mind overloaded. The only way to save her was repressing all memories Donna had of space, aliens, and the TARDIS. Remembering them would result in Donna’s death, but with Tate and David Tennant both returning for Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary specials, a more permanent solution looked inevitable.