The Doctor investigates sinister weight-loss pills. Donna investigates sinister weight-loss pills. They miss each other repeatedly until they don’t — and then it’s glorious.
Short Synopsis
The Doctor and Donna separately investigate Adipose Industries, a company offering miraculous weight-loss pills. Turns out the pills literally convert body fat into tiny, squeaky alien babies called Adipose. Hijinks, misunderstandings, and synchronized window-miming ensue. In the end, the aliens escape, the Doctor and Donna reunite, and the TARDIS gains its sassiest co-pilot.
Extended Storyline
We begin with Donna Noble, now back in her ordinary life — which she despises. She’s working temp jobs, living with her perpetually disappointed mum, and being nagged by her delightful granddad Wilf (Bernard Cribbins, who frankly steals every scene he’s in). Donna knows she missed out when she turned down the Doctor at Christmas, and she’s been looking for strange happenings ever since. Basically: she’s primed and ready for adventure.
Meanwhile, the Doctor is also poking around London, investigating Adipose Industries. Their miracle weight-loss pill is wildly successful, which naturally means it’s probably run by aliens or at least a very dodgy pyramid scheme.
Cue one of the funniest running gags in the episode: the Doctor and Donna keep investigating the same building at the same time but keep missing each other by seconds. He ducks around a corner, she pops out. He’s climbing into a lift, she’s getting out. It’s like Scooby-Doo without the canned laughter.
Adipose’s “miracle cure” turns out to be exactly what it says on the tin — the pills convert human fat into alien babies. And not horrifying alien babies, either. Oh no. These things are adorable. The Adipose are squishy little marshmallow blobs with button eyes and squeaky voices. They waddle, they wave, they giggle. And yes, they’re made of literal human fat, but somehow you still want to adopt one and name it Mr. Squishy.
Running the show is Miss Foster, a nanny with a supervillain streak, who orchestrates the conversion process. She’s in cahoots with the Adipose, helping them breed an army of chubby cuties from unwitting dieters. The plan isn’t to take over the world (for once); it’s just intergalactic childcare with a side of corporate evil.
Eventually, the Doctor and Donna finally spot each other through office windows across the street — and thus we get the scene. The silent reunion through exaggerated gestures, eyebrow wiggles, and full-body mime is one of the most GIF-worthy moments in modern Who. Catherine Tate and David Tennant absolutely nail the comedy timing, proving this partnership is going to be golden.
From there, it’s back to business. The Doctor does the whole “sonic screwdriver and moral outrage” routine, Donna pitches in with sheer determination and blunt common sense, and Miss Foster ends up plummeting to her death when her alien employers decide she’s expendable. The Adipose themselves? Beamed up into space, safe and sound. That’s right — no mass alien slaughter today. Just a bunch of squeaky marshmallows toddling into the stars.
The real punch of the episode comes at the end. The Doctor offers Donna a spot in the TARDIS, but this time she’s not swooning, flirting, or hoping for romance. She just wants adventure, plain and simple. Donna sets boundaries, makes it clear she’s here for travel not love, and slaps the Doctor (verbally) into shape. It’s exactly what he needs after his broody Martha-and-Rose baggage.
As the TARDIS dematerializes, Donna leans out to wave goodbye to Wilf, who beams up at her with unfiltered joy. It’s one of the most wholesome scenes in the show, and honestly? Wilf deserved his own spin-off.