Only a few weeks ago, Catherine Tate was talking about how she would have enjoyed staying with Doctor Who beyond the fourth season of the show. That said, not many people thought it was a probability, given how her character’s story arc had seemingly come to an end with her memory being wiped in Journey’s End.

But never discount the determination of a Doctor Who scriptwriter (perhaps one who's seen Men In Black 2), because it’s being reported this morning that Tate is being lined up to appear in one of the four special episodes of Doctor Who that are being put out by the BBC in 2009.

According to a report in The Sun this morning (and, to be fair, its hit rate when it comes to Doctor Who stories really isn’t bad), not only will Tate’s Donna Noble character be returning for a one-off, but she’ll be bringing her granddad, the wonderful Bernard Cribbins, with her. We're a bit unsure what to think of this one. We warmed to the character of Donna Noble, but there was something really quite complete about how things ended up for her, and while there may be some ratings-driven temptation in the midst of all of this, we're intrigued as to why and how she's coming back.

It’s also being strongly rumoured that one of the specials will see the return of The Master again, and that once more he will be played by John Simm. This should be interesting, too. Simm’s Master was killed, refusing to regenerate while lying in the Doctor's arms.. There was, of course, a ring device that allowed the character to live on, but surely the John Simm iteration of him was over? Or was all this just another deception, and is The Master okay really?

We’ll find out in due course. But, as every Doctor Who fan has accepted over the years, nobody has to stay dead in the show forever…