I don’t normally talk much about my past life in TV and film—it’s a bit of a different world from the peace and presence of the yoga mat. But every now and again, a memory knocks on the door (or runs up the travelator in big boots), and I have to let it in.
So. I was Catherine Tate’s body double once. Yes, that Catherine Tate. Yes, that Donna Noble. And yes, that Doctor Who.
It was one of those completely surreal experiences that stays lodged in the muscle memory of your soul. One minute you’re sipping tea in your joggers, the next you’re hoisted into a spaceship, wearing Donna Noble’s iconic outfit, preparing to sprint full pelt on a travelator the size of a Tesco aisle. In massive boots.
Running on a Travelator in Space
The travelator scene was a riot. Running in big costume boots—which were absolutely not made for sprinting—on a moving conveyor belt, while pretending the fate of the universe hung in the balance. It was like parkour meets panto. My yoga training definitely came in handy; core strength and balance were key, especially when everything around you is wobbling (including your own sense of reality).
Enter the Gladiator
And then there was the ex-Gladiator. No, that’s not a metaphor. One of the stunt girls had been an actual Gladiator from the TV show. I had to do a grappling scene with her. I’d never wrestled a Gladiator before. Or since. But I’d highly recommend it as a life experience. Just maybe not every day.
Ghost in the Machine
The funny part? You wouldn’t know I was there. No credits, no mention. I was like a yoga-practicing ghost in the time machine. Blink and you’d miss me (though ironically, sometimes I was the only one not blinking in the scene). It’s a strange thing, being invisible and essential all at once. Like the breath in a good yoga pose—unseen, but holding everything together.
The Most Surreal Bit of All
The weirdest, most wonderful moment? Standing in a circle, in full costume, with David Tennant’s body double, Catherine’s stand-in, and me. A sort of Doctor-Donna uncanny mirror world. We were rehearsing a scene, just us doubles, interacting like our main characters. It was like being inside a wax museum… but the wax figures had learned to move and giggle.
It was bizarre and brilliant, like looking into a cracked reflection of a parallel universe. So much fun. So very Doctor Who.
These days, life is quieter. There’s less travelating and more grounding. Less fake spaceship, more real breath. But every time I guide someone into Warrior II or Tree Pose, I think—this strength, this presence, this connection to your body? It’s what carried me through sci-fi chaos and studio lights.
And if ever I ask you to hold a pose a little longer… just imagine I’m prepping you to run through time in heavy boots. Because you never know when you might be called up.
With love and a hint of stardust,
Jennie x
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