Companion (Doctor Who)

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In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, or shares adventures with, the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as an audience surrogate by providing the lens through which the viewer is introduced to the story, and often, the series itself.

Contents

The companion character often furthers the story by asking questions (which helps the audience understand too) and getting into trouble; also by helping, rescuing, or challenging the Doctor. This designation is applied to a character by the show's producers and appears in the BBC's promotional material and off-screen fictional terminology. The Doctor also refers to the show's other leads as their "friends" or "assistants"; the British press have also used the latter term.

History

In the earliest episodes of Doctor Who, the dramatic structure of the programme's cast was rather different from the hero-and-sidekick pattern that emerged later. Initially, the character of the Doctor was unclear, with uncertain motives and abilities. [1] The protagonists were schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, who provided the audience's point of view in stories set in Earth's history and on alien worlds. Ian in particular served the role of the action hero. The fourth character was the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, who (though initially presented as an "unearthly child") was intended as an identification figure for younger viewers. [2]

Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan Foreman, became unhappy with the lack of development for her character [3] and chose to leave in the show's second series. The character of Susan was married off to a freedom fighter and left behind to rebuild a Dalek-ravaged Earth. Doctor Who's producers replaced Susan with another young female character, Vicki. [4] Similarly, when Ian and Barbara left, the "action hero" position was filled by astronaut Steven Taylor. [5] This grouping of the Doctor, a young heroic male, and an attractive young female became the programme's pattern throughout the 1960s.

When the programme changed to colour in 1970, its format changed: the Doctor was now Earth-bound and acquired a supporting cast by his affiliation with the paramilitary organisation United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT). The Third Doctor, more active and physical than his predecessors, made the role of the "action hero" male companion redundant. In the 1970 season, the Doctor was assisted by scientist Liz Shaw and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, along with other UNIT personnel. The intellectual Shaw was replaced by Jo Grant in the following season, and as the programme returned to occasional adventures in outer space, the format shifted once more: while UNIT continued to provide a regular "home base" for Earth-bound stories, in stories on other planets, the Doctor and Jo became a two-person team with a close, personal bond. This pattern, the Doctor with a single female companion, became a template from which subsequent eras of Doctor Who rarely diverged.

In 1974, the character of Harry Sullivan was created by the production team when it was expected that the Fourth Doctor would be played by an older actor who would have trouble with the activity expressed by his predecessor. The role went to 40-year-old Tom Baker, and the part of Harry, no longer required for the action role, was dropped after one season. [6]

In the Fourth Doctor's final season (1980-1981), he acquired three companions (Adric, Tegan, and Nyssa), and this situation continued under the Fifth Doctor for much of his first season. Adric was written out by the method, unusual within the series, of being "killed off" in the serial Earthshock . By the time of the Sixth Doctor in 1985, a single companion had become standard again.

When the series returned in 2005, a single female companion remained the standard format, though intermittent and short-term companions also featured. More consistent exceptions occurred between series 5 and 7, when the Eleventh Doctor travelled with Amy Pond and Rory Williams, and series 10, where the Twelfth Doctor appeared alongside Bill Potts and Nardole. In conjunction with the introduction of the first female Doctor in 2018, the Thirteenth Doctor's era features multiple companions (both male and female) throughout.

Definition

Although the term "companion" is designated to specific characters by the show's producers and appears in the BBC's promotional material and off-screen fictional terminology, there is no formal definition that constitutes such a designation. The definition of who is and is not a companion becomes less clear in the newer series. [7] During the Doctor's latest incarnations, his primary companions, such as Rose Tyler and Martha Jones, have fulfilled a distinct dramatic role, more significant than other, less prominent TARDIS travellers such as Adam, Jack, and Mickey. The British press referred to Martha as the "first ethnic minority companion in the 43-year television history of Doctor Who" [8] despite the presence of Mickey Smith in the previous series—including several episodes in which he travelled in the TARDIS with the Doctor.

The opening credits do little to clarify the situation. In the first two series of the renewed programme, the only supporting actor to receive a title credit is Billie Piper, although short-term companions Bruno Langley (Adam Mitchell), John Barrowman (Jack Harkness) and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) all appear. In the third series, Barrowman receives a title credit for his return to the show alongside permanent cast member Freema Agyeman, and in series four Agyeman is restored to the opening titles for her return arc as Martha Jones. Series four also gives Agyeman, Piper, Barrowman, and Elisabeth Sladen title billing for their reappearances in the final two-parter. Clarke also reprises his role in the series four finale; although listed as a companion alongside the other actors on the BBC Doctor Who website, [9] Clarke is not credited in this way. In "The End of Time", John Simm receives title billing for his antagonist role as the Master, ahead of Bernard Cribbins as companion Wilfred Mott. In subsequent years, Claire Skinner, Nick Frost and Mark Gatiss have received title credits in special episodes for roles that are not considered companions, as does Piper for her non-companion return in "The Day of the Doctor".

Companions in the new series also have a more flexible tenure than their classical predecessors. Several companion characters have returned to the series after leaving the Doctor's company, most notably in the Series Four finale "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" (2008), which features a record eight past, present and future companions: Donna is joined by a returning Rose, Martha, Jack, Sarah Jane, and Mickey, while past companion K9 and future companion Wilfred Mott make appearances. This tendency, plus the increase in "one-off" companions like Astrid Peth and Jackson Lake, has further obscured the matter of who is and is not a companion. [7]

Role

The Doctor's companions have assumed a variety of roles—involuntary passengers, assistants (particularly Liz Shaw), friends, and fellow adventurers; and, of course, he regularly gains new companions and loses old ones. Sometimes they return home, and sometimes they find new causes—or loves—on worlds they have visited. A few companions have died during their travels with the Doctor, such as the 12th Doctor's companion Bill Potts. Some have taken trips in the TARDIS by accident like Rose's mother, Jackie Tyler.

Most companions travel in the TARDIS with the Doctor for more than one adventure. Sometimes a guest character takes a role in the story similar to that of a companion, such as photographer Isobel Watkins, who plays a significant role in The Invasion (1968), or Lynda in "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways" (2005). In the revived era, some guest characters have gained companion status such as Mickey Smith, River Song, Wilfred Mott, and Craig Owens.

Despite the fact that the majority of the Doctor's companions are young, attractive females, the production team for the 1963–89 series maintained a long-standing taboo against any overt romantic involvement in the TARDIS: for example, Peter Davison, as the Fifth Doctor, was not allowed to put his arm around either Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) or Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka). [10] The taboo was controversially [11] broken in the 1996 television movie when the Eighth Doctor was shown kissing companion Grace Holloway. The 2005 series played with this idea by having various characters think that the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler were a couple, which they vehemently denied. Since the series revival, the Doctor has kissed many of his companions, including Rose and Jack, although each instance was not necessarily in a romantic context (see also "The Doctor and romance"). In Series 2 of the revival, the Tenth Doctor and Rose develop a romantic connection. [12] Rose mentions sharing a mortgage with him if he were to ever be trapped with her in "The Satan Pit". At the end of Series 2, in "Doomsday", Rose and the Doctor are forcibly separated. The Doctor "burns up a sun to say goodbye" and Rose tells him "I love you". Rose and Martha each developed romantic feelings toward the Doctor. On the opposite side of the same coin, Amy reacted to the stress of her adventures by very aggressively trying to seduce the Doctor on the eve of her own wedding, despite being in love with her fiancé Rory; the Doctor forcibly pushed her off of himself, though she did not immediately cease her pursuit. [13] The Eleventh Doctor also formed a romantic connection with occasional companion River Song, [14] later marrying her. [15]

Previous companions have reappeared in the series. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart reunited with later incarnations of the Doctor in Mawdryn Undead and Battlefield . He and Sergeant Benton began as returning characters in the first place, having appeared with the Second Doctor in The Web of Fear and again in The Invasion , prior to starting their full-time association with the Third and Fourth Doctors. Tegan Jovanka was the first full-time companion to part from the Doctor and subsequently return to full-time companionship, although the break in her tenure had been pre-planned.

Most reappearances of companions in the original series, however, were for anniversary specials such as The Five Doctors and Dimensions in Time , both of which also featured multiple Doctors. One former companion, Sarah Jane Smith, together with the robotic dog K-9, appeared in four and two episodes, respectively, of the revived series [16] more than twenty years after their last appearances in the 20th anniversary story The Five Doctors (1983). The character of Sarah Jane also headed up a Doctor Who spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures , with K-9 until Sladen's death. Another companion, Captain Jack Harkness, is the lead character in the spin-off BBC science fiction programme Torchwood . Not only have these former companions continued to make appearances on Doctor Who, they have sometimes been accompanied by some of their own companions from the spin-offs when doing so, including Jack's colleagues Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones, and Sarah Jane's 'family' Mr Smith, Luke Smith and K-9 Mark IV. Other former companions from both the classic era and revived series have also returned as guest stars in the spin-offs, including Martha Jones on Torchwood, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Jo Grant on The Sarah Jane Adventures. K-9 Mark I has also been spun off into its own series, albeit with an independent continuity.

When Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, the companion characters played a slightly different role, partly due to a strong focus on the character of Rose Tyler and characters connected to her. For example, although Adam Mitchell was a companion by the standard definition, he appeared in only two episodes and was arguably a less significant part of the 2005 series than Rose's sometime boyfriend Mickey Smith, who was not technically a companion but appeared in five episodes. Mickey later gained full-fledged companion status when he travelled in the TARDIS in the 2006 episode "School Reunion". In that episode, Sarah Jane Smith referred to Rose as the Doctor's "assistant", a term to which the latter took offence. This exchange might be regarded as indicating the new series' shift in approach to the companion role. Adam was also far less significant than Rose's mother, Jackie Tyler, who was a frequently recurring character who travelled in the TARDIS, yet is not considered a companion.

As of the end of the sixth series, Sarah Jane Smith is the only classic era companion to have travelled again with the Doctor in the revived series, and one of two to have done so in the revived era. She declined his invitation in "School Reunion", but subsequently met up with the Doctor aboard a Dalek ship in "Journey's End" and travelled with him, several other companions, and Jackie Tyler in the TARDIS as they towed the Earth back to the solar system. Sarah Jane, her predecessor Jo Jones (née Grant), and their own respective companions subsequently momentarily travelled in the TARDIS with the Eleventh Doctor in The Sarah Jane Adventures serial, Death of the Doctor . The Eleventh Doctor attempted to have Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart travel with him again only to learn of the Brigadier's death months earlier.

Families and childhoods

In the classic era, companions' friends and families were rarely depicted, and almost all were kept unaware of the true nature of the Doctor and the TARDIS.

Conversely, families and friends of most companions in the revived era are extensively depicted, and their adventures with the Doctor are generally not kept secret. The revived era has also featured a number of companions related to other companions by blood or marriage (Donna Noble's grandfather Wilfred Mott; Amy Pond's fiancé (later husband) Rory Williams, and the couple's daughter River Song; former companions Mickey Smith and Martha Jones who married subsequent to their companionship; Graham O'Brien and step-grandson Ryan Sinclair). [17] No such relationships occurred among companions in the classic era, although original companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright are reported in the revived era to have married subsequent to their companionship, and Ben Jackson and Polly are likewise reported to be together. [18] The families of some classic-era companions too have been depicted in the revived era, such as Jo Grant (now known as Jo Jones)'s grandson Santiago Jones; [19] and Sarah Jane Smith's parents, [20] adopted son Luke Smith, adopted daughter Sky Smith, and alternate timeline fiancé Peter Dalton; [21] and Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart's daughter Kate Stewart. [22]

Another change in the revived era is the depiction of many companions' pre-Doctor lives, particularly their childhoods; no companion was so depicted in the classic era. Companions Rose Tyler, [23] Mickey Smith, [24] Adelaide Brooke, [25] Amy Pond, [26] Rory Williams, [27] River Song [28] and Clara Oswald [29] have all been portrayed in their youths by juvenile actors on Doctor Who; the pre-companionship lives of the Pond-Williams-Song family being particularly well-documented. Companions Jack Harkness [30] and Sarah Jane Smith [31] have also been depicted in their youths on their respective spin-off series.

Loss of a companion

In the original run of the show, companions were mostly written as leaving of their own accord, with only a few exceptions. [32] The first death of a regular companion was of Adric, in the 1982 serial Earthshock . [33] This is different in the revived era, with companions more often given tragic endings and the show exploring the theme of loss more. [32] Demaris Oxman makes further distinction of the way this theme is explored by different showrunners, arguing that companions in Steven Moffat's time as showrunner tended to have more tragic endings, while Russell T. Davies wrote departures closely tied to each companion's character. [33]

The impact of such losses has been explored within the show. For example, the loss of Amy and Rory Williams drives the Eleventh Doctor into solitude in Victorian London where he refuses to get involved in the world's affairs anymore. [34] Series 9 dealt with the Twelfth Doctor's growing fear over the potential of losing Clara Oswald. [nb 1] Her death in "Face the Raven" leads the Doctor to undertake extreme measures to undo her fate, as depicted in the Series 9 finale "Hell Bent". The impact of the death of his wife, River Song, is a subplot of both "The Husbands of River Song" and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio".

Steven Moffat, showrunner between 2010 and 2017, has stated that companion deaths are "wrong for Doctor Who", explaining that he does not believe the show should represent the "grittiness" of real life. [35]

Deaths

Several companions are shown to have died in the show's history:

Others are implied (or said) to have died years after parting company with the Doctor:

Mitigations

Not all companion deaths have been permanent. Several companions have been resurrected at some point in the series, including Jack Harkness, Rory Williams, Clara Oswald, and Bill Potts. Other companions died in alternate timelines or alternate lives. In Inferno , evil counterparts of Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw, and John Benton died in the destruction of their universe's Earth. [37]

Deaths in spin-off media

Several TV companions have died in spin-off media:

List of companions on television

The "last serial" column only includes the last serial in which they appeared in a companion role and excludes minor roles, cameos, flashbacks, and so forth. Also, the table refers solely to adventures with the respective Doctor. Some companions who appear with two or more Doctors appear in separate tables.

First Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Susan Foreman Carole Ann Ford 1, 2, 1983 special An Unearthly Child [nb 2] The Five Doctors [nb 3]
Barbara Wright Jacqueline Hill 1, 2An Unearthly Child The Chase
Ian Chesterton William Russell 1, 2An Unearthly ChildThe Chase [nb 4]
Vicki Maureen O'Brien 2, 3 The Rescue The Myth Makers
Steven Taylor Peter Purves 2, 3The Chase The Savages
Katarina Adrienne Hill 3The Myth Makers The Daleks' Master Plan
Sara Kingdom [lower-alpha 1] Jean Marsh 3The Daleks' Master Plan
Dodo Chaplet Jackie Lane 3 The Massacre The War Machines
Polly Anneke Wills 3, 4The War Machines The Tenth Planet [nb 5]
Ben Jackson Michael Craze 3, 4The War MachinesThe Tenth Planet [nb 5]

Second Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Polly Anneke Wills 4 The Power of the Daleks The Faceless Ones
Ben Jackson Michael Craze 4The Power of the DaleksThe Faceless Ones
Jamie McCrimmon Frazer Hines [nb 6] 4, 5, 6, 22 The Highlanders The Two Doctors [nb 7] [nb 8]
Victoria Waterfield Deborah Watling 4, 5 The Evil of the Daleks Fury from the Deep
Zoe Heriot Wendy Padbury 5, 6 The Wheel in Space The War Games [nb 8]
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Nicholas Courtney 1983 special The Five Doctors [nb 9]

Third Doctor

The final three listed characters, all associated with UNIT during the Third Doctor's exile to Earth, are sometimes considered his companions despite appearing irregularly during his tenure. [46] [47]

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Liz Shaw Caroline John 7 Spearhead from Space Inferno [nb 8]
Jo Grant Katy Manning 8, 9, 10 Terror of the Autons The Green Death [nb 10] [nb 4]
Sarah Jane Smith Elisabeth Sladen 11, 1983 special The Time Warrior The Five Doctors [nb 11]
UNIT
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Nicholas Courtney 7, 8, 9, 10, 11Spearhead from Space [nb 12] Planet of the Spiders [nb 13]
Sergeant John Benton John Levene [nb 14] 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 The Ambassadors of Death [nb 15] Planet of the Spiders [nb 16]
Captain Mike Yates Richard Franklin 8, 9, 10, 11Terror of the AutonsPlanet of the Spiders [nb 8]

Fourth Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Sarah Jane Smith Elisabeth Sladen 12, 13, 14 Robot The Hand of Fear
Harry Sullivan Ian Marter 12, 13Robot Terror of the Zygons [nb 17]
Leela Louise Jameson 14, 15 The Face of Evil The Invasion of Time
K9 John Leeson / David Brierly (voices)15, 16, 17, 18 The Invisible Enemy Warriors' Gate [nb 18]
Romana I Mary Tamm 16 The Ribos Operation The Armageddon Factor
Romana II Lalla Ward 17, 18, 1983 special Destiny of the Daleks The Five Doctors [nb 19]
Adric Matthew Waterhouse 18 Full Circle Logopolis [nb 20]
Nyssa Sarah Sutton 18Logopolis [nb 21] [nb 20]
Tegan Jovanka Janet Fielding 18Logopolis [nb 20]

Fifth Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Adric Matthew Waterhouse 19 Castrovalva Earthshock [48] [nb 22] [nb 23]
Nyssa Sarah Sutton 19, 20Castrovalva Terminus [49] [nb 23]
Tegan Jovanka Janet Fielding 19, 20, 21Castrovalva Resurrection of the Daleks [50] [nb 23]
Vislor Turlough Mark Strickson 20, 21 Mawdryn Undead Planet of Fire [51] [nb 23]
Kamelion [52] [53] [54] Gerald Flood (voice)20, 21 The King's Demons [nb 24] Planet of Fire [55] [nb 23]
Peri Brown Nicola Bryant 21Planet of Fire The Caves of Androzani [nb 25]

Sixth Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Peri Brown Nicola Bryant 21, 22 23 The Twin Dilemma Mindwarp
Mel Bush Bonnie Langford 23 Terror of the Vervoids [nb 26] The Ultimate Foe [nb 27]

Seventh Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Mel Bush Bonnie Langford 24 Time and the Rani Dragonfire [nb 4]
Ace Sophie Aldred 24, 25, 26Dragonfire Survival

Eighth Doctor

CompanionActorSeasonsFirst serialLast serial
Grace Holloway Daphne Ashbrook Doctor Who

Ninth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Rose Tyler Billie Piper [nb 28] 1"Rose""The Parting of the Ways" [nb 29]
Adam Mitchell [56] Bruno Langley 1"Dalek""The Long Game"
Captain Jack Harkness [57] John Barrowman 1"The Empty Child""The Parting of the Ways"

Tenth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Rose Tyler Billie Piper 2, 4"The Christmas Invasion""Journey's End" [nb 30]
Mickey Smith Noel Clarke 2, 4"School Reunion" [58] [nb 31] "Journey's End" [59] [nb 32]
Donna Noble Catherine Tate 2006 special, 4"The Runaway Bride" [nb 33] "Journey's End" [nb 34]
Martha Jones Freema Agyeman 3, 4"Smith and Jones""Journey's End" [60] [nb 35]
Captain Jack Harkness John Barrowman 3, 4"Utopia""Journey's End" [nb 36]
Astrid Peth [61] [62] [63] Kylie Minogue 2007 special"Voyage of the Damned"
Sarah Jane Smith [64] Elisabeth Sladen 2, 4"The Stolen Earth" [nb 37] "Journey's End" [nb 38]
Jackson Lake [65] David Morrissey 2008 special"The Next Doctor"
Rosita Farisi [66] Velile Tshabalala 2008 special"The Next Doctor"
Lady Christina de Souza [67] Michelle Ryan 2009 Easter special"Planet of the Dead"
Adelaide Brooke [68] [69] Lindsay Duncan [nb 39] 2009 Autumn special"The Waters of Mars"
Wilfred Mott [70] Bernard Cribbins 2009–10 specials"The End of Time Part One" [nb 40] "The End of Time Part Two"

Eleventh Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Amy Pond Karen Gillan [nb 41] 5, 6, 7"The Eleventh Hour""The Angels Take Manhattan" [nb 42] [nb 43]
Rory Williams Arthur Darvill [nb 44] 5, 6, 7"The Vampires of Venice" [nb 45] "The Angels Take Manhattan" [nb 46] [nb 42]
River Song [71] Alex Kingston [nb 47] 6"The Impossible Astronaut" [nb 48] "The Wedding of River Song" [nb 49]
Craig Owens [72] James Corden 6"Closing Time" [nb 50]
Clara Oswald Jenna Coleman [nb 51] 7, 2013 specials"The Snowmen" [nb 52] "The Time of the Doctor" [nb 53]

Twelfth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Clara Oswald Jenna Coleman 8, 9"Deep Breath""Hell Bent" [nb 54]
River Song [73] Alex Kingston 2015 special"The Husbands of River Song"
Nardole [74] Matt Lucas 2016 special, 10"The Return of Doctor Mysterio" [nb 55] "The Doctor Falls" [nb 56]
Bill Potts Pearl Mackie 10, 2017 special"The Pilot""Twice Upon a Time"

Thirteenth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Graham O'Brien Bradley Walsh 11, 12, 2021 special"The Woman Who Fell to Earth""Revolution of the Daleks" [nb 57]
Ryan Sinclair Tosin Cole 11, 12, 2021 special"The Woman Who Fell to Earth""Revolution of the Daleks"
Yasmin Khan Mandip Gill 11, 12, 13, 2022 specials"The Woman Who Fell to Earth""The Power of the Doctor"
Captain Jack Harkness John Barrowman 2021 special"Revolution of the Daleks" [nb 58]
Dan Lewis John Bishop 13, 2022 specials [75] "The Halloween Apocalypse""The Power of the Doctor" [76]
Ace Sophie Aldred 2022 specials"The Power of the Doctor"
Tegan Jovanka Janet Fielding 2022 specials"The Power of the Doctor"

Fourteenth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Donna Noble [77] Catherine Tate 2023 specials"The Star Beast" [78] "The Giggle"

Fifteenth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst episodeLast episode
Ruby Sunday [79] Millie Gibson 14, 15 [80] "The Church on Ruby Road"
TBA Varada Sethu [81] 15

List of companions from other media

The Doctor Who spin-off media have seen the creation of new characters acting as new companions to the Doctor. Most of them have been created to feature as companions for the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctor, in the new products presenting themselves as a prosecution of their adventures beyond the TV series, but there also are new companions for other Doctors. None of them have been featured on television, except for the mention of some Big Finish Productions original characters in the minisode The Night of the Doctor ; however, some of them have passed from one media to another.

First Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
John and Gillian TV Comic stripsThe Klepton Parasites (1964)The Experimenters (1966)
Oliver Harper Tom Allen Big Finish Productions audiosThe Perpetual Bond (2011)The First Wave (2011)

Second Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
John and Gillian TV Comic stripsThe Extortioners (1966–67)Invasion of the Quarks (1968)

Third Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Jeremy Fitzoliver Richard Pearce BBC Radio dramas The Paradise of Death (1993) The Ghosts of N-Space (1996)

Fourth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Sharon DaviesRhianne Starbuck Doctor Who Magazine stripsDoctor Who and the Star Beast (1980)Dreamers of Death (1981)
Fenella Wibbsey Susan Jameson BBC audiobooksThe Stuff of Nightmares (2009)Survivors in Space (2011)
Ann Kelso Jane Slavin Big Finish Productions audiosThe Sinestran Kill (2019)The Perfect Prisoners (2019)

Fifth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Gus Goodman Doctor Who Magazine stripsLunar Lagoon (1983)The Moderator (1984)
Erimem Caroline Morris Big Finish Productions audiosThe Eye of the Scorpion (2001) The Bride of Peladon (2008)
Thomas Brewster John Pickard The Haunting of Thomas Brewster (2008) A Perfect World (2008)
Abby Ciara Janson The Judgement of Isskar (2009)The People Made of Smoke (2021) [nb 59]
Hannah BartholomewFrancesca Hunt Moonflesh (2014)Masquerade (2014)
Brooke Joanna Horton The Lady in the Lake (2018)The Furies (2018)
MarcGeorge WatkinsTartarus (2019)Nightmare of the Daleks (2021)

Sixth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Frobisher Robert Jezek Doctor Who Magazine stripsThe Shape Shifter (1984)The World Shapers (1987) [nb 60]
Grant Markham Virgin Missing Adventures Time of Your Life (1995) Killing Ground (1996)
Evelyn Smythe Maggie Stables Big Finish Productions audios The Marian Conspiracy (2000) Thicker than Water (2005) [nb 61]
Charley Pollard [nb 62] India Fisher The Condemned (2007)Blue Forgotten Planet (2009)
Thomas Brewster John Pickard The Crimes of Thomas Brewster (2011) Industrial Evolution (2011)
Flip Jackson Lisa Greenwood The Curse of Davros (2012) [nb 63] TBC
Constance Clarke Miranda Raison Criss-Cross (2015)TBC
Hebe Harrison Ruth Madeley The Rotting Deep (2022)TBC

Seventh Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Frobisher Robert Jezek Doctor Who Magazine strips A Cold Day in Hell! (1987–88)
Olla A Cold Day in Hell! (1987–88) Redemption! (1988)
Bernice Summerfield Lisa Bowerman Virgin New Adventures Love and War (1992) Happy Endings (1996) [nb 64]
Roz Forrester Yasmin Bannerman Original Sin (1995) So Vile a Sin (1997)
Chris Cwej Travis Oliver Lungbarrow (1997)
Hex Schofield Philip Olivier Big Finish Productions audios The Harvest (2004) Signs and Wonders (2014)
Elizabeth Klein Tracey Childs A Thousand Tiny Wings (2010) [nb 65] Daleks Among Us (2013) [nb 66]
Lysandra Aristedes Amy Pemberton Project: Destiny (2010) Gods and Monsters (2012)
Raine Creevy Beth Chalmers Crime of the Century (2011) [nb 67] UNIT: Dominion (2012) [nb 68]
Sally Morgan Maggie O'Neill House of Blue Fire (2011) Afterlife (2013) [nb 69]
Will ArrowsmithChristian Edwards Persuasion (2013) Daleks Among Us (2013)
Naomi CrossEleanor Crooks London Orbital (2022)TBC

Eighth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Stacy Townsend Radio Times strips Dreadnought (1996) Coda (1997)
Ssard
Izzy Sinclair Jemima Rooper Doctor Who Magazine strips Endgame (1996) Oblivion (2002–03)
Fey Truscott-Sade Tooth and Claw (1997) Wormwood (1998)
Destrii Ophidius (2001) The Flood (2004–05)
Bernice Summerfield Lisa Bowerman Virgin New Adventures The Dying Days (1997) [nb 70]
Sam Jones Eighth Doctor Adventures The Eight Doctors (1997) Interference – Book Two (1999)
Fitz Kreiner Matt Di Angelo The Taint (1999) The Gallifrey Chronicles (2005)
Compassion Jackie Skarvellis Interference – Book One (1999) The Ancestor Cell (2000) [nb 71]
Anji Kapoor Escape Velocity (2001) Timeless (2003) [nb 72]
Trix MacMillan Time Zero (2002)The Gallifrey Chronicles (2005)
Charley Pollard [nb 62] India Fisher Big Finish Productions audios Storm Warning (2001) The Girl Who Never Was (2007)
C'rizz [nb 62] Conrad Westmaas The Creed of the Kromon (2004) Absolution (2007)
Lucie Miller [nb 62] Sheridan Smith Blood of the Daleks (2007) To the Death (2011) [nb 73]
Mary Shelley Julie Cox The Company of Friends (2009) Army of Death (2011)
Tamsin Drew [nb 62] Niky Wardley Situation Vacant (2010)To the Death (2011) [nb 74]
Molly O'Sullivan [nb 62] Ruth Bradley, Sorcha Cusack The Great War (2012) Rule of the Eminence (2014) [nb 75]
Liv Chenka Nicola Walker The Traitor (2014) [nb 76] TBC
Helen Sinclair Hattie Morahan The Red Lady (2015)TBC
Josie Day Titan Comics The Pictures of Josephine Day (2015) A Matter of Life and Death (2016)
Bliss Rakhee Thakrar Big Finish Productions audios The Starship of Theseus (2017) Restoration of the Daleks (2020)
Tania Bell Rebecca Root Lost Property (2020) Best Year Ever (2022)
Andy Davidson Tom Price Must-See TV (2020) Best Year Ever (2022)
Alex Campbell Sonny McGann Meanwhile, Elsewhere (2023) [nb 77] TBC

War Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Cinder New Series Adventures Engines of War (2014)
Cardinal Ollistra Jacqueline Pearce Big Finish Productions audios The Innocent (2015) The Enigma Dimension (2017)
CaseAjjaz Awad Consequences (2021)TBC

Ninth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Tara Mishra Titan Comics Official Secrets (2016) The Bidding War (2017)
Nova Camilla Beeput Big Finish Productions audios Sphere of Freedom (2021) Food Fight (2021)

Tenth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Majenta Pryce Doctor Who Magazine strips Thinktwice (2008) [nb 78] The Crimson Hand (2009–10)
Heather McCrimmon Doctor Who Adventures strips The Chromosome Connection (2009) Dead-line (2010) [nb 79]
Wolfgang Ryter Flight of the Giurgeax (2009) Bad Wolfie (2009) [nb 80]
Matthew Finnegan IDW Publishing comics Silver Scream (2009) Final Sacrifice (2010)
Emily Winter
Gabby Gonzalez Titan Comics Revolutions of Terror (2014) The Good Companion (2018)
Cindy Wu Arena of Fear (2014) [nb 81]
Anubis Breakfast at Tyranny's (2017) [nb 82]
Anya Kingdom Jane Slavin Big Finish Productions audios Buying Time (2021) The Triumph of Davros (2021)
Mark Seven Joe Sims

Eleventh Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Kevin IDW Publishing comicsWhen Worlds Collide (2011)Space Squid (2011)
Decky Flamboon Doctor Who Adventures stripsMeteorite Meeting (2012)The Tail of Decky Flamboon (2013)
Alice Obiefune Titan Comics After Life (2014)Without a Paddle (2018)
John JonesWhat He Wants... (2014)The Scream (2017)
ARCWhodunnit (2014)The Comfort of the Good (2015)
Abslom DaakThe Then and the Now (2015)Physician, Heal Thyself (2016)
The SquireThe Then and the Now (2015)Gently Pulls the Strings (2016)
The SaplingThe Scream (2018)Hungry Thirsty Roots (2018)
Valarie Lockwood Safiyya Ingar Big Finish Productions audiosThe Inheritance (2022)TBC

Twelfth Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Hattie Munroe Titan Comics "The Twist" (2016)"Beneath the Waves" (2017)
Jess Collins Doctor Who Magazine strips"The Pestilent Heart" (2016)"Doorway to Hell" (2017)
Maxwell Collins"Moving In" (2016)
Jata Doctor Who Adventures strips"From the Horse's Mouth" (2016)"Killer App" (2017)
Alex Yow Big Finish Productions audios"The Lost Angel""The Lost Flame"
Brandon Yow
Keira SanstromBhavnisha Parmar"Flight to Calandra" (2021)"The Weight of History" (2021)

Fugitive Doctor

CompanionActorSeriesFirst storyLast story
Taslo Titan Comics Origins (2022)

See also

Notes

  1. Expressed in "The Witch's Familiar", "Before the Flood", "The Girl Who Died", "The Woman Who Lived", and "The Zygon Inversion"
  2. Susan travelled with the Doctor prior to the events of An Unearthly Child.
  3. Susan leaves the Doctor in The Dalek Invasion of Earth , later appearing in The Five Doctors as companion to the First Doctor (then played by Richard Hurndall).
  4. 1 2 3 Also makes a cameo appearance in "The Power of the Doctor"
  5. 1 2 Polly and Ben continue travelling with the Doctor following his regeneration in The Tenth Planet.
  6. Jamie is played by Hamish Wilson in parts of The Mind Robber episodes 2 and 3, while Frazer Hines was suffering from chickenpox.
  7. Jamie returns to his own time in The War Games, but later appears in the Sixth Doctor-era story The Two Doctors, again as the Second Doctor's companion.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Also makes a cameo appearance in The Five Doctors
  9. First appears in The Web of Fear (as Colonel) and The Invasion alongside the Second Doctor, before appearing as a semi-regular character throughout the Third Doctor's era. He further appears in Robot and Terror of the Zygons alongside the Fourth Doctor, and Mawdryn Undead alongside the Fifth Doctor before serving as the Second Doctor's companion in The Five Doctors. He subsequently appears in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Enemy of the Bane .
  10. Jo also appears in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Death of the Doctor (2010), alongside Sarah Jane Smith and the Eleventh Doctor.
  11. Sarah continues to travel with the Doctor following his regeneration in Planet of the Spiders , and after her later departure from the series serves as the Third Doctor's companion once more in The Five Doctors.
  12. Lethbridge-Stewart appears alongside the Second Doctor as a colonel in The Web of Fear and subsequently as a brigadier in The Invasion .
  13. Subsequently appears in Robot , Terror of the Zygons , Mawdryn Undead and Battlefield , and as the Second Doctor's companion in The Five Doctors
  14. Darren Plant portrayed John Benton as a baby in The Time Monster , and Steven Stanley did so as a child in the direct-to-video release, Wartime .
  15. Benton appears alongside the Second Doctor in The Invasion as Corporal Benton.
  16. Subsequently appears with the Fourth Doctor in Robot , Terror of the Zygons and The Android Invasion as WO2 Benton
  17. Harry also appears in The Android Invasion
  18. The "Mark I" incarnation of K-9, who leaves the Doctor in The Invasion of Time, returns in the independent spin-off series K-9 , regenerating into a newer form. A further model of K-9, "Mark III", features in the pilot of K-9 and Company with Sarah Jane Smith, and Doctor Who episode "School Reunion" with the Tenth Doctor and Sarah Jane. Killed and replaced by K-9 Mark IV in the latter episode, he subsequently appears irregularly in The Sarah Jane Adventures , and also the Doctor Who episode "Journey's End".
  19. Romana leaves the Doctor in Warriors' Gate, and subsequently reappears as the Fourth Doctor's companion in The Five Doctors (in footage from Shada).
  20. 1 2 3 Adric, Nyssa and Tegan continue travelling with the Doctor following his regeneration in Logopolis .
  21. Nyssa also appears in The Keeper of Traken .
  22. Adric also makes a cameo appearance in Time-Flight .
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Also makes a cameo appearance in The Caves of Androzani
  24. Due to problems with the robotic prop, Kamelion was not featured in the five serials between his first and last stories. Planned scenes in The Awakening were cut and never broadcast.
  25. Peri continues travelling with the Doctor following his regeneration in The Caves of Androzani .
  26. The series never establishes how Mel meets the Doctor, who first appears as part of the Doctor's future. Their first meeting is recounted in the Past Doctor Adventures novel Business Unusual and the Big Finish Productions audio-drama The Wrong Doctors.
  27. Mel continues travelling with the Doctor following his regeneration in Time and the Rani .
  28. Julia Joyce portrays a young Rose in "Father's Day"
  29. Rose continues travelling with the Doctor following his regeneration in "The Parting of the Ways".
  30. Rose departs in "Doomsday", and makes brief cameo appearances in "Partners in Crime", "The Poison Sky" and "Midnight" before returning as a companion from "Turn Left" to "Journey's End". She briefly appears in "The End of Time", and in "The Day of the Doctor" as the interface of the Moment device selects an image of Rose to assist the War Doctor.
  31. Mickey is introduced in "Rose" as Rose's boyfriend and recurs regularly before becoming a companion.
  32. Mickey departs in "The Age of Steel" and re-appears in "Army of Ghosts" / "Doomsday" before returning as a companion in "Journey's End". He also appears in "The End of Time".
  33. Introduced in "Doomsday" as "The Bride"
  34. After initially refusing to join the Doctor on his travels in "The Runaway Bride", Donna returns as a regular companion from "Partners in Crime". She also appears in "The End of Time".
  35. Martha departs in "Last of the Time Lords", but returns from "The Sontaran Stratagem" to "The Doctor's Daughter" and again for "The Stolen Earth" / "Journey's End". She also appears in "The End of Time".
  36. Jack rejoins the Doctor in "Utopia" before departing in "Last of the Time Lords", but returns again for "The Stolen Earth" / "Journey's End". He also appears in "The End of Time".
  37. Previously appears with the Tenth Doctor in "School Reunion".
  38. Also appears in "The End of Time". Additionally, the Doctor appears alongside Sarah Jane in The Sarah Jane Adventures stories The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith and Death of the Doctor , in his Tenth and Eleventh incarnations respectively.
  39. Rachel Fewell portrays a younger Adelaide in flashback
  40. Wilf is introduced in "Voyage of the Damned" and recurs throughout series 4 as Donna's grandfather. He officially becomes a short-term companion in "The End of Time".
  41. Caitlin Blackwood plays a young Amy (as Amelia) in "The Eleventh Hour", "The Big Bang", "Let's Kill Hitler" and "The God Complex", along with archival footage in "The Angels Take Manhattan"
  42. 1 2 Amy and Rory are left by the Doctor in "The God Complex", but appear briefly in "Closing Time" and feature as companions again in "The Wedding of River Song". They appear in the final scene of "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", before returning as companions from "Asylum of the Daleks".
  43. An illusionary Amy appears to the Doctor before his regeneration in "The Time of the Doctor".
  44. A younger Rory is played by Ezekiel Wigglesworth in "Let's Kill Hitler".
  45. Also appears in "The Eleventh Hour"
  46. Rory is killed in "Cold Blood", but returns in "The Pandorica Opens" as an Auton duplicate before being restored to humanity and resuming his travels with the Doctor and Amy in "The Big Bang".
  47. Earlier incarnations of River Song (as Melody Pond) are played by Sydney Wade in "The Impossible Astronaut" / "Day of the Moon", and Maya Glace-Green and Nina Toussaint-White in "Let's Kill Hitler".
  48. River first appears alongside the Tenth Doctor in "Silence in the Library" / "Forest of the Dead", introduced as a companion from his relative future who calls the Doctor to her aid. Progressively younger versions of River subsequently summon the Eleventh Doctor in "The Time of Angels" / "Flesh and Stone" and "The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang", before the future Doctor summons her to his death in "The Impossible Astronaut".
  49. River refuses the Doctor's offer to travel with him permanently in "Day of the Moon". She subsequently features as a companion in "A Good Man Goes to War", "Let's Kill Hitler" and "The Wedding of River Song", and also appears in "Closing Time". She later appears in "The Angels Take Manhattan" and "The Name of the Doctor".
  50. Also appears in "The Lodger"
  51. Sophie Downham appears as young Clara in the prequel to "The Bells of Saint John", "The Rings of Akhaten" and "The Name of the Doctor".
  52. Coleman first appeared as Oswin Oswald in "Asylum of the Daleks", revealed in "The Name of the Doctor" to be one of multiple echoes of Clara distributed across time. In "The Snowmen", Coleman initially plays another echo of Clara, with her original iteration appearing briefly at the end of the episode. The latter Clara joins the Doctor permanently in "The Bells of Saint John".
  53. Clara continues traveling with the Doctor following his regeneration in "The Time of the Doctor".
  54. Clara dies in "Face the Raven" and appears only as an illusion in "Heaven Sent", before being temporarily rescued from death and appearing as a companion for the final time in "Hell Bent". She subsequently briefly appears in "Twice Upon a Time".
  55. Nardole first appears in "The Husbands of River Song" before appearing as a companion from "The Return of Doctor Mysterio".
  56. Nardole departs in "The Doctor Falls" before briefly reappearing in "Twice Upon a Time".
  57. Also appears in "The Power of the Doctor"
  58. Also appears in "Fugitive of the Judoon"
  59. Abby (then called Amy) originally travels with the Doctor from The Judgement of Isskar to The Chaos Pool , then reunites with the Doctor in the boxset Wicked Sisters .
  60. Frobisher departs the Sixth Doctor off-screen after The World Shapers, but they reunite in the graphic novel The Age of Chaos and the Big Finish Productions audio plays The Holy Terror and The Maltese Penguin .
  61. Evelyn's departure from the Sixth Doctor is depicted in flashbacks of Thicker than Water , where she reunites with the Sixth Doctor and new companion Mel. She appears again with the Seventh Doctor in A Death in the Family .
  62. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mentioned in The Night of the Doctor .
  63. Flip first meets the Doctor in The Crimes of Thomas Brewster and later joins him as a companion from The Curse of Davros to Scavenger . She re-joins the Doctor and new companion Constance in Quicksilver.
  64. Bernice departs the Seventh Doctor in Happy Endings , but later appears in Return of the Living Dad , So Vile a Sin , and Eternity Weeps . She rejoins the Seventh Doctor and Ace in the Big Finish Productions audio series The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield .
  65. Klein first meets the Doctor and Ace in Colditz and later joins him as a companion in A Thousand Tiny Wings .
  66. Klein travels with the Doctor from A Thousand Tiny Wings to The Architects of History . A version of Klein from an alternative timeline meets the Doctor in UNIT: Dominion , travels with him from Persuasion to Daleks Among Us , and encounters him again in Warlock's Cross.
  67. Raine makes an earlier appearance in Thin Ice as a baby.
  68. Raine travels with the Doctor and Ace and departs off-screen after Earth Aid . She returns as a companion without Ace in UNIT: Dominion .
  69. Sally departs in Afterlife and later appears in Signs and Wonders.
  70. Bernice meets the Eighth Doctor again in the Big Finish Productions audio plays The Company of Friends and Lies in Ruins .
  71. Compassion departs the Doctor in The Ancestor Cell , but later makes appearances in Escape Velocity and The Gallifrey Chronicles .
  72. Anji departs the Doctor in Timeless and later makes a cameo appearance in The Gallifrey Chronicles .
  73. Lucie departs the Doctor in Death in Blackpool before re-appearing as the Monk's companion in The Book of Kells and The Resurrection of Mars . She later appears alongside the Doctor in Relative Dimensions , Prisoner of the Sun , and Lucie Miller / To the Death.
  74. Tamsin departs the Doctor in The Resurrection of Mars to join the Monk. She later appears alongside the Monk in Lucie Miller / To the Death.
  75. Molly departs the Doctor in Rule of the Eminence. An older version of Molly played by Sorcha Cusack re-appears in Master of the Daleks and Eye of Darkness.
  76. Liv initially appears in Robophobia alongside the Seventh Doctor before joining the Eighth Doctor as a companion in The Traitor.
  77. Alex appears alongside the Eighth Doctor in An Earthly Child , Relative Dimensions, and Lucie Miller / To the Death. At the end of Restoration of the Daleks, the Doctor encounters an alternate universe counterpart of Alex who joins him as a companion starting in Meanwhile, Elsewhere.
  78. Majenta initially appears in Hotel Historia before joining the Doctor as a companion in Thinktwice.
  79. After her departure in Dead-line, Heather makes a guest appearance in Lucky Heather.
  80. After his departure in Bad Wolfie, Wolfgang makes a guest appearance in Lucky Heather.
  81. Cindy appears in a number of issues as a friend of Gabby's starting from Revolutions of Terror until she finally joins as a companion in Arena of Fear.
  82. Anubis appears in a number of issues starting from Spiral Staircase until he finally joins as a companion in Breakfast at Tyranny's.
  1. The inclusion of Sara Kingdom as a companion varies; e.g. she does not appear on the BBC website list of companions. However, she is listed as a companion in many other sources. [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45]

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Bibliography