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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, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate. He or she (more commonly wee) provides the lens through which the viewer is introduced to the series. The companion character, many times, furthers the story by asking questions and getting into trouble, or 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. Until the modern revival of the series in 2005, the term was rarely used on-screen. The Doctor also refers to the show's other leads as his "friends" or "assistants"; the British press have also used the latter term.

History

When Doctor Who was created, 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. 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[citation needed] as an identification figure for younger viewers.

Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan Foreman, became unhappy with the lack of development for her character,[citation needed] and chose to leave in its 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. Similarly, when Ian and Barbara left, the "action hero" position was filled by astronaut Steven Taylor. 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 (such as Sergeant Benton). The intellectual Shaw was replaced by Jo Grant in the 1971 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 episodes of Doctor Who rarely diverged. The "heroic male" type occasionally returned (for example, Harry Sullivan, Adric, Turlough, Mickey Smith, Jack Harkness and Rory Williams), but the single female companion was Doctor Who's staple.

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. In the event, the Fourth Doctor part went to 40-year-old Tom Baker and the part of Harry, no longer required for the action role, was reduced.[1]

In the final season for the Fourth Doctor, he acquired three companions (Adric, Tegan and Nyssa) and this situation continued under the Fifth Doctor for a while. Adric was written out by the unusual method within the series of being "killed off". By the Sixth Doctor, the Doctor was down to a single companion again.

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. Stephen Brook in The Guardian newspaper's Organgrinder blog discounted Michelle Ryan as a likely next companion but said that "what constitutes a Doctor Who companion is no longer clear"[2] The definition of who is and is not a companion becomes less clear in the newer series.[2] During the Doctor's three latest incarnations, his primary companions Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Amy Pond and Rory Williams 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"[3] and the "first black assistant",[4] despite the presence of Mickey Smith in the previous season—including several episodes in which he travelled in the TARDIS with the Doctor.

The Brigadier was included as a companion in the Making of Doctor Who, published in the 1970s.[5]

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. In subsequent series, Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate are credited in all episodes in which they appear. In the third series John Barrowman receives a title credit for his return to the show. Series Four gave Agyeman, Piper, Barrowman, and Elisabeth Sladen title billing for each of their reappearances. Noel Clarke reprised his role in the Series Four finale; although listed as a companion alongside the other actors on the BBC Doctor Who website,[6] 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.

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", which features the return of Rose, Martha, Jack, Sarah Jane and Mickey. 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, and when.[2]

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—most notably Katarina, Sara Kingdom, and Adric—have died.

Most companions travel in the TARDIS with the Doctor for more than one adventure. Sometimes a guest character will take 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).[7] However, that has not prevented fans from speculating about possible romantic involvements, most notably between the Fourth Doctor and the Time Lady Romana (whose actors, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward, shared a romance and brief marriage). The taboo was controversially[citation needed] 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 companions Rose, Jack, Mickey (on the forehead), Martha, Astrid, Donna, Amy, and River Song although each instance was not necessarily in a romantic context (see also "The Doctor and romance"). Donna Noble vehemently denied a sexual interest in the Doctor when he invited her to join him and explained "I just want a mate," which she misheard as "I just want to mate."[8] Rose and Martha each developed romantic feelings toward the Doctor who remained platonic toward Martha. On the opposite side of the same coin, Amy reacted to the stress of her adventures by aggressively trying to seduce the Doctor despite being in love with her fiancé Rory; the Doctor forcibly pushed her off of himself.[9] The Eleventh Doctor romantically kissed Amy's daughter, sporadic companion River Song, in "Day of the Moon" and married her in "The Wedding of River Song."

Previous companions have reappeared in the series, usually for anniversary specials. One former companion, Sarah Jane Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen), together with the robotic dog K-9, appeared in four and two episodes, respectively, of the revived series[10] 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 (or six, including a brief appearance as a child in "Father's Day"). 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.

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. 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 Rose's mother 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 also 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 in "The Wedding of River Song" only to learn of the Brigadier's death months earlier.

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. Exceptions (besides Susan Foreman's grandfather who was the First Doctor himself) include the very brief portrayals of Susan's future husband David Campbell;[11] Dodo Chaplet's ancestor Anne Chaplet;[12] Victoria Waterfield's father Edward;[13] Jo Grant's future husband Prof. Clifford Jones;[14] the companions' various co-workers at UNIT; Leela's father Sole[15] & future husband or lover Andred;[16] Tegan Jovanka's aunt Vanessa,[17] maternal grandfather Andrew Verney,[18] & cousin Colin Frazer;[19] Nyssa's father Tremas & step-mother Kassia;[20] Vislor Turlough's maths teacher retired Brig. Lethbridge-Stewart;[21] Peri Brown's step-father Prof. Howard Foster,[22] & future husband King Yrcanos;[23] Ace McShane's ex-lover Sabalom Glitz,[24] maternal grandmother Kathleen Dudman,[25] infant mother Audrey Dudman,[26] & a photograph of her maternal grandfather Frank Dudman);[27] and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's second wife Doris.[28] Classic era spin-off media additionally introduced Sarah Jane Smith's aunt Lavina Smith & foster brother Brendan Richards,[29] and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's daughter Kate and grandson Gordon.[30]

Conversely, families and friends of most companions in the revived era are extensively and continually 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-cum-husband Rory Williams, and the couple's daughter River Song, and former companions Mickey Smith and Martha Jones who married subsequent to their companionship).[31] 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).[32] The families of some classic-era companions too have been depicted in the revived era, such as Jo Grant (n/k/a Jo Jones)'s grandson Santiago Jones,[33] and Sarah Jane Smith's parents,[34] adopted son Luke Smith, adopted daughter Sky Smith and alternate timeline fiancé Peter Dalton.[35]

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,[36] Mickey Smith,[37] Adelaide Brooke,[38] Amy Pond,[39] Rory Williams[40], and River Song[41] 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[42] and Sarah Jane Smith[43] have also been depicted in their youths on their respective spin-off series.

List of television companions

First Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the First Doctor
Susan Foreman Carole Ann Ford 1–2, 1983 Special An Unearthly Child[nb 1] The Five Doctors[nb 2] 11
Barbara Wright Jacqueline Hill 1–2 An Unearthly Child The Chase 16
Ian Chesterton William Russell 1–2 An Unearthly Child The Chase 16
Vicki Maureen O'Brien 2–3 The Rescue The Myth Makers 9
Steven Taylor Peter Purves 2–3 The Chase The Savages 10
Katarina Adrienne Hill 3 The Myth Makers The Daleks' Master Plan 2
Sara Kingdom[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][nb 3] Jean Marsh 3 The Daleks' Master Plan The Daleks' Master Plan 1
Dodo Chaplet Jackie Lane 3 The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve The War Machines 6
Polly Anneke Wills 3–4 The War Machines The Tenth Planet 3
Ben Jackson Michael Craze 3–4 The War Machines The Tenth Planet 3
  1. ^ Susan travelled with the Doctor prior to the events of An Unearthly Child.
  2. ^ 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).
  3. ^ The inclusion of Sara Kingdom as a companion varies; e.g. she does not appear on BBC website list of companions.

Second Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the Second Doctor
Polly Anneke Wills 4 The Power of the Daleks The Faceless Ones 6
Ben Jackson Michael Craze 4 The Power of the Daleks The Faceless Ones 6
Jamie McCrimmon Frazer Hines
Hamish Wilson[nb 1]		 4–6, 22 The Highlanders The Two Doctors[nb 2][nb 3] 21 (20 as companion)
Victoria Waterfield Deborah Watling 4–5 The Evil of the Daleks Fury from the Deep 7[nb 4]
Zoe Heriot Wendy Padbury 5–6 The Wheel in Space The War Games[nb 3] 9 (8 as companion)
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Nicholas Courtney 1983 Special The Five Doctors[nb 5] The Five Doctors[nb 6] 3 (1 as companion)
  1. ^ Jamie is played by Hamish Wilson in parts of The Mind Robber episodes 2 and 3, while Frazer Hines was suffering from chickenpox.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b Also makes a cameo appearance in The Five Doctors
  4. ^ Not including The Wheel in Space, where Deborah Watling is credited for a brief reprisal from Fury from the Deep.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ The Brigadier later appears in Battlefield alongside the Seventh Doctor, and The Sarah Jane Adventures story Enemy of the Bane.

Third Doctor

Companion Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the Third Doctor
Liz Shaw Caroline John 7 Spearhead from Space Inferno[nb 1] 5 (4 as companion)
Jo Grant Katy Manning 8–10 Terror of the Autons The Green Death[nb 2] 15
Sarah Jane Smith Elisabeth Sladen 11, 1983 Special The Time Warrior The Five Doctors[nb 3] 6
  1. ^ Liz also makes a cameo appearance in The Five Doctors.
  2. ^ Jo also appears in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Death of the Doctor, alongside Sarah Jane Smith and the Eleventh Doctor.
  3. ^ 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.

Disputed

The following three characters, all associated with UNIT during the Third Doctor's exile to Earth, are sometimes considered his companions despite only appearing irregularly during his tenure.[51][52]

Character Actor Seasons First appearance Last appearance Appearances with the Third Doctor
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Nicholas Courtney 7–11 Spearhead from Space Planet of the Spiders 16[nb 1]
Sergeant Benton John Levene 7–11 The Ambassadors of Death[nb 2] Planet of the Spiders[nb 3] 12
Mike Yates Richard Franklin 8–11, 1983 Special Terror of the Autons The Five Doctors 10
  1. ^ Not including The Five Doctors, where the Brigadier appears as the Second Doctor's companion.
  2. ^ First appears (as Corporal) alongside the Second Doctor in The Invasion
  3. ^ Subsequently appears with the Fourth Doctor in Robot, Terror of the Zygons and The Android Invasion as RSM Benton.

Fourth Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the Fourth Doctor
Sarah Jane Smith Elisabeth Sladen 12–14 Robot The Hand of Fear 13[nb 1]
Harry Sullivan Ian Marter 12–13 Robot Terror of the Zygons[nb 2] 7 (6 as companion)
Leela Louise Jameson 14–15 The Face of Evil The Invasion of Time 9
K-9 Mark I John Leeson (voice) 15 The Invisible Enemy The Invasion of Time[nb 3] 4[nb 4]
K-9 Mark II John Leeson
David Brierley (voices)		 16, 18
17		 The Ribos Operation
The Creature from the Pit		 Warriors' Gate[nb 5]
The Horns of Nimon		 10
3[nb 6][nb 7]
Romana Mary Tamm
Lalla Ward		 16
17–18, 1983 Special		 The Ribos Operation
Destiny of the Daleks		 The Armageddon Factor
The Five Doctors[nb 8]		 6
12[nb 7]
Adric Matthew Waterhouse 18 Full Circle Logopolis 5
Nyssa Sarah Sutton 18 The Keeper of Traken[53] Logopolis 2
Tegan Jovanka Janet Fielding 18 Logopolis Logopolis 1
  1. ^ Not including The Five Doctors, where Sarah Jane appears as the Third Doctor's companion.
  2. ^ Harry also appears in The Android Invasion.
  3. ^ This first incarnation of K-9 returns in the independent spin-off series K-9, regenerating into a newer form.
  4. ^ Not including Image of the Fendahl, where the K-9 prop appears but has no lines.
  5. ^ 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".
  6. ^ Not including Destiny of the Daleks, where the K-9 prop briefly appears and has no lines.
  7. ^ a b Not including the incomplete and unbroadcast serial, Shada.
  8. ^ Romana leaves the Doctor in Warriors' Gate, before appearing again as the Fourth Doctor's companion in The Five Doctors (played by Ward).

Fifth Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the Fifth Doctor
Adric Matthew Waterhouse 19 Castrovalva Earthshock[nb 1][nb 2] 8 (6 as companion)
Nyssa Sarah Sutton 19–20 Castrovalva Terminus[nb 2] 12 (11 as companion)
Tegan Jovanka Janet Fielding 19–21 Castrovalva Resurrection of the Daleks[nb 3][nb 2] 19 (18 as companion)
Vislor Turlough Mark Strickson 20–21 Mawdryn Undead Planet of Fire[nb 2] 11 (10 as companion)
Kamelion Gerald Flood (voice) 20, 21 The King's Demons[nb 4] Planet of Fire[nb 2] 3 (2 as companion)
Peri Brown Nicola Bryant 21 Planet of Fire The Caves of Androzani 2
  1. ^ Adric also makes a cameo appearance in Time-Flight.
  2. ^ a b c d e Also makes a cameo appearance in The Caves of Androzani
  3. ^ Tegan is left behind by the Doctor at the conclusion of Time-Flight but returns in the next serial Arc of Infinity, set around a year later in her relative time.
  4. ^ Without explanation, Kamelion is not featured in the five serials between his first and last stories (although he does appear in deleted scenes from The Awakening).

Sixth Doctor

Companion Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the Sixth Doctor
Peri Brown Nicola Bryant 21–23 The Twin Dilemma The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp 9
Melanie Bush Bonnie Langford 23 The Trial of a Time Lord: Terror of the Vervoids[nb 1] The Trial of a Timelord: The Ultimate Foe 2
  1. ^ The series never establishes how the Doctor meets Mel, who first appears as part of the Doctor's future. Their first meeting is recounted in the Past Doctor Adventures novel Business Unusual. Note that the four adventures broadcast under the single title The Trial of a Time Lord are in this table each counted as separate appearances.

Seventh Doctor

Companion Actress Seasons First serial Last serial Appearances with the Seventh Doctor
Melanie Bush Bonnie Langford 24 Time and the Rani Dragonfire 4
Ace Sophie Aldred 24–26 Dragonfire Survival[nb 1] 9
  1. ^ Ace's fate is unknown past Survival as she does not appear in the following story, the 1996 film, although it is implied in Death of the Doctor that she has become a charity worker on Earth.

Eighth Doctor

Companion Actress Story Appearances with the Eighth Doctor
Grace Holloway Daphne Ashbrook Television movie 1

Ninth Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Series First episode Last episode Appearances with the Ninth Doctor
Rose Tyler Billie Piper[nb 1] 1 "Rose" "The Parting of the Ways" 13
Adam Mitchell[54] Bruno Langley 1 "Dalek" "The Long Game" 2
Jack Harkness[55] John Barrowman 1 "The Empty Child" "The Parting of the Ways" 5
  1. ^ A younger version of Rose is played by Julia Joyce in "Father's Day".

Tenth Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Series First episode Last episode Appearances with the Tenth Doctor
Rose Tyler Billie Piper 2005 Specials–2, 4 "Doctor Who: Children in Need"[nb 1] "Journey's End"[56][nb 2] 22[nb 3] (18 as companion)
Mickey Smith Noel Clarke[nb 4] 2, 4 "School Reunion"[57][nb 5] "Journey's End"[58][nb 6] 10 (5 as companion)
Donna Noble Catherine Tate 2006 Special, 4 "The Runaway Bride"[nb 7] "Journey's End"[nb 8] 16 (14 as companion)
Martha Jones Freema Agyeman 3, 4 "Smith and Jones" "Journey's End"[59][nb 9] 19 (18 as companion)
Jack Harkness John Barrowman 3, 4 "Utopia" "Journey's End"[nb 10] 6 (5 as companion)
Astrid Peth[60][61][62] Kylie Minogue 2007 Specials "Voyage of the Damned" "Voyage of the Damned" 1
Sarah Jane Smith[63] Elisabeth Sladen 4 "The Stolen Earth"[nb 11] "Journey's End" 4 (2 as companion)
Jackson Lake[64] David Morrissey 2008–10 Specials "The Next Doctor" "The Next Doctor" 1
Rosita Farisi[65][66] Velile Tshabalala 2008–10 Specials "The Next Doctor" "The Next Doctor" 1
Lady Christina de Souza[67] Michelle Ryan 2008–10 Specials "Planet of the Dead" "Planet of the Dead" 1
Adelaide Brooke[68][69] Lindsay Duncan 2008–10 Specials "The Waters of Mars" "The Waters of Mars" 1
Wilfred Mott[70] Bernard Cribbins 2008–10 Specials The End of Time[nb 12] The End of Time 8 (1 as companion)
  1. ^ Lead-in to "The Christmas Invasion"
  2. ^ Rose departs in "Doomsday", and makes brief cameo appearances in "Partners in Crime", "The Poison Sky" and "Midnight" before returning as a companion in "Turn Left". She also appears in The End of Time.
  3. ^ Including the 2005 Children in Need scene and the three cameo appearances in series 4.
  4. ^ Casey Dyer had previously played a young Mickey in "Father's Day".
  5. ^ Mickey is introduced in "Rose" as Rose's boyfriend and recurs regularly before becoming a companion.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Introduced in "Doomsday" as "The Bride"
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Also appears in "School Reunion" and 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.
  12. ^ Wilf is introduced in "Voyage of the Damned", and recurs throughout series 4 as Donna's grandfather.

Eleventh Doctor

Companion Actor/Actress Series First episode Last episode Appearances with the Eleventh Doctor
Amy Pond Karen Gillan[nb 1] 5–7 "The Eleventh Hour" "The Angels Take Manhattan"[nb 2][71] 33 (31 as companion)
Rory Williams Arthur Darvill[nb 3] 5[72][73]–7 "The Vampires of Venice"[nb 4] "The Angels Take Manhattan"[nb 5][nb 2][71] 27 (24 as companion)
River Song[74] Alex Kingston[nb 6] 6 "The Impossible Astronaut"[nb 7] "The Wedding of River Song"[nb 8] 10 (5 as companion)
Craig Owens[75] James Corden 6 "Closing Time"[nb 9] "Closing Time" 2 (1 as companion)
TBA Jenna-Louise Coleman[76] 7– Series 7, Episode 6 N/A TBC
  1. ^ Caitlin Blackwood plays a young Amy (as Amelia) in "The Eleventh Hour", "The Big Bang", "Let's Kill Hitler" and "The God Complex".
  2. ^ a b Amy and Rory are left by the Doctor in "The God Complex". Both appear briefly in the following episode "Closing Time" and return as companions in "The Wedding of River Song", before being left behind again at the end of the episode. They both appear at the end of "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", before rejoining the Doctor as companions in episode 1 of series 7.
  3. ^ A younger Rory is played by Ezekiel Wigglesworth in "Let's Kill Hitler".
  4. ^ Also appears in "The Eleventh Hour"
  5. ^ 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".
  6. ^ Earlier regenerations of River (as Melody Pond) are played by Sydney Wade in "The Impossible Astronaut" / "Day of the Moon" and Nina Toussaint-White in "Let's Kill Hitler", with a younger version of the latter regeneration played by Maya Glace-Green in the same episode.
  7. ^ 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".
  8. ^ River refuses the offer to travel in the TARDIS in "Day of the Moon", but has repeatedly referred to several occasions in the Doctor's future and her past where they have travelled together. She returns as a companion in "A Good Man Goes to War", "Let's Kill Hitler" and "The Wedding of River Song", at various times in her personal timeline, and also appears in "Closing Time".
  9. ^ Craig first appears in "The Lodger", and acts as the Doctor's companion in the absence of Amy and Rory in "Closing Time".

Death of a companion

During the course of the show's history, there have been rare occasions when companions have died while on adventures with the Doctor.

  • Two companions are killed in the The Daleks' Master Plan. Katarina, who had been introduced at the end of the preceding story, was deemed by the production team to be an unsuitable character as a long-term companion,[77] and so Katarina is killed when she opens the airlock of a spaceship. Sara Kingdom, who takes over Katarina's companion role for the remainder of the story, is also killed when she undergoes extreme aging as a side-effect of the First Doctor's activation of a "Time Destructor" device.[78]
  • Adric dies at the end of Episode 4 of Earthshock in the explosion of a bomb-laden space freighter in Earth's atmosphere c. 65,500,000 BCE, which becomes the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
  • Kamelion, an android companion, is destroyed by the Fifth Doctor in Episode 4 of Planet of Fire as an act of mercy after Kamelion is taken over by the Master.
  • K-9 Mark III sacrifices himself in "School Reunion" in order to save the Doctor and his friends from a group of aliens. The subsequent K-9 Mark IV that the Doctor leaves with Sarah Jane tells her that the Mark III's files have been transferred to the new machine.
  • Astrid Peth sacrifices herself in order to kill Max Capricorn by driving him into a reactor core at the end of "Voyage of the Damned". The Tenth Doctor partially resurrects her and sends her atoms flying into space.
  • At the end of "The Waters of Mars", Adelaide Brooke kills herself to preserve a fixed point in time.
  • River Song sacrifices herself in "Forest of the Dead" to save the Doctor's life, but he is able to upload a digital copy of her consciousness to the data core.
  • The Eleventh Doctor attempts to call Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in "The Wedding of River Song", only to learn of the Brigadier's death months earlier, coinciding with the death of his actor, Nicholas Courtney.

Spin-Off Media

Mitigated

See also

References

  1. ^ The Handbook: Fourth Doctor p?
  2. ^ a b c Brook, Stephen (23 January 2009). "Michelle Ryan guest stars in Doctor Who. But would she make a good companion?". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 1 June 2010. A minor factor in the continual swirl around Doctor Who is that what constitutes a Doctor Who companion is no longer clear. Sure, Rose, Martha and Donna were all companions. So was Captain Jack. But what about Mickey and Jackie? How do you qualify? Name in the opening credits, regular trips in the Tardis? The doctor kisses you? I'm no longer sure. Modern TV drama is so difficult.
  3. ^ Adam Sherwin (5 July 2006). "Sidekick whose time has come". The Times. UK. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  4. ^ Richard Simpson (5 July 2006). "Doctor Who gets first black assistant". Daily Mail. UK. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  5. ^ Dicks, Terrance and Hulke Malcom, The Making of Doctor Who Target 0426116151
  6. ^ "BBC Doctor Who Series 4 Characters". Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  7. ^ Commentary on DVD of Castrovalva
  8. ^ "Partners in Crime"
  9. ^ "Flesh and Stone"
  10. ^ Sarah Jane Smith has appeared in "School Reunion", "The Stolen Earth", "Journey's End", and "The End of Time". K-9 has appeared in "School Reunion" and "Journey's End".
  11. ^ The Dalek Invasion of Earth
  12. ^ The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve
  13. ^ The Evil of the Daleks
  14. ^ The Green Death
  15. ^ The Face of Evil
  16. ^ The Invasion of Time
  17. ^ Logopolis
  18. ^ The Awakening
  19. ^ Arc of Infinity
  20. ^ The Keeper of Traken
  21. ^ Mawdryn Undead
  22. ^ Planet of Fire
  23. ^ The Ultimate Foe
  24. ^ Dragonfire
  25. ^ The Curse of Fenric
  26. ^ Ibid.
  27. ^ Ibid.
  28. ^ Battlefield
  29. ^ K-9 and Company
  30. ^ Downtime
  31. ^ Statement by Mickey Smith to Martha Smith-Jones in "The End of Time"
  32. ^ Statement by Sarah Jane Smith to Luke Smith in the epilogue scene of Death of the Doctor part 2
  33. ^ Death of the Doctor
  34. ^ The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith
  35. ^ The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
  36. ^ "Father's Day"
  37. ^ Ibid.
  38. ^ "[{The Waters of Mars]]"
  39. ^ "The Eleventh Hour", "The Big Bang", "Let's Kill Hitler"
  40. ^ "Let's Kill Hitler"
  41. ^ "A Good Man Goes to War", "Let's Kill Hitler"
  42. ^ "Adam"
  43. ^ Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?, The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith
  44. ^ Robinson, Nigel (1981). The Doctor Who Quiz Book. Target Books. pp. 39 and 98. ISBN 0-426-20143-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ Lofficier, Jean-Marc (1994). The Doctor Who Programme Guide Third Edition. Virgin Publishing Ltd. pp. 16, 43 and 45. ISBN 0-426-20342-9.
  46. ^ Howe, David J. (1994). Doctor Who The Handbook – The First Doctor. Virgin Publishing Ltd. p. 297. ISBN 0-426-20430-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ Richards, Justin (1997). Doctor Who The Book of Lists. BBC Books. pp. 13 and 218. ISBN 0-563-40569-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ Pixley, Andrew (16 December). "Doctor Who Magazine" (272): 21. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  49. ^ Campbell, Mark (2000). The Pocket Essential Doctor Who. Pocket Essentials. pp. 20–21. ISBN 1-903047-19-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  50. ^ Cornell, Paul (1995, 1998 and 2003). "The Daleks' Master Plan". Doctor Who: Classic Series Episode Guide. BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  51. ^ Haining, Peter (1983). Doctor Who: A Celebration – Two Decades Through Time And Space. Virgin Publishing Ltd. p. 85. ISBN 0-86369-932-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  52. ^ "Companions". Doctor Who: Classic Series Episode Guide. BBC. 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2007. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  53. ^ "Doctor Who – Classic Series – Companions – Nyssa". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  54. ^ "Press Office – Doctor Who press pack phase six Episode Seven". BBC. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  55. ^ "Doctor Who – Captain Jack Harkness – Character Guide". BBC. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  56. ^ "Doctor Who – Rose Tyler – Character Guide". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  57. ^ "Doctor Who – News – Noel natters to DWM". BBC. 21 February 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  58. ^ "Doctor Who – Mickey Smith – Character Guide". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  59. ^ "Doctor Who – Martha Jones – Character Guide". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  60. ^ "Companion Piece". BBC News. 14 August 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  61. ^ "Who Should Be So Lucky?". 19 December 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  62. ^ "Confidential at Christmas". Doctor Who Confidential. Season 4. Episode 1. 25 December 2007. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  63. ^ "Doctor Who – Sarah Jane Smith – Character Guide". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  64. ^ Olsen, Anton (21 July 2009). "Who's Your Favorite Doctor Who Companion?". Wired.
  65. ^ Executive Producer Mark Cossey, Executive Producers For Doctor Who Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Producer Zoë Rushton, Series Producer Gillane Seaborne (25 December 2008). "[Untitled]". Doctor Who Confidential. Episode 14. BBC. BBC Three. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  66. ^ Collins, Robert (16 December 2008). "Doctor Who: Velile Tshabalala". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  67. ^ Cook, Benjamin (9 January 2008 (cover date)). "Sands of time". Radio Times. No. 11–17 April 2009. pp. 16–20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  68. ^ Friday, 30 October 2009, 12:28 GMT (30 October 2009). "TV – Tube Talk – Ten 'Waters of Mars' teasers". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  69. ^ "Lindsay Duncan to star in second Doctor Who Special of 2009". BBC. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  70. ^ Davies, Russell T (7 April 2009). "Dr Who's Easter special" (Document). BBC News. {{cite document}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)
  71. ^ a b "New Series: New Details!". BBC. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  72. ^ Harrison, Mark (31 May 2010). "For Doctor Who: Cold Blood Viewers Only". Den of Geek. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  73. ^ Tribe, Steve (2010). Doctor Who: The TARDIS Handbook. London: BBC Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-84607-986-3.
  74. ^ Doctor Who: Best of the Companions (Television production). BBC America. 28 August 2011.
  75. ^ Gareth Roberts (24 September 2011). "Open All Hours". Doctor Who Confidential. Episode 12. 4:52 minutes in. BBC. The Doctor allows Craig to come along and play the part of his companion [...] {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); Unknown parameter |seriesno= ignored (|series-number= suggested) (help)
  76. ^ "Doctor Who's latest companion is unveiled". BBC News. 21 March 2012.
  77. ^ "A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Daleks' Master Plan".
  78. ^ Doctor Who: Companions, 1995
Bibliography

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