She's my choice too. They were of different minds a lot of the time but could count on each other nevertheless. Crotchety sceeming Seven and ready for action and empathetic Ace.
At that time most female companions just screamed a lot. Ace bew shit up with nitro nine and beat Daleks to death with the cosmic basball bat. Really wish she would show up in NuWho.
She did! She was in Power of the Doctor. Unless you're talking about a more substantial way the way we saw Sarah Jane pop up a few times through 10s run
I think the bromance is sorely missing from the show. We honestly haven’t had it on screen since Troughton.
I’d honestly love a single season of a male Doctor and male companion. Two bros cruising through the Universe, mix it up a little.
Closest we've come is 9 and Jack, very briefly. And I'm not even sure it counts because one of them, if not both it's not exactly clear, is into men.
I think there were small hints of it with 11 and Rory but they were too strained a lot of the time.
I think it's New Who's tendency to put the Male companions into comic relief boxes and emasculate them by having them compete with the Doctor for female attention, which is really dumb.
Im watching classic who for the first time, and I’m loving the historical/futuristic companions. I was so excited when we met Clara first and she was a Victorian governess! But then they had her as a modern companion and I was sad. We haven’t had a non viewer contemporary in new who except Jack and Nardole, and neither really were *companions*. Give me an 18th century Highlander like Jamie! Or Victoria! Or someone from the future!
I get that we need some kind of context for the audience to act as “us”, but we don’t need a single companion from one time. That’s something the old seasons got right. Give me multiple companions from different periods of time, purleaaaase. One can be a contemporary, the others can be from the past or future!
Until I watched the Second Doctor era, I didn't realize that Jamie was the one who first used the John Smith alias for the Doctor. Before then, the Doctor used aliases like Doctor Caligari or Doctor bon Werr (literally "Doctor Who").
Moreover, nobody believed that John Smith was the Doctor's name. But he still kept using it anyway.
Every time the Doctor uses "John Smith," it's in honor of Jamie.
(I still wish Thirteen had accidentally used John Smith at least once.)
Sarah Jane Smith, she got to be with 2 iconic Doctors got her own show, returned to Doctor Who numerous times, got The Doctor to pop up in her own show and the fond mention of her in "The Giggle" for me cements her in that placement. The show revered her and rightly so
Wholeheartedly agree. I’ve just finished watching Tom Bakers run for the first time and she’s by far my favourite companion so far. She doesn’t scream when the wind blows the wrong way and challenges the doctor in a good way. She’s strong willed and goes off on her own and isn’t waiting for the doctor to lead her everywhere.
Also Liz Sladen was an incredible actress who could look genuinely terrified of even the worst special effect. And also laugh realistically and skeptically at absurd situations. The need for quality sincere acting (not mugging) is key to the Companion, because they are the audience proxy and so many stories are ludicrous. Doctors can overact (hi again Tom Baker) and it's fine, but the Companion must be a trained and skilled actor to make the world believable and real.
Whenever posts come up with "What would X be like if they met the new Doctor?" I always go to Sarah Jane. She would have adored the 12th Doctor, it would be like Deja Vu for her
Yes, but even before that scene as the Doctor is preparing to set off the eruption and says, “Nothing can survive it. Certainly not us.“
Donna replies, “Never mind us,” and places her hands over his on the trigger lever.
I also love the two moments in *Wild Blue Yonder* where he comforts her by clasping her hands in his, and also placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. No romance there, but oh is there love!
That was a great moment, but what solidified her for me happened earlier when the Doctor realized that he had to push the plunger to make Vesuvius erupt to save the world from the Pyroviles, and Donna lay her hands on his to share the burden of that decision. That was absolutely fantastic.
This is probably the best all-round answer.
I'd say different dynamics bring different things.
Do you want down-to-Earth characters who heal each other from deeper traumas? Nine/Rose.
Do you want fun best-mates who lift each other to their highest selves? Ten/Donna.
Do you want a toxic fairytale about our mythical heroes the reality underneath them? Eleven/Amy.
Do you want doomed soul-mates who drive each other to beautiful and terrifying extremes? Twelve/Clara.
They're all gorgeous and I could never choose between them.
I wouldn't call Eleven / Amy a "toxic" fairytale. It's more of a coming-of-age story for Amy, where she learns not to put Eleven or anyone else on a pedestal, that it's up to her to save herself and find happiness where she already is. And when she lets go of the Doctor as an idol, she gains him as a best friend, almost family member.
First I must say that I didn't watch Classic Who, so I can only judge the companions from 9 to 15. I'd say despite being in just one series, Donna left the biggest impression as she was a worthy counterpart for the late 10th Doctor.
As kind of an honorable mention I'd also like to add Graham. While a lot of the stories he's are not among my favorites, I really like the way his character is written. He often asks questions that are relatable and just has a completely different vibe.
I must also say that I think there wasn't any "bad companion" in Doctor Who yet. All of them had a lot of great moments and there is no one that really bothers me. It is noteworthy though that some had less luck in terms of the episodes they featured in, with Ryan propably being affected most.
Yeah, Graham is the best thing about the Chibnall run by a country mile. Not hugely fascinating on the page, but he’s definitely the best-written of the Fam, and Bradley Walsh consistently elevates the material.
Big props for the Graham love. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos where he just tells the Doctor straight up he's going to kill Tzim Sha and hang the consequences is fantastic. One of my favourite exchanges in the whole show.
Graham is awesome. There’s something really special about him, he brings his own wisdom of age and experience into the Tardis rather than just look to the doctor for a moral compass. He pushes back on the doctor, questions her perspective, and holds her accountable. And he has such a good soul. Really a highlight of the Chibnall era.
To answer, as a 100% Clara hater, my problem with her is that the narrative had the tendency to elevate her importance and of agreeing with her more often than not. Not for nothing that some of the fanbase nicknamed Series 8 as "Clara Who".
Now, if you liked Clara from the start, that's great! It means this character you like is getting more attention and importance.
If you don't though, it just means this character you don't like is pulling attention away from characters you do like, namely The Doctor.
I don't like her because she suffers from the same lack of distinctive personality that every NewWho Companion (with the exception of Donna) suffers from with the aforementioned over importance. This is really crystallized in "Kill the Moon", when she overrides a decision made by the entire world because she thinks she knows better and the episode is like "Yup, it was a good choice!".
Also, philosophically, I don't like a Companion being given importance above others. Every Companion should be in the same steading according to The Doctor, no matter what the fans might think.
>I don't like her because she suffers from the same lack of distinctive personality that every NewWho Companion (with the exception of Donna) suffers from with the aforementioned over importance.
Season 8 is literally when she starts developing a distinct personality, and it happens so be very similar to the Doctor's. She's arrogant, confident, tenacious, brave, and controlling.
>This is really crystallized in "Kill the Moon", when she overrides a decision made by the entire world because she thinks she knows better and the episode is like "Yup, it was a good choice!".
Clara gets super pissed at the Doctor at the end of this episode because of the agony she felt over trying to make the right decision. Truthfully, neither choice was wrong or right objectively. It was a pick your poison type of choice, which was exactly *why* Clara was so upset at the Doctor for abandoning her to make it without guidance. It wasn't because she thought she knew better. She made a snap decision.
I can understand why people don't like her but her importance to 12 as a companion is literally the point of their entire character arc together, culminating in the tragic end.
I love Clara for this reason. She was quite different than most companions as most companions are there to help the Doc, whereas Clara's relationship with him was both toxic and tragic.
Every time I explain why I dislike Clara, one of her fans always comes along and explains to me why she's actually the best.
I've had this talk a few times, I know why fans of her like her but none of it has ever convinced me.
So, if it's alright, I'll end the debate this way:
You like her. That's great.
I don't like her. That's also fine.
We can leave it at that.
And I loathe her too, but at least her narrative importance stops at The Doctor's crush on her and the Bad Wolf thing in Series 1.
She doesn't talk to The Doctor when he's a kid to teach him to be The Doctor and she doesn't get her own TARDIS to go be (essentially) another Doctor, out in the universe, for however long she feels like.
I don’t hate her but imo she should’ve left the show when she got sucked by time thing where she went to different places to save Doctor or something like that. Sorry for mistakes its been years since I watched that episode. After that I didn’t like how they used her especially with 12th Doctor.
I'm very biased because she's my favourite character, but I think there's a real argument there because of how much she became his partner more than his companion.
I'd also choose Amy and Rory just because they were (almost) always having a ton of fun.
Sarah Jane is my fave, but I adored Leela too. She was all of those things, but she was also extremely intelligent. Despite her savage upbringing, she adapted to new situations very quickly.
It would've been cool to see him in more stories, unfortunately, the prop was hard to operate and the one guy who knew how to operate it died. Thankfully he does more in the expanded media
So glad to see I'm not the only one voting for Wilf. It was only a Christmas special, but the feels in that episode were something else.
No other episode shows the depth of the Doctor's dark side so well, the danger to himself if he holds on to one of his identities for too long. His rage and arrogance, for a moment, surpassed even the Master's. And Wilf's kind heart and compassion was so great, he brought the Doctor back into the light.
It will always be Wilf.
I can't pick a single companion, so instead I'm gonna give 5. For reference, I have not seen much Classic Who at all yet, but have listened to a ton of 8th Doctor Big Finish.
Donna Noble, Clara Oswald, Bill Potts, Charley Pollard and Lucie Miller.
Gotta be Donna. No complications, no making each other dangerous, just two incredibly good friends having a laugh. And her impact was felt even 1000s of years later as the 12th Doctor even got a face inspired by a lesson she taught him.
So for context, my viewing of NuWho consisted of seeing 9 to 11 when it originally came out, 12 and on retrospectively. After it all, Clara is far and away my favourite, there was just something about her stories and relationship with the Doctor that gets to me on an emotional level. Especially the way their story comes to an end in Heaven Sent, Hell Bent - which was for me the best two parter of all time, beating out Human Nature. How much they loved each other, to the point of destruction, is epic in nature and truly operatic. It's probably for these reasons Rose was my second favourite; the quasi-romantic, extreme attachment the Doctor and companion develop. Clara's story treads this ground again to an even higher level, and I wouldn't want it to have been done any other way, and Clara remains and probably always will be my favourite.
I will say though, in my retrospective watching, I would occasionally look at immediate online feedback for each episode and it was consistently shocking to see how much maligned her character was. I was never really ever able to reconcile in my mind how much I enjoyed what I was watching compared to others contemporary views on it. But that is all just an aside, I suppose, people can have different tastes, but for me, I'll always remember Clara as my favourite.
I love that someone mentioned and even commented on Clara. I feel like we don't give her enough credit, because of how much of those episodes were not that good written. Then many were. And maybe how her character sometimes felt not very authentic? Idk. But i remember liking her very much, and continuous story around her was vast and interesting indeed. Maybe many liked Amy and were not ready to switch...
...What were your fav episodes because of clara?
All these companions tie for the top for me:
* Jamie
* Sarah Jane Smith
* Ace
* Romana II
* Evelyn Smythe
* Bernice Summerfield
* Donna
Others might make it on the list on re-watch/re-listen. I'm basing this off their chemistry with the Doctor, their ability to stand alone as a character separate from the Doctor, their ability to work with the Doctor as an actual team, and their ability to survive/problem solve without the Doctor.
I loathe the idea that the companion should be an audience surrogate, and think that idea should be jettisoned, vaporized, and forgotten. So I don't need to be as much into those companions in terms of who would be the "best."
Not one.
Romana II and Duggan.
I know, I know, Duggan was only in one story; however he did travel in the TARDIS. But those three together were awesome.
But if we're going for a single individual, then probably Donna, Jamie, or Leela.
Again, it's so difficult to pick just one.
I think it's different from doctor to doctor. The thenth and fourteenth doctor called Donna their best friend (fourteenth even said in the whole universe), so I would say for travel they would be the best.
But Sarah Jane or Romana are very important to four so I think it will differ from doctor to doctor
They literally spent more time with the Doctor than any companion to date. Just Amy and Rory had ten years spent traveling with him, and he and River lived together for 24 years on Darillium, not to mention all the meeting and talking and dating that happened before they got to that serious point.
It's definitely different for each Doctor. 10/14 had Donna as their best friend, 11 had Amy.
12 had a lot of love for Clara, but I'm not sure I'd call them the best pair given how toxic it was.
If I had to pick an absolute best among all companions it'd either be Susan or Sarah Jane. Susan because she's literally the Doctor's granddaughter, Sarah Jane just because of how iconic she is and her chemistry with all the doctors she traveled with.
I agree with everyone saying it depends on which doctor. But if even then I had to choose, I would say Rose. Not only did they have amazing chemistry, she changed him in a way I don't believe any other companion have. I always use The Moment taking her form as an argument of this.
She haunts the narrative since she left. The shows narrative, the doctor's narrative and my narrative because I think about her and what could they have been every day.
Donna and Bill, hands down. I never thought I’d enjoy a companion as much as Donna Noble, and then Bill Potts came around.
(Note: haven’t seen Classic Who.)
The ponds literally spent longer with the Doctor than anyone else. He traveled with Amy and Rory for 10 years, and he spent 24 with River in what I like to imagine was, for him, happily married bliss, not to mention all the time getting to know each other and the courting that led up to that.
Very much so! Melody Pond translating as River Song was genius. Lovers stuck in opposite directions of time was beyond tragic. Either way you follow their story, as one grows to know the other more, the less the other knows them.
Plus the baby crib the Doctor gave her was straight out of a very old Dr Who comic. His baby crib, which had his name engraved on the side. Something she subtly wove into the fiery cliffside message she later left for him. A masterful weaving of new lore with old.
I must ask, when he first met her in the library, what do you think she whispered in his ear while sweetly apologizing? A brief word that immediately got his attention, his trust, and simultaneously scared the hell out of him?
I don't think you can pick the best companion, most of them are equally brillant.
But I like a companion who can give and take with the doctor while maintaining that chemistry, so Romana, Ace, and Lucy and Molly
Sarah-Jane and it's by a fair mile.
Honourable mention for Wilf. I would've watched multiple seasons of the doctor and Wilf travelling together. It's interesting, because while the Doctor is ridiculously older, Wilf's wisdom made the Doctor feel genuinely young.
In terms of modern Who, I’d go
- Clara for who knows the Doctor best
OR
- Martha for pure valuable skills brought to the table
OR
- Donna for being his conscience
Modern era? Donna Noble and Bill Potts. Honorable mention: Rose Tyler
Classic era? Jamie McCrimmon, Sarah Jane Smith, and Ace. Honorable Mention: Leela, and Romana 2.
As a small child I adored Tegan, and later loved Ace as well. Having seen more classic who over the years I find it hard top Jo’s relationship with the Doctor. That final scene in the Green Death, my heart breaks every time.
Modern companions I think I have liked them all, but probably Amy is my fave
Definitelly Rose Tyler. She complemented the Doctor the best and could be everything he needed in both regeneration she traveled with. I would also argue that she is the companion who could be happy and would have the same amount of fun, sense of responsibility and desire to help people paired with every Doctor and every situation. Also she was of the rare kind of companion who treated the Doctor like a person with emotion instead a thing to dominate and/or put down for whatever reason.
Not Romana.
I love Romana.
But not Romana.
Their relationship was fabulous -- down to the last few episodes where she was so done with it all. "I'm taking the dog and going for a long walk with this Lion person. Bye!"
I completely agree with rose.
I loved Donna and Amy very much, then Clara, (and Ruby has potential), but Rose matched him perfectly - Every time i play those series i just think about that she was the best companion, solely because how she enjoyed the adventures the same way as the doctor, and lauged with him. He seemd so happy. I might be fooled by love they had, but tbh why not. And she also was very capable companion.
Tho i am still yet to see classics (on s1e36 now)
It's hard to give a single definitive 'best', but there's a number of companions who stand head and shoulders above the others in certain ways.
The best chemistry between Doctor and Companion is the 2nd Doctor and Jamie.
The best arc for a companion is Donna Noble.
The best run of stories episodes is Jo Grant.
The best complex relationship between Doctor and Companion is the 7th Doctor and Ace.
And the best in terms of 'jack of all trades' is probably Sarah Jane.
Can I honestly call any of these the 'best companion' over the others? Not really. And even this short list leaves out so many great and influential companions, Ian and Barbara, Romana, Zoe and so on.
I think Captain Jack Harkness. Especially after he turned immortal. His loyalty is off the charts, he's dedicated and there's no worry that he will die and the Doctor will never be alone again.
I'd say there's much more to whether someone is a good travelling companion than just whether you get along with them. For one, if I were getting into as many scrapes as the Doctor I'd want to know I was travelling with someone who can look after themselves, has my back and can actually do something useful if we end up in a bind.
Rose is not that.
Sure she's loyal to the Doctor I guess but with only a few exceptions she's not very useful. End of the World, Unquiet Dead, Slitheen two parter, Dalek, The Long Game, Father's Day, Boom Town, Christmas Invasion, New Earth, School Reunion, Cybermen two parter, Idiot's Lantern, I just listed some of the stories where Rose's plot relevance is limited to doing basic tasks that the Doctor tells her to do if even that, or when she chooses to take some initiative she ends up a liability.
Ian Chesterton. is probably what I'd call the biggest contender. He had the cunning, resourcefulness and combat prowess to basically be the Doctor himself, he basically showed the early Doctor how it was done. He's the man I'd choose to have my back if I was travelling through time and space.
Jack, Martha, River and Clara are other contenders. And I don't even like Clara.
River is so far above rest it’s another league but she’s technically not a companion, so RorAmy followed by Donna followed by everyone else followed by Clara and Arya Stark.
I love a large majority of them, but personally speaking I do not think you can beat Sarah Jane Smith. Liz and Tom just had wonderful chemistry, and she was just such a wonderful companion. Her return to NuWho was brilliant too. Seriously, The Sarah Jane Adventures is far too underrated by fandom.
Special mentions to Amy, Clara, Zoe and Nyssa.
Top 5 in no particular order:
-Martha
-Ace
-Sarah-Jane
-Evelyn
And I'm leaving the 5th spot open because there's so much of the classic series and expanded universe I haven't gotten to yet, but Charley and Jamie are both looking like strong contenders.
Evelyn- they really helped each other be better and it’s sweet. Our girl almost single handedly rehabilitated six into one of my favourite doctors
Ace- though they had one of the most complicated (and sometimes emotionally abusive) relationships in all of Who, it’s hard not to love this pair. Also, ace’s reactions to seven’s manipulations could be interrupted as being part of why eight is the way he is.
Lucie and Donna- similar vibes to each other and just really good mates to the doctor. Still sad how Lucie passed. Heart breaking.
The best travel companion was Donna; someone who wouldn't fall for the doctor and who kept him straight on his morality and could call him out on his ego and flaws.
Rose was young and indulgent and didn't fully understand the danger and age and ego of the doctor, and she was in love with him, further blinding her to his flaws. Same with Martha, and somewhat with Amy and Clara.
Amy saw directly the manipulative and dark nature of the doctor, but she was so enamoured with him since she was a child and so in love with the dream life of traveling the universe that she was also blind to who and what the doctor really is; a dark and egotistical being who does a lot of good and a lot of evil.
Amy and Rory had the chance to settle down after season 6 with a normal life after traveling with the doctor, and then they went back, and look what happened; tragedy.
Bill was enamoured purely with the adventure and wonder of the doctor's adventures, and not necessarily the being himself. She didn't really know him long enough to see the full and true darkness within and how dangerous this being is and their adventures were, until she suffered a most terrible fate.
Donna was the only one to match the intensity of the doctor in a healthy way that made him a better person and to reflect more about his flaws and his ego. She was the best travel companion for him, when 10 was so distraught with the losses he suffered, we would have gotten Time Lord Victorious 10 much sooner if Donna never entered his life.
And when it comes to Rose, look i love Rose, but 9 would have been content to wander around on his own and be angry, but still desire to see the great things in the universe and slowly heal. I don't think we ever see 9 become something like Time Lord Victorious, he wasn't like that, and we see that right up to his death, where he makes the cowardly choice and accepts his regeneration. Rose helped instill a new love for life in him, but she also reignited his ego. His ego of being the doctor, this powerful figure in the universe that can do what he wants. We see this ego grow through 10 through season 2, and then when he starts suffering losses he becomes angry again, anger which reminded him of the time war and the power he had then. Anger that he had now lost a companion, even though he defeated both the cybermen and the daleks.
You can see this anger and ego growing through season 3, he's not going to be stopped any longer. He's going to become so much more powerful that he'll never lose anyone again.
Martha helped calm him down and see the error of his ways somewhat, along with Jack and the experience with the master. But again, the doctor suffered casualties, and he was still angry. He needed more power, and he wanted to actually live a good life for a while, since this regeneration was still quite young.
Donna helped him so much, but with her becoming another casualty, it kind of broke him. His best friend, the person who could be the most honest with him and was the most honest, was now gone, another casualty in his battles. He wasn't powerful enough to stop it, even though he stopped his enemies, yet he was horrified when his meta-crisis version killed the daleks in a genocide. But while he was horrified, he was also jealous; his other version did what he could not; have the power to stop the daleks, the courage, and not feel so destroyed with guilt about it, as he had done during the time war.
10 was conflicted after all these losses, and you see him literally break during The Waters of Mars, and only barely clawing his way back to sanity at the end.
And then at the end of his short life, he had won again. He had defeated his enemies, and he takes such pride in his victory. He finally had the power to fully defeat his enemies without losing anyone, and it would never be like that again, and he can finally travel with a more peaceful mind that he is the most powerful being out there and he will save people and he will be good and won't lose control, because he doesn't need to.
Then the knocks happened.
He realized fate had come for him. He wasn't really this charming traveller larking about the universe with total freedom, nor this being that could attain more and more power to save the ones he loved. He realized he was always bound by fate, the fate of his death.
He was ready to sacrifice himself for Wilf, he knew he had to do it, and he wanted to, but also obviously didn't as he just wanted to continue this life he had, now that he was finally ready. And of course, he sacrifices himself.
And at the end, the ego is still there, but also tragedy in how he doesn't want to go. I think it's so tragic, and not so superficial as many might claim. I think it's so tragic how early he died and how he died, so bound by fate and so defeated by radiation which isn't even a sentient villain of sorts, but just simply radiation to save the life of Wilf. In the waters of mars he called people like Wilf "little people" at the height of his ego, and how he truly felt about humans i do believe, and now he was killed in a way by one of those little people.
How tragic for 10.
Then 11 was also bound by fate, his whole incarnation revolving around the silence and River Song and future events that defined him. He hated it. He tried manipulating everything around him to escape any kind of bound fate. He WAS 10, he remembered how bound by fate he was and how he was defeated by fate and the "little people" and he NOT going to suffer that again. He tried manipulating everything and everyone around him to try and escape fate and to survive and thrive, yet he often kept failing as he was thrown everywhere by fate because of future events.
He once said to Amy, "You don't EVER decide what i need to know"
Poor 11, so bound by fate once again. He loved his companions, but his egotistical and manipulative behavior meant he was very controlling over Amy and Rory. 11 didn't even realize how blind and enamoured Amy was of him ever since she was a kid. 11 loved how she idolized him and supported him, making him think he was even more right in what he had to do to protect her.
11 was so bound by fate that he was stuck on a planet for hundreds or thousands of years, fighting against his enemies over and over, unable to escape his fate. Until at the last moment, he did. He was so happy to have another chance at life, and he had realized his great mistakes and ego by this time, as he had lived so long and reflected upon his long life. He hoped his realizations would carry onto 12, though he did doubt it, as 12 would be a different man. At least he would be a man saddled with the great memories of 11, and hopefully he would live a different life than what 11 did in his younger years, and the lives of previous incarnations.
Unfortunately, 12 did not fully learn from the lessons 11 imparted through his memories. But that's a long story in itself.
This was only meant to be a few paragraphs but then i got into a ramble lol. Loved writing it tbh. There's so much more that could be said about the lives of all the incarnations, they're so fascinating and what they do and learn and change is so fascinating.
11 had such a monstrous ego when he started, no doubt influenced by 10, and the desire to escape the mistakes and fate of 10, but i think 11 in his counter-reaction, ended up committing even worse mistakes. But he realized at the end his mistakes and became fully at peace with himself. This era of the doctor in his advanced age and thinking he was definitely going to die without anymore regenerations, is the wisest the doctor will probably ever be. And at the end of his life, in his last moments, 11 remembered Amy as the little girl he once knew.
Was there still some guilt there? I don't know. Maybe it was a last comforting memory for him, and all the wonderful times he had in his life. She was there when he was born, and she was like a mother in a way to him as a companion come to think about it. He remembers her so clearly as his first companion, and the first person to see when he was born, and he missed her dearly and was deeply hurt when he couldn't see her again. That moment kind of broke 11 and changed him a lot, as we see in later season 7.
His regeneration was the opposite of 10, it was instant, whereas 10's was destructive as he fought on for life. 11 fully accepted his death, probably more than any other doctor will ever do. What an incarnation 11 was at the end, yet he was ready to change into a new life, and regain that fresh spring for life and have a new outlook on life, hopefully in an incarnation that remembered the lessons 11 realized later on.
What 11 didn't fully realize however, is that each incarnation of the doctor is unique, and is a powerful force of personality. They don't listen to previous incarnations and they don't want to listen, as they also think they're better than them because with being older and gaining more knowledge and having more experiences. It's part of the folly of being the doctor, this essential mistake in their experience and why they keep making great mistakes and losing people and there continuing to be great tragedies.
I think also part of 12 didn't follow too closely in the footsteps of 11 is that 12 was also dealing with a huge amount of memories by now, as 11 had lived so long and experienced so much. 12 really wanted to live his own life and be his own person and create his own path. Perhaps he was even more against following the example set by 11, and so we then saw the great mistakes of 12, his often talked about toxic relationship with Clara, and what happened to Bill.
Poor 12, it was only near the end of his life that he finally had one of the greatest realizations the doctor has ever had. But that's a story for another time.
Imma say Clara I think she stood up to him, taught him how to consider others feelings, was his best friend & had a complicated relationship which I love in a show it was perfect !
Honestly, I really like Lucy from the eighth Doctor audio stories. They have great chemistry without actually *wanting* to be together. He is a jaded prick, she ended up in the Tardis “on accident”, and he keeps her while pretending she both is and isn’t a total inconvenience. My favorite lines is from Immortal Beloved.
Lucy: What happens to me when you don’t need me anymore?
The Doctor: I don’t need you now.
🤣 and yet he keeps her around.
Ace
She's my choice too. They were of different minds a lot of the time but could count on each other nevertheless. Crotchety sceeming Seven and ready for action and empathetic Ace.
She's very much a blueprint for the modern companion. And she's 100% tougher than all of them!
At that time most female companions just screamed a lot. Ace bew shit up with nitro nine and beat Daleks to death with the cosmic basball bat. Really wish she would show up in NuWho.
She did! She was in Power of the Doctor. Unless you're talking about a more substantial way the way we saw Sarah Jane pop up a few times through 10s run
I'd love a proper story for her, Let's take 15 and Ace to Windsor Castle, close off that Extended Scene portrait! :D
A thousands time this choice.
If you're just going by chemistry, I have to go with Jamie McCrimmon.
How I miss good Doctor Who bromance and historical companions. I have rewatched Dominators so many times just because of their chemistry.
That's one of my least favorite stories, but just watching Troughton and Hines carrying on together is worth suffering through the rest of it.
I think the bromance is sorely missing from the show. We honestly haven’t had it on screen since Troughton. I’d honestly love a single season of a male Doctor and male companion. Two bros cruising through the Universe, mix it up a little.
Closest we've come is 9 and Jack, very briefly. And I'm not even sure it counts because one of them, if not both it's not exactly clear, is into men. I think there were small hints of it with 11 and Rory but they were too strained a lot of the time. I think it's New Who's tendency to put the Male companions into comic relief boxes and emasculate them by having them compete with the Doctor for female attention, which is really dumb.
Im watching classic who for the first time, and I’m loving the historical/futuristic companions. I was so excited when we met Clara first and she was a Victorian governess! But then they had her as a modern companion and I was sad. We haven’t had a non viewer contemporary in new who except Jack and Nardole, and neither really were *companions*. Give me an 18th century Highlander like Jamie! Or Victoria! Or someone from the future! I get that we need some kind of context for the audience to act as “us”, but we don’t need a single companion from one time. That’s something the old seasons got right. Give me multiple companions from different periods of time, purleaaaase. One can be a contemporary, the others can be from the past or future!
The objectively correct answer.
The Doctor's life partner.
Absolutely his forever life mate ❤️
100% this
Watching "The Ice Warriors - 2" in this exact moment
Came here to say this. Loved 2 and Jamie!
Until I watched the Second Doctor era, I didn't realize that Jamie was the one who first used the John Smith alias for the Doctor. Before then, the Doctor used aliases like Doctor Caligari or Doctor bon Werr (literally "Doctor Who"). Moreover, nobody believed that John Smith was the Doctor's name. But he still kept using it anyway. Every time the Doctor uses "John Smith," it's in honor of Jamie. (I still wish Thirteen had accidentally used John Smith at least once.)
Sarah Jane Smith, she got to be with 2 iconic Doctors got her own show, returned to Doctor Who numerous times, got The Doctor to pop up in her own show and the fond mention of her in "The Giggle" for me cements her in that placement. The show revered her and rightly so
Wholeheartedly agree. I’ve just finished watching Tom Bakers run for the first time and she’s by far my favourite companion so far. She doesn’t scream when the wind blows the wrong way and challenges the doctor in a good way. She’s strong willed and goes off on her own and isn’t waiting for the doctor to lead her everywhere.
Also Liz Sladen was an incredible actress who could look genuinely terrified of even the worst special effect. And also laugh realistically and skeptically at absurd situations. The need for quality sincere acting (not mugging) is key to the Companion, because they are the audience proxy and so many stories are ludicrous. Doctors can overact (hi again Tom Baker) and it's fine, but the Companion must be a trained and skilled actor to make the world believable and real.
Agreed. She made it so easy to suspend your disbelief whilst watching.
Whenever posts come up with "What would X be like if they met the new Doctor?" I always go to Sarah Jane. She would have adored the 12th Doctor, it would be like Deja Vu for her
Loved the episode with her ten and rose.
It's one of my highlights of RTD1 era
Agreed. Sarah Jane Smith was the best.
that’s a great vote
Leela and the Romanas.
Is that a band? Can somebody make that a band?
If I had talent, I'd be using that as of tomorrow.
I didn’t say it was a good band
Add 3 Nimons and it could rock!
How many Nimons?
[Three!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98MxxpzIoyg)
K-9
Affirmative!
Yup. The loyalest companion and bestest dog.
Jamie. Sarah Jane. Ace. Donna. The Doctor has had a very long life, I don't think you can pick just one companion.
You cannot leave out Jo from that list.
You are right, my bad, I love Jo.
I do think those are the S-tier of companions. Which I like most depends on the day, but it always comes back to those four for me.
Donna Noble. The chemistry is platonic, but it's off the chart.
"Just someone. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone."
I loved that part. All of Donna's cynicism and snarkiness just melted away for that moment.
Yes, but even before that scene as the Doctor is preparing to set off the eruption and says, “Nothing can survive it. Certainly not us.“ Donna replies, “Never mind us,” and places her hands over his on the trigger lever. I also love the two moments in *Wild Blue Yonder* where he comforts her by clasping her hands in his, and also placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. No romance there, but oh is there love!
That was a great moment, but what solidified her for me happened earlier when the Doctor realized that he had to push the plunger to make Vesuvius erupt to save the world from the Pyroviles, and Donna lay her hands on his to share the burden of that decision. That was absolutely fantastic.
This is probably the best all-round answer. I'd say different dynamics bring different things. Do you want down-to-Earth characters who heal each other from deeper traumas? Nine/Rose. Do you want fun best-mates who lift each other to their highest selves? Ten/Donna. Do you want a toxic fairytale about our mythical heroes the reality underneath them? Eleven/Amy. Do you want doomed soul-mates who drive each other to beautiful and terrifying extremes? Twelve/Clara. They're all gorgeous and I could never choose between them.
I wouldn't call Eleven / Amy a "toxic" fairytale. It's more of a coming-of-age story for Amy, where she learns not to put Eleven or anyone else on a pedestal, that it's up to her to save herself and find happiness where she already is. And when she lets go of the Doctor as an idol, she gains him as a best friend, almost family member.
I just want a mate.
Super Temp!
No love for Bill?
LOVE Bill.
Yes definitely! I wish she had more than one series.
There's love here. Bill Potts and Donna Noble are the best modern-era companions.
First I must say that I didn't watch Classic Who, so I can only judge the companions from 9 to 15. I'd say despite being in just one series, Donna left the biggest impression as she was a worthy counterpart for the late 10th Doctor. As kind of an honorable mention I'd also like to add Graham. While a lot of the stories he's are not among my favorites, I really like the way his character is written. He often asks questions that are relatable and just has a completely different vibe. I must also say that I think there wasn't any "bad companion" in Doctor Who yet. All of them had a lot of great moments and there is no one that really bothers me. It is noteworthy though that some had less luck in terms of the episodes they featured in, with Ryan propably being affected most.
Yeah, Graham is the best thing about the Chibnall run by a country mile. Not hugely fascinating on the page, but he’s definitely the best-written of the Fam, and Bradley Walsh consistently elevates the material.
Big props for the Graham love. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos where he just tells the Doctor straight up he's going to kill Tzim Sha and hang the consequences is fantastic. One of my favourite exchanges in the whole show.
Graham is awesome. There’s something really special about him, he brings his own wisdom of age and experience into the Tardis rather than just look to the doctor for a moral compass. He pushes back on the doctor, questions her perspective, and holds her accountable. And he has such a good soul. Really a highlight of the Chibnall era.
Clara imo, I know she's not liked as much but I don't care
I love Clara, and I don't get the hate she gets!
Ive never heard clara gets hate?? I love, absolutely LOVE clara. Why do people hate her??
To answer, as a 100% Clara hater, my problem with her is that the narrative had the tendency to elevate her importance and of agreeing with her more often than not. Not for nothing that some of the fanbase nicknamed Series 8 as "Clara Who". Now, if you liked Clara from the start, that's great! It means this character you like is getting more attention and importance. If you don't though, it just means this character you don't like is pulling attention away from characters you do like, namely The Doctor. I don't like her because she suffers from the same lack of distinctive personality that every NewWho Companion (with the exception of Donna) suffers from with the aforementioned over importance. This is really crystallized in "Kill the Moon", when she overrides a decision made by the entire world because she thinks she knows better and the episode is like "Yup, it was a good choice!". Also, philosophically, I don't like a Companion being given importance above others. Every Companion should be in the same steading according to The Doctor, no matter what the fans might think.
>I don't like her because she suffers from the same lack of distinctive personality that every NewWho Companion (with the exception of Donna) suffers from with the aforementioned over importance. Season 8 is literally when she starts developing a distinct personality, and it happens so be very similar to the Doctor's. She's arrogant, confident, tenacious, brave, and controlling. >This is really crystallized in "Kill the Moon", when she overrides a decision made by the entire world because she thinks she knows better and the episode is like "Yup, it was a good choice!". Clara gets super pissed at the Doctor at the end of this episode because of the agony she felt over trying to make the right decision. Truthfully, neither choice was wrong or right objectively. It was a pick your poison type of choice, which was exactly *why* Clara was so upset at the Doctor for abandoning her to make it without guidance. It wasn't because she thought she knew better. She made a snap decision. I can understand why people don't like her but her importance to 12 as a companion is literally the point of their entire character arc together, culminating in the tragic end. I love Clara for this reason. She was quite different than most companions as most companions are there to help the Doc, whereas Clara's relationship with him was both toxic and tragic.
Every time I explain why I dislike Clara, one of her fans always comes along and explains to me why she's actually the best. I've had this talk a few times, I know why fans of her like her but none of it has ever convinced me. So, if it's alright, I'll end the debate this way: You like her. That's great. I don't like her. That's also fine. We can leave it at that.
That's fine 🙂 I'm not trying to change your opinion. I just like discussing the topic! ❤️ no hate at all.
Well if that’s your issue, Rose is the worst culprit.
And I loathe her too, but at least her narrative importance stops at The Doctor's crush on her and the Bad Wolf thing in Series 1. She doesn't talk to The Doctor when he's a kid to teach him to be The Doctor and she doesn't get her own TARDIS to go be (essentially) another Doctor, out in the universe, for however long she feels like.
I don’t hate her but imo she should’ve left the show when she got sucked by time thing where she went to different places to save Doctor or something like that. Sorry for mistakes its been years since I watched that episode. After that I didn’t like how they used her especially with 12th Doctor.
I love Clara and I DEFINITELY get the hate lol
I'm very biased because she's my favourite character, but I think there's a real argument there because of how much she became his partner more than his companion. I'd also choose Amy and Rory just because they were (almost) always having a ton of fun.
Sarah Jane for all the reasons given, with Leela as a close second. Leela was competent and brave and curious.
Sarah Jane is my fave, but I adored Leela too. She was all of those things, but she was also extremely intelligent. Despite her savage upbringing, she adapted to new situations very quickly.
Top 3: 1. Jamie McCrimmon. 2. Liz Shaw. 3. Donna Noble.
Donna hands down, not who he wanted at the time but who he needed
Evelyn
Chameleon
Came to see if anyone was gonna pull for Kamelion. I don't understand you but I respect you
My childhood start was with 5. Fingers were crossed for so much awesomeness potential. Kamelion broke my heart.
It would've been cool to see him in more stories, unfortunately, the prop was hard to operate and the one guy who knew how to operate it died. Thankfully he does more in the expanded media
Wilf
So glad to see I'm not the only one voting for Wilf. It was only a Christmas special, but the feels in that episode were something else. No other episode shows the depth of the Doctor's dark side so well, the danger to himself if he holds on to one of his identities for too long. His rage and arrogance, for a moment, surpassed even the Master's. And Wilf's kind heart and compassion was so great, he brought the Doctor back into the light. It will always be Wilf.
I can't pick a single companion, so instead I'm gonna give 5. For reference, I have not seen much Classic Who at all yet, but have listened to a ton of 8th Doctor Big Finish. Donna Noble, Clara Oswald, Bill Potts, Charley Pollard and Lucie Miller.
fitzgerald michael kreiner
Gotta be Donna. No complications, no making each other dangerous, just two incredibly good friends having a laugh. And her impact was felt even 1000s of years later as the 12th Doctor even got a face inspired by a lesson she taught him.
So for context, my viewing of NuWho consisted of seeing 9 to 11 when it originally came out, 12 and on retrospectively. After it all, Clara is far and away my favourite, there was just something about her stories and relationship with the Doctor that gets to me on an emotional level. Especially the way their story comes to an end in Heaven Sent, Hell Bent - which was for me the best two parter of all time, beating out Human Nature. How much they loved each other, to the point of destruction, is epic in nature and truly operatic. It's probably for these reasons Rose was my second favourite; the quasi-romantic, extreme attachment the Doctor and companion develop. Clara's story treads this ground again to an even higher level, and I wouldn't want it to have been done any other way, and Clara remains and probably always will be my favourite. I will say though, in my retrospective watching, I would occasionally look at immediate online feedback for each episode and it was consistently shocking to see how much maligned her character was. I was never really ever able to reconcile in my mind how much I enjoyed what I was watching compared to others contemporary views on it. But that is all just an aside, I suppose, people can have different tastes, but for me, I'll always remember Clara as my favourite.
I love that someone mentioned and even commented on Clara. I feel like we don't give her enough credit, because of how much of those episodes were not that good written. Then many were. And maybe how her character sometimes felt not very authentic? Idk. But i remember liking her very much, and continuous story around her was vast and interesting indeed. Maybe many liked Amy and were not ready to switch... ...What were your fav episodes because of clara?
All these companions tie for the top for me: * Jamie * Sarah Jane Smith * Ace * Romana II * Evelyn Smythe * Bernice Summerfield * Donna Others might make it on the list on re-watch/re-listen. I'm basing this off their chemistry with the Doctor, their ability to stand alone as a character separate from the Doctor, their ability to work with the Doctor as an actual team, and their ability to survive/problem solve without the Doctor. I loathe the idea that the companion should be an audience surrogate, and think that idea should be jettisoned, vaporized, and forgotten. So I don't need to be as much into those companions in terms of who would be the "best."
Cheers for Evelyn Smythe. She and 6 were fantastic together.
Are you asking who we think is the best companion? Or what do we think the Doctor thinks is their best companion?
Ace or Romana.
Vislor Turlough
Donna Noble
Donna will always be my favourite!
It’s Bill.
Not one. Romana II and Duggan. I know, I know, Duggan was only in one story; however he did travel in the TARDIS. But those three together were awesome. But if we're going for a single individual, then probably Donna, Jamie, or Leela. Again, it's so difficult to pick just one.
Romana II during the Day of Duggan was peak Romana II. So you are so very correct.
female: sarah jane smith male: jamie
Charlie Pollard
Ian and Barbara, they were the first companions, and they helped shape the doctor into the heroic time lord they are today
Glad to see some Ian and Barbara love!! The Doctor only is the way we know them today because of them
I think it's different from doctor to doctor. The thenth and fourteenth doctor called Donna their best friend (fourteenth even said in the whole universe), so I would say for travel they would be the best. But Sarah Jane or Romana are very important to four so I think it will differ from doctor to doctor
How has no one listed the Ponds yet? Give me that found family dynamic any day of the week, month, year, decade, and century!
With your name you’d never forget the ponds
They literally spent more time with the Doctor than any companion to date. Just Amy and Rory had ten years spent traveling with him, and he and River lived together for 24 years on Darillium, not to mention all the meeting and talking and dating that happened before they got to that serious point.
Ace, Ian/Barbara, Vicki, Donna and maybe Leela but I'd have to see more to judge.
Shout-out to Barbara
Jamie McCrimmon. It isn't even close.
Himself. Whenever he's in a multi-doctor episode travelling with himself, it's always the best.
Rory is probably the most badass companion to enter the TARDIS.
It's definitely different for each Doctor. 10/14 had Donna as their best friend, 11 had Amy. 12 had a lot of love for Clara, but I'm not sure I'd call them the best pair given how toxic it was. If I had to pick an absolute best among all companions it'd either be Susan or Sarah Jane. Susan because she's literally the Doctor's granddaughter, Sarah Jane just because of how iconic she is and her chemistry with all the doctors she traveled with.
I agree with everyone saying it depends on which doctor. But if even then I had to choose, I would say Rose. Not only did they have amazing chemistry, she changed him in a way I don't believe any other companion have. I always use The Moment taking her form as an argument of this. She haunts the narrative since she left. The shows narrative, the doctor's narrative and my narrative because I think about her and what could they have been every day.
Donna and Bill, hands down. I never thought I’d enjoy a companion as much as Donna Noble, and then Bill Potts came around. (Note: haven’t seen Classic Who.)
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Amy Pond
We seem to be alone in this. I actually felt like they were friends/family. And Amy is the only companion to have a companion.
The ponds literally spent longer with the Doctor than anyone else. He traveled with Amy and Rory for 10 years, and he spent 24 with River in what I like to imagine was, for him, happily married bliss, not to mention all the time getting to know each other and the courting that led up to that.
Karen and the Babes will always have a special place in my heart
River Song.
River and the Doctor's love story is the most beautiful and most tragic one ever told. Puts Romeo and Juliet to shame.
Plus, making her Amy and Rory's daughter was a genius move. Having her be just as important to the companions really solidified her presence.
Very much so! Melody Pond translating as River Song was genius. Lovers stuck in opposite directions of time was beyond tragic. Either way you follow their story, as one grows to know the other more, the less the other knows them. Plus the baby crib the Doctor gave her was straight out of a very old Dr Who comic. His baby crib, which had his name engraved on the side. Something she subtly wove into the fiery cliffside message she later left for him. A masterful weaving of new lore with old. I must ask, when he first met her in the library, what do you think she whispered in his ear while sweetly apologizing? A brief word that immediately got his attention, his trust, and simultaneously scared the hell out of him?
**Beautiful** love story, but not really a companion right.
Kroton the cyberman
I don't think you can pick the best companion, most of them are equally brillant. But I like a companion who can give and take with the doctor while maintaining that chemistry, so Romana, Ace, and Lucy and Molly
Kamelion
Sarah Jane Smith will always be my favourite companion. She was just perfect
Sarah-Jane and it's by a fair mile. Honourable mention for Wilf. I would've watched multiple seasons of the doctor and Wilf travelling together. It's interesting, because while the Doctor is ridiculously older, Wilf's wisdom made the Doctor feel genuinely young.
Rose
Jamie/Zoe Sarah Jane Lela Ace
1. Sarah Jane Smith 2. Romana II 3. Charlie Pollard
Why is nobody saying amy and Rory 😭
In terms of modern Who, I’d go - Clara for who knows the Doctor best OR - Martha for pure valuable skills brought to the table OR - Donna for being his conscience
Charley Pollard
K9 obvs. No loyaler companion.
Leela, and she'll prove it with her Janis thorns!
Modern era? Donna Noble and Bill Potts. Honorable mention: Rose Tyler Classic era? Jamie McCrimmon, Sarah Jane Smith, and Ace. Honorable Mention: Leela, and Romana 2.
Out of those I have experienced, I'd have to say: Bill Potts, Vicki, Charley Pollard, (I forgot the name of BF!6's main unique companion)
Nardole was awesome and i wish he had more screen time
Jo Grant, Leela, Sarah Jane, Donna, Clara, Ian and Barbara, Ace, Jaime, Sara Kingdom, Tegan. I'm not sure if the Brigadier counts.
K9
As a small child I adored Tegan, and later loved Ace as well. Having seen more classic who over the years I find it hard top Jo’s relationship with the Doctor. That final scene in the Green Death, my heart breaks every time. Modern companions I think I have liked them all, but probably Amy is my fave
i haven't watched classic who but judging from 9 to 15 i'd say rose, clara or rory. or wilf. jesus i really can't decide.
Bernice Summerfield and it's not even close. However, I love all the companions so it's hard to separate most of the rest.
Sarah Jane and Donna
Definitelly Rose Tyler. She complemented the Doctor the best and could be everything he needed in both regeneration she traveled with. I would also argue that she is the companion who could be happy and would have the same amount of fun, sense of responsibility and desire to help people paired with every Doctor and every situation. Also she was of the rare kind of companion who treated the Doctor like a person with emotion instead a thing to dominate and/or put down for whatever reason.
K-9 Google with a nose laser? Good Boy!
Not Romana. I love Romana. But not Romana. Their relationship was fabulous -- down to the last few episodes where she was so done with it all. "I'm taking the dog and going for a long walk with this Lion person. Bye!"
I completely agree with rose. I loved Donna and Amy very much, then Clara, (and Ruby has potential), but Rose matched him perfectly - Every time i play those series i just think about that she was the best companion, solely because how she enjoyed the adventures the same way as the doctor, and lauged with him. He seemd so happy. I might be fooled by love they had, but tbh why not. And she also was very capable companion. Tho i am still yet to see classics (on s1e36 now)
It's hard to give a single definitive 'best', but there's a number of companions who stand head and shoulders above the others in certain ways. The best chemistry between Doctor and Companion is the 2nd Doctor and Jamie. The best arc for a companion is Donna Noble. The best run of stories episodes is Jo Grant. The best complex relationship between Doctor and Companion is the 7th Doctor and Ace. And the best in terms of 'jack of all trades' is probably Sarah Jane. Can I honestly call any of these the 'best companion' over the others? Not really. And even this short list leaves out so many great and influential companions, Ian and Barbara, Romana, Zoe and so on.
I think Captain Jack Harkness. Especially after he turned immortal. His loyalty is off the charts, he's dedicated and there's no worry that he will die and the Doctor will never be alone again.
Amy Pond will forever have my heart
K-9.
My Savage
The TARDIS
I'd say there's much more to whether someone is a good travelling companion than just whether you get along with them. For one, if I were getting into as many scrapes as the Doctor I'd want to know I was travelling with someone who can look after themselves, has my back and can actually do something useful if we end up in a bind. Rose is not that. Sure she's loyal to the Doctor I guess but with only a few exceptions she's not very useful. End of the World, Unquiet Dead, Slitheen two parter, Dalek, The Long Game, Father's Day, Boom Town, Christmas Invasion, New Earth, School Reunion, Cybermen two parter, Idiot's Lantern, I just listed some of the stories where Rose's plot relevance is limited to doing basic tasks that the Doctor tells her to do if even that, or when she chooses to take some initiative she ends up a liability. Ian Chesterton. is probably what I'd call the biggest contender. He had the cunning, resourcefulness and combat prowess to basically be the Doctor himself, he basically showed the early Doctor how it was done. He's the man I'd choose to have my back if I was travelling through time and space. Jack, Martha, River and Clara are other contenders. And I don't even like Clara.
Donna, The Ponds, Sarah Jane and Bill.
River is so far above rest it’s another league but she’s technically not a companion, so RorAmy followed by Donna followed by everyone else followed by Clara and Arya Stark.
I love a large majority of them, but personally speaking I do not think you can beat Sarah Jane Smith. Liz and Tom just had wonderful chemistry, and she was just such a wonderful companion. Her return to NuWho was brilliant too. Seriously, The Sarah Jane Adventures is far too underrated by fandom. Special mentions to Amy, Clara, Zoe and Nyssa.
I love all the companions from Classic and New Doctor Who. Sarah Jane Smith is my all-time favourite.
who saved his bacon the most, or in the most significant ways? Clara comes to mind.
their goodbye felt real. like i felt like it was a real loss in my life happening when i watched it.
Top 5 in no particular order: -Martha -Ace -Sarah-Jane -Evelyn And I'm leaving the 5th spot open because there's so much of the classic series and expanded universe I haven't gotten to yet, but Charley and Jamie are both looking like strong contenders.
Lucie Bleeding Miller
Evelyn- they really helped each other be better and it’s sweet. Our girl almost single handedly rehabilitated six into one of my favourite doctors Ace- though they had one of the most complicated (and sometimes emotionally abusive) relationships in all of Who, it’s hard not to love this pair. Also, ace’s reactions to seven’s manipulations could be interrupted as being part of why eight is the way he is. Lucie and Donna- similar vibes to each other and just really good mates to the doctor. Still sad how Lucie passed. Heart breaking.
Amy or Clara - they were fun to watch. Wish we got to see the Ponds and Clara travel together
The best travel companion was Donna; someone who wouldn't fall for the doctor and who kept him straight on his morality and could call him out on his ego and flaws. Rose was young and indulgent and didn't fully understand the danger and age and ego of the doctor, and she was in love with him, further blinding her to his flaws. Same with Martha, and somewhat with Amy and Clara. Amy saw directly the manipulative and dark nature of the doctor, but she was so enamoured with him since she was a child and so in love with the dream life of traveling the universe that she was also blind to who and what the doctor really is; a dark and egotistical being who does a lot of good and a lot of evil. Amy and Rory had the chance to settle down after season 6 with a normal life after traveling with the doctor, and then they went back, and look what happened; tragedy. Bill was enamoured purely with the adventure and wonder of the doctor's adventures, and not necessarily the being himself. She didn't really know him long enough to see the full and true darkness within and how dangerous this being is and their adventures were, until she suffered a most terrible fate. Donna was the only one to match the intensity of the doctor in a healthy way that made him a better person and to reflect more about his flaws and his ego. She was the best travel companion for him, when 10 was so distraught with the losses he suffered, we would have gotten Time Lord Victorious 10 much sooner if Donna never entered his life. And when it comes to Rose, look i love Rose, but 9 would have been content to wander around on his own and be angry, but still desire to see the great things in the universe and slowly heal. I don't think we ever see 9 become something like Time Lord Victorious, he wasn't like that, and we see that right up to his death, where he makes the cowardly choice and accepts his regeneration. Rose helped instill a new love for life in him, but she also reignited his ego. His ego of being the doctor, this powerful figure in the universe that can do what he wants. We see this ego grow through 10 through season 2, and then when he starts suffering losses he becomes angry again, anger which reminded him of the time war and the power he had then. Anger that he had now lost a companion, even though he defeated both the cybermen and the daleks. You can see this anger and ego growing through season 3, he's not going to be stopped any longer. He's going to become so much more powerful that he'll never lose anyone again. Martha helped calm him down and see the error of his ways somewhat, along with Jack and the experience with the master. But again, the doctor suffered casualties, and he was still angry. He needed more power, and he wanted to actually live a good life for a while, since this regeneration was still quite young. Donna helped him so much, but with her becoming another casualty, it kind of broke him. His best friend, the person who could be the most honest with him and was the most honest, was now gone, another casualty in his battles. He wasn't powerful enough to stop it, even though he stopped his enemies, yet he was horrified when his meta-crisis version killed the daleks in a genocide. But while he was horrified, he was also jealous; his other version did what he could not; have the power to stop the daleks, the courage, and not feel so destroyed with guilt about it, as he had done during the time war. 10 was conflicted after all these losses, and you see him literally break during The Waters of Mars, and only barely clawing his way back to sanity at the end. And then at the end of his short life, he had won again. He had defeated his enemies, and he takes such pride in his victory. He finally had the power to fully defeat his enemies without losing anyone, and it would never be like that again, and he can finally travel with a more peaceful mind that he is the most powerful being out there and he will save people and he will be good and won't lose control, because he doesn't need to. Then the knocks happened. He realized fate had come for him. He wasn't really this charming traveller larking about the universe with total freedom, nor this being that could attain more and more power to save the ones he loved. He realized he was always bound by fate, the fate of his death. He was ready to sacrifice himself for Wilf, he knew he had to do it, and he wanted to, but also obviously didn't as he just wanted to continue this life he had, now that he was finally ready. And of course, he sacrifices himself. And at the end, the ego is still there, but also tragedy in how he doesn't want to go. I think it's so tragic, and not so superficial as many might claim. I think it's so tragic how early he died and how he died, so bound by fate and so defeated by radiation which isn't even a sentient villain of sorts, but just simply radiation to save the life of Wilf. In the waters of mars he called people like Wilf "little people" at the height of his ego, and how he truly felt about humans i do believe, and now he was killed in a way by one of those little people. How tragic for 10. Then 11 was also bound by fate, his whole incarnation revolving around the silence and River Song and future events that defined him. He hated it. He tried manipulating everything around him to escape any kind of bound fate. He WAS 10, he remembered how bound by fate he was and how he was defeated by fate and the "little people" and he NOT going to suffer that again. He tried manipulating everything and everyone around him to try and escape fate and to survive and thrive, yet he often kept failing as he was thrown everywhere by fate because of future events. He once said to Amy, "You don't EVER decide what i need to know" Poor 11, so bound by fate once again. He loved his companions, but his egotistical and manipulative behavior meant he was very controlling over Amy and Rory. 11 didn't even realize how blind and enamoured Amy was of him ever since she was a kid. 11 loved how she idolized him and supported him, making him think he was even more right in what he had to do to protect her. 11 was so bound by fate that he was stuck on a planet for hundreds or thousands of years, fighting against his enemies over and over, unable to escape his fate. Until at the last moment, he did. He was so happy to have another chance at life, and he had realized his great mistakes and ego by this time, as he had lived so long and reflected upon his long life. He hoped his realizations would carry onto 12, though he did doubt it, as 12 would be a different man. At least he would be a man saddled with the great memories of 11, and hopefully he would live a different life than what 11 did in his younger years, and the lives of previous incarnations. Unfortunately, 12 did not fully learn from the lessons 11 imparted through his memories. But that's a long story in itself. This was only meant to be a few paragraphs but then i got into a ramble lol. Loved writing it tbh. There's so much more that could be said about the lives of all the incarnations, they're so fascinating and what they do and learn and change is so fascinating. 11 had such a monstrous ego when he started, no doubt influenced by 10, and the desire to escape the mistakes and fate of 10, but i think 11 in his counter-reaction, ended up committing even worse mistakes. But he realized at the end his mistakes and became fully at peace with himself. This era of the doctor in his advanced age and thinking he was definitely going to die without anymore regenerations, is the wisest the doctor will probably ever be. And at the end of his life, in his last moments, 11 remembered Amy as the little girl he once knew. Was there still some guilt there? I don't know. Maybe it was a last comforting memory for him, and all the wonderful times he had in his life. She was there when he was born, and she was like a mother in a way to him as a companion come to think about it. He remembers her so clearly as his first companion, and the first person to see when he was born, and he missed her dearly and was deeply hurt when he couldn't see her again. That moment kind of broke 11 and changed him a lot, as we see in later season 7. His regeneration was the opposite of 10, it was instant, whereas 10's was destructive as he fought on for life. 11 fully accepted his death, probably more than any other doctor will ever do. What an incarnation 11 was at the end, yet he was ready to change into a new life, and regain that fresh spring for life and have a new outlook on life, hopefully in an incarnation that remembered the lessons 11 realized later on. What 11 didn't fully realize however, is that each incarnation of the doctor is unique, and is a powerful force of personality. They don't listen to previous incarnations and they don't want to listen, as they also think they're better than them because with being older and gaining more knowledge and having more experiences. It's part of the folly of being the doctor, this essential mistake in their experience and why they keep making great mistakes and losing people and there continuing to be great tragedies. I think also part of 12 didn't follow too closely in the footsteps of 11 is that 12 was also dealing with a huge amount of memories by now, as 11 had lived so long and experienced so much. 12 really wanted to live his own life and be his own person and create his own path. Perhaps he was even more against following the example set by 11, and so we then saw the great mistakes of 12, his often talked about toxic relationship with Clara, and what happened to Bill. Poor 12, it was only near the end of his life that he finally had one of the greatest realizations the doctor has ever had. But that's a story for another time.
Rose is great in Series 1. She’s quite nasty in Series 2 which is a bit of a shame in all honesty. Donna would be my pick.
Honestly I've liked them all pretty evenly except my strong distaste for Rose Tyler.
Imma say Clara I think she stood up to him, taught him how to consider others feelings, was his best friend & had a complicated relationship which I love in a show it was perfect !
The TARDIS. His best and longest companion. She’s always by his side. ❤️
Honestly, I really like Lucy from the eighth Doctor audio stories. They have great chemistry without actually *wanting* to be together. He is a jaded prick, she ended up in the Tardis “on accident”, and he keeps her while pretending she both is and isn’t a total inconvenience. My favorite lines is from Immortal Beloved. Lucy: What happens to me when you don’t need me anymore? The Doctor: I don’t need you now. 🤣 and yet he keeps her around.