4 Different Types of Companions Doctor Who Should Consider 

4 Different Types of Companions Doctor Who Should Consider

Guest contributor Harpal Khambay explores four different types of companions the show could use in future.

If we look at the core companions of the revived series since 2005, we have had the emotional Rose, the independent Martha, the gobby Donna, the feisty Amy and the enigma that is Clara Oswald. I feel the writers have played it safe with these, which is understandable, as the genuine and modern character of Rose was well received and heavily relatable. With the rumours of Miss Oswald’s departure ever rife in the Whoniverse, I felt it would be a good opportunity to voice the benefits of a totally different companion not from present day, as I would like to see a totally different character if Clara departs.

When it was revealed that the Eleventh Doctor’s Christmas companion would be a Victorian governess named Clara back in 2012, I was very excited. I thought it would be a great reference to the classic era (Victoria Waterfield) to have a companion from the past entering the TARDIS and travelling through time and space. Sadly, within the hour she died, and the Doctor was given the task of finding a modern Clara.

In terms of companions, it is a great task and risk to have a companion from the past, and have them bombarded with the future’s technology and slang. However the benefits of this would be that the character could provide a lot of laughs. The realisation of modern day traditions would probably be full of gold, comedic moments. As well as this, a past companion would probably go through the largest character building milestones, as life in the TARDIS would be totally new to them more than the present day companion. Travelling in the TARDIS for a companion from the past would add a new dimension to the character as they learn about new ideas from the far future.

A companion from the future would obviously be the opposite of one from the past. They would probably be lost in the ‘primitive’ world and would feel more at home in the TARDIS, which may take away from the anticipated initiation of the moment in which the companion shouts: “It’s bigger on the inside!” They might even be friendlier with aliens, not the evil ones as such, but they would be more used to seeing alien faces unlike a modern day one.

Companions from the future could rival the Doctor’s intelligence, which could be fun, as did Zoe Heriot with the second Doctor. Obviously this point depends on the character of the companion, but I have no doubt that a companion from the future would add a new dimension to the TARDIS.

A companion from the future may also struggle with situations from the past as they wouldn’t have a great deal to work with, (if they love their technology) and this requires them to think on their feet. If they were obsessed with technology however, this could prove a cop out and risk to solutions for stories, as they could just whip out a device and say, “We dealt with this in the future!” There is also the risk of upstaging the Doctor, but I do think a companion from the future would bring a unique dynamic, and part of what makes a companion different is if they have a sparky relationship with the Doctor.

As a younger viewer I have been constantly annoyed by the terrible portrayal of modern teenagers in the show, such as Angie and Artie. Both were uninterested in the universe, obsessed with their phones and had terrible lines. If I were a companion, I would want to be independent, interested in the world around me, and looking at previous kids in the show. I would want to prove the point that not all teenagers are as shallow as they have been portrayed. Courtney Woods has been the exception, as she wasn’t as bad as Angie, but I didn’t really see the point of her after she vanished in ‘Kill the Moon.’ Having a teen like Ace in the show would give the Doctor more responsibility towards the teenager, and generate a fatherly relationship, which might mellow his character slightly, as some don’t like this darker Doctor. This would also give the kid a chance to become tougher.

I think the Doctor needs a crazy alien companion, with a totally different culture to humans. This companion would also develop to learn different views and opinions to compare to their own, and the Doctor really would open up their eyes to other cultures and life in the universe. As well as a companion from the past, an alien would be a massive risk, but again it would echo back to the classic era and would be a new direction for the show.

I would honestly love to see any of the above ideas to manifest into a new Doctor Who companion, and any one of these concepts would bring a totally new dynamic to the show, and to the Doctor. If a companion has more to learn, or needs to accept new ideas, the show will change and if any one of these notions are picked, the character given these ideas will go through the biggest character building milestones enabling them to develop massively and progress as a character which will adapt to totally new situations different to their time or home planet.

Beyond the TV Series: Part 2: Diving Into Audio Dramas

‹ “Jack & River Returns Would Have to be Seismic” – Moffat

The next companion should be a mirror, but the Doctor doesn\'t know it is a mirror.  Initially the Doctor is flattered that someone wants to mimic his every move, but gets more and more creeped out when he realizes his companion follows him everywhere when there is light but disappears in the darkness.

Anything - different.  A male chum would be nice as well.  Jamie-esque.  

Honestly I prefer another Adric to another "special girl" of the 21st century London.

a gutsy teen alien from the future, but from a future planet whose design aesthetic matches victorian england, played by a human actor.  bam!

What? I can dream! Personally, I do desire a departure from the run of 21st century young women, though I\'m not really sure which of those elements I most want changed. Very often it\'s the dynamic that makes or breaks a companion, and while of course their background plays a role in this, it\'s not the sole factor. A pure best mates relationship would be my ideal.

Companions from the past... Theoretically, they\'re all from the past, aren\'t they?!

Companions from the future: Sure. But it\'s not unique. Jack Harkness was one, and like you said, Zoe was, and she... wasn\'t very special. She screamed a lot. So yeah.

A gutsy kid: It\'s too bad I can\'t post gifs. I\'d post the one from the Office. You all know the one.

An alien: Sounds like a winner! Let\'s do it. But can she look like a young woman??? :o

I think you\'re going to get a lot of disagreement on this one. Everyone supports the parade of present-day earth companions in NuWho, and no one out there could possibly wish for anything different after ten years....

I can\'t say I\'m a huge fan of companions from the past. I\'ve found that the lack of knowledge of the present day, though sometimes interesting, can get quite tiring. It also puts a burden on writers to be historically accurate, and can take away from the episode because the companion needs something obvious to us explained to them. Victorian era or later is usually okay, but I prefer modern day or future. Of course, that\'s just my personal preference and I\'m sure I would like a companion from the past, should it be created.

As a younger viewer, I do like the student idea. Courtney was a bit young for my taste, especially as I\'ve found that many writers seem to find it incredibly difficult to write for her age, but another Ace would be great: a smart high school or college student. In fact, if they were to do a new male companion, this would be a good route to take. It would keep him from overshadowing the Doctor, giving more of an professor-student relationship instead of a rival.

My first reaction when you mentioned an alien companion was "ugh." I then realized this was mainly because it featured a picture of a sontaran. If there is an alien companion, it has to be someone with a complex background. It shouldn\'t be someone created just to be an alien, it should be a very complex person with a complete backstory and his/her own set of morals. Turlough is a good example of this. Astrid came close to this, but of course, she died. Someone like this would be quite interesting. To be honest, though, I don\'t think this is quite the time for an alien companion. For one, I\'m not sure Moffat is quite up to the job of creating that. I\'ve noticed that he has always had trouble creating a character who acts according to her back-story. Also, he would have to edit every other writer\'s script to build on this character, and it would be quite a task to keep the character on a consistent path. Secondly, Twelve is already very alien himself. I think that another alien wouldn\'t really have good chemistry with him, at least at this point in his tenure. Notice that the majority of alien companions were with Five, who was probably one of the most human Doctors. I don\'t think this is the time for an alien companion, but it would be interesting to see in the future.

I\'d be up for an alien companion - it would make a big change from the standard "21th century girl" and open up more ideas for storylines and character development between the Doctor and this alien.

I\'d also be up for a bigger TARDIS team of the Doctor and 3 companions, I just feel more companions would allow the story to branch off in more directions, like One/Susan/Barbara/Ian and Five/Adric/Nyssa/Tegan.

Those aside, I\'d be fine with a historical companion too.

In favour of 1,2. Not in favour of 3. Ambivalent about 4. Would add - 5. Contemporary, but male. 

*looks around* You leave the site for a few days and everything happens to you. Sheesh...

I\'m all for #1 and #3. Especially #3, being at the foolish age of thirteen and all. #2 and #4 would be good, but a bit harder to pull off.

I would be extremely happy, of course, if they finally made an Asian companion, just saying...

I\'ve said it before, but in my absolute ideal Series 9, the Doctor and Clara would find an amnesiac male Time Lord who somehow escaped the Time War, and throughout the series the Doctor tries to restore his memory so he can find out where Gallifrey is hidden, whilst the three strike up an odd friendship. 

One thing that I don\'t want is any mystery surrounding the next companion. As much as I have enjoyed the mysteries surrounding Clara. I am exhausted. I just want to see a companion that The Doctor can bounce off. I would really like s9 to feel like one continuous journey. I say bring back the randomizer to the Tardis.

The biggest problem with companions from other time periods is what they know is greatly different from what we know, which means that they can end up not knowing what anything is (Katarina) or spout out endless technobabble (Zoe, who I love all the same) if the writers aren\'t careful. They\'re a bit riskier to make.

From my (admittedly very narrow) knowledge of storytelling, I\'ve come to understand that creating contrasts creates usually  quite interesting stories. That\'s why I think it would be interesting if the companion(s) would be from the "less civilized" past, as opposed to the Doctor, who is from a highly civilized culture. That, or one companion could be from the future and one from the past, which could create an interesting contrast for the audience.

To be completey honest- the origins of a companion really doesn\'t faze me, as long as there is variety in the core characteristics and personality- and yes we\'ve had many young women from modern day London latley- but they\'ve all been incredibly diverse in character and each earned their roles

These are all very good ideas. The reality is that the audience surrogate is a bit of an illusion - after a few episodes, if he/she\'s still asking "What\'s that?" incessantly than it\'s not normal. Someone who doesn\'t fit with the norm, when done well, is much more interesting then the so-called audience surrogate.

I\'m hoping we don\'t get another young pretty girl companion. IMO the most interesting companion has been Donna and she doesn\'t fit that description. Maybe if not an Alien or past or future perhaps someone from another country like Africa etc.

It could work to have a companion from the past, although I\'m sceptical that they could pull off an alien companion. I can imagine there being a lot of clunky exposition and alienating levels of

DOCTOR: It\'s 1865, the year that the 13th amendment was passed, outlawing slavery in the USA.

GHROLOP737: On my planet, Muhgesiamia866, we worship the celestial shrine of Hxhopinono382, a great prophet, who brought the sacred rays of equality and mutual understanding to our planetoid upon the 91st Feast of Lsfhasumio519.

I really want an alien companion next. Maybe some sort of changeling would be cool, so that he or she can blend in when on earth. I would also like to see a modern robotic companion. My ideal scenario for s9 would be Clara, an alien that is orphaned or lost their home world somehow, and Handles as a sort of modern K9.

She was a computer genius and even Sarah Jane screamed and twisted her ankle alot. 

CLARA: (through clenched teeth) Tell her that she\'s special.

Well... I disagree with you. I\'m sick of girls from 21 century since Martha Jones. It\'s time for something different and new. After all, this is Doctor Who, a series about changes.

@Oodkind I completely agree.  The big change a companion faces is not shifting time periods, but to life on the TARDIS and traveling with the Doctor.  That adjustment is way bigger than someone living in 1700 suddenly finding themselves in 2015.  The companion has to adjust to life with the Doctor quickly or the Doctor is going to find a new companion.

@supermoff Plot Twist: the amnesiac male Time Lord is actually the next Doctor.

Which isn\'t to say they shouldn\'t do it, just that they need to be careful if they do so.

@The Finn, Agent of SPECTRE You described Leela, and Victoria and Jamie.

@Polyphase  I would love for another Donna type of relationship. Just mates bouncing around the universe, having a laugh.

@91 Queen of Evil handles really should\'ve stuck around much longer.

@91 Queen of Evil Handles would have been awesome as a kind of modern K9! :D

@91 Queen of Evil Some sort of changeling, eh? I bet Frobisher would be great with Twelve.

@Malohkeh @supermoff Plot twist: the amnesiac male Time Lord is actually Missy. Get your head around that one :P 

@HeyProfessor @The Finn, Agent of SPECTRE I know. Must have been my subconcious.

@Notsosmartguy  @91 Queen of Evil Technically he did stick round for 300 years :P But yeah I know what you mean :(

@supermoff  @Malohkeh Who is actually the Doctor. Because looms.

@supermoff  @Notsosmartguy  Poor little guy deserved longer.

@Malohkeh @supermoff Yes, looms, of course. All makes perfect sense now!

@YaelMoise @supermoff I don\'t even like looms. I just think the word is funny.

Well, the show runners don\'t. RTD has baby Master, and Moffat baby Doctor.

Yep only thing a loom was ever good for was a bit of hand foreshadowing for clone doctor...

“Jack & River Returns Would Have to be Seismic” – Moffat