Anyone with access to a TV or the internet no doubt knows something about the 50-plus year phenomenon that is for the Christmas episode, we thought we’d show some love to the unsung heroes of the series: all those lovable companions.
When we made our list of best companions, we used a few different criteria. First, we considered their impact to the series as a whole. Next, we looked at fan favorites; after all, fans make the show the dynamo it is. Finally, we attempted to calculate each character’s relationship with The Doctor and the influence they had on him and his long term arc. That means there are major spoilers throughout this list. You’ll no doubt notice that most of these companions are from Doctors nine and on. That’s mostly due to the enormous numbers of reboot fans, and the sweeping writing of the later seasons. Oh, and apologies in advance for not having room on this list for Astrid Peth. Sorry, Kylie!
Here's Screen Rant's take on the 15 Best Doctor Who Companions Of All Time.
15. Adric
Let’s begin by stating the obvious: Adric was a smug little jerk sometimes. He was also so brilliant that he was once kidnapped by The Master for his super-slick math skills. Adric gained access to the TARDIS by stowing away as a refugee. He was a guy who thought he had all the answers and couldn’t wait to tell you how dumb you were. But when he felt slighted or wronged, he retreated into a whiny “poor me” stance that annoyed fans for many of his 40 episode appearances. We can’t blame him too much though, as he’s also the series' youngest companion to date by a long shot.
Game of Thrones). Adric’s death was stunning, brave, and mainly the fault of those damn Cybermen. It caused The Doctor to make changes in the way his companions were put at risk, and his choice of companions in general. RIP, Adric.
14. Leela
Louise Jameson’s turn as Leela was one of several TV roles she became known for in her long career. Leela was a warrior from the Sevateem tribe on a planet we never learn the name of. Much to fans' delight, she usually dressed like a stereotypical caveman, draped in animal pelts and carrying various forms of weaponry. Some fans assert that Leela’s impressive warrior skills are somewhat undercut tonally by the amount of skin she’s showing. We say that clothes can be confining, and a warrior woman ain’t got time for that.
One of the most interesting aspects of Leela is that she is an enormous contrast to Tom Baker’s Doctor, who was traditions of other cultures. Leela, meanwhile, did what she wanted, even skinning and eating animals at the table. Quite unexpectedly, Leela left the show upon falling in love with a Gallifreyan and staying behind on Gallifrey with K-9. We didn’t see that one coming!
13. Susan Foreman
The importance of Susan Foreman to the narrative depends on which version of Doctor Who canon you accept. The main narrative states that she is the traveling companion and biological granddaughter of The Doctor. Wait, what? Does that mean her mother was River Song, AKA Melodie Pond? It couldn’t, because that would mess up several timelines. Seven and Nine have both said that his entire family died on Gallifrey during the great Schism, though Eleven later said that he once brought his granddaughter to see the “Rings of Akhaten.” Which is the truth? We don’t know. , Ten also has a child floating around somewhere. It's all a bit murky.
Susan, played by Carole Ann Ford, traveled with the first Doctor (William Hartnell) for all of season one, plus a few eps in season two. She later returned for the 20th anniversary special. While she, along with most other Gallifreyans, was believed to have been killed in the Dalek battle, it’s possible that she lived along with the others when Gallifrey was put into that pocket as revealed in “Time of the Doctor.” She’s also the only companion with two hearts.
12. Wilfred Mott
Wilfred (Bernard Cribbins) is the maternal grandfather of companion Donna Noble, and a fan fave character we saw far too little of. We first meet him in “Voyage of the Damned,” then again when Donna returns home from traveling with Ten. Donna trusts Wilfred more than she does her mother—at least as far as telling him the truth about the danger she’s been in. Wilfred loves space, mysteries, and is highly moral. So it makes sense that he would also love The Doctor like he was his own son.
Wilfred is instrumental in several big storylines, including those involving The Master. He also got to meet or see several companions, including Martha Jones and Sarah Jane Smith. The events in “The End of Time” could drive a stone statue to tears, so we won’t recount it here. Horribly, the alternate timeline of this event, found in the graphic novel, shows Ten allowing Wilfred to die in the reactor. For reasons we think are obvious, no one should ever read it.
11. Mickey Smith
Arguably, Mickey Smith has the most interesting and dramatic character arc of any companion—certainly of any secondary companion. When Who could blame her?
Mickey goes from regular guy to helper to fellow traveler in the time he spends with Ten (David Tennant). What’s really incredible, though, is the stuff we don’t see. When Ten revisits former companions in “The End of Time,” we see that Mickey has ed UNIT, and has chosen to fight the alien menace for a living. Better still, he’s married to…Martha Jones. While this was shocking for fans, it also makes a great kind of sense. We love Mickey, even when he’s the human version of a “tin dog.”
10. K-9
What’s there to say about K-9? Plenty. He was built by Dr Marius during the reign of the fourth Doctor, used by Five and Ten, and a version of him traveled with a handful of companions like Leela and Sarah Jane Smith. He probably seemed more amazing in the days when everyone didn’t carry a combination phone, computer, camera, and the entire internet in our pockets. But hey, K-9 also had a laser, some kind of sonic gadgetry, sonar dealies for ears, and was as adorable and loyal as any other dog. That’s probably why he got to spin off with Sarah Jane.
While K-9’s many deeds seem amazing, and they are, we should note that there were many models of this mechanical dog. There was Mark I, Mark II, Mark III (who gave his life to save Sarah Jane, Rose, and Ten), and Mark IV. Ten’s version of K-9 was a little different, and didn’t have its own name or number. There was also the BBV K-9, BBV K-9 Mark 2, and if you count evil dogs meant to discredit the REAL K-9, there’s Orthrus. Oh, and K-9 could talk. That’s not so special for a computer, but amazing for a dog.
9. Amy Pond
When Ten went away and Eleven showed up looking like someone you’d card for a cigarette purchase, fans were a little wary. Meeting a tiny sad girl named Amelia didn’t exactly fill fans with confidence. But sure enough, after an episode or two, we all came to love “The Girl Who Waited,” though she seemed to throw her fiancé over for The Doctor without fully appreciating what she could be giving up. After all, she had literally the best boyfriend in all of history. Also, Vincent Van Gogh loved Amy—which is a beautiful thing.
Amy’s most notable contribution to The Doctor’s story is that she gave birth to his future wife, River Song. But she, along with her husband, also gave us the most weep-worthy episode ever. I mean, there were actual deaths that didn’t make fans openly sob the way “The Angels Take Manhattan” did. That emphasizes a key element of Doctor Who. When you tune in, you might get something fluffy and silly; “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” perhaps. Or you might get something that rips your heart out as you wail to the heavens in anguish.
8. Rory Williams
Seeing this may lead you list readers to ask, "Rory ahead of Amy? Really? Isn’t he more of a secondary companion?" It’s a fair point. But Rory (Arthur Darville), along with his Auton duplicate, is one of the greatest heroes in the Doctor Who universe. First, he’s surprisingly cool about competing with The Doctor for his fiancé/wife’s affection. He’s jealous and a touch insecure, but not really a jerk about it. Second, he’s The Doctor’s father-in-law. Finally, depending on how you count them, Rory also died between 6-11 times. Most of these were directly from Amy-related shenanigans. He’s also the Boy Who Waited, or simply: The Last Centurion. Why? Well…
When his beloved was trapped in the Pandorica, he stood outside guarding her for almost 2,000 years—1,894 to be exact. In that time, he fought off invaders, dragged her through a massive fire, and saw the fall of Rome. Rory has only loved Amy his entire life—well, and his family. If you’ve never seen the unproduced scene where Rory and Amy’s other child visits Rory’s Dad (Mark Williams), you ought to. Bring a hankie.
7. Captain Jack Harkness
There is some disagreement among fans about whether Captain Jack is a legitimate Doctor Who companion. We’re not sure why, since the BBC and Doctor Who wikia both agree that he is. Harkness hung out with Doctor’s Nine (Chris Eccleston) and Ten, and was friendly with Rose, Martha, Martha’s sister, Martha’s mother, and pretty much any other attractive person he came in with. Jack was flamboyant, adventurous, deliciously bisexual, and later, immortal. In fact, Jack Harkness is so immortal that we later learn he’s one of the last beings left alive on Earth as it snuffs out—The Face of Boe. That alone is amazing.
Jack is the 3rd Doctor Who character to be spun off (the first two being Sarah Jane Smith and K-9). Torchwood is a lot of fun, a show for grown-ups that takes place firmly in the Doctor Who universe. That being said, Harkness is much more enjoyable to watch when he’s hanging out with Nine and Ten than when he’s heading Torchwood. That show, season three in particular, will ruin your life.
6. Dr. Martha (Smith-)Jones
If there’s an award for hardest working companion, it would have to go to Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). She gets shade thrown on her by fans, basically because she isn’t Rose, which of course isn't a fair deal. Martha has a ton in common with Rose: both have annoying moms, mad crushes on The Doctor, and a spirit for adventure. But Martha is also a doctor, and has been with Ten through some of his most memorable, tragic, and vital encounters. She’s also spent time in UNIT and has even appeared on Torchwood.
Martha was with The Doctor when he discovered another hidden Time Lord, Dr. Lazarus. The less said about that guy, the better. Martha was with him during the years Ten spent as a teacher at an exclusive boy’s school, and watched as he fell in love with a Nurse in a relationship that could never be. She got to experience WWI-era racism, which was not very nice at all. And of course, Martha Jones spent a year traveling the world telling tales of The Doctor—which eventually saved several whole planets—and no one re.