541 replies to this topic

[MisterZ]

This show isn't only about The Doctor -- he's had lots of friends (and enemies) with him over the years.

My favorites, in no particular order:

• Nyssa: OK, I'm shallow, but I thought she was pretty.
• Susan: Brought the family dynamic.
• Turlough: Except for the wimpy ending to his run, the dynamic of having a Companion trying to kill The Doctor was compelling.
• Harry: I'd have loved to have a beer with Harry.
• Sarah Jane

My least favorites:

• Leela
• Romana (both of them): What's the point of having a Companion who's as smart as The Doctor?
• Barbara: Of the original Companions, she always struck me as the least necessary.

[areacode212]

I loved Romana (well, the first one). Why NOT have a companion who's as smart as he is? It doesn't mean that she would necessarily have the Doctor's special kind of ingenuity, or his experience, so the Doctor could still deliver exposition to her. Personally, I thought bringing in Romana provided a welcome change from the typical Doctor/companion relationship. I wish Mary Tamm had stayed.

I liked Turlough as well. A part of me would've liked Adam (in the new series) to stick around as an semi-untrustworthy Turlough-style companion. (spoiler for up to "The Long Game")

Edited by areacode212, Mar 5, 2006 @ 9:35 PM.

[Eegah]

Sarah Jane was my favorite; a spunky blonde who was also pretty smart and could handle herself reasonably well, but was kept from Mary Sue territory by the sometimes embarrasing situations she got into (Good squeak, mouse!).

[Arthur Dent]

Sarah Jane was my favorite; a spunky blonde who was also pretty smart and could handle herself reasonably well, but was kept from Mary Sue territory by the sometimes embarrasing situations she got into (Good squeak, mouse!).

Are you perhaps thinking of Liz (blonde, worked with UNIT and the Third Doctor)? Sarah Jane was a brunette.

[Demetrios]

I'm not sure which companion he meant. Sarah Jane, as the previous poster said, wasn't blonde, and the quote he mentions actually was about Leela - who wasn't blonde either...

[Eegah]

The one from Robots of Death, not sure which it is but Sarah Jane sounded familiar.

[Demetrios]

Leela was the one in The Robots of Death. Sarah Jane had just left a few stories before, though...

Edited by Demetrios, Mar 6, 2006 @ 12:32 AM.

[Pooki]

Romana (both of them): What's the point of having a Companion who's as smart as The Doctor?

I thought Romana was interesting because although she was as intelligent as The Doctor, she was also pretty naïve at times, and got into a lot of scrapes because of that.

Romana (both incarnations) was definitely one of my favourites, along with Leela (loved her, especially in The Horror Of Fang Rock) and Nyssa. I kind of liked Tegan too, although she could be annoying.

Least favourites:

Jo Grant: Who I found to be a complete bimbo, especially when she first appeared.
Mel: All that bloody screaming! And those awful clothes.
Peri: Just because of the fake accent really.
Adric: Maths genius, and yet a complete idiot at the same time.
Sarah Jane: I know I'm in the minority on this one, but she always grated on my nerves.

[Just'sin]

You know what really pisses me off? All the hype about Rose being not just an assistant, but a real companion to the doctor. His equal. I have read press statement after press statement saying how special she is, blah blah she isn't a screamer she gets in there and does the job.

What's so special about this.

Sarah Jane was more than an assistant, in my mind she's the closest person ever to the doctor, including Susan his grand-daughter and Rose, his romantic interest. It might have been the great dynamic between Tom Baker and Lis Sladen, but the writing for the relationship between the Fourth Doctor and Sarah is brilliant. In The Seeds of Death when the Doctor says Sarah Jane is his best friend, I believe it. And when they say goodbye in The Hand of Fear, I feel a pang. A BIG pang. PANGS, people.

Leela, the companion to come after Sarah Jane is not just a screamer. In fact she doesn't scream till her third story and only because a giant rat is trying to eat her. Leela is tough and can handle herself. She is much more naive than Rose, she lived a sheltered life. But despite her primitive up-bringing she handles the inter-dimensional travelling life rather well. The only thing that marrs Leela's time with the doctor is her exit. The way she is written out with the Commander is rather weak, and was the fault of the production team who refused to accept that Louise Jameson was leaving and had to quickly write her out. Apart from that it was a great storyline for Leela, she had come full circle. From the girl no one in her tribe took any notice off, to a strong leader who rallied the outcast gallifreyans.

These two companions are just as good as Rose, if not better. They are only two of my favourites, but are always at the top of my list. I'm so excited that Sarah Jane is returning to Doctor Who is Series 2.

[fadooski]

I squealed when I saw the season 2 tralier with Giles (Giles!) introducing Sarah Jane Smith. I'm just terrified that she'll be required to fluff Rose.

The only companion that I saw(Sarah Jane to Rose) whom I just couldn't find anything to like about was Adric. I had no idea who he was. The actor was inexperienced and the character was writter very inconsistently. Otherwise, every companion/assistant that I've seen has something for me to like.

[FoolishWanderer]

I'm just terrified that she'll be required to fluff Rose.

Now that's a scene I'd like to see.

That aside, I feel Romana was more of an equal. She was just as smart as him, from the same planet, and neither of her were much of a screamer.

[Sharpie66]

My favorite companion will probably always be Sarah Jane, but I have a lingering fondness for Tegan Jovanka. She was always butting heads with Davidson's Doctor and never became one of those "Yes, Doctor, you're so brilliant" simpering idiots that surfaced occasionally on the show. And her reason for leaving fit the character perfectly--she was just too damn tired of all the death, mayhem and destruction that surrounded the Doctor.

[SpecialBrew]

Barbara: Of the original Companions, she always struck me as the least necessary.

Oh I adore Barbara! Love her or hate her, there has never been a companion quite like her. She had this stability/motherly thing about her that was the voice of reason to Doctor #1's crotchety behavior and Susan's whining and screaming (although the family connection is intriguing and underutilized, she was the screamer through her run moreso than Barbara). I loved the fact she was this mature (37ish?) woman, not a naive, young girl or twentysomething sexpot like most of her successors in the TARDIS. Yet, I think she was incredibly sexy, just in a chic 1950s way as opposed to the Swingin' Sixties companions like Polly and Zoe (yes, I know Zoe is from the future, but her schtick is pretty 1960s).

Barbara could take charge and have a course of action all her own (The Aztecs) and stand up to the Doctor without being petulant or bitchy. I loved it when she tore the Doctor a new asshole in The Daleks. Maybe I like her so much only because she was so unique (when I watched the Hartnell years I'd pretty much only seen Pertwee and early Tom Baker at that point).

I also thought Turlough was an intriguing companion, and I also have a softspot for that loudmouthed Tegan Jovanka. Sarah Jane is great too, although I agree she could be annoying. I like Jamie and Zoe, and Ben was kinda hot--wish I could see more of him!

Annoying companions: Jo Grant, Peri (100% with you Pooki: that laughably fake American accent alone makes me want to switch off the sound!), Mel and Ace.

Edited by SpecialBrew, Mar 7, 2006 @ 4:03 PM.

[Markeer]

Sarah Jane was certainly my official favorite companion (and not surprisingly one of her serials "The Pyramids of Mars" was my favorite of the original series).

But not enough love and attention here given to my second favorite companion, which I didn't run across until over 15 years late: Ace.

Her relationship with Sylvester McCoy was both hysterical and charming, in that he was somewhere between a buddy and a father figure (or at least wise older brother since she would have been put off by someone really enforcing rules for her). She could take care of herself in some ways better than any other companion (hey, she always came prepared with high explosives...) but when she really was scared or being the damsel in distress...the actress pulled it off convincingly.

Least favorite companions: Hm. Thought the original Romana needed to lighten up, thought Nyssa lacked any kind of variety in her performance, thought Peri came off as arguably the dumbest woman ever to travel with the Doctor, and I think I still have nightmares about Mel's screeching voice.

[Warden]

Sarah Jane was certainly my official favorite companion (and not surprisingly one of her serials "The Pyramids of Mars" was my favorite of the original series).

She was the first companion that I saw the Doctor (Fourth) with so I think she would be my favorite. She seemed to be a rather competent person while at times providing situations for the Doctor to "rescue" or get involved with. I had hoped when I was younger that I would be able to find a girl like Sarah Jane.

In her first introduction during the Third Doctor, her personality seemed different. Funny though that when she first came on that I knew Jon Pertwee's run was coming to an end.

[Jamie]

Many great companions over years (well up until the eighties.)

Like SpecialBrew says, their never really has been another companion like Barbara, and I think the same could almost go with Ian. I love the characterisation in their stories - I don't think we saw consistency and development like that again in the original series. Their relationship with the Doctor was special, as was the degree to which they drove the series for it's first few years.

Also really like Jamie and Zoe, again I think they worked great with the Doctor, and are probably my favourite TARDIS team (from the few stories of theirs that are still available.) Hard to describe why, but it just seemed like it would be a lot of fun to travel with them. Plus - Saddest. Departure. Scene. Ever!

Closely followed by the second saddest ever - Sarah Jane. I agree wholeheartedly with what other have said here about her.... I think she has had the best rapport with the Doctor out of all companions - I think she really was his best friend.

I don't think there are any companions through to Romana I don't really like (though I haven't seen much of Dodo) Then the eighties happened. Honestly, what happened there? When I was young and first watched the series I used to spend my time when I was watching the show thinking about how great it would be to hang out in the TARDIS with the Doctor and Sarah and Harry, or Jo, or Leela. I couldn't imagine many things worse than being stuck in the TARDIS with Tegan, or Adric, or Doctor 6 (OK, not a companion, but still), or Mel. Which is probably why I have very little interest in most of the eighties when it comes to Doctor Who - I really think the companions are there to bring the viewer in to the programme, so I'm not sure what they were thinking when they decided to write argumentative TARDIS teams who didn't seem like they wanted to be there.

I think they started to get the balance right again with Ace - though there were the manipulative overtones they did seem to be genuine friends. You knew Ace really enjoyed travelling with the Doctor.

[Markeer]

That's an interesting point Jamie. It's possible I enjoyed Ace so much because she was a drink of water after a loooooong desert. I can't say I enjoyed any of the companions to Doctors 5 or 6 (apologies to Tegan fans, but she never worked for me) which means it had been 6-7 years between companions I liked (I'm counting from when Romana II stayed in E-Space until Ace was introduced).

Actually, that's really a very sad run, but then I also have to say the Colin Baker years (IMHO) weren't good for anyone, and while I liked Peter Davidson, he was often a bit too much of the straight man.

[SpecialBrew]

I can't say I enjoyed any of the companions to Doctors 5 or 6 (apologies to Tegan fans, but she never worked for me)

and while I liked Peter Davidson, he was often a bit too much of the straight man.

It always seemed to me that they were trying to build a more crowded TARDIS family just like the original quartet in the first two seasons. The 5th Doctor, being so young and played straight, fell into the Ian role. It's surprising how much Ian and Barbara took center stage over the Doctor in those early years. Adric was the Susan in terms of his main purpose being getting into trouble and need rescuing, but he did have this "from outer space and not just a kid" element (the math genius bit) that Susan theoretically had and occasionally demonstrated (The Sensorites). Tegan took the William Hartnell crotchety bullheadedness and ran with it. Like Doc #1 she was pretty damn quick to say "let's just mind our own business and leave in the TARDIS". Nyssa's character never got to be developed quite as much as Barbara did, but many times she ended up being the calming (and classy) Barbara-like presence that holds the shipmates together.

Edited by SpecialBrew, Mar 8, 2006 @ 12:02 PM.

[areacode212]

I liked the concept behind Ace, and I wouldn't mind seeing another companion in that "streetwise chick who likes to blow stuff up" mold. However, I think that "convincing" is one of the last words I'd use to describe Sophie Aldred's performance. Take that (paraphrased) "hey there, big boy" scene from "Fenric" with the soldier. WTF? I think she was trying to go for "seductive" or, at the very least, "flirty", but she ended up with...well, I'm not sure, but it was pretty bad. And then, there's that part at the end of the story where she finds out that everything she knows is wrong, and she goes "NOOOOOOO!" *collapses*. Just painful to watch. Painful I say!

Too bad, because I think a better actress could've made her really cool, but of the two McCoy companions, I greatly prefer Mel (some of this is due to the Big Finish audios, however).

I'm glad to see some love for Tegan here. I'm also a fan of the mouthy Australian.

Edited by areacode212, Mar 8, 2006 @ 1:20 PM.

[payndz]

Mary Tamm's Romana will always be a favourite of mine, because she was the first woman I ever had a crush on. ;)

Leela and Tegan are other favourites, although I do still like the Sarah Jane/Harry team from Tom Baker's first year.

[SpecialBrew]

I liked the concept behind Ace, and I wouldn't mind seeing another companion in that "streetwise chick who likes to blow stuff up" mold. However, I think that "convincing" is one of the last words I'd use to describe Sophie Aldred's performance.

It also doesn't help that her face looks like a wad of floured bread dough that fell onto the linoleum. Jon Pertwee in drag would looks hotter than Aldred.

[Markeer]

Take that (paraphrased) "hey there, big boy" scene from "Fenric" with the soldier. WTF?

Well, I agree of course, it's a painful scene. Given the dialogue there, it's hard to think of any actress who could pull it off. But, clearly Sophie didn't.

Ace in, say, "Revelation of the Daleks" was outstanding though, and she was at her best in the (otherwise uneven) "Battlefield".

Really, I just love the character most for this bit from "Silver Nemesis":

<both of them looking at the Cybermen ship>
Doctor: <musing> "Ace, you didn't bring any of that Nitro 9 with you that I've expressly forbid you to carry around, did you?"
Ace: <indignant> "Of course not Professor! I'm a good girl and I do what I'm told!"
Doctor: "Good. Blow up that ship."

[Demetrios]

Well, I agree of course, it's a painful scene. Given the dialogue there, it's hard to think of any actress who could pull it off. But, clearly Sophie didn't.

Well, it's one of the few flaws in an otherwise darn good story IMHO (Fenric has always been a favorite). I just kind of turn a blind eye for those few moments, sort of like for the Magma Beast in The Caves of Androzani or the giant rat in The Talons of Weng-Chiang...

[Jamie]

I don't think that scene in Fenric is that bad.... definately not the best ever, but I find the Doctors 'EVIL! Evil since the dawn of time!' rant in the same story more cringe-worthy... with a lot of the last two seasons of the show I'm torn as to whether it's the acting, writing, or general production values that 'make' moments like this.

Having said that, I was a huge fan of Ace when I first saw her stories (must've been about 12) and there aren't that many moments that make me cringe when I watch her character now... nor with the rest of season 26.

Like a lot of Doctor/Companion pairings I preferred her over the Doctor. (Am I the only person who would name at least 6 companions before the Doctor in a list of favourite characters from the show?)

It also doesn't help that her face looks like a wad of floured bread dough that fell onto the linoleum. Jon Pertwee in drag would looks hotter than Aldred.

Aw! I've heard that opinion expressed a few times, and don't really get it... She was hot in Survival IMHO. Also thought she pulled off the 50's ensemble pretty well in Fenric.

Edited by Jamie, Mar 9, 2006 @ 1:21 AM.

[areacode212]

I don't think that scene in Fenric is that bad.... definately not the best ever, but I find the Doctors 'EVIL! Evil since the dawn of time!' rant in the same story more cringe-worthy

Oh, don't worry, so do I.

Has anyone here listened to "The Daleks' Master Plan"? What was Sara Kingdom like? From everything I've read, she sounds like she was a fun character. Why didn't they keep her around? A gun-toting female space cop seems like a great companion, especially for the Hartnell Doctor.

[Jarretiere]

First Romana is my favorite companion, followed by Leela. I like a lot of the Second Romana's episodes, but I don't like her very much. When Lalla Ward started playing her, Romana seemed to undergo a severe dumbening process. She became a screamer too. Ugh.

I loathed Sarah Jane and her ginormous lollipop head. Adric was also pretty annoying. The worst companion I've ever seen though would have to be Rose. Maybe she got better later in the series, but I hated her from the very first episode. She looks like a thumb with a monkey face drawn on it. This is more the writer/director's fault, but I also didn't like that Rose and the Doctor were always holding hands. Unless they were exchanging long amino acid strands, it needed to stop. The Doctor is a non-sexual being, I say!

[Jiggedfool]

I can't believe no one's mentioned the Brigadier! I'm not sure if he quite counts as a companion - I was thinking of starting a separate thread for him - but he's certainly as complex and developed as any companion so far.

Of course, my favorite moments with the Brigadier are during the 3rd Doctor's run. I guess I don't consider the Brig a companion because he lacked that sort of blind loyalty a lot of others had. He was never the Doctor's subordinate, and he was always perfectly willing to go against the Doctor's wishes if he thought he was doing the right thing. I think he was the closest the Doctor ever had to an equal (other than perhaps Romana) which is actually rather unsettling when you think about it, because there are times when the Doctor just seems to loathe him, and to devote so much more affection to the women who, while technically the Brig's subordinates, would obviously jump through fire for the Doctor if he told them to. Jo is the best example of this, but even Liz and Sarah Jane seem willing to trust the Doctor's judgment over their own. The Brigadier almost never does.

Not that the Brigadier is perfect. I think Inferno does a beautiful job of showing the flaws in his character. I'm not clear on the spoiler policy so I won't go in to detail, except to watch it as soon as you can! It's one of my all time favorite episodes.

So, yes, six thousand votes for the Brigadier.

[Sharpie66]

I think I read elsewhere on this forum that Inferno is finally coming out on DVD this year, and I also highly recommend it. It's on my top five DW episode list, and the only one from the Pertwee era to rank so high.

[Demetrios]

I think I read elsewhere on this forum that Inferno is finally coming out on DVD this year, and I also highly recommend it. It's on my top five DW episode list, and the only one from the Pertwee era to rank so high.

It's being released in the UK in June, so those of us on this side of the Atlantic will likely see it a few months afterwards, possibly in one of the September release slots...

[o.b.]

but I don't like her very much. When Lalla Ward started playing her, Romana seemed to undergo a severe dumbening process. She became a screamer too

Huh? As I recall the second Romana screamed on just two occasions - in her first story and her last.
On both occasions she was threatened while restrained in a chair and screaming was the most proactive thing she could do at the time.

Besides I loved her interrogation Warriors's Gate by Rorvick (Clifford Rose - who to me will always be Kessler, the menacing Gestapo officer from Secret Army)

Kessler: "Are you alone?"

Romana "Not while you're here"

Guess it doesnt work without the leather coat