Companion (Doctor Who)
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Companion, in the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, is a term used to describe a character who travels with and shares the adventures of the Doctor. The term is primarily used in Doctor Who fandom; the press and general public often refer to these characters as "assistants". Neither term is frequently used in the series itself; the Doctor usually introduces companions as his friends. The Doctor almost always travels with between one and three companions; the only exception in the television series is the serial The Deadly Assassin, in which he travels alone. In most Doctor Who stories, the companion provides a surrogate with whom the audience can identify, and furthers the story by asking questions and getting into trouble.
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[edit] History of the Doctor Who companion
When Doctor Who was created, the dramatic structure of the programme's cast was rather different from the hero-and-sidekick pattern that emerged later. Initially, the character of the Doctor was almost an antihero, with uncertain motives and abilities. The protagonists were schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, who provided the audience's point-of-view in stories set in Earth's history and on alien worlds. Ian in particular served the role of the action hero. The fourth character was the Doctor's granddaughter Susan, who was initially presented as an "unearthly child"; the programme's makers intended Susan as an identification figure for younger viewers.
Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan, became unhappy with the lack of development for her character, and chose to leave the series early in its second series. The character of Susan was married off to a freedom fighter and left behind to rebuild a Dalek-ravaged Earth, establishing two scenarios which the series would later return to. Doctor Who's producers replaced Susan with another young female character, Vicki. Similarly, when Ian and Barbara left, the "action hero" position was filled by astronaut Steven Taylor. This grouping of Doctor, young heroic male and attractive young female became the programme's pattern throughout the 1960s.
When the programme changed to colour in 1970, its format changed: the Doctor was now earth-bound, and acquired a supporting cast by his affiliation with the paramilitary organization United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. The Third Doctor, more active and physical than his predecessors, made the role of the "action hero" male companion redundant. In the 1970 season the Doctor was assisted by scientist Liz Shaw and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, along with other UNIT personnel. The intellectual Shaw was replaced by the ditzy Jo Grant in the 1971 season, and as the programme returned to occasional adventures in outer space, the format shifted once more: while UNIT continued to provide a regular "home base" for Earth-bound stories, in stories on other planets the Doctor and Jo became a two-person team with a close, personal bond. This pattern, the Doctor with a single female companion, became a template from which Doctor Who rarely diverged. The "heroic male" type occasionally returned (for example, Harry Sullivan and Jack Harkness), but the single female companion was Doctor Who's staple.
[edit] The role of the companion in Doctor Who
The Doctor regularly gains new companions and loses old ones; sometimes they return home, or find new causes — or loves — on worlds they have visited. Some companions (notably Katarina, Sara Kingdom and Adric) have died during the course of the series.
There are some disputes within Doctor Who fandom about the definition of a companion, but most fans agree that at least thirty (including K-9 Marks I and II) meet the criteria for "companion" status in the television series, with others being established in the various spin-offs. Most companions travel in the TARDIS with the Doctor for more than one adventure, although there are exceptions; see Disputed companions, below. Sometimes a guest character will take a role in the story similar to that of a companion: one recent example is Lynda in Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways.
Despite the fact that the majority of the Doctor's companions are young, attractive females, the production team for the 1963–1989 series maintained a longstanding taboo against any overt romantic involvement in the TARDIS: for example, Peter Davison, as the Fifth Doctor, was not allowed to put his arm around either Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) or Janet Fielding (Tegan). However, that has not prevented fans from speculating about possible romantic involvements, most notably between the Fourth Doctor and the Time Lady Romana (whose actors, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward, shared a romance and brief marriage). The taboo was controversially broken in the 1996 television movie when the Eighth Doctor was shown kissing companion Grace Holloway. The 2005 series played with this idea by having various characters think that the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler were a couple, which they vehemently denied (see also "The Doctor and romance").
Previous companions have reappeared in the series, usually for anniversary specials. One former companion, Sarah Jane Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen), together with the robotic dog K-9, appeared in one episode of the 2006 series more than twenty years after their last appearances in the 20th anniversary story The Five Doctors (1983). The character of Sarah Jane also heads up a Doctor Who spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures. Another companion, Captain Jack Harkness, appears in the spin-off programme Torchwood.
The new series (2005–) has slightly altered the significance of the companion status, partly due to a strong focus on the character of Rose Tyler and characters connected to her. For example, although Adam Mitchell was a companion by the standard definition, he appeared in only two episodes and was arguably a less significant part of the 2005 series than Rose's sometime boyfriend Mickey Smith, who was not technically a companion but appeared in five episodes (or six, including a brief appearance as a child in Father's Day). Mickey later gained full-fledged companion status when he joined the TARDIS crew in the 2006 episode School Reunion. In that episode, Sarah Jane Smith referred to Rose as the Doctor's "assistant", a term to which the latter took offence. This exchange might be regarded as indicating a deliberate shift in approach for the new series.
[edit] Disputed companions
Since there is no formal definition of what makes a companion, Doctor Who fans sometimes dispute whether certain characters are "really" companions or not. Liz Shaw never traveled in the TARDIS in the television series, and Sara Kingdom died in the same adventure in which she made her debut. Some fans define her as a companion and others do not. Fans also disagree on whether Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and other UNIT staff, who sometimes filled the companion's dramatic role during the Third Doctor's exile on Earth, should be counted as companions. For example, Sgt. Benton's only trip in the TARDIS came in The Three Doctors, while the Brigadier travelled with the Doctor on that occasion, and again in Mawdryn Undead and The Five Doctors, but Capt. Mike Yates never stepped inside the blue box. Furthermore, companion status cannot simply be based on travelling in the TARDIS, since several stories of the Peter Davison era featured the majority of the cast being transported by the Doctor (it was even invaded by Cybermen on two occasions). And it seems strange that Sara Kingdom should be considered a companion, but not her brother Bret Vyon, who travelled with the Doctor, Steven and Katarina in the spaceship Spar 7-40.
The robot Kamelion travelled with the Fifth Doctor, but did not appear frequently. The actual robotic Kamelion prop had chronic technical problems on the set, and therefore appeared in only one story in Season 20 and a second in Season 21, in which it was destroyed. Because Kamelion could change shape into anyone, a number of actors played it. Since it only appeared in two stories (a third appearance was filmed but not aired), its status as a companion is a matter of debate.
There is also dispute over the companion status of Dr Grace Holloway from the 1996 telemovie, who is offered the chance to travel with the Doctor but declines, and therefore appeared only once. Another character from the telemovie, Chang Lee, is sometimes described as a companion as well, although to be accurate he was more a companion of the Master. Donna Noble, who filled the companion role in the 2006 Christmas special The Runaway Bride, also declined the opportunity to travel with the Doctor. Jackie Tyler, Rose's mother, had a recurring, non-travelling role in the series, although in the episode Army of Ghosts, she does travel with the Doctor in his TARDIS and also acts in the role of companion (standing in for Rose); she is not, however, generally considered a companion.
In the new series, the Doctor's primary companion (first Rose Tyler, then Martha Jones) plays a distinct role, more significant than other, more transient TARDIS travellers such as Adam, Jack, and Mickey. Indeed, the British press touted Martha as the "first ethnic minority companion in the 43-year television history of Doctor Who"[1] or "first black assistant",[2] even though Mickey was also from an ethnic minority background. The significance of this "primary companion" role is indicated by the fact that Billie Piper's name appeared in the programme's title sequence (as, presumably, will Freema Agyeman's). Catherine Tate, who played Donna, was also credited in the opening titles of the one episode in which her character appeared; Russell T Davies has said that the members of the production office consider Donna Noble a companion,[3] although he did not consider making her a regular character, saying "she'd get on your nerves".[3]
[edit] Companion deaths
As noted above, during the course of the show's history, companions have, on rare occasion, been killed while serving with the Doctor.
- Katarina died in "The Traitors", the fourth episode of The Daleks' Master Plan, when she opened the airlock of a spaceship and was sucked into space while trying to protect her friends from the insane Kirkson.[4]
- Sara Kingdom dies in "Destruction of Time", the twelfth and final episode of The Daleks' Master Plan, when she undergoes extreme aging as a an unfortunate side-effect of the First Doctor activating a "Time Destructor" device in order to defeat the Daleks.[5]
- Adric dies at the end of Episode 4 of Earthshock in the explosion of a bomb-laden space freighter in Earth's atmosphere.[6]
- Kamelion, an android companion, is destroyed by the Fifth Doctor in Episode 4 of Planet of Fire as an act of mercy after Kamelion is taken over by the Master.[7]
- Grace Holloway dies in the 1996 television movie when she is killed by the Master, but she is revived by the TARDIS' link to the Eye of Harmony.[8]
- Chang Lee, a character from the 1996 film who is sometimes considered a companion, dies and is revived in the same fashion as Grace.[9]
- Captain Jack Harkness is killed by Daleks in The Parting of the Ways but is soon after brought back to life by Rose Tyler during her "Bad Wolf" manifestation.[10]
- In addition, K-9 Mark III sacrifices himself in School Reunion in order to save the Doctor and his friends from a group of aliens. Technically, however, this model of K-9 was never officially a companion of the Doctor, having only been given to Sarah Jane Smith in the spin-off K-9 and Company, and the episode does not indicate whether the subsequent K-9 Mark IV that the Doctor leaves with Sarah Jane is completely new or if Mark III's files have been transferred to the new machine.[11]
Peri Brown's death is depicted in episode 4 of Mindwarp, the second story arc in the Trial of a Time Lord storyline, as having been killed by King Yrconos upon his discovering that her brain has been replaced by that of Kiv, a member of the Mentor race.[12] However, the concluding episode of the Trial of a Time Lord season revealed that Peri had not been killed after all, although it is not explained how the brain transplant was undone (if it actually occurred, as several incidents depicted in the arc are revealed to have been fabricated by The Valeyard).[13]
Additional companions have died while serving with the Doctor in the various spin-off media (the canonicity of which is unclear); this has included Jamie McCrimmon and Ace, both of whom were killed off in the Doctor Who comic strip published in Doctor Who Magazine (McCrimmon in a Grant Morrison-written strip entitled The World Shapers[14] and Ace in Ground Zero).[15]
Additional spin-off works have also postulated the final fates of some former companions in the years following their travels with the Doctor, such as Dodo Chaplet, whose death is indicated in the novel Who Killed Kennedy,[16] and Tegan Jovanka who, though her death is not depicted, is described as having a terminal illness in the Big Finish audio production The Gathering.[17]
[edit] List of companions
[edit] with the First Doctor
- Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) (Seasons 1–2)
- Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) (Seasons 1–2)
- Ian Chesterton (William Russell) (Seasons 1–2)
- Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) (Seasons 2–3)
- Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) (Seasons 2–3)
- Katarina (Adrienne Hill) (Season 3)
- Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) (Season 3)
- Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) (Season 3)
- Ben Jackson (Michael Craze) (Seasons 3–4)
- Polly (Anneke Wills) (Seasons 3–4)
[edit] with the Second Doctor
- Ben Jackson (Season 4)
- Polly (Season 4)
- Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) (Seasons 4–6)
- Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) (Seasons 4–5)
- Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) (Seasons 5–6)
[edit] with the Third Doctor
- Liz Shaw (Caroline John) (Season 7)
- Jo Grant (Katy Manning) (Seasons 8–10)
- Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) (Season 11)
[edit] with the Fourth Doctor
- Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) (Seasons 12–14)
- Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) (Seasons 12–13)
- Leela (Louise Jameson) (Seasons 14–15)
- K-9 Mark I (voice of John Leeson) (Season 15)
- K-9 Mark II (voice of John Leeson [Seasons 16 and 18]), voice of David Brierley [Season 17])
- Romana (Mary Tamm [Season 16]; Lalla Ward [Seasons 17–18])
- Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) (Season 18)
- Nyssa of Traken (Sarah Sutton) (Season 18)
- Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) (Season 18)
[edit] with the Fifth Doctor
- Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) (Season 19)
- Nyssa of Traken (Sarah Sutton) (Seasons 19–20)
- Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) (Seasons 19–21)
- Turlough (Mark Strickson) (Seasons 20–21)
- Kamelion (voice of Gerald Flood) (Seasons 20, 21)
- Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) (Season 21)
[edit] with the Sixth Doctor
- Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant)(Seasons 21–23)
- Melanie "Mel" Bush (Bonnie Langford) (Season 23)
[edit] with the Seventh Doctor
- Mel (Bonnie Langford) (Season 24)
- Ace (Sophie Aldred) (Seasons 24–26)
[edit] with the Eighth Doctor
[edit] with the Ninth Doctor
- Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) (Series 1, 2005)
- Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley) (Series 1, 2005)
- "Captain" Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) (Series 1, 2005)
[edit] with the Tenth Doctor
- Rose Tyler (Billie Piper)(Series 2, 2006)
- Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) (Series 2, 2006)
- Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) (The Runaway Bride, 2006)
- Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) (Series 3, 2007)
- "Captain" Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) (Series 3, 2007)
[edit] Notes
- Susan, Jamie, Harry and Sarah Jane (and K-9 Mark III) have guest-starred in later stories. Zoe, Liz, Adric, Tegan, Nyssa, Turlough and Kamelion have reappeared in cameo roles, played by the original actors rather than in stock footage or still photos.
- Vicki, Polly, Mel and Ace/Dorothy are never given surnames on-screen. Polly Wright and Mel Bush are fully named in their original character outlines, while Vicki Pallister and Dorothy McShane gained surnames in spinoff novels.
- Of the companions, Katarina, Sara Kingdom, Adric, Kamelion, Grace Holloway and Jack Harkness have died on-screen. Grace and Jack, however, were both almost immediately resurrected. Peri appeared to have died in The Trial of a Time Lord, but this was later revealed to be a deception by the Valeyard.
- Jamie was played by Hamish Wilson in The Mind Robber episodes 2 and 3, as Frazer Hines was suffering from chicken pox during filming (the surreal nature of that story allowed the change to be written into the plot).
- The series never establishes how the Doctor first meets Mel: she just appears mid-way through The Trial of a Time Lord. The Doctor's first meeting with Mel is recounted in the Past Doctor Adventures novel Business Unusual.
- Spin-off media have established Ace's surname as McShane. The production team had intended that if revealed in the course of a story Ace would either have the last name Gale (an allusion to the movie version of The Wizard of Oz) or whatever would suit the story. Various novels and audio dramas have offered at least three possible explanations as to how Ace's life progressed after the end of the series.
- Adam Mitchell was the first companion to be expelled by the Doctor for bad behaviour.
- Captain Jack was the first openly pansexual companion.
- Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 Mark III returned in the 2006 series episode School Reunion. This was a one-episode guest appearance, similar to her appearance in The Five Doctors.
- Mickey Smith was the first black companion and Martha Jones was the first female ethnic minority companion.
[edit] References
- ^ Adam Sherwin. "Sidekick whose time has come", The Times, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
- ^ Richard Simpson. "Doctor Who gets first black assistant", Daily Mail, 2006-07-05. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
- ^ a b Cook, Benjamin (January 31, 2007 (Cover Date)). "The Runaway Bride — Along Came A Spider". Doctor Who Magazine (378): 25-26.
- ^ "The Traitors". Writer Terry Nation, Director Douglas Camfield. Doctor Who. BBC. 1965-12-04.
- ^ "Destruction of Time". Writer Dennis Spooner, Director Douglas Camfield. Doctor Who. BBC. 1966-01-29.
- ^ "Earthshock". Writer Eric Saward, Director Peter Grimwade. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. 1982-03-08-1982-03-16.
- ^ "Planet of Fire". Writer Peter Grimwade, Director Fiona Cumming. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC 1. 1984-02-23-1984-03-02.
- ^ "Doctor Who television movie". Writer Matthew Jacobs, Director Geoffrey Sax. Doctor Who. FOX. 1996-05-14.
- ^ "Doctor Who television movie". Writer Matthew Jacobs, Director Geoffrey Sax. Doctor Who. FOX. 1996-05-14.
- ^ "The Parting of the Ways". Writer Russell T Davies, Director Joe Ahearne. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. 2005-06-18.
- ^ "School Reunion". Writer Toby Whithouse, Director James Hawes. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. 2006-04-29.
- ^ "The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp". Writer Philip Martin, Director Ron Jones. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. 1986-10-25.
- ^ "The Trial of a Time Lord: The Ultimate Foe". Writer Pip and Jane Baker, Director Chris Clough. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. 1986-12-06.
- ^ Morrison, Grant (w), Ridgway, John (p), Perkins, Tim (i). "The World Shapers" Doctor Who Magazine #127–129 August–October 1987 Marvel UK.
- ^ Gray, Scott (w), Geraghty, Martin (p), Georgiou, Bambos (i). "Ground Zero" Doctor Who Magazine #238–242 May 8, 1996 – July 31, 1996 Marvel UK.
- ^ Bishop, David; "James Stevens" (1996). Who Killed Kennedy. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 0-426-20467-0.
- ^ The Gathering. Writer Joseph Lidster. Director Gary Russell. Big Finish Productions, 2006. ISBN 1 84435 195 5.
