Following the news that two Doctor Who companions will join Ncuti Gatwa for his second season, we take a look back at all the TARDIS pairings in the show’s 60 year history… and there are more than you might think.
Ian and Barbara
It was a sad day for the First Doctor when his granddaughter left the TARDIS at the end of ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth.’ And for two episodes only, he had Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright as his two Doctor Who companions, school teachers from 60s London who had forced their way into the ship after growing curious about one of their students.
Ian and Barbara were an undoubted double act, and most probably in love. This is certainly implied in the photo montage at the end of ‘The Chase,’ and in the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures it was confirmed that this pair of Doctor Who companions had gotten married, and hadn’t aged since the 1960s. However, this latter claim was debunked by Ian’s appearance in 2023’s ‘The Power of the Doctor.’
Steven and Vicki
Vicki was an Earth orphan from the far future, and Steven (also a human) joined the TARDIS after stumbling on board at the end of ‘The Chase.’ They were good friends, but frequently bickered; Vicki was the more impulsive, adventurous type, whereas Steven – though brave – very much liked to play it safe and plan ahead.
That said, Steven had one of the most rapid departures of all Doctor Who companions, deciding impulsively at the end of ‘The Savages’ to stay behind on an alien planet to assist in the rebuilding of a society.
Steven and Dodo
The next pair of Doctor Who companions is Steven and Dodo. Vicki left the TARDIS for Ancient Greece, and Dodo joined after mistaking the vessel for a real police box. In many ways, she was the typical, swinging 60s teenager, and certainly dressed like one, but it’s hard to discern her age. In her first story ‘The Ark,’ she is quite childlike, and Steven fosters a paternal relationship with his companion.
However, as the series develops the pair become much more like friends, although Dodo isn’t afforded much time; she only appears in four complete Doctor Who stories, and her appearances in the other two are much briefer.
Ben and Polly
Although not teenagers, the next Doctor Who companions are young and from modern day London. In fact, they meet in a nightclub, which is by far the hottest nightspot in town if Polly is to be believed!
Ben is a sailor, while Polly is a typist, and even though a romantic attraction is never expressed, it is certainly implied. Undoubtedly, Ben is quite protective of Polly, and in fact he punches a man who makes an unwanted advance towards her in a nightclub.
These Doctor Who companions also made history as being the first to witness a regeneration, and they help the Time Lord through the confusion of his recovery, although Ben is deeply suspicious of the new man at first, and struggles to accept that the Doctor is who he says he is.
Jamie and Victoria
Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield are the only Doctor Who companions from old Earth history – Jamie from Scotland in the year 1745, and Victoria from 1866. Jamie is deeply protective of Victoria and likes her a lot, possibly in a romantic way; there is an interesting scene in ‘The Ice Warriors’ were he appears to flirt with her.
Victoria, meanwhile, may not be the bravest of Doctor Who companions, but she is headstrong and has a great deal of affection for her TARDIS friends. She ultimately departs in ‘Fury from the Deep‘ having grown weary of living a life of constant danger, and opts to remain on modern day Earth.
Jamie and Zoe
Jamie met his match when he encountered Zoe, a human from the far future and the in-house mathematician from a space station known as the Wheel. He is frequently unimpressed with her intelligence and dependence on logic, far preferring the more ‘gung ho’ approach to problem-solving.
Zoe, however, is perhaps one of the brainiest of all the Doctor Who companions, and certainly gives the Doctor a run for his money. Alas, her character is only on the TARDIS for one season, as in the final episode of ‘The War Games‘ she and Jamie are sent back to their own times by the Time Lords, with every memory of their adventures wiped, save for their first encounter with the Doctor.
Sarah Jane and Harry
Following the departure of Jamie and Zoe, it would be some time before a pair of Doctor Who companions would join the Doctor on his travels – six years, in fact. But for Tom Baker’s first season, it was decided that the current companion Sarah Jane Smith would be joined by a younger man, perhaps because the production team was expecting to cast a much older individual in the eponymous role.
It’s a shame, in many ways, that this TARDIS line-up was so brief, because the banter between Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan is one of the highlights of Season 12. Sarah is lippy and curious, whereas Harry is conservative, gentlemanly and ‘old school.’ He very much sees himself as Sarah’s protector, although frequently finds himself in just as much danger and in need of rescue. He often refers to her as “old girl,” much to her chagrin.
Romana and Adric
The Fourth Doctor travelled with a single companion for much of his tenure, and in fact in one adventure, ‘The Deadly Assassin,’ he went completely solo.
However, when John Nathan-Turner took over as producer, he rapidly expanded the TARDIS crew, starting with the introduction of Adric. Now, whether he and Romana count as a true ‘pair’ of Doctor Who companions is open to debate, as they were also joined by the Time Lord’s loveable robot dog K9.
An interesting thing to note about Roman and Adric, though, is that they are the first alien pair of Doctor Who companions; Romana is a Time Lady from Gallifrey, whereas Adric is from the planet Alzarius, which exists in an entirely different universe. And with his badge for mathematical excellence and Romana’s all-round intelligence, they may be the brainiest pair of Doctor Who companions in the Whoniverse!
Tegan and Nyssa
Following Adric’s death in ‘Earthshock,’ the Doctor found himself travelling with just two Doctor Who companions – albeit briefly. Nyssa and Tegan accompanied him for four stories, although Tegan was mostly absent from the TARDIS for one of them (‘Arc of Infinity’) was possessed by the Mara for most of another (‘Snakedance’) and was joined by Turlough in another (‘Mawdryn Undead.’)
Still, this was an interesting pairing as it marked the first time that the Doctor had been accompanied by two females.
Tegan and Turlough
When Turlough was first introduced in ‘Mawdryn Undead,’ he came aboard the TARDIS for one simple reason: to kill the Doctor. However, he soon sees the error of his ways and, after the departure of Nyssa, pairs up with Tegan to form the next set of Doctor Who companions.
Their relationship is fractious at first, as Tegan is deeply mistrustful of this unreliable young man, but they are firm friends by the time Season 21 comes around. They do, however, leave the TARDIS in rapid succession towards the end of this series, Tegan having become overwhelmed and disillusioned with her TARDIS travels on account of all the death.
Interestingly, her decision to leave the Doctor comes at the end of one of the bloodiest Doctor Who stories of all time, ‘Resurrection of the Daleks,’ which has a higher body count than Terminator!
Rose and Adam
There is some debate as to how we class our Doctor Who companions, and some people may not see Adam Mitchell as being part of the official line-up. After all, he only travels with the Doctor for one story before being unceremoniously kicked out of the TARDIS at the end of ‘The Long Game.’
Rose and Captain Jack
After a rocky experience with Adam Mitchell, it is perhaps surprising that the Doctor agrees to let another questionable companion into the TARDIS, particularly as Captain Jack is a self-confessed conman and indeed causes all of the trouble in ‘The Empty Child’ and ‘The Doctor Dances.’
But despite this bumpy start, Captain Jack quickly becomes a valued member of the TARDIS crew, and stays with the Doctor and Rose for the remainder of Series One. Undoubtedly, he is the most ‘sensuous’ of all the Doctor Who companions, and seems to have a crush on both of his fellow travellers – and indeed anyone with a pulse.
Captain Jack also becomes one of the few Doctor Who companions to die on screen, only to be brought back to life by Rose after she absorbs the energy of the time vortex. And then, surprisingly, the Doctor purposefully leaves without Jack, unable to handle his new-found immortality.
Rose and Mickey
In the second series of New Who, the Time Lord once again finds himself with a pair of Doctor Who companions, this time Rose’s on-and-off boyfriend Mickey, although his time in the TARDIS is short, spanning just two stories. Mickey leaves the TARDIS in an emotional scene at the end of ‘The Age of Steel,’ having found himself in a parallel universe where his gran is still alive.
Martha and Captain Jack
At the end of Series Three, Captain Jack finds his way back into the TARDIS after clinging to its exterior as it races through the time vortex. The TARDIS is none-too-happy about this and races to the end of the universe in an attempt to shake him off, but it fails, and Captain Jack joins the Tenth Doctor and Martha in their deadly battle against the Master.
Donna and Martha
The Doctor Who companions switch-up quite regularly across Series Three and Series Four, but for a brief period the Doctor once again finds himself with a travelling pair. He is reunited with Martha Jones in ‘The Sontaran Stratagem,’ and she stays with the Time Lord for the next two episodes.
Amy and Rory
Amy and Rory may be the most popular of all the pairs of Doctor Who companions, and certainly one of the longest-lasting. They are also unique as they are the first married couple to ever join the Doctor on his travels through time and space although, unfortunately, their first official journey in the TARDIS is on their wedding night(!) This then answers the rather interesting question as to what happens when a child is conceived in the time vortex, and the answer is River Song – a child with the ability to regenerate, and the Doctor’s future wife, and murderer. (It’s complicated.)
The pair do have a very emotional departure from the TARDIS, though. Rory is zapped by a Weeping Angel and sent back in time, where he dies an old man. Amy, unwilling to go on without him, allows herself to be zapped too. And for various timey wimey reasons, the Doctor is unable to travel back and retrieve them, or indeed see them again; they have, effectively, died.
Bill and Nardole
Bill and Nardole form something of a comedy double act in Doctor Who Series 10. Bill is an aspiring student (whose sole teacher is the Doctor) and Nardole is… well, it’s quite hard to describe who Nardole actually is. He’s an alien with cybernetic implants, and has a shady past which he alludes to occasionally. He is one of the more reluctant Doctor Who companions, and often gets irritated by the Doctor’s spontaneous whims.
Yaz and Dan
Dan Lewis joins the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz for 2021’s Flux storyline, and subsequent specials. He’s not the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but he’s passionate and loyal. Curiously, Yaz takes a sledgehammer approach to this new friendship and persistently insults him to his face, even going so far as to say she’ll “ghost him” when he says his goodbyes.
Dan, of course, takes all this on the chin, and whilst the pair do indeed seem to be friends, Yaz has an unusual way of showing it. This might explain why he makes such a hurried departure in ‘The Power of the Doctor‘!
So there we are – all the pairs of Doctor Who companions so far. Can you think of any we’ve missed? And what are you hoping for from the upcoming pairing of Varada Sethu and Millie Gibson? Let us know in the comments below.
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