Before he died, the Eighth Doctor cried out to the friends and companions he had known over the course of his life. “Charley, C’rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly,” he said. “I salute you.” He then drank the elixir of the Sisterhood of Karn, and began to regenerate.
But who were these individuals from the Doctor’s past? And why did they mean so much to him?
Charley Pollard
The Eighth Doctor first met Charley on an airship in the 1930s, after she’d stowed on board and disguised herself as a man. Later on, she would travel with his sixth incarnation but tamper with his memories so he’d forget it ever happened. (This is Doctor Who, after all.)
Charley was a companion who longed for adventure, and didn’t fit quite in with the upper-class world of the 20th century. She was very close to the Eighth Doctor, but could also be quite possessive. This resulted in some tension between herself and one of the Doctor’s other companions, C’rizz.
Ultimately, the pair were separated after an altercation with one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies, the Cybermen. Charley believed that the Eighth Doctor had died, whilst the Doctor himself – his memory scrambled – couldn’t remember what had happened to her.
C’rizz
C’rizz was a rather serious character. Having been raised in the Church of the Foundation on the planet Eutermes, he was a man of deep conviction. Indeed, C’rizz’s faith initially led him to kill others “for their own good,” as the Church believed that salvation could only be attained through death.
However, C’rizz ultimately left the Church to marry his lover L’da. But during the wedding ceremony, Eutermes was invaded by a race known as the Kromon. C’rizz and his new wife were enslaved by them, and forced to ingest their special elixir. C’rizzi’s body rejected it, however, and he fled from the Kromon in fear. Later, he was found wandering in the desert by the Eighth Doctor and Charley.
C’rizz was troubled by this and the events that followed, and was wracked with guilt throughout his travels with the Eighth Doctor. He had something of a preoccupation with death, and was notable for his rudeness.
Lucie Miller
Lucie was from the town of Blackpool in the year 2006. She first encountered the Eighth Doctor when she was placed in his care by the Time Lords, owing to the fact that she had seen something important – but she couldn’t remember what. The Doctor mused that it was almost like a witness protection programme.
Lucie was a feisty character and had no issue with putting the Eighth Doctor in his place. She even abandoned him at one point to begin travelling with a rival Time Lord known as the Meddling Monk. Despite this, the pair did grow increasingly fond of each other, and their ultimate parting had a lasting impact on the Eighth Doctor.
Tamsin Drew
Tamsin was an aspiring actor from Dulwich. She first encountered the Eighth Doctor when she was invited to audition for the role of his companion – but of course, this was a trap laid out by one of the Doctor’s old enemies.
Despite this, Tamsin survived and eventually “won the role” she had auditioned for. She was unsure of herself at first, but soon embraced the notion of travelling through the cosmos. Like Lucie, she also had a stint on board the Monk’s TARDIS, having been coerced into thinking that the Doctor was a negative influence on the universe.
Tamsin was known to be clumsy, and didn’t have the greatest sense of humour. But she had a strong moral compass and always possessed the courage to do what was right. Her travels with the Doctor came to an abrupt end during a skirmish with the Time Lord’s deadliest enemies, the Daleks.
Molly O’Sullivan
Molly was born in Ireland in the 19th century, and had unusually dark eyes – a symptom of a procedure she’d undergone at the hands of a malevolent Time Lord. When she first met the Eighth Doctor, she was working as a nursing assistant who had been stationed in France during the First World War.
A companion with a big-heart, Molly is significant for a number of reasons. First, she is the final companion that the Eighth Doctor remembers prior to his regeneration. And second, she is the first Irish companion to have ever travelled with the Doctor in any medium.
Molly did leave the Eighth Doctor for a brief period of time, but it wasn’t long before their paths crossed again in London in 1918. They ultimately parted ways after Molly helped to defeat the Dalek Time Controller.
Other companions?
Of course, these aren’t the only people who have travelled with the Eighth Doctor over the years. How many can you remember?
Stay tuned for an expanded version of this post soon!
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