The Top 11 Companions

There have been lots of companions to the Doctor over the years. Some have travelled with him for years while others have only managed one trip before dying or being booted out.

There have been countless arguements between fans about what defines a companion as apposed to a passenger, but there shall be no such arguements around here. We only promote harmony. Except when we are starting Tennant/Smith fights that is. But that side, there should be no confusion with this little list. All of our companions were very obvious companions of the Doctor.

In honour of the Doctors eleven incarnations, our top ten is actually a top 11. Confused? We were. And so we begin our list...

11 - Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
The Brig, one of UNIT's founders, made his first appearance in The Web Of Fear in 1968 opposite the Second Doctor and carried on his appearances until Battlefield in 1989 alongside the Seventh Doctor. Though the Doctor and the Brig didnt't always see eye to eye, they had a fantastic respect for each other, and the Brig was always there to lend a hand when the Doctor needed him. Unlike other companions, the Brig was always wary of the things the Doctor came up against, but showed himself to be both heroic and reliable nonetheless, and despite their differences, the Brig and the Doctor become good friends.

10 - Amelia 'Amy' Pond
The feisty red haired companion of the Eleventh Doctor first met him when she was just 7 years old before ending up being sent to 4 psychiatrists who believed her 'Raggedy Doctor' to be part of her imagination. The Doctors desertion of Amy as a child due to his malfunctioning TARDIS meant that Amy put a hard exterior up and found it hard to trust people, but after finally getting her invitation to travel with the Doctor at 21, the layers started peeling away and Amy was shown to be a strong willed and loyal companion. Often beating the Doctor to tricky solutions and finding ways out of awkward situations, Amy has proved that she can hold her own. She is quick to point out that unlike previous companions, she doesn't need to travel with the Doctor, but merely wants to out of interest and excitement, though it seems she may have a little crush on him after attempting to kiss him before her wedding. She is still currently travelling with the Doctor, alongside her husband Rory.


9 - Jamie McCrimmon
Plucked from the Scottish highlands in 1746, Jamie holds the title of longest serving companion to a Doctor in the classic series, appearing in 115 episodes. Jamie proved loyal to the Second Doctor, going up against Daleks, Cybermen and Yeti without question and was the braun of the TARDIS crew. Though not particularly intelligent, Jamie was quick to learn and work things out. He was protective of his fellow companions Zoe and Victoria, and was heartbroken when Victoria decided to stop travelling with them. Over his time with the Doctor, Jamie's personality grew and he became someone the Doctor could depend on entirely, but unfortunately those pesky Time Lords wiped his memory clean of all his adventures except for his first meeting with the Doctor, and he was sent back to his clan in Scotland to live out the rest of his life.

8 - Nyssa of Traken
A companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, Nyssa was the only survivor from the planet Traken and had to cope with being kidnapped and hypnotised by The Master when she first meets the TARDIS team. She grew close to the Doctor and her fellow companions and was deeply affected by Adrics death. Nyssa was inquisitve and always interested in learning all she could about the Doctor and his time travels but she was also a skilled biochemist, a skill that was put to the test at Terminus, where she eventually decided to stay and help cure Lazar's disease.

7 - Rose Tyler
The first companion of the new era of the show, Rose tyler was a street smart and confident teenager who found the Doctor whilst being attacked by the Autons. Always quick to question what was going on rather than just accept it, Rose often found herself rushing head first into trouble, but was always brave and more than once was willing to sacrifice herself for the Doctor. Her heartbreaking seperation from the Doctor saw her being sucked into a parallel dimension, though her love for him and the walls between dimensions breaking down meant that she eventually found her way back to him. Her love for the Doctor knew no bounds and his love for her, though unspoken, was painly obvious. When a half human Doctor was created as the result of a meta-crisis, The Doctor sent Rose and the half human Doctor back to their parallel universe to live out the rest of their lives together.

6 - Barbara Wright
Barbara was a headstrong teacher from 1963. She first appeared in the very first episode alongside Ian Chesterton as a teacher to Susan, the Doctors granddaughter. When they suspected something wasnt quite right about Susan, they followed her home to 76 Totters Lane and the rest as they say, is history. practically kidnapped by the First Doctor, Barbara grew to enjoy her travels and spent two years as part of the TARDIS team. Her great knowledge of history and her inquisitve mind got the team in and out of trouble in equal measure. She was also the first human being to ever face a Dalek. Despite the times, Barbara saw herself as nothing less than equal and would always speak her mind. Though often scared of the situations she found herself in, she was always brave and would often use her knowledge to her advantage. When Barabara and Ian found themsleves back on Earth in their own time, they decided to end their travels and continue on in with their normal lives.

5 - Romana
The Time Lady Romana, or Romanadveratrelundar as she is otherwise known, had two incarnations on screen alongside the Fourth Doctor. Her first appearance during The Ribos Operation marked the first time the Doctor had travelled with another Galliferyan on screen. At first she sees the Doctor as nothing but an inferior being to herself, often looking down on him with quite a snobby attitude, though over time she descovers there is more to the universe and begins to apreciate the fun side of travelling with the Doctor. After regenerating, Romanas personality is somewhat lighter, and brings a bit of humour to the TARDIS while her flirty nature with the Doctor sparked debate about what they were getting up to behind the console. Over time, finding her new capabilities and sense of adventure, Romana eventually took K9 and decided to leave. Faced with the opportunity of going back to Gallifrey or living in the parallel universe of E-Space, she chose the latter in the hope of starting a new life. Says a lot about the Time Lords eh?

4 - Martha Jones
Herself a Doctor in the making, Martha Jones first assisted the Doctor when the hospital she worked in was transported to the moon by the Judoon. Showing herself to be good under pressure and quick with her brain, the doctor agreed to give her a trip in the TARDIS to reward her efforts. Still hurting from the loss of Rose, the Doctor was constantly reminding Martha that she was seconds best, but despite this she found herelf falling in love with him. Martha always put everyone before herself and her selfless acts found her a loyal fanbase. Over time her character grew and once she had saved the entire planet and the Doctor, she decided that to be truly happy, she needed to go it alone instead of pining for a love from the Doctor that he would never give. Martha's story didnt end there though. Martha finds a newfound level of independence when she is recruited into UNIT, quickly working her way through the ranks, and is also enlisted to Torchwood to cover when they lose their medical officer. By the time of her final appearance, Martha is fighting aliens in the field with her new husband Mickey Smith and seems finally happy and content with her life.

3 - Ace
The last companion of the classic series, Ace is often seen as the basis from which Rose was born. Ace turned out to be a descendent of Fenric, swept up in a time storm and transported to Iceworld in the future where she meets with the Doctor and Mel, she was street smart with a fighters spirit and showed her bravery every time she faced a new foe, even battering a Dalek with a baseball bat. She looked up to the Doctor with respect and saw him as a teacher and leader and with his help she was able to come to terms with the hardships of her past. Ace was popular with both the fans and the production and had the series not been cancelled, the next series would have seen her train to be a Time Lord on Gallifrey, but ultimately we don't know what happened to her once the show ended.

2 - Sarah Jane Smith
Starting out on the show as an outspoken journalist, Sarah Jane's story has spanned nearly 40 years. With her incredible loyalty to the Doctor, Sarah Jane stuck by him through thick and thin and saw his transition from Thrid to Fourth incarnation. Gradually building her bravery, she faced off against Daleks, Cybermen, Mummies and the evil Davros. When the Doctor is recalled to Gallifrey, Sarah Jane is left behind. Flash forward 30 years and she is up to her old tricks, looking for a scoop in an alien infested school when the she meets up with the Doctor again. Assuming he had died when he didnt come back for her, she carried on her investigations but never married or had children as no man could ever live up to the Doctors influence on her. Having fixed K9 and supplied her with her own sonic lipstick in School Reunion, Sarah Jane once again went off on her investigations. Now heading up her own show with her own band of helpers, Sarah Jane continues to fight against the evil of the universe. After years of experience and a hardened exterior, Sarah Jane has now evolved to being as equal Doctor when it comes to tenacity, courage, bravery and expertise.

1 - Donna Noble
After three years of heartbreak and unrequited love stories, Donna Noble was a breath of fresh air to the TARDIS and the Doctor. Eager to better herself and do great things with her life, Donna first encountered the Doctor on her wedding day. After he saved her from the Racnoss, and she saved him from going too far, they parted ways and that was that. About 18 months later though, Donna realised the opportunity she had missed and worked hard to find the Doctor again, which she eventually did while hiding out at Adipose Industries. Their adventures together took them to all sorts of places and Donna's influence on the Doctor arguably changed him for the better. He rediscovered his love of travelling the universe and together as best friends, they faced off against many enemies. Donna's story saw her grow as a character like no other had done before. The Doctor's influence changed Donna from a somewhat shallow, self centred go getter, to a heroic, caring person who cares about the worlds around her and showed herself to be brave and compassionate when faced with dilemmas. Her unending loyalty to the Doctor was admirable but ultimately caused her downfall. Donna manages to save the world at the end of her stint in the TARDIS, but the meta-crisis which caused her to become the DoctorDonna was killing her and in order to save her life the Doctor had to wipe her memory, taking away from her all the experiences she had longed for and achieved, and ultimately undoing all her character growth, leaving her largely the same person she was when she first met the Doctor. Her greatness and influence though is remembered across the universe.

"I just want you to know, there are worlds out there. Safe in the sky because of her.
That there are people living in the light, and singing songs of Donna Noble. A thousand, million light years away. They will never forget her, while she can never remember. But for one moment...one shining moment... she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe."