I recently watched the entirety of NuWho because I watched the Fifteenth Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) season in real time due to how much my friend talked about the show in general and how interested and excited she was for the new Doctor. So, I decided to watch The Giggle and went from there to support the new black Doctor Who.
I went into it with no expectations and not much knowledge of the previous Doctors past what my friend told me from them over the years. I never particularly had an interest in watching and I’m not sure why because after watching the show, it’s right up my alley and reminds me so much of Supernatural, which is my favorite tv show so I don’t really know why I was so resistant to watching.
But then I found out the show was leaving HBO Max on July 31st! So, I had to speed up my watch. I finished though. The only thing I haven’t seen yet are two of the Fourteenth Doctor’s specials, since I watched The Giggle.
Anyway, I’ve had many things to say during my watch, especially about the Doctor and their companions. So, in this post, I’m going to rank the companions. My criteria are basically on how much I enjoyed their time with the Doctor, if I liked them in general and how effective they were as characters.
Starting from the bottom. I’m not counting Captain Jack Harkness and River Song in this list as while they did travel with the Doctor at times, they didn’t need him to time travel. They had their own separate adventures. Otherwise, they’d both be in the Top 6, I think.
Belinda Chandra – Unranked
I went back and forth on whether I wanted to have her in the ranking at all since she got such an unfair shake and it almost seems unfair so I decided to not officially rank her because I would have her higher. She would’ve been ahead of Thirteen’s companions if she had a full season and consistent writing. But they ruined her. Being that I didn’t have any previous knowledge of companions besides Ruby, I really liked her personality. I liked that she didn’t want to be a companion and was adamant about being taken home to her life. I liked that she was on the Doctor’s neck in the earlier episodes. While I think there were early indications of her “falling” for the Doctor too soon it’s unfortunate how her entire character got rewritten by the end and how she was pushed into a box, literally, out of the finale for the most part. I know a lot of this has to do with the reshoots and Ncuti Gatwa’s exit but good lord. I was extremely annoyed she didn’t call the Doctor out in the Interstellar Song Contest for torturing Kid because I feel like she should have and would have. Varada Sethu was great though and I thought she had amazing chemistry with Ncuti, and I loved seeing them on screen and would have liked to have seen them more.
15 – Yasmin Khan
Sorry to Yaz because I wanted to like her, but I couldn’t and didn’t. Being 1 of 3 companions was difficult at one time. I think Yaz should have been in the first episode, but because she’s a cop, the Doctor wouldn’t let her join. So Yaz wouldn’t in season 11 but gets her chance to come back in season 12 which would have allowed her to grow a personality and actually have experience as a cop before joining the Doctor. And it would have been an interesting arc to see the Doctor learn why Yaz became a cop and how she uses those skills to help people. I already knew about the “romance” because I remember people talking about it online when it was airing. But watching it myself, I have to say, “what romance?” it was shoehorned in and underwritten. I didn’t get romance and when Yaz randomly brought it up, I said, “girl bye,” and then I hated that Dan said anything about it at all because I hate when characters say “you know you have feelings for that person” when there’s been NO indication of that. Anyways, the upsides of Yaz, is in season 3 because I liked her chemistry with Dan. I think she worked well for the most part with the Doctor outside of the moments where the Doctor snapped at her, which I felt for Yaz but at the same time I thought she was being pushy and not firm pushy in the way past companions have been. But she did have some important involvements with their adventures. One of the best episodes of Thirteen’s run is about her family, so that’s a plus. I also didn’t think Mandip Gill was that strong an actress, so it was hard to connect to Yaz. She did get better by season 3 but it wasn’t enough for me.
14 – Dan Lewis
So, I’ve seen Dan be low on people’s lists and I think that’s fair because I’m not sure if he really added anything overall, but I really enjoyed him. But that might have been because of John Bishop’s charm. He was funny and had good chemistry with both Yaz and the Doctor. I also found the fact that even though they were in some crazy situations, he always came off optimistic and lighthearted. His accent helped. I do like him more than the thirteenth rank, but I don’t think I can really put him higher overall.
13 – Ryan Sinclair
Similar to Yaz, Ryan is boring and barely had a personality in season 11 and I thought Tosin Cole was a weak actor at the start. Grace was the most interesting thing about Ryan, and it was irritatingly annoying how dumb he came off and that could have been writing, acting choices and directing. It was actually crazy. I was okay with his issues with connecting to Graham, but I think I would have ended up liking him sooner if it was just Ryan and Graham in season 11 because we would have had more time to focus on their relationship with each other (and the Doctor) without trying to juggle four leads. I also didn’t think he connected with the Doctor well at all. He didn’t make any lasting impressions on any of their adventures outside of the one his friend was involved in. In season 12, he was much better because he was clearly becoming affected by what he experienced while traveling. When he decided to leave, I understood his choice because you clearly see him beginning to become disillusioned. Too bad it took too long for me to like him though.
12 – Graham O’Brien
Graham and Dan were the most likable of Thirteen’s companions with Graham being the best of them. I really think season 11 should have focused on Graham and Ryan, especially after Grace’s excitement to help the Doctor and dying in the process. It would have been amazing to see them connect by helping people with the Doctor and exploring. Graham took to traveling more than Ryan did and I think he would have stayed, if Ryan didn’t want to leave. Graham was kind and took Ryan’s indifference on the chin every time and was also so honored when Ryan softened on him. Their relationship by the end was very nice. Graham always had a funny comment and was mostly gung-ho, which I think was in response to how to Grace was. His character wasn’t the strongest overall, but it was better than the others. Also, Bradley Walsh was clearly the best actor of the three companions, so I think it was easy to like him.
11 – Ruby Sunday
Ruby Sunday was my first official companion (not counting the one episode I saw with Donna before) and I really wanted to like Ruby more than I did. I found her to be very annoying being coupled with Fifteen. They were too excitable and giggly, and I found that dynamic annoying, and too much for my first watch. Her mystery wasn’t handled well. Her mother dramatically turning to point to the sign is silly. They never answered the questions about the song in her heart that Maestro could hear, they never really gave a satisfying explanation about the snow. The mystery of her mom was silly when she was just some lady. Sutekh being so enamored by her mystery was silly lol. Also, Carla Sunday sucks and I hate how Ruby was treated by her in multiple episodes. Sure, stuff happened that caused her to forget or react negatively to Ruby, but she didn’t even try to fight it lol. Ruby was an overall good companion, personality aside, I think, she had some good moments. 73 Yards being a Doctor Lite episode, I thought she carried well for the most part. I thought the first half was stronger than the second half, but she was good. Anyway, I thought Millie Gibson had good chemistry with Ncuti, but I thought she was an inconsistent actress. She was too breathy sometimes. It seems like Ruby wasn’t meant to leave in her first season but have a two-season arc, which is funny because I did like her more in season 2. But not enough for her to stand out as much as she could have.
10 – Nardole
I didn’t mind Nardole. When I was watching, I saw him very low on a lot of people’s lists, and I was curious to find out why. I don’t really get it lol. I didn’t dislike him but he’s not my favorite or anything. His first outing in The Husbands of River Song was rough but when he comes back as an actual companion in S10, I think he’s much better. I liked that he was a butler (kind of like Alfred Pennyworth) of sorts for Twelve and that he took his role to keep the Doctor to his word very seriously. Maybe that’s why people don’t like him? That he was in a way, Twelve’s jailer in the same way Twelve was Missy’s. I don’t know but I thought his chemistry with Twelve and Bill was very strong and as a trio, I think I enjoyed them the most. Matt Lucas was fine in the role. The way Nardole was at first, I found annoying which he can do very well but the serious coupled with the funny, works best, I think.
9 – Mickey Smith
I almost forgot about Mickey while doing this list lol. He did travel with the Doctor a few times and was involved in a lot of storylines in earlier seasons so it’s wrong to not include him. He’s fine though. He was treated poorly by both Rose and the Doctor, but he was always ready to help begrudgingly. I appreciated that about him. But after a while I was like “grow a pair! Leave that girl alone!” and I was so annoyed with him when he ran off when they were in that parallel world. Him and Rose pissing me off lol. He had a clear arc, starting out as a coward but becoming very brave by the end, to the point where he stayed in the parallel world to take Ricky’s place after he was killed, also staying close to his grandmother who was still living in that world. I appreciate that. Him and Martha ending up together was a little random, but I could see how that could happen. Noel Clarke was good at showcasing how Mickey grew as a character. Annoying at times but it worked.
8 – Amy Pond
So, I didn’t really like Amy that much overall. She’s one of the companions I’ve known about for years just because of fandom spaces and of course I’ve seen Karen Gillan in the MCU and what not, so I know she got popular because of Amy Pond. I had a hard time with Amy because I didn’t like how she treated Rory, and I didn’t like how she threw herself at the Doctor. I also thought she was mean. She had strong moments where I did enjoy her, but that was after Rory became a full-time companion because I think he balanced her out. Karen Gillan is a great actress, and she has some great standout moments. Angels Take Manhattan gave her a great monologue. The episode where she finds out River Song is Melody Pond was great. The Girl Who Waited was great and she was great as old Amy. By the end, she’d grown on me, but it took a while but I still don’t really like her lol. I also didn’t like how they did her makeup sometimes. Her eyeshadow was way too dark, her cheeks with too much blush and it was distractingly bad. Also, her reasoning as to why she wanted to divorce Rory was dumb, I rolled my eyes so hard. But I think she worked well with Eleven, he was so all over the place that she was a good balance for him sometimes. Because she was the first face that face saw their bond was strong, even to the point he tried to keep her from letting the angels send her back in time too. She had her moments for sure, but I didn’t like her as much as I would have liked.
7 – Rory Williams
People tend to pair Rory and Amy when doing these which I get. They are a packaged deal in a lot of ways, but I liked Rory more than Amy, especially when he became a full-time companion. I didn’t care about him much at the start, but I thought Amy trying to make out with the Doctor on her wedding night was crazy and felt for Rory. I also felt for him when the Doctor took them on adventure as a date and Amy was still acting funny. But this man decided to wait for 2,000 years for her when I don’t think he had to under the circumstances but he did it anyway. He was loyal and he loved him some Amy. He was so hurt when she couldn’t remember him after he was taken by the crack. I think he had a good arc too. He had a similar trajectory to Mickey but instead of becoming a soldier particularly, he maintains the softness of a health care provider but was still firm in how he handled things. I liked that about him. Arthur Darvill was good in the role. He had great chemistry with Karen and Matt Smith. I wish he got to have more time with River Song on his own though.
6 – Rose Tyler
I know Rose is a favored companion and I did like her mostly. However, I liked her more coupled with Nine than with Ten, which is where people seem to really love her. I feel like her youth and immaturity worked best with Nine because he was so excitable and ready to show her the world; their energies matched but there was clearly a darkness in him that kept him from being annoying, like how I found Ruby and Fifteen. They just paired nicely. Rose did piss me off a few times, and her being 19 made sense but her giving that one boy who put that computer in his head, the TARDIS key was insane. I don’t like and/or care about her romance with Ten and I think that the romance is a bit one-sided. I believe the Doctor did love her, but more of an infatuation to be honest. I don’t buy into them being in love. Especially not with David Tennant. If Christopher Eccleston stayed another season, I could believe it then. If anything, it felt like, “oh, Ten is hot, so now I can feel my feelings for the Doctor”. I totally understand falling for the Doctor but Rose just wants Ten and meh. Whatever. She got him in a human way so yay for them I guess. Her saving the Doctor from the Dalek by becoming the Bad Wolf and taking in the time vortex was crazy stuff and it was a great sacrifice she made. If I could separate S1 Rose and S2 Rose as a companion, then S2 would be below S1. Billie Piper was great. I think Rose was a great first companion and introduction to anyone watching NuWho before seeing (or watching at all) Classic Who.
5 – Wilf Mott
I love Wilf. He was never a full-time companion, but he was heavily involved in Ten’s finale episodes that I think it’s necessary to include him. His impact on the story alone is so important. Him being so loving and supportive to Donna when her own mother was such a nag, even though Donna had no ambition so it’s kind of understandable. When they waved goodbye to him when Donna finally went away with the Doctor was sweet. But him being involved in tracking down the Master, after being visited by that Time Lady was a surprise and fun. When they escaped the Master, they both talked about how they’d be honored to be related to each other and aww I could just tear up. He took his gun because he was told the Doctor could be saved and he wanted Ten to take the gun to protect himself, which he did but he ended up not using it in the way they thought. Not to mention, it was WILF who fulfilled the four knocks thing in how Ten was going to die. Keeping the secret from Donna and watching Ten go off to his death. Great acting. Bernard Cribbins was great.
4 – Clara Oswald
What’s interesting about Clara is that I think she is one of the most complex companions we’ve had, and I think Jenna Coleman is one of the best actresses as a companion. Like Rose, if I could separate S7 Clara and S8/S9 Clara, I would because I did not like her in S7. I was indifferent. I didn’t like and/or care about her Impossible Girl storyline. I was annoyed by it. I don’t mind full season arcs, but I don’t like how heavy handed they can be in DW. Her having a crush on the Doctor was annoying. Again, I get it but after seeing him interact with River?? Oh! Girl give it up! But Clara with Twelve is actually insane. Besides River, I believe the Doctor was in love with Clara and it could be because she appeared in all of his timelines, which is annoying to me. But it goes past that with Twelve. Overall, Clara overstayed her welcome and I fully expected her to leave the show either in the S8 finale or in the Christmas special and the fact she didn’t was annoying. S8 was her trying to figure out her place with Twelve since he was so different from Eleven, and seeing that he’s very callous, especially as Twelve. Her arc would have been great because she chose to leave due to what happened with Danny and everything. Oh yeah, I didn’t like her and Danny once they started dating. But I won’t go into that lol. S9 was insane though. At this point, Clara has rubbed off on Twelve so he’s a bit more human and going through a midlife crisis, but he’s rubbed off on her and she’s becoming more like the Doctor. It was an interesting dynamic to see, and I enjoyed it for the most part. Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent are amazing episodes and a good send off for Clara… even though I still think she should have gone a season earlier. Again, Jenna Coleman was an amazing actress, and she played Clara well, her emotional moments (the volcano scene whew), the chemistry she had with Peter Capaldi. It’s all very dynamic. But I didn’t like Clara as much as I wanted. But I will say I’ve now seen season 8 twice and I’ve watched some scenes from S9 a few more times and I’ve softened on her, even though she still majorly pissed me off. But Jenna Coleman’s acting and chemistry with Peter Capaldi really elevates Clara.
3 – Bill Potts
I really liked Bill from start to finish. I liked her student/teacher relationship with Twelve. I liked that he noticed her because she would smile when she didn’t understand something and that meant something to him. I liked that she reminded him of Susan, which is why he was so protective. The Doctor is always protective, but I thought his interactions with Bill felt familial compared to previous companion relationships. She was optimistic, funny, straightforward and genuine. What you see is what you get with Bill, and I loved that. Her personality is what helped her at the end. Every companion was put into some life-or-death situations, but I feel like when Bill faced those, she didn’t let her optimism falter even in the face of danger, or if she was terrified. When she got a hole blasted through her and was turned into a Cyberman after waiting for the Doctor… oh my god. That was devastating! This is the worst fate of a companion I’ve seen, and I could cry just thinking about it. Her optimism and hope kept her going even after she was turned, hoping the Doctor could fix it. My god! Bill! It was nice that she received a doctor who had really mellowed out after losing Clara, then River and who was trying to rehabilitate the Master (Missy). Her chemistry with Nardole was also great. They were a great duo, but with the Doctor, they’re the best trio. She really felt like a companion to me. Some of the previous ones got a little muddled but Bill was just there to connect and have a good time. Pearl Mackie was great, and she was so expressive. It really worked for her.
The Top 2 are really interchangeable in a lot of ways.
2 – Donna Noble
I really like Donna because of how she interacts with the Doctor. It’s like Bill in that her relationship with him isn’t muddled because of romantic feelings. I really liked how she was always teasing him, even if she recognized that he was cute. Her reacting to River calling Ten “pretty boy” will always be hilarious. It was great how she accidentally became a companion on her wedding day, how she told Ten he was scary because of how he acted with that spider lady and Donna was like, get me out of here. Just for her to be so affected by her time with Ten that she was looking into suspicious things on her own and was so excited when they met up again. She had her car packed waiting for him. Hilarious and meant to be. I liked that she got to interact with both Martha and Rose, she had great chemistry with them both and I wouldn’t have minded having the 3 of them on an actual adventure for one episode, not a giant finale thing. Her importance was amped up though and I don’t tend to like that. But it was interesting how she became the most important woman in that she became a Time Lord for a time, and it was sad to see that it was killing her. That’s so sad and that finale episode made me tear up. However, she wouldn’t have left the TARDIS on her own, so they had to find a way to force her out. Catherine Tate is a fantastic actress; she’s a comedian but she shows off her dramatic chops as well. The Fires of Pompeii was a great showcase for that, along with the episode with the Ood. Her being in the dream world during the library two-parter was great and the episode where she didn’t turn leftl. I haven’t seen all of 14’s specials to see how she gets her memory back as I’m taking a little break from binging lol, but I can’t wait to see how it happens.
1 – Martha Jones
So, I’d heard a lot about Martha from my friend, who loves her. I had no doubt that I would also love her, but I was going back and forth on if I’d put her or Donna first. But I decided Martha deserved to be first for many reasons. Unfortunately coming off of Rose, she got the short end of the stick from Ten and the fandom from my understanding (also some fans are racist). But compared to Rose, Martha is older, more mature, has ambition and a future she’s aiming for. Her first episode is a very strong showing; one I’ve seen twice as it was one my friend told me to watch before I actually started bingeing the show. I appreciated how she made him sit down and tell her everything in Gridlock because of how dismissive he was being to her for the most part. The only time Martha really killed me was in her first episode when he kissed her after telling her it meant nothing and what he was doing, and she was like “THAT meant nothing?” YES, girl it doesn’t lol. So, Martha harbored feelings for the Doctor which was rough because it was unrequited due to Rose “haunting the narrative” and her feeling like second fiddle. I think though that Ten was trying to make sure he didn’t fall for her because he could’ve lol. In 42, Martha really stood out in how she adjusted to the situation, connected with Riley, which was cute, and was at the Doctor’s side, willing to hurt him to save him, after he got hurt trying to save her. So stressful. He was so scared about dying in this moment that he started trying to tell her about the regeneration process. Same in the two parter where Ten becomes John Smith, she’s doing her best and I think she was the best companion for that particularly story. I thought she had great chemistry with Captain Jack as well; another top tier trio. The reason why Martha ended up being number 1 is because she’s the only companion who saved the world and the Doctor without some kind of space timey wimey magic or intense technology that she herself used. She literally travelled the world telling people of our lord and savior The Doctor for everyone to believe in him at the same time, while running for her life, knowing that she was leaving her family behind. I think that’s amazing and iconic. Freema Agyeman was great. I thought she had great chemistry with David Tennant, and I wish her run wasn’t overshadowed by Rose. I would like to see her return and now that I’ve seen her, I agree with my friend that she would have been nice to have seen Fifteen and Martha together. Martha is the GOAT.
So that’s my ranking of the companions! I feel pretty solid in this list. It could change as I get the chance to rewatch the show in the future but I doubt the top options would change that much.
Quick Ranking of Trios w/ Companions
I won’t be explaining though lol
1 – Twelve/Bill/Nardole
2 – Ten/Martha/Captain Jack
3 – Eleven/Amy/Rory
4 – Martha/Ten/Donna
5 – Nine/Rose/Captain Jack
6 – Ten/Rose/Mickey
Thanks for reading! Let me know your rankings in the comments!
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