22 Best ‘Doctor Who’ Companions

“I’m the Doctor, by the way. What’s your name?”

That question posed by the affable if intimidating Tenth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), launched the reboot of Doctor Who. And it worked because of the person to whom he posed it, a confused English girl called Rose (Billie Piper).

The beloved English sci-fi series had run for decades on BBC since debuting in 1964 but, except for a 1996 American TV movie, Doctor Who had been absent since 1987. So when showrunner Russell T. Davies brought the series back in 2004, he had to please existing fans and attract viewers who didn’t know a TARDIS from a police call box.

Davies and Co. pulled off the feat not by thrusting viewers into the weird world of the Doctor. Rather, they introduced a compelling human companion called Rose. Rose was just the latest in a long line of companions, the people (most often human) who travel with the Doctor.

Rose demonstrates that the best companions ground the Doctor’s adventures in time and space. The companions help viewers make sense of the strange things they see. More importantly, they make the franchise’s themes of understanding and compassion more realistic.

Get to know the best of them here…

1. Donna Noble

Donna Noble established herself as the best Doctor Who companion in her very first appearance, crashing into the TARDIS at the end of the overstuffed season two finale “Doomsday.” She entered the series wearing a wedding dress and a worried expression, which set her apart from almost any other person who traveled with the Doctor. Here was a grown woman, with grown-up problems and emotions, not an adolescent or young adult looking for adventure.

Of course, it helps that Donna’s actor Catherine Tate has such strong chemistry with the Tenth Doctor David Tennant. A seasoned actor with a host of strong comedic work on her resume, Tate knew how to play along with Tennant and let him step away from his Doctor’s lonesome sadness. It’s no wonder that, when Tennant’s renegade Doctor needed a home on Earth in the recent 60th-anniversary specials, he chose to stay with Donna.

2. Sarah Jane Smith

Several of the companions on this list crossed the divide between the original Doctor Who and the new series, but none with as much gusto as Sarah Jane Smith. After all, Sarah Jane is still just one of two companions who carried their own show, Sarah Jane Adventures. Before she solved sci-fi mysteries with her son Luke (Tommy Knight) and a gaggle of kids, Sarah Jane was a young lady herself, making her debut in the 1973 Third Doctor serial, The Time Warrior.

Played by the late Elisabeth Sladen, Sarah Jane became a fan favorite for her cheerful demeanor and great compassion. But her bravery and vulnerability made Sarah Jane the ideal audience surrogate. When she has a breakdown while crawling through tight vents in the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) serial The Ark in Space (1975), Sarah Jane captures the exact fear and frustration that viewers would have were they in her position. But then she keeps going, embodying a bravery that we all hope for.

3. Rose Tyler

Rose Tyler ushered Doctor Who into the modern era. Without her, the show would never have returned to the mainstream. Not only is Rose played by Billie Piper, best known as a pop star before launching an acting career with Doctor Who, but she helped bridge the gap between Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and Tennent’s Tenth Doctor. Even if new fans didn’t know what to do with the unfamiliar man calling himself the Doctor, Rose guided them along.

Moreover, Rose helped foreground the human stakes of the Doctor’s adventures. In addition to Rose, viewers got to know her boyfriend, her parents, and her neighborhood. Rose’s connections showed the emotional cost of the Doctor’s actions and helped him become the compassionate figure that won the series a whole new generation of fans.

4. Romana

During the first few of Doctor Who’s relaunched seasons, some older viewers took exception to the romantic tension between the Tenth Doctor and Rose. These fans dismissed such connections as a crass attempt to bring in a new audience, something that diluted the show old timers loved so much. But, as is often the case with such gatekeeping, these older fans forgot about a key part of the series they claimed to know: Romanadvoratrelundar, better known as Romana.

A fellow Time Lord who, by turns, found the Fourth Doctor frustrating and fascinating, Romana challenged the Doctor in a way that few other companions did. Whether in her haughty first incarnation (Mary Tamm) or her independent second incarnation (Lalla Ward), Romana was the first to feel like an actual partner to the Doctor. That feeling grew as the two developed an attraction to one another, an unexpected byproduct of the real-world relationship between Baker and Ward.

5. Amy Pond

Amy Pond has two marks that put her over most of the Doctor’s companions. First, she spent her time with the Eleventh Doctor, portrayed by the popular Matt Smith. Second, she was played by Karen Gillan, one of the best actors to take on a companion role in the series. Amy teamed with the Doctor in stories from showrunner Stephan Moffat, who prioritized convoluted time-travel tales that stretched over several seasons. As a result, the lore behind Amy can get confusing, as it involves meeting her daughter as an adult and even getting stuck in the past because of Weeping Angels.

And yet, viewers never lose sight of the person at the center, thanks to Gillan’s performance. Gillan has the charisma necessary to hold the screen, even when playing opposite the delightful Smith. And she can bring real weight to Amy, convincing the viewers that she carries the weight of events still yet to happen. Even when Moffat’s timey-wimey plotting got out of hand, Gillan made sure that Amy had a constant emotional core.

6. Jamie McCrimmon

No companion has shared more adventures with the Doctor than Jamie McCrimmon. Performed by Frazer Hines, who had such great chemistry with the Second Doctor that actor Patrick Troughton insisted he stay through his tenure, Jamie appeared in 113 episodes. Of course, it helped that the handsome Hines could play the traditional action hero, allowing Troughton to indulge his silly side as the beguiling Second Doctor.

Jamie first met the Doctor in 18th-century Scotland, where he lived with his clan in the Highlands. Compelled by the amazing sights that the Doctor and companions Ben and Polly present, Jamie joins the group and stays on long after the others leave. Despite his more uncivilized upbringing, Jamie never let the Doctor intimidate him and, in fact, often pushed back on the Time Lord’s methods. This approach didn’t make for the easiest set of journeys in the TARDIS, but they were always interesting.

7. Liz Shaw

The Third Doctor often stands as an anomaly in the first run of Doctor Who. Actor Jon Pertwee played him with a mixture of sternness and hipness, something that wouldn’t be seen again until Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor. Furthermore, budget cuts at the BBC meant that the Third Doctor would stay on Earth, engaging in more espionage-type tales alongside the pseudo-military group UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce).

Liz Shaw (Caroline John) came to work with the Doctor via UNIT and proved her worth at once. Trained as an academic in several scientific fields, Liz didn’t need the Doctor to explain things to her. Nor did she shrink from challenges…at least, not until a writer or director’s sexism demanded that she scream in terror. Indeed, for all the good that Liz offered, producers at the time failed to capitalize on a smart and capable female companion, resulting in a short but memorable run on the show.

8. River Song

River Song is the Doctor’s closest companion. She is, after all, the Doctor’s wife. In hands less skilled than those of veteran performer Alex Kingston, River could be the most annoying character on this list. A favorite character of Steven Moffat and a key part of Moffat’s most mind-bending time-travel tales, River claimed to exist on a chronology opposite to the Doctor so that his first meeting with her was her last, and vice versa. And every time the Doctor demanded that River explain one of her cryptic observations, she reproached him by saying, “Spoilers, sweetie!”

Again, this could annoy viewers. But Kingston made River feel playful and fun, even during the labored reveal that she, in fact, was Melody Pond, the daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Kingston never allowed River to diminish to a mere plot point. Instead, she made River an irresistible mystery and a great partner for the Doctor, no matter which incarnation.

9. Ace

Ace may very well divide fans more than any other companion on this list. Those who like a bit of rebelliousness and recklessness in their companions love Ace. Those who expect a bit more dignity and respect loathe Ace.

In her defense, Ace makes no attempt to ingratiate herself with anyone, least of all the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy). A bratty schoolgirl with a predilection for explosions, Ace even shouted her own name before blowing things up. Yet, that standoffish exterior made the rare glances at her soft side more powerful, thanks to a complicated performance by Sophie Aldred. And when she returned alongside several others in the 2022 special The Power of the Doctor, those who loved and hated Ace welcomed her back.

10. Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

At first, Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, best known as just the Brigadier, served a basic plot function. As a founder of UNIT, he had the responsibility of giving missions to the Earth-bound Third Doctor. But thanks to Nicholas Courtney’s take as a fussy stuffed shirt who balked at the Doctor’s uncouth ways, the Brigadier became a mainstay in the franchise. As played by Courtney, the Brigadier worked with every Doctor from the Third through the Seventh (skipping the Sixth), and even dropped by Sarah Jane Adventures.

Beyond Courtney’s acting, the Brigadier became a fan favorite because he kept the Doctor tethered to Earth, not just in terms of plot but also in theme. Through the Brigadier, viewers saw the effect of the Doctor’s actions on the rest of the planet. So important were the Brigadier’s contributions that the franchise brought the character back in the form of his daughter, Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave).

11. Peri Brown

Peri Brown had one of the hardest assignments given to any companion. Rather, actor Nicola Bryant, who played Peri, had an impossible assignment when she appeared in the 1984 serial The Twin Dilemma. The Twin Dilemma begins with the Doctor regenerating into their Sixth incarnation (Colin Baker) and trying to strangle Peri, who began as the companion of the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison).

Showrunner John Nathan-Turner wanted to trace the new Doctor’s slow growth from a selfish coward to the hero that viewers expected. That meant that it fell upon Peri to remain likable and fun to watch while the Sixth Doctor figured things out. Producers abandoned that idea, making the Sixth one of the least-loved incarnations of the Doctor. But Peri escaped unscathed in the eyes of fans, in part because of her valiant work making a doomed storyline work.

12. Adric

During his initial run, Adric seemed like the Wesley Crusher of the TARDIS. A young genius from an alternate reality, Adric might have been the smartest person to ever go across space and time, and he never failed to let people know. Teen actor Matthew Waterhouse does his best with the material, but even a seasoned performer would have trouble making the character work.

Given that troubled history, one might wonder why Adric makes this list when other companions do not. The answer comes from the end of Adric, in the 1982 serial Earthshock. Adric sacrifices himself to stop a Cyberman invasion, which casts a pall over the remainder of the Fifth Doctor’s stories. Through Adric, the Fifth Doctor learned that he can bring dire harm to the people he loves.

13. Clara Oswald

For much of her first few seasons, Clara played like Amy Pond 2.0. She was “The Impossible Girl,” a person who seems to show up at very different points in time, with no clear explanation. These stories, alongside the Eleventh Doctor, put Clara and her actor, Jenna Coleman, at a disadvantage, testing the viewers’ patience for more cross-time mystery girls.

However, after the Doctor regenerated into their Twelfth incarnation, the time mystery fell away and Clara just got to be the Doctor’s companion. Clara excelled in that role, thanks to Coleman’s charming performance. Smart, capable, and more than a little annoyed with the grouchy Twelfth Doctor, Clara grew into a compelling companion with a dynamic, unlike any of the others.

14. Jo Grant

Like Clara, Jo Grant could have been a lesser version of a more popular companion. In Jo’s case, that more popular companion was Liz Shaw. After Caroline John departed the show and took Liz Shaw with her, Jo Grant came in as the next UNIT expert to work with the Doctor. Played by Katy Manning, Jo had brains and training, but a little less experience than her predecessor.

That lack of experience made Jo a controversial figure among fans. For some, Manning made Jo a bit too likable, diminishing her character’s intelligence to appease viewers who didn’t want a woman challenging the Doctor. For others, Manning brought a bit of fun to a brainy character, better matching the franchise’s sense of high adventure. Whatever one’s opinion, Jo earned her place among the best companions of all time.

15. Rory Williams

In fairness, Rory is a companion-in-law. After all, the Eleventh Doctor chose Amy as his companion. Rory was just Amy’s fiancé. Yet, as soon Rory made his way onto the TARDIS (and got over his jealousy of the Doctor), he made his mark and became a compelling character on his own.

Part of that shift owes to the performance of Arthur Darvill, who makes Rory into a likable, awkward klutz. The other part owes to a fantastic story in the season five finale, “The Big Bang.” When villains trapped Amy in stasis for two millennia, Rory (who became immortal through sci-fi reasons) stayed beside her the whole time. His devotion and bravery made him a worthy companion, not just to Amy but to the Doctor as well.

16. Martha Jones

Poor Martha Jones doesn’t often make these lists, coming as she did between two of the best companions in Rose Tyler and Donna Noble. Yet, Martha deserves attention for the exact reason that she is neither of those characters. Martha met the Tenth Doctor in the season three premiere “Smith and Jones,” where she worked as a medical student in a hospital taken captive by the Judoon.

The pluck and self-sufficiency that caught the Doctor’s eye made Martha a great companion, and one who worked as a single-season character. Portrayed by Freema Agyeman, Jones didn’t have the same romantic tension with the Doctor as her predecessor Rose. Instead, she remained professional during her one-season tenure. When she leaves the Doctor to work with the agency Torchwood and even marries Rose’s one-time boyfriend, Mickey, it feels like the natural close, the end of a chapter in a character whose story goes on without the Doctor.

17. Melanie Bush

Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) had a unique introduction because Doctor Who never shows her first meeting with the Doctor. Instead, she just appears on the TARDIS with the Sixth Doctor in the 1986 serial Terror of the Vervoids, en media res. Because Terror of the Vervoids is part of the larger tale The Trial of a Time Lord, the story is presented as evidence in court, a slice of a much bigger narrative.

Despite getting taken for granted, Mel soon stood out as one of the cooler companions of her era. A computer programmer with an endless curiosity about anything technological, Mel matched her intelligence with boundless optimism and cheerfulness. Thanks to her good nature, Mel stayed on through the start of the Seventh Doctor’s run, leaving to marry the intergalactic con man Sabalom Glitz until reappearing to work for UNIT with the Fourteenth (David Tennant) and Fifteenth (Ncuti Gatwa) Doctors.

18. Tegan Jovanka

Most longtime Whovians rank Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor as the best of the Time Lords, thanks to his playful spirit and surprising brilliance. The Fourth Doctor’s endless likability made for easy chemistry popular companions Sarah Jane and Romana, but Tegan (Janet Fielding) presented more of a challenge. Tegan boarded the TARDIS under terrible circumstances, as the Doctor’s arch-enemy the Master (Anthony Ainley) killed her aunt in the 1981 serial Logopolis. Tegan clashed with the Doctor right away and continued to do so after the Fourth regenerated into the Fifth at the end of Logopolis.

However, Tegan’s headstrong attitude worked much better with the Fifth Doctor. Peter Davidson’s youthful, handsome Doctor showed more sensitivity than his predecessors, which allowed him to treat with seriousness Tegan’s anger. As a result, Tegan helped the Fifth Doctor establish his unique personality, while still standing as her own character.

19. Captain Jack Harkness

Although he could be fun and compassionate, the Ninth Doctor had a bit more of a darkness than any of his predecessors or followers. So when he met Captain Jack Harkness in the season one episode “The Empty Child,” the Doctor found his fellow time traveler irritating instead of charming, even though Harkness acted a lot like previous Doctors. Over time, Captain Jack proved himself a very different type of character, a dashing rogue who applied his charms to men and women.

Like Sarah Jane, Captain Jack got his own series in Torchwood. But between the poor quality of that show and the off-screen offenses of actor John Barrowman, Harkness has dropped a few notches. Even in light of those disappointments, Harkness still provides a shot of electricity to the show that few companions have matched.

20. Susan Foreman

Even after sixty years, Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) continues to interest Whovians in a way no other companion has done since. It’s not just because she was the first companion in the very first episode of Doctor Who. No, it’s because the Doctor introduces Susan as his granddaughter.

In its original incarnation, Doctor Who was an educational show, in which the Doctor (William Hartnell) took Susan to various points in history, teaching her and the viewers. As the show developed into the sci-fi adventure series of today, Susan could have been dismissed as a vestigial part of an abandoned concept. However, every once and a while, the series reminds viewers that the Doctor has a family, starting with Susan.

21. Steven Taylor

When Doctor Who switched from an educational show to an adventure show, producers realized they had a problem. The fifty-something Hartnell made for a fine teacher and guide, but he couldn’t pull off action. To meet that need, producers cast Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, a handsome two-fisted hero with a clear sense of right and wrong.

When watched through modern eyes, Steven seems like a bit of a boor. He doesn’t have the same depth that would define later companions, especially the soon-to-come Jamie. That said, Steven served his purpose, helping Doctor Who transition into the show that so many know and love.

22. Yaz

It’s hard not to see almost everything about the Thirteenth Doctor’s run as a missed opportunity. The series had a game and delightful actor in Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to ever portray the Doctor, and a return to the multi-companion approach. However, showrunner Chris Chibnall focused most of his attention on big ideas and unnecessary lore changes instead of writing compelling stories.

That problem extended to the Thirteenth Doctor’s companions, made worse by the decision to keep three associates on hand at any one time. However, one of Thirteen’s friends managed to stand out, the teen would-be police officer Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill. Like her fellow travelers, Yaz did little more than react with wonder at the Doctor. But after most of the other companions left and stayed behind, Yaz got a little more room to stand out as a woman afraid of what her future might have in store.