I would absolutely put Rory higher. That guy had such an amazing arc of growth in that show, but he was still fundamentally the same guy at the end. Dude deserved top 10 to me...
Oh. I like Graham but Rory def had a better arc and is a better character. Thumbs down on this vid. Also don't like the lack of explanation for their earlier choices
Sorry, but Donna Noble held the Doctor to task. If she was there when Waters of Mars took place, the time lord victorious would not have happened. She asked him to save someone, not everyone. When that loser was abusing the ood & making them slaves & said they didn't fight back, she really put him in his place by telling him they are born holding their brains so of course they have to be peaceful & trusting. I also love the conversation between the Doctor & Donna in the door & window in the Partners in Crime episode. She was beyond brilliant. My heart broke for Donna & Wilfred & Sylvia, especially in Turn Left.
I absolutely loved Donna such a great companion and I absolutely can not wait to see her again in any shape or form. Her season is hands down my favourite.
I always think that people still kind of miss the way this emphasised Donna’s development. We tend to focus on Donna’s brash and boisterous, loud nature, but the facts of her begging him to save anyone from Pompeii or her being the first to argue for the peacefulness of the Ood are points that emphasise Donna’s sensitivity, bc of course she would understand. Donna feels powerless, she feels like she’s not special. She has an understanding of what it feels like, even if she’s not enslaved like the Ood. Donna empathises with them, and she empathises with the people of Pompeii, because she knows what it feels like to be powerless against the universe, and facing these moments, she feels nothing but a desire to help. I understand people who don’t like Donna’s personality but I will always encourage them to see the depth that they put behind her character and how it was subtly expressed through her personality.
DONNAAAA!!!!! i totally agree and she had the BEST character arc!!!!! from oblivious to absolutely caring, observant and "superhero for the little guy" (sorry, didnt know how to translate). also: she was a strong woman (hehe "You want TO MATE?" - No, just A mate) after all her heartbreak with the spiderboy. Having it all destroyed and her turning back into the unlikeable running away bride from the first time we saw her... thats what breaks my heart everytime...
Wilfred 100% deserves top 10 I always remember that one scene Wilfred: "I did my duty" The TV Creature (forget what it was): "You never killed a man" Wilfred: "You say that like its a bad thing!"
It wasn’t a Tv creature that was the Wire from series 2 with Ten and Rose. It was the Doctors Mom that communicated with Wilf through the television in David Tennants regeneration episode
@@henryprice7600 RTD wrote it to be the doctors mothers, and says that for him it was the doctors mothers. So she can be anyone you want but from a writers standpoint, that character as she appears in the end of time is the doctors mom.
Tate and Tennant had an amazing chemistry without the romantic tension. They were exactly what both characters needed: a best friend who pushed personal growth. Though the collapse of the Doctor Donna and her having to lose everything she went through in order to save her life was an absolute gut-punch.
I have a feeling Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa would have the same non romantic relationship as Donna and 10 did, it would be more like a big brother and little sister type of relationship tbh.
Yeah, I got bored of them trying to introduce romantic tension between The Doctor and any given companion. It was better (IMHO) when they were just mates! ("You want to mate?!" 😂)
I will never ever understand the Donna love. Probably my least favorite of the companions, just a grating and irritating personality. Rose Tyler is the goat.
I was surprised at Mickey being so far down the list, but then I thought for a moment and realized I like him as a CHARACTER more so than as a COMPANION.
For real. Mickey was only a proper companion for three episodes, after that he moves to Pete’s world and has what I assume to be the most incredible character development journey. Hes such a well written character but he’s not a great companion
Donna was always my favorite. After the loss of Rose, leaving the Doctor heartbroken, and Martha pining away for him, which grew tiresome, Donna was perfect. They were not romantically interested in each other at all, they were just best friends, traveling all through space and time together.
@@tvguy61 I don't like Donna. Unlike most, I don't think a foul mouth chav is funny and all she did was criticise how the doctor did things. Well don't travel with him them. Plus episodes like Pompeii etc were really weak.
Idk why, when I was younger (a teen) I really didn't like Donna. I suppose bc Rose was a great self insert character and being jolted to a character I related nothing with made me bitter. But now as an adult grown woman in her 30s , I LOVE Donna. She's so relatable to me now. Shes so clever, puts her foot down when needed, sticks up for herself, but also has such an empathetic and motherly side. Love her now.
Whenever anyone complains about Martha, I always say she was Rebound Girl. The one who so amazing in her own right, but just can't get through the heartbreak. And, though I never liked the Ten/Rose twue wuv storyline, if you tell that story, then the next story you have to tell is the story of Rebound Girl. I am a die hard Martha fan and will always defend her.
I like Martha not my fav, but I too did not particular like Rose, all over him like a rash. I mean he as far as he knows his race is all dead at his hand so perhaps he needed someone that would ease the pain, which Rose help with but for me Rose came across to be a spoilt wee brat. E.g Mickey joining the TARDIS crew the look on her face.... So ok martha showed she love to him but accepted pretty quickly realised it was platonic not romance, but helped him to grieve. I truly was was only in one series mainly and brought her in posion sky... Bloody fantastic.
Glad to see you acknowledge how great Martha was. She was so refreshingly capable and intelligent after Rose. I will admit my favourite companions tend to be the intelligent women. Zoe, Liz, Romana, Nyssa
@@smallmj2886 Romana 2 regenerated into Romana 3 who looked identical to Princess Astra of Atrios from "Destiny of the Daleks" (I had to Google the episode). So "more competant" timelords have greater control over their regenerations, unlike The Doctor.
Martha was written so inconsistently. Early Matha was just boring. But later Martha was great. I'd put her much lower, personally. The bland version of her that was ga-ga for the doctor was just so boring to me, it overshadows her as a whole. I'm not a huge Rose fan, either. She improved greatly as the character developed, but she was pretty meh to begin with.
After rewatching this list and Seán's indepth critique of Clara I have to give kudos where they are due. Not everyone likes Clara, nor would I expect them to, but I was pleased to see that Seán gave a well-rounded, fair analysis of her time on the show. I can understand people don't like her because she seemed to become too dominant in the program, sometimes even overshadowing the Doctor, or that she was deemed to be the most important Companion ever, or her death was negated in Hell Bent so she didn't really pay for her recklessness in the end, but despite all this I still find her endearing, and no one can deny that she isn't one of the most influential Companions of all time having seen, saved or interacted with every version of the Doctor up to 12. I agree she was better with 12 but I feel she didn't have enough time with 11 to establish a solid chemistry with him, they deserved a full season together at least, and if they had done so then maybe the Impossible Girl story arc would have played out better, or at least been better received. She's my #1 Companion 🔝and I would love to see her return again somehow one day. Who knows what kind of reaction that will spark from certain fans though. 💥😅
"her death was negated in Hell Bent so she didn't really pay for her recklessness in the end" This criticism I always find very troubling. There is a thing called "fridging" within storytelling, where a woman is killed in order to give motivation to a male character. Clara may have caused her own death, but within the story this is done in order to motivate the Doctor. Something that sci-fi and fantasy allow for that cannot be done in a traditional storytelling setting, however, is they are able to bring the woman back and force the man to confront his own actions, supposedly committed in her name, but are really about him, his feelings, his grief. They take fridging, turn it on his head, and force the Doctor to confront the woman again, after he's gone on his rampage. Wanting Clara to stay dead as a form of punishment reeks of hatred for the character, and doesn't show respect for what the genre allows them to do.
she was my second favorite companion behind river song, and that's largely because i enjoy the time travel shenanigans with river too much. i'd love to see her again, but at this point it's 50/50 character vs actress, between doctor who and her other stuff i wound up with a massive crush on jenna
So a companion you definitely missed was K9! Yes Micky realized he was in a car, AFTER K9 told him multiple times. Also in the same episode, basically defending everyone, and then the self sacrifice. Of course (spoilers) he was fixed in the end, but K9 didn't know that. K9 was just being the best boi.
I adored Bill Potts and was disappointed that her run wound up being so short. Glad to see you ranking her so highly here as I feel like she's sort of a "forgotten companion" at this point.
The Ponds and Donna are without a doubt my favorite companions and honestly CHARACTERS of the entire show (aside from the Doctor themselves). Personally, I rank Amy and Rory on the same level and Rory deserved a few more solo moments with the Doctor--theyre really two sides of the same coin with Amy grounding them both funnily enough and River being the chaos. a PERFECT team, and Ten and Donna being a perfect team goes without saying. Thank god for the extended universe stories!
Personally 1. Rose - she "fixed" the doctor after he burnt his World and taught him how to love again. A heartbreak the doctor will never get over. 2. Amy - amazing story lines 3. River - a great play on time travelling meeting her again and again in the wrong order
How anyone picks Donna over Rose is beyond me. Her reintroduction to the show is the reason we lost interest. Unattractive, horrible personality, overbearing etc. I don't recognize a lot of the other names mentioned but I'm sure I would have liked most better.
@@valvenator I thought Rose was a mediocre companion. Very 'meh' to begin with, but she did improve greatly later on. Not one of my favorites. I Iove Amy and River. Donna is my favorite, though.
@@Andreamom001 yeah lowkey rose was the most bland character ever, donna wasn't afraid to call him out on his shit unlike every other companion, and she didnt hang around to get in the doctor's pants. Take every other female in doctor who companions in new who for example.
@@valvenator wow Donna has to be one of the best companions and you rating her on attractiveness when rose got a bit annoying and the romance between the 2 was not needed
Who else but Donna could be #1 but I was pleasantly surprised to see Clara as high as #6! 😄 I am a hard core Clara fan and she deserves to be up there at the top of the Best Companion lists. Was surprised that Wilfred was down a little bit lower. And I was right every time whenever I said that Amy and Rory weren't exactly equal as companions, she deserves to be in the top 3 while he was more middle of the pack in terms of importance. River at #2 is good too.
I really love Clara! People are so hard on her but I find her fiesty and funny and I love that in her! I think I saw a lot of Rose in her I suppose and I was a huge Rose fan(I've had the nickname Rose Tyler for a very, very long time).
Two other people I’d include here (since the criteria is impact rather than longevity) Kazran Sardick definitely deserves a mention, I’d put him just below middle of the pack And an honourable mention to “The Doctor” for any time they’ve met or been influenced by themselves.
Nardole was an android, he was also having problems with his body parts, in later episodes, because of his age. The twelfth Doctor spoke of putting him back together. As for Mickey his time in the alternative universe, made him more grown up and he stopped being an idiot, he returned to his original universe and then married Martha after meeting her a Torchwood story. Then both of them becoming bounty hunters of dangerous aliens, see David Tennant's final episode. You forgot that when Rory was the Lone Centurion, he was an Auton, and got to shoot a Dalek when dressed as a security guard. I love the scene where the twelfth Doctor says hello sweetie to River and she realises who he is.
Idris / The Tardis in The Doctor’s Wife Surely that could/should be included in the list. Way up there in my list of favourite episodes, the Tardis is his longest running companion ( excluding The Master, his one time childhood friend). The line “you never took me where it wanted to go !” “No , but I always took you where you needed to be “ Not to mention the teaser for the identity of River Song ❤️
@@HariSeldon913 but she still wouldve only impacted him in that one instance. It wouldve impacted MARTHA the most, as she wouldve gotten old. LOVE Sally and still wish she was a proper companion...maybe some day
It's great to see you back doing a video Sean!. I'm so glad you ranked Martha in your top 5. She was my favourite of Tennant run Series 3 being my favourite and The Family of Blood Two Parter my favourite episodes of new Who
Great point regarding Martha. I loved her attitude and sense of adventure, something certainly needed when you get into the kind of hijinks that you will as the companion of The Doctor. The decision to make her character want love or nothing from The Doctor was wrong in my opinion. It wasted what could have a been another couple of amazing seasons with a badass companion.
I love Micky, they liked to poke fun at his character but I actually love his contribution. Martha is hella underrated, but my favourite companion will always be Rose
I feel so bad for Jodie, her writing team did her dirty, but one thing I will give them is that I like the idea of multiple companions, while on their own they weren’t great when they were together it made for some wonderful interactions. Now for number 1, Donna? Absolutely, I loved her so much, I had the pleasure of meeting the actress. What a ray of sunshine that woman is
Martha is underrated The only bad thint about her character is the weird pining on the doctor and him ignoring her it was like they where writing her to be like "look she isnt as good as rose" on purpose but apart from that shes one of the best companions shes useful a nurse/doctor intelligent brave strong badass ect
Elisabeth Sladen was transcendently, translucently beautiful as Sarah Jane in NuWho, her maturity as a character and as an actress , and as a woman, she just swept the floor with all the other companions. I loved that she was freelancing it as a protector of the Earth, with a healthy suspicion of Unit, when she had to deal with them.
Brian Williams really deserves a place on this list. I agree so much about Donna, of the full time companions, she understands the Doctor the most. I’m still not over Journey’s End and am kind of worried about her return. She had a beautifully tragic ending and I’m not sure if the anniversary specials will do her justice.
Wilfred is both a child and the grown-up. Both he and the Doctor acknowledge “If Wilf Were My Grandad…” so we see the innocent boy against an ageless being PLUS an old man seeing a young man make a stand
The thing about Rory, is in the beginning, Rory was a submissive Amy pleaser lol. But after he was erased, then came back as the plastic centurion, even after the universe was restored, he still remembered his time as a soldier. That, to me, was his turning point from being Amy's teddy bear to becoming the strong, hero he became.
I miss Wilfred so much. He was really good going up against Sylvia, who was rude & dismissive of poor Donna up to the point that the Doctor said something about Donna & Sylvia said to the Doctor that he can't talk about Donna like that & the Doctor said then maybe you should remember what you just said to me the next time you want to slag Donna off & put her down. I loved that interaction between the Doctor & Sylvia because you just know Wilfred was in the background nodding in agreement with the Doctor.
I have worked in law enforcement and as a security consultant/security contractor ( professional mercenary ) I have been shot and stabbed but I admit the character of Wilfred Mott when he died in the show I actually cried.
Have to say I think the relationship between doctor and companion was never done better than The Doctor and Rose! She will always be no.1 of new who for me
Rose seemed great at first, but that got ruined by later seasons and more knowledge on Doctor Who. Her character is great, but the romance just isn't doing it for me. We're supposed to believe this old alien who's intelligence is unparalleled fell in love with an ordinary human girl that's barely over 18, I'm just not buying it.
@@idkt-t9214 I can understand where you're coming from but at least we were given a background emotional connection that she basically helped him heal from the war. I'm not a fam of the romances I mean like river song for example we weren't given any reason for an emotional connection, plus it undermined what a great character she could've been. Personally I loved rose cause I identified with her a lot as a kid have also been raised in a poor household by a single mother, she definitely a feel good icon that no matter what end of society you come from you can be something truly amazing
I agree about Bill. I had a really hard time accepting her at first due to the shoes she had to fill and also her name is weird. But she was very well written and played. It was a gut punch with how she went.
@@mujiescomedy279 As a male, if my name was Julie, that would be weird. Bill is a masculine name, thus it is weird for a female. It's pretty freakin obvious.
@@cracklingice is it? Sounds pretty gender neutral to me? To me jack used to sound masculine, but I’ve seen that used for girls. Bill doesn’t sound as masculine to me. I mean, BillIE was the name of the actor for the first nuwho companion, and even Billy is gender neutral, why would Bill be any weirder?
Katherine Tate as Donna Nobel. Always and forever my favorite companion. Rose as my #2 with the 9th Doctor- they reignited and kicked off NuWho with an incredible Y2K first season. Wilfred, Rory, and River (the soldier, the centurian, and archeologist) definitely in my top 5 as well.
This is very thorough, but you missed one: K-9! Yeah, his role in "School Reunion" was even smaller than Sarah Jane's, but he and the Doctor did have some quality time together, and K-9 sacrificed himself to save the day. Definitely companion material! (Oh, hey, would Rosita in "The Next Doctor" count, too?)
When I was first going through the ecelston and tennant era (I started during Matt Smith's first year) my friend was going on about how I was going to *love* Donna Noble. Then I met Donna and I was so confused why he thought I would like her. Then Donna came back and I understood completely.
Thank you Sean Ferrick because I've always said that Donna Nobel has been my ultimate favourite companion of NuWho as well. And yes, she only just beats River as my favourite too.
This is a pretty solid list. I think you're totally right about Clara, and while she with Twelve was one of my personal favorite duos, her and Eleven (along the whole impossible girl storyline) did start her off so rough that I get why she's further back on the list. Personally, I think that Yaz is a bit too high, and I'd probably put her below Graham, just because for the first two seasons she had she basically had no storyline, and then during Flux she felt like her character was just "The Doctor is the greatest person I've ever met (but sometimes I'm mad that she hides things). And how did Rory get below her and Graham? Maybe on his own he would have been meh, but the trio of him, Amy, and the Doctor is the peak of Eleven's run for me.
Yes, it was the three of them that were awesome. Eccleston is my fav Doctor; Donna my fav companion; 11, Amy, Rory were the best team (plus a bit of River on the side).
I honestly stopped watching the show when Clara Eleven era was going because it just BUGGED me to watch. SOmething about the dynamic felt so off. But after watching clips, I ABSOLUTELY see how Twelve and Clara are great and I really regret not watching their run when it was going. Shes definitely a Love Her or Hate Her character, I WISH I could like her more honestly!!
I wish Rose was further down the list. I think because she's the only one on the list(other than his wife) that the Doctor fell for she gets a pass for being an awful person, especially to Mickey. She strung him along while falling for the Doctor and then had some serious attitude when he wanted to come along and share the experience. Come on Rose! Also love the channel keep it up!
Personally I would love for Clara to come back for one more episode or a two parter. I absolutely loved her as a companion (the banter between her and 12 is the best of the show imo) but I do think her death rebound kind of left a sour taste in my mouth, but Seán makes an excellent point, that she's still out there and could still come back. If done well, imagine how powerful and heartbreaking that episode could be. The man/woman who's spent a millennium running away has to help one of his best friends stop running. Written by a smarter person than me, it could be beautiful, it could be sweet, it could be gut wrenching, and it would help her story feel much more complete.
I highly appreciate that this list was obviously created with love for the material! :) The Internet is full of content mills, that are devoid of any true love, who just put out dull top ten lists, so they can feed the agorithm. Good job, Whovians! 👏
The Doctor could have saved those in The Waters of Mars...ALL of them. If the bodies were never recovered, then The Answer Is FORWARD. Their "present" lives were done, but they could have had lives in the future, where the timelines would be ok. ...and what made me like Rose as best Companion for The Doctor was because how HAPPY he was when he was with HER. The Doctor has been good for so many Companions, but Rose was good got him. And for The Doctor, CHOICE was vitally important to him. He ran from Jack Harkness, because Jack was a Fact. River Song was a FACT that stripped him of his CHOICE to run. She was a Fact that even stripped him of his Choice of who he would "BE" with.
I think I could go along with this list. I mean I maybe would change a few here and there but over all, pretty good. Furthermore, I liked Donna because it was, in my opinion, what a companion to the Doctor should have been. She just wanted the adventure, not just pineing (not sure that is spelled correctly but y'all get me) after the Doctor. I felt they did that with too many of the companions.
Martha is definitely superior to Rose because she's capable of standing for herself, and offering to the story instead of just being there. RTD made a mistake of having Martha pining after the Doctor when he was still reeling after losing Rose, but the latter half of Series 3 where the Doctor accepts Rose is gone and grows to appreciate Martha for being there with him was great.
I think Clara was great with 11 but their chemistry is like an 8.5 whereas the whole 11/Amy/Rory/River chemistry was like a 12. It was just pure perfection
I lovedddd tennants run. The biggest issue I had after rewatching it a few times is that no matter what companion was with him it was always about Rose.
That explains the 5 episode run to finish his tenure. Rose ‘rescued’ nine, was his constant into ten, and showed him it was ok to be vulnerable. Donna was the bridge between sanity and insanity for the Doctor. When he lost her he snapped. (The water on mars) and Wilf was his ferryman.
Loved this video so much! I totally agree with your list.. great to see Sean doing a video too💙 I loved Rose & Amy so much I would love to see them return..Donna was brilliant too👏🏼👏🏼
A great video. I agree with most of your choices and totally agree with your top 5, though I may be tempted to up Amy Pond by one position. As someone who is old enough to be there when it all stated in 1963 (aged ten) and who has watched every single episode of Who, I suppose I really do need to go and view your Classic Companions vid.
I would've put Craig and Wilfred higher. I met Capt Jack this year and he's still just so adorable in person. Clara and Martha are underrated. BTW, I was this many days old when I realized Wilfred had passed.. Sad day..
come now! Mickey hacked into a nuclear missile which destroyed the Slitheen and figured out that vinegar is an excellent weapon against the same. Further he got his heart shattered and took unnecessary abuse heaped on him by the Doc.
Donna for me is top of NuWho, with Sarah Jane as top of all-time. Seeing Sarah return in "School Reunion" was wonderful for me as someone who was introduced to Doctor Who with Elisabeth and Tom in the 70s. I literally screamed when Sarah appeared coming down the stairs with Finch!
This is how I personally would rank - accounting for Power of the Doctor and a few others "one timers" I would personally include or categorise as a companion (for better or worse) in some way - whether they travelled in the Tardis or was the main ally of the doctor at some point in an episode. Inclusion of some of these might be a bit of a stretch - but hey - tis my list I will do what I want with it lol :D :D :D Tier 1 1. Donna Noble 2. Clara Oswald 3. River Song 4. Amy Pond 5. Bill Potts 6. Martha Jones 7. Rose Tyler 8. Rory Williams Tier 2 9. Yazmin Khan 10. Graham O'Brien 11. Nardole 12. Wilfred Mott 13. Captain Jack Harkness 14. Sarah Jane Smith 15. Osgood 16. Ryan Sinclair Tier 3 17. Strax 18. Madam Vastra 19. Jenny Flint 20. Kate Stewart 21. Professor Eustacius Jericho 22. Dan Lewis 23. Ace 24. Tegan Jovanka Tier 4 25. Mickey Smith 26. Handles (decapitated cyberman head who was with the doc all those years on Trenzalore - that made us all cry when he died - ya he counts as a companion, and I will fight anyone who disagrees lol) 27. Brian Williams (Rory's Father) 28. Jackson Lake 29. Adelaide Brooke 30. Astrid Peth 31. Rosita (Jackson Lake's companion but was still acting as a doctor's companion so I am counting it) 32. Rigsy (he was Doctor Clara companion in Flatline - so I am counting it) Tier 5 33. Jackie Tyler (Having to pretending to be Rose in Army of Ghosts was funny, and she was there in Journey’s End) 34. Canton Everett Delaware III 35. Lady Cristina de Souza 36. Missy 37. Karvanista 38. Dorium Maldovar 39. Young Kazran Sardick (from a Christmas Carol) 40. Madge Arwell (from The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) Tier 6 41. Courtney Woods (that annoying brat from Kill the Moon) 42. Ashildr / Me 43. Craig Owens (I dislike James Cordon - so sue me lol :D) 44. Adam Mitchell
Clara's problem with Peter Capaldi was it became Clara driving the show rather than the Doctor. I objected to them giving the Doctor a libido at all, so the whole Rose thing annoyed me (also her and Ten's refusal to take things seriously - them laughing while facing werewolves...nope. They deserved to be slammed by Queen Victoria).
Sean Ferrick doing Who Culture? Yesss! Also love that you included Karvanista! I don't agree with every placement personally but Donna at 1? Deserved, she is brilliant!
I honestly thought u were gonna snub Donna. I am bludy thrilled u gave her number 1. She's amazing as a character and Catherine Tate n Tennant have such amazing chemistry. I can't wait 2 see her either.
She certainly was very under appreciated and overlooked because she didn’t have any sort of big paradox or whatever you want to call it, but she really did whatever she could to protect the doctor
Amy, River, and Donna are my absolute favorites, followed by Martha and Rory. I never really felt like Clara contributed well as a companion. There was a lot of weight on her story, but it felt more like she was supposed to be this “Mary Sue” who fixed everything than an actual companion.
I'm currently on the 12th (before clara ends) and this is my list: 1. Donna Noble 2. Clara Oswald 3. Amy AND Rory Pond 4. Rose Tyler 5. River Song 6. Martha Jones They are all so great, but I feel this is where I think they rank.
I could not agree more about Donna Noble being the best! The humor and heartache she brought to that character was amazing. I especially enjoyed seeing the phenomenal growth of the character from traveling with the Doctor until her extreme regression back from him pulling all her memories of their adventures.
Playing pretty fast and loose with the word “Companion” here, aren’t we? Was amazed someone actually shares my opinion about Donna Noble. Had the first true “Best Friends” dynamic with the Doctor in NuWho, and that’s one of the big reasons I loved her.
Ton of missing Companions (especially if one-shots made the list): Jenny, Brian Williams, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson aka Madame de Pompadour, Alfie Owens aka Stormageddon the Dark Lord of All, Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI the Emperor of All Known Space aka Porridge, Artie Maitland, Canton Everett Deleware III, Angie Maitland, Handles, Lynda Moss aka Lynda with a Y, Winston Churchill, K9, Timothy Latimer, the Osgoods, Kate Stewart, Rigsy, Rupert "Danny" Pink, Strax, Charles Dickens, Nefertiti, William Shakespeare, Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17, 10 (He was the Companion of the War Doctor), 11 (see: 10), Bannakaffalatta, Jabe, The Face of Boe, Davros... and that isn't even a complete list of those who were missed.
order doesn't matter.... so many of the companions became family to so many of us viewers. The departure of many of them has broken my heart and reduced me to a mess of tears on multiple occasions. Rewatching still has the same impact as the first time. Thanks for putting Martha and Clara right up there.... and of course Astrid, as an Aussie it would have been amazing to see another fellow countryman join with the Doctor again (Bring backTegan!!!).
For me, personally, Clara is the best companion. She’s the doctor’s carer🥺 I actually loved her with Eleven and wish so badly that they had gotten at least a full season. Love seeing the Martha love. She’s so underrated and so so strong I’m not the biggest fan of River. I appreciate her character but didn’t think she had an chemistry with Matt Smith. I love the idea more than the execution
OMG I so completely agree with you about Clara and Martha. I loved Clara in season 7 and wished I could have ore of 11th and Clara. (And I hated season 8 and the inconsistencies in character). And Martha is so amazing.
@@abenerice frrrr Apparently Matt Smith said he regretting leaving without giving Clara and Eleven a full season😭😭😭 I’m a hardcore ElevenxClara shipper so I’m like …. Yeah more content would’ve been amazing- it’s actually insane they only had half a season together
If I'm honest, Amy REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. She tries to not just kiss but presumably have sex with the Doctor on her WEDDING NIGHT, she's consistently dismissing of Rory and his concerns about her, she invests so much time and energy into caring about the Doctor that Rory gets shoved to the side...and to top it all off, she DIVORCED him simply because she was unable to have children and knew he wanted them. I should also mention that she apparently NEVER discussed this with him at any point prior to Asylum of the Daleks.
Mathra saw rose as competition she should not be higher than rose Tyler the doctor loved rose so much basically every doctor remembered her 10'11'12 all had a moment where they rembered her
Christina De Souza, Jackson Lake, Craig and Mickey got more character growth in their limited appearances (sometimes in only one episode) than Yaz, Carvanista, Dan, Graham and Ryan collectively got in their entire runs. The latter five got almost no character growth and therefore automatically go at the bottom of the list. Yaz is in fact almost exactly the same, personality wise, in Power of the Doctor as she was in her first episode on the show, except she became a lesbian at some point
For me, my list is absolute and clear in my mind. #1 best companion hands down is Clara Oswin Oswald, the impossible girl. She was sweet,fun,perky,optimistic,caring,witty, she was smart enough to know when to listen to the doctor,she's formidable, so charming, sexiest accent, beautiful woman and I genuinely loved her storyline of the impossible girl floating into the world on a leaf. The sacrifice she made to save the doctors timeline and everyone he helps is amazing. She is my favorite character in all of television and movies. Then it goes Donna, then Amy and Rory(both equally good), then Rose Tyler, then Martha. Yaz, Nardole, and bill. What he said about loving amy when she was matt smith i felt that with clara. Her asylum of thr daleks ep was so heroic and poignant. She was HUMAN and she made all the daleks forget the doctor. Run you clever boy and remember is a line that always gets me because of that episode and her ehole run with matt. I loved every second of it and its what made me obsessed with doctor who. Its probably not a coincidence the first ep i saw was the crimson horror
For whatever reason, I feel like I am the only person that never warmed to River Song. I think it was the idea that I was supposed to love her, and that she was the Doctor’s wife whom he trusts the most while we never truly see them fall in love because they live in opposite timelines. For me, I fall in love with characters that have visible growth and development both with themselves and with their relationships, and I didn’t see it enough with River, purely because of the way she was written
I'm actually with ellie on knifing you in the back lol. my order for top 5 are: 1) River Song - how the deuce can she not be number 1?????? 2) Clara - i realize i'm probably alone, but the 1-2 punch of her first two appeances really made me fall for the character. by the time she was with 12 i had a full blown crush on jenna coleman, that wasn't just doctor who lol. 3) Amy Pond - just amazing, loved 90% of her time with the doctor. 4) Rose Tyler - i'm a sap and the way she and the doctor seemed almost romantic was just amazing 5) Martha Jones - you said exactly right with her, i just don't like her quite enough to put her higher. for the pitchfork crowd that i'm sure is forming donna would be 6 for me *wince* sorry
Brian Williams. Ge brought his own trowel and he didn't even expect to go to space! I loved him! It was way better than when Jackie was traveling with the doctor.
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I would absolutely put Rory higher. That guy had such an amazing arc of growth in that show, but he was still fundamentally the same guy at the end. Dude deserved top 10 to me...
Yep agree and Graham should definitely not be above him
Rory would be my #1, tbh
Oh. I like Graham but Rory def had a better arc and is a better character. Thumbs down on this vid. Also don't like the lack of explanation for their earlier choices
I'd replace him with Bill Pots. btw did she say she's lesbian?
Rory would of been in my top five. Loved him and Amy so much.
Sorry, but Donna Noble held the Doctor to task. If she was there when Waters of Mars took place, the time lord victorious would not have happened. She asked him to save someone, not everyone. When that loser was abusing the ood & making them slaves & said they didn't fight back, she really put him in his place by telling him they are born holding their brains so of course they have to be peaceful & trusting. I also love the conversation between the Doctor & Donna in the door & window in the Partners in Crime episode. She was beyond brilliant. My heart broke for Donna & Wilfred & Sylvia, especially in Turn Left.
I absolutely loved Donna such a great companion and I absolutely can not wait to see her again in any shape or form.
Her season is hands down my favourite.
I always think that people still kind of miss the way this emphasised Donna’s development. We tend to focus on Donna’s brash and boisterous, loud nature, but the facts of her begging him to save anyone from Pompeii or her being the first to argue for the peacefulness of the Ood are points that emphasise Donna’s sensitivity, bc of course she would understand. Donna feels powerless, she feels like she’s not special. She has an understanding of what it feels like, even if she’s not enslaved like the Ood. Donna empathises with them, and she empathises with the people of Pompeii, because she knows what it feels like to be powerless against the universe, and facing these moments, she feels nothing but a desire to help. I understand people who don’t like Donna’s personality but I will always encourage them to see the depth that they put behind her character and how it was subtly expressed through her personality.
To each their own. I personally hated that character
@@malfunkshin873terrible taste
DONNAAAA!!!!! i totally agree and she had the BEST character arc!!!!! from oblivious to absolutely caring, observant and "superhero for the little guy" (sorry, didnt know how to translate). also: she was a strong woman (hehe "You want TO MATE?" - No, just A mate) after all her heartbreak with the spiderboy.
Having it all destroyed and her turning back into the unlikeable running away bride from the first time we saw her... thats what breaks my heart everytime...
Wilfred was a great companion, I do wish he had more adventures with the Doctor. RIP Bernard Cribbins
At least we get to see him once more! What a blessing he managed to do the 60th before he passed 😢
Legendary actor. Who remembers the Wombles of Wimbledon?
@@olivertoole8172 I love the Wombles
Agreed
🎉
Personally, I'd love to see Jenny back.
_"Planets to save, civilisations to rescue, creatures to defeat, and an awful lot of running to do."_
Yes! I'd actually like to see Jenny have her own show. As the new era is said to be expanding the Whoniverse, I live in hope.
There are audiobooks so there is that
I always felt Jenny was a missed opportunity.
Wilfred 100% deserves top 10
I always remember that one scene
Wilfred: "I did my duty"
The TV Creature (forget what it was): "You never killed a man"
Wilfred: "You say that like its a bad thing!"
It wasn’t a Tv creature that was the Wire from series 2 with Ten and Rose. It was the Doctors Mom that communicated with Wilf through the television in David Tennants regeneration episode
@@obiwankenobi687 not necessarily the doctors mother
@@henryprice7600 RTD wrote it to be the doctors mothers, and says that for him it was the doctors mothers. So she can be anyone you want but from a writers standpoint, that character as she appears in the end of time is the doctors mom.
@@henryprice7600 RTD said it was supposed to be his mum, but then I always used to think the Doctors sibling was The Master.
Wilfred the reluctant solider; makes me like him more proves to me that not every solider is a blindly obedient dog of the military
Tate and Tennant had an amazing chemistry without the romantic tension. They were exactly what both characters needed: a best friend who pushed personal growth. Though the collapse of the Doctor Donna and her having to lose everything she went through in order to save her life was an absolute gut-punch.
I have a feeling Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa would have the same non romantic relationship as Donna and 10 did, it would be more like a big brother and little sister type of relationship tbh.
Yeah, I got bored of them trying to introduce romantic tension between The Doctor and any given companion. It was better (IMHO) when they were just mates! ("You want to mate?!" 😂)
@@therongjr Totally agree!
I will never ever understand the Donna love. Probably my least favorite of the companions, just a grating and irritating personality. Rose Tyler is the goat.
@@danielmyers-cowan3416 a lot of it probably comes from Tate's sense of comedic timing. She and Tennant just work so well together.
I was surprised at Mickey being so far down the list, but then I thought for a moment and realized I like him as a CHARACTER more so than as a COMPANION.
For real. Mickey was only a proper companion for three episodes, after that he moves to Pete’s world and has what I assume to be the most incredible character development journey. Hes such a well written character but he’s not a great companion
I would put him higher too, but then I remember what a bellend that Noel Clarke is, and I'm okay with the placing.
They did him so dirty. He was set up like he’d be as interesting (or at least as mentioned As ANYBODY ELSE)
As a companion he did fall a bit weak, but as a character, he was absolutely brilliant.
I hated Mickey as a companion. But being in a relationship with Martha made him change somehow, cause I loved him then 😂
Donna was always my favorite. After the loss of Rose, leaving the Doctor heartbroken, and Martha pining away for him, which grew tiresome, Donna was perfect. They were not romantically interested in each other at all, they were just best friends, traveling all through space and time together.
And when she had to forget all of that and believe she was just a mom-pecked failure of a human, it broke my heart!!
She's my favourite
Hers is the only season I won't watch again. The absolute worst for me
@@tvguy61 I don't like Donna. Unlike most, I don't think a foul mouth chav is funny and all she did was criticise how the doctor did things. Well don't travel with him them. Plus episodes like Pompeii etc were really weak.
Idk why, when I was younger (a teen) I really didn't like Donna. I suppose bc Rose was a great self insert character and being jolted to a character I related nothing with made me bitter. But now as an adult grown woman in her 30s , I LOVE Donna. She's so relatable to me now. Shes so clever, puts her foot down when needed, sticks up for herself, but also has such an empathetic and motherly side. Love her now.
Whenever anyone complains about Martha, I always say she was Rebound Girl. The one who so amazing in her own right, but just can't get through the heartbreak. And, though I never liked the Ten/Rose twue wuv storyline, if you tell that story, then the next story you have to tell is the story of Rebound Girl. I am a die hard Martha fan and will always defend her.
I like Martha not my fav, but I too did not particular like Rose, all over him like a rash. I mean he as far as he knows his race is all dead at his hand so perhaps he needed someone that would ease the pain, which Rose help with but for me Rose came across to be a spoilt wee brat. E.g Mickey joining the TARDIS crew the look on her face.... So ok martha showed she love to him but accepted pretty quickly realised it was platonic not romance, but helped him to grieve. I truly was was only in one series mainly and brought her in posion sky... Bloody fantastic.
Glad to see you acknowledge how great Martha was. She was so refreshingly capable and intelligent after Rose. I will admit my favourite companions tend to be the intelligent women. Zoe, Liz, Romana, Nyssa
Which Romana? I liked Romana 3.
@@RosesTeaAndASD 1 or 2. I'm not familiar with the others
@@smallmj2886 Romana 2 regenerated into Romana 3 who looked identical to Princess Astra of Atrios from "Destiny of the Daleks" (I had to Google the episode).
So "more competant" timelords have greater control over their regenerations, unlike The Doctor.
@@RosesTeaAndASD Then who was Romana 1? I thought Romana 1 was played by Mary Tamm and Romana 2 was played by Lalla Ward.
So happy to see Martha getting some love! Although if Donna wasn’t number one, I would’ve been rioting 😂
I agree that Martha was good but I didnt like Donna
Martha should have been above Amy but agree Donna 1st.
Martha was written so inconsistently. Early Matha was just boring. But later Martha was great. I'd put her much lower, personally. The bland version of her that was ga-ga for the doctor was just so boring to me, it overshadows her as a whole. I'm not a huge Rose fan, either. She improved greatly as the character developed, but she was pretty meh to begin with.
@@davidcrossman8676 Quite agree. Donna should not be #1. 🤔
I loved the interaction between Donna and the Doctor through those windows, it was so funny!
In the episode “The Big Bang” when Amy says “you are late for my wedding” I lost it. I loved Amy as the companion.
and the music that was playing in the background as she was visibly remembering the doctor 😭😭
@@lukejones9313 and River getting to attend in her own way!
Amy always felt like the Scottish version of Donna
I truly loved Graham's character.
He gave older and even classic fans the chance to identify with a companion in the modern age.
After rewatching this list and Seán's indepth critique of Clara I have to give kudos where they are due.
Not everyone likes Clara, nor would I expect them to, but I was pleased to see that Seán gave a well-rounded, fair analysis of her time on the show. I can understand people don't like her because she seemed to become too dominant in the program, sometimes even overshadowing the Doctor, or that she was deemed to be the most important Companion ever, or her death was negated in Hell Bent so she didn't really pay for her recklessness in the end, but despite all this I still find her endearing, and no one can deny that she isn't one of the most influential Companions of all time having seen, saved or interacted with every version of the Doctor up to 12.
I agree she was better with 12 but I feel she didn't have enough time with 11 to establish a solid chemistry with him, they deserved a full season together at least, and if they had done so then maybe the Impossible Girl story arc would have played out better, or at least been better received. She's my #1 Companion 🔝and I would love to see her return again somehow one day. Who knows what kind of reaction that will spark from certain fans though. 💥😅
"her death was negated in Hell Bent so she didn't really pay for her recklessness in the end"
This criticism I always find very troubling. There is a thing called "fridging" within storytelling, where a woman is killed in order to give motivation to a male character. Clara may have caused her own death, but within the story this is done in order to motivate the Doctor. Something that sci-fi and fantasy allow for that cannot be done in a traditional storytelling setting, however, is they are able to bring the woman back and force the man to confront his own actions, supposedly committed in her name, but are really about him, his feelings, his grief. They take fridging, turn it on his head, and force the Doctor to confront the woman again, after he's gone on his rampage.
Wanting Clara to stay dead as a form of punishment reeks of hatred for the character, and doesn't show respect for what the genre allows them to do.
she was my second favorite companion behind river song, and that's largely because i enjoy the time travel shenanigans with river too much. i'd love to see her again, but at this point it's 50/50 character vs actress, between doctor who and her other stuff i wound up with a massive crush on jenna
So a companion you definitely missed was K9! Yes Micky realized he was in a car, AFTER K9 told him multiple times. Also in the same episode, basically defending everyone, and then the self sacrifice. Of course (spoilers) he was fixed in the end, but K9 didn't know that. K9 was just being the best boi.
I adored Bill Potts and was disappointed that her run wound up being so short. Glad to see you ranking her so highly here as I feel like she's sort of a "forgotten companion" at this point.
Totally agree about Martha Jones. Awesome and sadly underrated.
She actually had the best 10 stories.
Her exit speech to Tennant in her last episode was memorable - I'm sure other men would find him a hard act to follow.
The Ponds and Donna are without a doubt my favorite companions and honestly CHARACTERS of the entire show (aside from the Doctor themselves). Personally, I rank Amy and Rory on the same level and Rory deserved a few more solo moments with the Doctor--theyre really two sides of the same coin with Amy grounding them both funnily enough and River being the chaos. a PERFECT team, and Ten and Donna being a perfect team goes without saying. Thank god for the extended universe stories!
Personally
1. Rose - she "fixed" the doctor after he burnt his World and taught him how to love again. A heartbreak the doctor will never get over.
2. Amy - amazing story lines
3. River - a great play on time travelling meeting her again and again in the wrong order
Actually that would be my top 3 as well and in the same order.
How anyone picks Donna over Rose is beyond me. Her reintroduction to the show is the reason we lost interest. Unattractive, horrible personality, overbearing etc. I don't recognize a lot of the other names mentioned but I'm sure I would have liked most better.
@@valvenator I thought Rose was a mediocre companion. Very 'meh' to begin with, but she did improve greatly later on. Not one of my favorites. I Iove Amy and River. Donna is my favorite, though.
@@Andreamom001 yeah lowkey rose was the most bland character ever, donna wasn't afraid to call him out on his shit unlike every other companion, and she didnt hang around to get in the doctor's pants. Take every other female in doctor who companions in new who for example.
@@valvenator wow Donna has to be one of the best companions and you rating her on attractiveness when rose got a bit annoying and the romance between the 2 was not needed
Who else but Donna could be #1 but I was pleasantly surprised to see Clara as high as #6! 😄 I am a hard core Clara fan and she deserves to be up there at the top of the Best Companion lists. Was surprised that Wilfred was down a little bit lower. And I was right every time whenever I said that Amy and Rory weren't exactly equal as companions, she deserves to be in the top 3 while he was more middle of the pack in terms of importance. River at #2 is good too.
No one 😁
WHY THANK YOU FOR THE SPOILER IDIOT (!)
Zero doubt
#1 Rose #2 Clara #3 Amy #4 Martha #5 Donna
I really love Clara! People are so hard on her but I find her fiesty and funny and I love that in her! I think I saw a lot of Rose in her I suppose and I was a huge Rose fan(I've had the nickname Rose Tyler for a very, very long time).
Martha has always been my favorite. She's intelligent, capable and kind-hearted. Freema Agyeman fills the character so gracefully.
Two other people I’d include here (since the criteria is impact rather than longevity)
Kazran Sardick definitely deserves a mention, I’d put him just below middle of the pack
And an honourable mention to “The Doctor” for any time they’ve met or been influenced by themselves.
Nardole was an android, he was also having problems with his body parts, in later episodes, because of his age. The twelfth Doctor spoke of putting him back together.
As for Mickey his time in the alternative universe, made him more grown up and he stopped being an idiot, he returned to his original universe and then married Martha after meeting her a Torchwood story. Then both of them becoming bounty hunters of dangerous aliens, see David Tennant's final episode.
You forgot that when Rory was the Lone Centurion, he was an Auton, and got to shoot a Dalek when dressed as a security guard.
I love the scene where the twelfth Doctor says hello sweetie to River and she realises who he is.
Idris / The Tardis in The Doctor’s Wife
Surely that could/should be included in the list. Way up there in my list of favourite episodes, the Tardis is his longest running companion ( excluding The Master, his one time childhood friend). The line “you never took me where it wanted to go !”
“No , but I always took you where you needed to be “
Not to mention the teaser for the identity of River Song ❤️
Also danny pink, jenny and madame vastra, rorys dad. he missed a fair few
A good list, but with some of the people included, especially Astrid, I believe Sally Sparrow should also have made the list.
100% she should have!
Sally Sparrow was significantly more impactful to the audience than to The Doctor
@@claireparker9877 Not impactful to The Doctor? He would have had a long wait to get back to the TARDIS without her help.
@@HariSeldon913 but she still wouldve only impacted him in that one instance. It wouldve impacted MARTHA the most, as she wouldve gotten old. LOVE Sally and still wish she was a proper companion...maybe some day
It's great to see you back doing a video Sean!.
I'm so glad you ranked Martha in your top 5.
She was my favourite of Tennant run Series 3 being my favourite and The Family of Blood Two Parter my favourite episodes of new Who
Great point regarding Martha. I loved her attitude and sense of adventure, something certainly needed when you get into the kind of hijinks that you will as the companion of The Doctor. The decision to make her character want love or nothing from The Doctor was wrong in my opinion. It wasted what could have a been another couple of amazing seasons with a badass companion.
I love Micky, they liked to poke fun at his character but I actually love his contribution. Martha is hella underrated, but my favourite companion will always be Rose
I rated Rory as a total badass, in When a Good Man Goes to War, when he was revealed as the, centurion, protecting Amy for 2000 years.
I feel so bad for Jodie, her writing team did her dirty, but one thing I will give them is that I like the idea of multiple companions, while on their own they weren’t great when they were together it made for some wonderful interactions.
Now for number 1, Donna? Absolutely, I loved her so much, I had the pleasure of meeting the actress. What a ray of sunshine that woman is
Martha is underrated
The only bad thint about her character is the weird pining on the doctor and him ignoring her it was like they where writing her to be like "look she isnt as good as rose" on purpose but apart from that shes one of the best companions shes useful a nurse/doctor intelligent brave strong badass ect
Elisabeth Sladen was transcendently, translucently beautiful as Sarah Jane in NuWho, her maturity as a character and as an actress , and as a woman, she just swept the floor with all the other companions.
I loved that she was freelancing it as a protector of the Earth, with a healthy suspicion of Unit, when she had to deal with them.
Rory deserves a higher rank! He brought such warmth and comedy to the 5/6/7 seasons ❤
Brian Williams really deserves a place on this list. I agree so much about Donna, of the full time companions, she understands the Doctor the most. I’m still not over Journey’s End and am kind of worried about her return. She had a beautifully tragic ending and I’m not sure if the anniversary specials will do her justice.
Wilfred is both a child and the grown-up. Both he and the Doctor acknowledge “If Wilf Were My Grandad…” so we see the innocent boy against an ageless being PLUS an old man seeing a young man make a stand
The thing about Rory, is in the beginning, Rory was a submissive Amy pleaser lol. But after he was erased, then came back as the plastic centurion, even after the universe was restored, he still remembered his time as a soldier. That, to me, was his turning point from being Amy's teddy bear to becoming the strong, hero he became.
I miss Wilfred so much. He was really good going up against Sylvia, who was rude & dismissive of poor Donna up to the point that the Doctor said something about Donna & Sylvia said to the Doctor that he can't talk about Donna like that & the Doctor said then maybe you should remember what you just said to me the next time you want to slag Donna off & put her down. I loved that interaction between the Doctor & Sylvia because you just know Wilfred was in the background nodding in agreement with the Doctor.
You've greatly expanded the definition of "companion".
I have worked in law enforcement and as a security consultant/security contractor ( professional mercenary ) I have been shot and stabbed but I admit the character of Wilfred Mott when he died in the show I actually cried.
"We're in a car"
- Mickey Smith, 2006
Also, we have the same top 3, just swap Amy and Donna!
Have to say I think the relationship between doctor and companion was never done better than The Doctor and Rose! She will always be no.1 of new who for me
Eccleston with Rose and Jack were dynamite. If they had another season, they might have rivaled 11,Amy, Rory.
Literally how dare they put here at number 5. I think it's insulting 😂😂
Rose seemed great at first, but that got ruined by later seasons and more knowledge on Doctor Who. Her character is great, but the romance just isn't doing it for me. We're supposed to believe this old alien who's intelligence is unparalleled fell in love with an ordinary human girl that's barely over 18, I'm just not buying it.
@@idkt-t9214 I can understand where you're coming from but at least we were given a background emotional connection that she basically helped him heal from the war. I'm not a fam of the romances I mean like river song for example we weren't given any reason for an emotional connection, plus it undermined what a great character she could've been. Personally I loved rose cause I identified with her a lot as a kid have also been raised in a poor household by a single mother, she definitely a feel good icon that no matter what end of society you come from you can be something truly amazing
I agree about Bill. I had a really hard time accepting her at first due to the shoes she had to fill and also her name is weird. But she was very well written and played. It was a gut punch with how she went.
Wait what’s wrong with her name?
@@mujiescomedy279 I'm guessing by the fact you have comedy in your pseudonym that you are just making a joke.
@@cracklingice no, I’m not. What are you talking about?
@@mujiescomedy279 As a male, if my name was Julie, that would be weird. Bill is a masculine name, thus it is weird for a female. It's pretty freakin obvious.
@@cracklingice is it? Sounds pretty gender neutral to me? To me jack used to sound masculine, but I’ve seen that used for girls. Bill doesn’t sound as masculine to me. I mean, BillIE was the name of the actor for the first nuwho companion, and even Billy is gender neutral, why would Bill be any weirder?
Katherine Tate as Donna Nobel. Always and forever my favorite companion. Rose as my #2 with the 9th Doctor- they reignited and kicked off NuWho with an incredible Y2K first season. Wilfred, Rory, and River (the soldier, the centurian, and archeologist) definitely in my top 5 as well.
This is very thorough, but you missed one: K-9! Yeah, his role in "School Reunion" was even smaller than Sarah Jane's, but he and the Doctor did have some quality time together, and K-9 sacrificed himself to save the day. Definitely companion material! (Oh, hey, would Rosita in "The Next Doctor" count, too?)
When I was first going through the ecelston and tennant era (I started during Matt Smith's first year) my friend was going on about how I was going to *love* Donna Noble.
Then I met Donna and I was so confused why he thought I would like her.
Then Donna came back and I understood completely.
I was mad about some of your choices but I agree with River Song and Donna, they were amazing companions!
Thank you Sean Ferrick because I've always said that Donna Nobel has been my ultimate favourite companion of NuWho as well. And yes, she only just beats River as my favourite too.
This is a pretty solid list. I think you're totally right about Clara, and while she with Twelve was one of my personal favorite duos, her and Eleven (along the whole impossible girl storyline) did start her off so rough that I get why she's further back on the list. Personally, I think that Yaz is a bit too high, and I'd probably put her below Graham, just because for the first two seasons she had she basically had no storyline, and then during Flux she felt like her character was just "The Doctor is the greatest person I've ever met (but sometimes I'm mad that she hides things). And how did Rory get below her and Graham? Maybe on his own he would have been meh, but the trio of him, Amy, and the Doctor is the peak of Eleven's run for me.
Yes, it was the three of them that were awesome. Eccleston is my fav Doctor; Donna my fav companion; 11, Amy, Rory were the best team (plus a bit of River on the side).
I honestly stopped watching the show when Clara Eleven era was going because it just BUGGED me to watch. SOmething about the dynamic felt so off. But after watching clips, I ABSOLUTELY see how Twelve and Clara are great and I really regret not watching their run when it was going. Shes definitely a Love Her or Hate Her character, I WISH I could like her more honestly!!
I wish Rose was further down the list. I think because she's the only one on the list(other than his wife) that the Doctor fell for she gets a pass for being an awful person, especially to Mickey. She strung him along while falling for the Doctor and then had some serious attitude when he wanted to come along and share the experience. Come on Rose!
Also love the channel keep it up!
Oh I agree Rose is a terrible person all along.
And the idea that the Doctor be in a romantic relationship with a cloddish brat is... disturbing.
Donna is clearly the first name in my head when I think about a great companion. She's perfect.
Anything but.
Thank you for pointing out the fact that Ten’s hair was sticky uppy when “Rose” was on screen! I always thought that same thing!
Personally I would love for Clara to come back for one more episode or a two parter. I absolutely loved her as a companion (the banter between her and 12 is the best of the show imo) but I do think her death rebound kind of left a sour taste in my mouth, but Seán makes an excellent point, that she's still out there and could still come back.
If done well, imagine how powerful and heartbreaking that episode could be. The man/woman who's spent a millennium running away has to help one of his best friends stop running. Written by a smarter person than me, it could be beautiful, it could be sweet, it could be gut wrenching, and it would help her story feel much more complete.
Dear God. You bastard. That tiny pause before saying "Sarah Jane Smith" just broke me. Tears. Genuine tears.
Nothing i can disagree with here! Martha is so underrated imo she’s incredible. But Donna is my favourite companion easily!
I highly appreciate that this list was obviously created with love for the material! :) The Internet is full of content mills, that are devoid of any true love, who just put out dull top ten lists, so they can feed the agorithm. Good job, Whovians! 👏
The Doctor could have saved those in The Waters of Mars...ALL of them.
If the bodies were never recovered, then The Answer Is FORWARD.
Their "present" lives were done, but they could have had lives in the future, where the timelines would be ok.
...and what made me like Rose as best Companion for The Doctor was because how HAPPY he was when he was with HER.
The Doctor has been good for so many Companions, but Rose was good got him.
And for The Doctor, CHOICE was vitally important to him.
He ran from Jack Harkness, because Jack was a Fact.
River Song was a FACT that stripped him of his CHOICE to run. She was a Fact that even stripped him of his Choice of who he would "BE" with.
I think I could go along with this list. I mean I maybe would change a few here and there but over all, pretty good. Furthermore, I liked Donna because it was, in my opinion, what a companion to the Doctor should have been. She just wanted the adventure, not just pineing (not sure that is spelled correctly but y'all get me) after the Doctor. I felt they did that with too many of the companions.
Glad to see Martha so high. Honestly one of my favourite companions- minus the pining over the doctor bit. I liked her so much more than Rose
I also liked her more than Rose! I think RTD’s companions got stronger as his era progressed.
Martha is definitely superior to Rose because she's capable of standing for herself, and offering to the story instead of just being there. RTD made a mistake of having Martha pining after the Doctor when he was still reeling after losing Rose, but the latter half of Series 3 where the Doctor accepts Rose is gone and grows to appreciate Martha for being there with him was great.
Watched ‘Woman Who Fell to Earth’ last night and paused for a moment when you said Ryan to think about who he was. Really proves your point 😂
😂
I think Clara was great with 11 but their chemistry is like an 8.5 whereas the whole 11/Amy/Rory/River chemistry was like a 12. It was just pure perfection
Clara and 11 Chemistry felt forced 12 and Clara now wow that was a connection
Rose , cpt harkness and 9 were the best trio 😅
Martha was my best companion
Math and capaldi, my fav doctors.
Nardole was an underrated gem. The only companion with full permission to kick The Doctor’s arse!
That list is bang on from me. I would put Rory higher but thats it for me. Bang on. Donna at one is spot on.
So happy that River Song was so high up on the list. I love her.
I lovedddd tennants run. The biggest issue I had after rewatching it a few times is that no matter what companion was with him it was always about Rose.
That explains the 5 episode run to finish his tenure. Rose ‘rescued’ nine, was his constant into ten, and showed him it was ok to be vulnerable. Donna was the bridge between sanity and insanity for the Doctor. When he lost her he snapped. (The water on mars) and Wilf was his ferryman.
@@nicfisher8266Exactly!
you've changed my mind on Donna vs River, congrats
Wilfred and Donna will always be my faves. RIP Bernard Cribbins.
Im glad youre back always enjoy your vids. I agree with You about Donna , who would have guessed eh? I like the voice overs you do too funny
Loved this video so much! I totally agree with your list.. great to see Sean doing a video too💙 I loved Rose & Amy so much I would love to see them return..Donna was brilliant too👏🏼👏🏼
A great video. I agree with most of your choices and totally agree with your top 5, though I may be tempted to up Amy Pond by one position. As someone who is old enough to be there when it all stated in 1963 (aged ten) and who has watched every single episode of Who, I suppose I really do need to go and view your Classic Companions vid.
I would've put Craig and Wilfred higher. I met Capt Jack this year and he's still just so adorable in person. Clara and Martha are underrated. BTW, I was this many days old when I realized Wilfred had passed.. Sad day..
come now! Mickey hacked into a nuclear missile which destroyed the Slitheen and figured out that vinegar is an excellent weapon against the same. Further he got his heart shattered and took unnecessary abuse heaped on him by the Doc.
Donna for me is top of NuWho, with Sarah Jane as top of all-time. Seeing Sarah return in "School Reunion" was wonderful for me as someone who was introduced to Doctor Who with Elisabeth and Tom in the 70s. I literally screamed when Sarah appeared coming down the stairs with Finch!
"we'll see what happens with Dan in the power of the doctor" comedy gold
Donna is fantastic. And after the 60th specials, even better.
River is also fantastic.
This is how I personally would rank - accounting for Power of the Doctor and a few others "one timers" I would personally include or categorise as a companion (for better or worse) in some way - whether they travelled in the Tardis or was the main ally of the doctor at some point in an episode.
Inclusion of some of these might be a bit of a stretch - but hey - tis my list I will do what I want with it lol :D :D :D
Tier 1
1. Donna Noble
2. Clara Oswald
3. River Song
4. Amy Pond
5. Bill Potts
6. Martha Jones
7. Rose Tyler
8. Rory Williams
Tier 2
9. Yazmin Khan
10. Graham O'Brien
11. Nardole
12. Wilfred Mott
13. Captain Jack Harkness
14. Sarah Jane Smith
15. Osgood
16. Ryan Sinclair
Tier 3
17. Strax
18. Madam Vastra
19. Jenny Flint
20. Kate Stewart
21. Professor Eustacius Jericho
22. Dan Lewis
23. Ace
24. Tegan Jovanka
Tier 4
25. Mickey Smith
26. Handles (decapitated cyberman head who was with the doc all those years on Trenzalore - that made us all cry when he died - ya he counts as a companion, and I will fight anyone who disagrees lol)
27. Brian Williams (Rory's Father)
28. Jackson Lake
29. Adelaide Brooke
30. Astrid Peth
31. Rosita (Jackson Lake's companion but was still acting as a doctor's companion so I am counting it)
32. Rigsy (he was Doctor Clara companion in Flatline - so I am counting it)
Tier 5
33. Jackie Tyler (Having to pretending to be Rose in Army of Ghosts was funny, and she was there in Journey’s End)
34. Canton Everett Delaware III
35. Lady Cristina de Souza
36. Missy
37. Karvanista
38. Dorium Maldovar
39. Young Kazran Sardick (from a Christmas Carol)
40. Madge Arwell (from The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)
Tier 6
41. Courtney Woods (that annoying brat from Kill the Moon)
42. Ashildr / Me
43. Craig Owens (I dislike James Cordon - so sue me lol :D)
44. Adam Mitchell
Bill Potts was wonderful. Should have been higher.
Rose will always be my favorite. I like Martha and Donna too, but Rose will be forever the best in my heart. And I loved Amy and Rory too.
Clara's problem with Peter Capaldi was it became Clara driving the show rather than the Doctor. I objected to them giving the Doctor a libido at all, so the whole Rose thing annoyed me (also her and Ten's refusal to take things seriously - them laughing while facing werewolves...nope. They deserved to be slammed by Queen Victoria).
Thanks for another banger Sean!
🙌🙌
Sean Ferrick doing Who Culture? Yesss! Also love that you included Karvanista! I don't agree with every placement personally but Donna at 1? Deserved, she is brilliant!
I honestly thought u were gonna snub Donna. I am bludy thrilled u gave her number 1. She's amazing as a character and Catherine Tate n Tennant have such amazing chemistry. I can't wait 2 see her either.
I feel like Martha could be a Doctor herself. She was capable of everything.
She certainly was very under appreciated and overlooked because she didn’t have any sort of big paradox or whatever you want to call it, but she really did whatever she could to protect the doctor
Martha was a doctor. Dr Martha Jones. I'm only kidding, I knew what you meant
She was capable but not Mary Sue like the unpleasant arrogance of Kare...Donna Noble.
Jenny from the Doctors Daughter. single episode, and never entered the Tardis, but for a single episode companion, she's pretty good.
Amy, River, and Donna are my absolute favorites, followed by Martha and Rory. I never really felt like Clara contributed well as a companion. There was a lot of weight on her story, but it felt more like she was supposed to be this “Mary Sue” who fixed everything than an actual companion.
I'm currently on the 12th (before clara ends) and this is my list:
1. Donna Noble
2. Clara Oswald
3. Amy AND Rory Pond
4. Rose Tyler
5. River Song
6. Martha Jones
They are all so great, but I feel this is where I think they rank.
I could not agree more about Donna Noble being the best! The humor and heartache she brought to that character was amazing. I especially enjoyed seeing the phenomenal growth of the character from traveling with the Doctor until her extreme regression back from him pulling all her memories of their adventures.
Playing pretty fast and loose with the word “Companion” here, aren’t we?
Was amazed someone actually shares my opinion about Donna Noble. Had the first true “Best Friends” dynamic with the Doctor in NuWho, and that’s one of the big reasons I loved her.
Ton of missing Companions (especially if one-shots made the list):
Jenny, Brian Williams, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson aka Madame de Pompadour, Alfie Owens aka Stormageddon the Dark Lord of All, Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI the Emperor of All Known Space aka Porridge, Artie Maitland, Canton Everett Deleware III, Angie Maitland, Handles, Lynda Moss aka Lynda with a Y, Winston Churchill, K9, Timothy Latimer, the Osgoods, Kate Stewart, Rigsy, Rupert "Danny" Pink, Strax, Charles Dickens, Nefertiti, William Shakespeare, Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17, 10 (He was the Companion of the War Doctor), 11 (see: 10), Bannakaffalatta, Jabe, The Face of Boe, Davros... and that isn't even a complete list of those who were missed.
Great list! Especially loved " Lynda Moss aka Lynda with a Y" and Δ17
order doesn't matter.... so many of the companions became family to so many of us viewers. The departure of many of them has broken my heart and reduced me to a mess of tears on multiple occasions. Rewatching still has the same impact as the first time. Thanks for putting Martha and Clara right up there.... and of course Astrid, as an Aussie it would have been amazing to see another fellow countryman join with the Doctor again (Bring backTegan!!!).
For me, personally, Clara is the best companion. She’s the doctor’s carer🥺 I actually loved her with Eleven and wish so badly that they had gotten at least a full season.
Love seeing the Martha love. She’s so underrated and so so strong
I’m not the biggest fan of River. I appreciate her character but didn’t think she had an chemistry with Matt Smith. I love the idea more than the execution
OMG I so completely agree with you about Clara and Martha.
I loved Clara in season 7 and wished I could have ore of 11th and Clara. (And I hated season 8 and the inconsistencies in character).
And Martha is so amazing.
@@abenerice frrrr Apparently Matt Smith said he regretting leaving without giving Clara and Eleven a full season😭😭😭 I’m a hardcore ElevenxClara shipper so I’m like …. Yeah more content would’ve been amazing- it’s actually insane they only had half a season together
@@abenerice Martha is #1 for me. And Clara is very good too.
I disagree with some of the rankings (Sarah Jane should be higher), but there's only really one choice for #1, and you made the correct one.
If I'm honest, Amy REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. She tries to not just kiss but presumably have sex with the Doctor on her WEDDING NIGHT, she's consistently dismissing of Rory and his concerns about her, she invests so much time and energy into caring about the Doctor that Rory gets shoved to the side...and to top it all off, she DIVORCED him simply because she was unable to have children and knew he wanted them. I should also mention that she apparently NEVER discussed this with him at any point prior to Asylum of the Daleks.
Mathra saw rose as competition she should not be higher than rose Tyler the doctor loved rose so much basically every doctor remembered her 10'11'12 all had a moment where they rembered her
Christina De Souza, Jackson Lake, Craig and Mickey got more character growth in their limited appearances (sometimes in only one episode) than Yaz, Carvanista, Dan, Graham and Ryan collectively got in their entire runs. The latter five got almost no character growth and therefore automatically go at the bottom of the list. Yaz is in fact almost exactly the same, personality wise, in Power of the Doctor as she was in her first episode on the show, except she became a lesbian at some point
For me, my list is absolute and clear in my mind. #1 best companion hands down is Clara Oswin Oswald, the impossible girl. She was sweet,fun,perky,optimistic,caring,witty, she was smart enough to know when to listen to the doctor,she's formidable, so charming, sexiest accent, beautiful woman and I genuinely loved her storyline of the impossible girl floating into the world on a leaf. The sacrifice she made to save the doctors timeline and everyone he helps is amazing. She is my favorite character in all of television and movies. Then it goes Donna, then Amy and Rory(both equally good), then Rose Tyler, then Martha. Yaz, Nardole, and bill. What he said about loving amy when she was matt smith i felt that with clara. Her asylum of thr daleks ep was so heroic and poignant. She was HUMAN and she made all the daleks forget the doctor. Run you clever boy and remember is a line that always gets me because of that episode and her ehole run with matt. I loved every second of it and its what made me obsessed with doctor who. Its probably not a coincidence the first ep i saw was the crimson horror
For whatever reason, I feel like I am the only person that never warmed to River Song. I think it was the idea that I was supposed to love her, and that she was the Doctor’s wife whom he trusts the most while we never truly see them fall in love because they live in opposite timelines. For me, I fall in love with characters that have visible growth and development both with themselves and with their relationships, and I didn’t see it enough with River, purely because of the way she was written
I'm actually with ellie on knifing you in the back lol. my order for top 5 are:
1) River Song - how the deuce can she not be number 1??????
2) Clara - i realize i'm probably alone, but the 1-2 punch of her first two appeances really made me fall for the character. by the time she was with 12 i had a full blown crush on jenna coleman, that wasn't just doctor who lol.
3) Amy Pond - just amazing, loved 90% of her time with the doctor.
4) Rose Tyler - i'm a sap and the way she and the doctor seemed almost romantic was just amazing
5) Martha Jones - you said exactly right with her, i just don't like her quite enough to put her higher.
for the pitchfork crowd that i'm sure is forming donna would be 6 for me *wince* sorry
Micky was very underrated and same with nardole
Brian Williams. Ge brought his own trowel and he didn't even expect to go to space! I loved him! It was way better than when Jackie was traveling with the doctor.
Every time I see Mark Williams (the actor who played Rory's Dad) I get shades of Olaf Peterson...