Companions of Modern Doctor Who RANKED!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2024
- I did this once a few years back and with new companions, plus a change in how I'm handling my criteria, I'd say it's time to take another look. There's so many to go through on Doctor Who, let's get started.
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The thing about River Song that lingers with me is the image of an older woman with a spirit of adventure and play - an Indiana Jones-esque character - paired off against (mostly) a younger-looking man as a love interest. The stories she is in are not perfect, and the writing is uneven but the rarity of characters like her in most spec/genre fiction made her stand out to me. For me, she's an icon and a hero that I will always, always love. Even if she's had to struggle through some not great stories.
Exactly how I feel about River!
River Song is the best character the modern era has produced and I will die on this hill.
@@nocturne8333 She's not my absolute favorite character, or even companion. (For me, the top spots are taking by Wilf (sp?) and Rory, companion wise, and the 10th or 12th Doctor) BUT River holds a special place in my heart. I adore her. I adore what she represents. I
Alex Kingston should've been the 11th Doctor, God I hate Moffat.
@@renaigh oh she would have absolutely NAILED it
Always felt like Rory and River should have been closer after everyone finds out who River is. Family is everything to Rory and he loved his baby as well as his childhood friend Melody, both of which are River. It would be hard to get your head around, but not harder than reflecting on the fact that you've died multiple times and are possibly over 2000 years old. Really wish River wasn't always paired with Amy or the Doctor. A few father/daughter scenes toward the end of their run would have been great.
Re Rory: I'm still mad at Steven Moffat for not exploring Rory's relationship with the Doctor, apart from Amy. There was a ton of complexity both characters kind of danced around; the biggest being would Rory even be there if Amy wasn't. Or, what Rory really felt about the Doctor, and vice versa. It was brought up in Vampires of Venice, but the Doctor and Rory didn't really know each other then so the stakes were pretty low, and after that it was simply dropped. Everything else had Amy mixed up in it. I feel like they had an opportunity to really dive in during Curse of the Black Spot, if AMY had been the one to "die" instead of Rory--again. But they chickened out and we got a meh episode that rehashed old ground instead.
That’s so right! I absolutely love Rory and I think he’s really underrated as a companion. Seeing him interact more with the doctor would have made me like him even better! I think his character in general didn’t get enough time to be explored. What little bits we did see were really really good, like his compassion towards the flesh in the rebel flesh/the almost people, or when he was a Roman.
I agree, I wish their relationship was explored more as well!! The few tense interactions we got from them were so interesting
I loved both Amy and Rory, and while I think Vera has a point here that Rory wasn't so much the Doctor's companion as he was the Doctor's companion's companion, I actually liked Rory more than Amy. I liked there being someone who would call out the Doctor on his crap and not just follow him as blindly as Amy seemed to be willing to do. (I guess the TARDIS liked him more, too, since she called him "the pretty one.")
the best part of nick frost playing santa is his name being a perfect match
Glad to see Bill so high, I have really come to love her and she might actually be my favorite new who companion. I think she sells the genuine curiosity and lust for learning so well that it makes even basic exposition scenes very charming. The Chibnall era companions not being very good at that has made it particularly salient for me.
Also people complaining about her bringing up her sexuality too much is kinda laughable. Amy and Rory were literally a married couple (with a half dozen episodes focused on their relationship) and Clara had the whole subplot with Danny that pervaded every series 8 story. So their sexuality was far more overtly portrayed in the show than Bill's was.
Somewhere out there on the internet some kind Who fan made a list of all the times Bill mentioned her sexuality and then chalked it up against Amy and Clara et al. Turns out she barely mentions it at all compared to them, what a shock! Definitely some bias in certain circles, blind to the heterosexuals but a rather skewed perception of a gay character 'constantly going on about it' (which she didn't).
@@hotdog1214 yeah Bill only mentions her sexuality briefly every couple of episodes or so, whereas I reckon there isn't a single Amy Pond episode without some kind of sexual reference
Bill was totally amazing as a companion. Just exactly what Vera said here, she asked all the right questions, but I felt she did it in a unique and interesting manner. I'm so glad we got a series of her and Twelve, and though just like with Donna I am sad about her character's departure, it was served really well by being such an emotionally deep performance and exit.
Bill is one of my favourite companions, and I literally forgot she was lesbian until I read it somewhere around here on youtube when I started watching people's Doctor Who videos around here. (I mean, I haven't rewatched her episodes since they were first on, and that's been quite a few years now.) I had kinda forgot about Danny too.
I'm ashamed to say I didn't like her because I was homophobic as a teenager.....sigh but rewatching season 10 again. I came to love her too.
i remember Graham confessing to the Doctor the reason he's been traveling with her is because he knows one day he has to return to his house and not travel any more in the Tardis, but he also knows that with Grace gone the house will be empty and he is running from that emptiness...i can now empathize with that since my boyfriend passed away nearly 2 years ago
I'm sorry for your loss. To a much lesser degree, I feel that after having lost my cat last month. She left me with a very antisocial cat who doesn't want to have much to do with me and who I only had as a companion for her. Imagine if Amy had died and Rory had been stuck with Eleven - but worse because at least Rory could just choose to go back to his life. I can't kick this cat out because he'd have nowhere to go. But now I have very low desire to be at home because the companionship I had here is gone, and there is an active reminder of her absence in the form of this other cat who won't engage with me. (And I can't adopt another cat because he has health issues that would be harder to treat with another cat around.)
16:05 We all know Victorian Clara was the best Clara. It will always disappoint me that the BBC didn't allow Moffat to make her the official Clara like he had planned.
she could have been New Who's answer to Charley Pollard, I wish they would add a companion from the past or future instead of doing yet another present-day Earth character
I do have a soft spot for Modern!Clara even with how polarizing she is as a Companion, but I do think Victorian!Clara would have been a lot more interesting and a lot more *fun.* It's a shame we only got the one episode with her.
Wait, THAT'S why we got modern Clara? I loved Victorian Clara! Damn BBC...
@@TheDumdei that's the reason I've heard a bunch of times, yeah
@@crazypomp927I would like to know the source, because people have stopped calling it a rumour and are treating it as fact, which makes me uneasy (that’s how more dangerous misinformation spreads). As far as I’m aware it’s still just a rumour in the same vein as, "Daleks must appear in every series to satisfy the Terry Nation estate".
You spoke of Martha sometimes having to be in the background sometimes, as in Blink or Human Nature. What I always loved about Martha in Human Nature is she was the only one who know what was going on, and despite the obstacles in her way, she still manages to shine all the way through the story. Absolutely the best Martha story of her run on Doctor Who.
Before Yaz and co. came along Martha was the only series long companion who didn’t get some type of superpower in a series finale.
@@stevenmara1025 True! And if Yaz, Dan and Graham get out of the final unscathed, they will join the Martha Jones club.
Also the two master episodes
Rest in Peace: Bernard Cribbins.
One of the few who could outshine ten...
Impossible to ignore, from some of my first memories watching Jackanory, reading the Hobbit, to his silly songs, voicing The Wombles. The staple of every childhood growing up at that time in the 'Carry On...' films. Many made even before I was born. A legend.
Donna is my #1 as well. She is everything a companion is supposed to be. She's self-reliant, platoinic with no romantic interest, takes no guff from The Doctor or anybody else, pulls him back when he's about to go too far, can take direction when needed, self-sacrificing, has one of the absolute best exiting scenes, and is a pleasure to watch during her time as a companion (her first appearance excluding, but even then she's not awful).
All the other companions had a combination of most of those aspects, but nobody else (even in classic Who from what I can remember) have all these traits.
She stands her ground without being a know-it-all. And I think she's one of the most compassionate. She has amazing qualities
Well put :) my favorite is Martha personally but I think that Donna is still THE best modern companion
One of the thing that makes Donna work so much better than Rose and Martha before her is that she gets back to what made the Doctor-Companion relationship work so well in Classic Who. Both of the prior two companions' relationships with their Doctors had been too overwhelmed by the romantic aspect that it makes you have to ask: if the romantic interest weren't at play here, would these two really work together? I don't think they would. (Side note: I have always thought that poor Martha was given the shit end of the stick having to be the rebound companion for both the Doctor and fans. She deserved better.) With Donna and Ten, you really do feel like they could keep traveling together like that forever, and it would continue to work.
I love Donna, but cpt. Jack is my absolute favorite. I don't know why, exactly, he's just freaking amazing lol
River, Amy and Rory are probably the only companion team I would have loved to have more series. I could have quite easily had them until series 9 at least.
I loved how their story is contained in those three seasons (apart from series 10 the towers of Byzantium). Amy Rory and Melody Pond and the Doctor making sure it all happens. It’s like the time turner sequence in Harry Potter. Their story has to happen, will always happen and happened this way always.
100%
I loved them but it was pushing it having Amy and Rory at the start of series 7. Not sure I’d want any more unless it was a one off
With all due respect, god no that sounds awful.
I love Donna so much, she and Tenth are literally platonic soulmates, and also you get to understand her so much, like, Turn Left was so brilliant?? Also canonically 12th has the face he has because of what SHE said I just love her I'm gonna love her forever
I'd put Clara as #1. Her arc being that traveling with the doctor made her a worse person while not being a BAD person is so good and so fresh for this show. Even the fact that she really only started showing those bad qualities with Capaldi is awesome - the point of Capaldi's regeneration is that he's shedding his "romantic" young exterior and showing a rawer, harsher truth. In turn, Clara can unmask her bubbles and sparkles and show that she's just as raw and harsh as the Doctor. For me, top 5 would be 1 Clara, 2 Jack (the doctor's distaste for him while he's consistently fun, loyal, and kind, is fascinating to me), 3 Donna (she'd be 2 but her character growth was erased in season 4), 4 Rory (his level headedness and refusal to be seduced by the Doctor is the only thing that kept Amy from a fate like Clara's or Donna's), 5 Bill (the professor/student dynamic was too good!!)
Now I will try to defend Martha as best I can. I’ve recently rewatched series 3 and 4. I think she is seriously under appreciated because from the doctor’s viewpoint she is overlooked. (That’s our viewpoint, unlike in the previous 2 seasons where it was mostly from Rose).
Season 3 starts with the Doctor being alone again after spending quite a while with someone. He is still processing his feelings of having loved and lost Rose. All the time with Martha he is grieving. Eventually she gets him to talk, but it’s only a start. (The end of Gridlock)
After that the Doctor takes Martha to see Shakespeare and New York and they have lots of fun.
Then The Lazarus experiment happens and her family interfere. But Martha is an adult and she behaves as such, clearly defending The Doctor, still trusting him. But then a bigger test comes when the doctor takes out these perception filter necklaces. He says “it’s like when you fancy someone and they don’t even know you exist”. The doctor doesn’t even realise what he said or the meaning to Martha. But she soldiers on accepting that he never will feel the same for her.
Donna is the one to finally snap the Doctor away from Rose, not that Stolen Earth helped! I really liked the part where Martha kept travel my to pass the story on, I like to believe that Martha is the real hero, not the Doctor in this one.
So there we are my thoughts on why Martha is under appreciated. Constantly overshadowed by Rose but brilliant, talented, stubborn and strong willed.
Freema Agymen Rocks. I hope she gets to make a return as Martha for a Guest spot in a 14th Doctor story.
Yeah she’s wedged between the love interest and the best friend. She may not be my favourite but she’s definitely the one who can handle herself the best. She’s the biggest asset to the 10th doctor as a companion.
Well said about Martha! I will honestly defend her til my grave!
I’ve generally said that Martha is awesome, but it can often only be seen when she is away from the doctor. My favorite is when she walked the world. She’s great in Torchwood too. That crush was killer and she was smart to walk away.
@@andurilcuivie I LOVED her in Torchwood. It might just be that she's my favorite companion but I wish she could've stayed just a couple more episodes, I loved her dynamic with the rest of the team and especially her interactions with Owen
Martha is my favorite hands down. She’s the first black companion and she wasn’t motherly or nagging or overly competent. She needed help and she was helpful.
I don't super actively participate in fandom, but I have always been resentful towards the show on Martha's behalf. She's such a great character, but she basically has to spend a season being the rebound companion for both the Doctor and the audience. Ten treats her often abominably (which was something I even recognized upon first watching that season). I want so much better for her than she actually got.
Of all the one-off companions, the fact that we didn't get a series of Tennant and Wilf is the biggest missed opportunity IMO.
Donna is my number one, but I also love my trios, Rose/Jack/Nine and Amy/Rory/Eleven. I really like the interplay of two companions and the Doctor. It tends to keep the dynamic interesting. But Donna's the best because I didn't even miss that; she just brought that much to the table. I'm still mad at her departure. I think I prefer killing characters to erasing their character growth. It's less frustrating.
It was tragic.
At least they fixed it in the 14th doctor Christmas specials
Nardol is interesting cos we rarely get companions as competent and informed as he is. Most of our companions are POV characters for us, they ask questions and are on the same level as the audience most of the time. But Nardol exists within the universe, he knows a lot more than we do and has history outside of what we see on screen.
I once heard someone say that, "...Your first companion will always be your favorite companion." Rose was the best at making me believe that she was in awe of everything she saw. That, on many occasions led to trouble, but she still my favorite.
I've heard that for the Doctor but never for the companions. For me, it's definitely not true for companions. I started with Sarah-Jane and while she's definitely one of my favourites, she's not in the top few spots.
@@Elwaves2925 ha!! You caught me!! The saying is definitely about the Doctor, but I switched it up to try and sound more insightful 😁
@@nplindgren The Master's nefarious plan is revealed. 😆
wrong for me on both, I watched series 2 first, but my favorite Doc is Capaldi and my favorite companion probably Donna :D
@@Elwaves2925 neither has been true for me, my first was Tennant and my favorite is capaldi
16: Ryan
15: Yaz
14: Dan
13: Grahm
12: Clara
11: Rory
10: Nardle
9: Ruby
8: Martha
7: Bill
6: Amy
5: Rose
4: River Song
3: Captain Jack
2: Wilfred
1: Donna
I get the distaste for Clara, but I do really enjoy her, more than just the performance of Jenna Coleman, as I do think it’s a really interesting angle to have companions *not always* bringing out the best in the Doctor and vice versa.
It’s not like the characters are inherently toxic, but a relationship between any two can be, and despite that, it doesn’t mean that those two characters (or people) can’t still love each other platonically, despite the flaws that they have individually and the negativity they can bring it out in each other. I think that makes for a very interesting and relatable dynamic. And for that interesting dynamic and the exploration of it, and my general appreciation for the character, with as many flaws as the character has, I personally rank her much higher, probably at least within the top ten or maybe even five. But I also totally understand anyone who doesn’t like Clara as much as me, I just think that she’s generally quite underrated. Did she overstay her welcome a bit? Certainly. But she’s still more compelling to me than the majority of the other characters on this list.
I feel very much the same way. While Martha is overall my favorite companion (no thanks to the writing sometimes) my favorite pairing is DEFINITELY 12 and Clara, I loved them together and how that toxic relationship was explored
Completely agree with you there. She may not be one of the best liked Companions, but she's definitely one of, if not THE, most influential Companions of New Who. Would like to see where she would fall on that type of list.
My List: (Based On Who I Think Counts As A Companion)
19. Adam Mitchell
18. Mickey Smith
17. Danny Pink
16. Ryan Sinclair
15. Bill Potts
14. Nardole
13. Runy Sunday
12. Martha Jones
11. Clara Oswald
10. Dan Lewis
9. Graham O'Brien
8. Captain Jack Harkness
7. Rory Williams
6. Yasmin Khan
5. Donna Noble
4. River Song
3. Rose Tyler
2. Amy Pond
1. Jackie Tyler 💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥
I would die for Bradley Walsh. Gram is like just who I want to be when I grow up ngl
Your description of Donna and the Doctor as a "platonic ideal" sort of made some stuff click. I've been struggling to find a qpr to use as a definition of what that is and their relationship really does fit a qpr very well (at least for me). So now I have an example to give people of what I see a qpr as. :)
If I may ask: What DOES qpr mean? I assume something like a platonic partnership?
@@rarazalproductions519 Queer Platonic relationship :)
They're literally friends bro there's nothing kweer about being friends please god I'm begging you
@@lpsmurder A queer plationic relationship is an intimate, non romantic and non sexual, plationic bond between people. The term is deemed queer because it's often a thing between aromantic individuals though those involved do not need to identify as queer for their relationship to be a qpr. The close bond between the Doctor and Donna is very much a good example of this. They have a very platontic but very close bond that is different than the Doctor's other friendships.
Bill and twelve
I could have happily watched 13, Yaz and Graham as a trio throughout Whittaker's whole era because the three of them just complimented each other so well as a trio. Me and my friend actually cheered when Ryan decided to leave because it wasn't just the writing, I never felt that connection with him that I do with nearly every other companion. John Bishop was a fun Graham stand-in though.
Honestly, I think I prefer the multiple-companion dynamic… when it’s done right.
#9, Rose, and Jack.
#11, Amy, and Rory.
#12, Bill, and Nardole (…we DiD nOt get enough of that particular team).
Or #4, Sarah, and Harry, waAAaaay back when. Hells, K-9 effectively served as a second companion through a lotta #4’s tenure.
I tHiNk the multiple companion dynamic gets a bad rap, ‘cause it’s often used as a crutch by newbie show-runners (lookin’ at you, JNT ‘n’ Chibnall) who’re in over their heads, and dunno what else to do.
The problem is, 3 companions is really pushing it. It's basically impossible to balance that. I think 2 is the ideal, especially if they compliment each other well like Amy and Rory, Bill and Nardole or (if you want to go more obscure) Fitz and Anji.
The original threesomes were in the second doctor's era, and those both worked really well. The threesomes in Hartnell's era were a bit rubbish because of poor female replacements for Vicki, but Vicki, Steven and #1 worked well too.
I think there's a good argument for saying it's harder to write threesomes well than single companions, and having three companions has never worked as well as it did for the original Tardis crew, and that was kinda two twosomes of the human pair and the Aliens who we don't really know yet.
Strong agree, my absolute favourite Tardis teams are Jamie and Zoe; Barbara, Ian and Vicki; Amy, Rory and River; Martha and Jack... I never understood the criticism that 13 should have had fewer companions.
I don’t agree with this list completely, but I love this list. You’re enjoyment of these characters came through and it was a joy to watch.
Platonic ideal, my favourite quote of all time and space: You’re not mating with me sunshine!
I think your list was great, even if I don´t agree with all of it. For me my top 10 would be: Donna, Wilfred, Bill, Rory, Rose, Jack, Martha, Sarah Jane, Graham and River.
Fully agree about Donna Noble and I was so excited to see her at number one!
#2 - I’m not crying; you’re crying. National Treasure 💔 🥲
I really would have loved to see more of Martha, especially more where she could have brought in her professional background. While the doctor may be "the definitive article", I felt her credentials were put a bit short. With the doctor traveling not just through space but through time, there could have been plenty of opportunity for her to do her own "magic" and give her way more agency. As someone with a biomedical background myself, I would have loved to see that.
I liked Ryan’s arc of following a sense of duty and staying on Earth to protect it. I just think they didn’t explore that far enough, the same as every other aspect of Ryan’s character.
I’m convinced the intention was to give Ryan and Yaz a close friendship and possible love story on the page but the actors weren’t good/weren’t good together/didn’t have characters that worked together so they abandoned that idea and with Ryan they were left with a very thinly written character
@@c17sam90 Sorry, really long comment coming, but I totally agree. I actually have a suspicion that they were aiming for something akin to the gang from the Sarah Jane Adventures (which is the perfect model to emulate as it has very consistent character writing and handles a female-led team with ~3 companions with total ease and grace across multiple series), but for some reason only took the most surface level elements and thought that was all that was necessary. I hate to even speculate this, but I feel that Yaz and Ryan are supposed to evoke Rani and Clyde (without even considering if race is a factor, which I hope it isn't because that's so reductive and inherently pretty racist): Rani is a confident young woman with a career-driven task-minded personality matched with a more down-to-earth but sort of directionless guy in Clyde, as Yaz and Ryan also are on paper. But in Doctor Who this is done without any of the characterisation, flair and dimension that made Rani and ESPECIALLY Clyde work so well. Yaz and Ryan are such empty shells, devoid of anything that separates them - all their lines are interchangeable with each other's lines because they are so vaguely sketched out. Rani and Clyde work as an implied couple (and Tales of the TARDIS explicitly states Clyde's feelings for Rani) because they are very different but very compatible and have their own relationship with each other distinct to their Doctor figure. Ryan and Yaz certainly seem like they're being set up as a couple in the Woman Who Fell to Earth, but there's so little to them that they have little personality and no chemistry and don't develop a relationship or dynamic with each other of really any kind beyond 'other person who travels with the Doctor'. If my idea that they were intended to fit the Rani and Clyde mold is reasonable then it's obvious how much they fall short by comparing them. For example, Yaz's police skills never really come into play ever, unlike Rani's investigative aspirations for example or e.g. Martha's medical skills. Ryan and Clyde are both quite insecure young men, unsure of how they fit into the world, but Clyde's concerns and worries about his use to Sarah Jane, or that his skills like his art are just hobbies that won't amount to anything are part of his arc towards finding a higher calling and self assurance through defending the earth. Ryan on the other hand is introduced struggling with dyspraxia, which he then seems to 'overcome' when necessary, and then his arc is just accepting Graham, where Graham does all the heavy emotional lifting and Ryan just sort of flatly reacts to things. Yaz is verbally stated to be close to the Doctor, much like Rani is Sarah Jane's right hand woman after Maria leaves, but Rani develops a teacher-mentor relationship with Sarah Jane and over time learns to take charge and work out problems, whereas Yaz is just sort of there most of the time and only becomes close to the Doctor by default when Ryan and Graham leave. Clyde has hobbies as I said (much more evidence of interiority to him compared to Ryan), but beyond this also defines himself outwardly by his humour and his 'cool' vibe, whilst internally is defined by his loyalty, emotional heart and keen instincts. A Clyde line of dialogue is distinctly his, it might be a rubbish joke, or a passionate declaration of defiance against an alien threatening someone, but whatever it would be Rani would not say the same thing. What would Ryan say in a given situation? The characters obviously don't have to be the same and perhaps my speculation that Dr Who was trying to replicate SJ's gang is wrong, but the structure of the 'Fam' and the gang seems too close to be a coincidence. Lastly, the central figures of each group both have an interesting character flaw of keeping their problems to themselves and not sharing, but it's telling that Rani and Clyde (and Luke and Maria etc) can identify this and unpicking what's wrong with Sarah Jane is then used for character development of the group. Ryan and particularly Yaz get annoyed at the Doctor keeping secrets, but mostly just tell her off in the moment for keeping quiet and then nothing builds from it. There's no characterisation to develop.
Sorry I know this turned into an essay, but I think it's so interesting that the character types and group structure can be so similar across two pretty similar shows and yet one really works and the other really doesn't as so little effort was put into defining the characters.
Interesting putting Martha ahead of rose. Wish rtd would have done that.
You and me both.
Meeee too 😮💨
Watching this the day Wilf's actor died. I was waiting to see how high he was placed. So I'm presently surprised with him being 2nd. He was always a character I wanted to see more of. RIP Bernard Cribbins
It might just be because of when i started watching as a kid but yep, Donna and Martha are up there as my faves.
Donna is by far my favourite companion. Of course I love the fact that she pushes back on The Doctor and doesn’t pine for him, but I feel like people really underestimate her story. Before she absorbed part of The Doctor and became super smart, her entire story was about being ordinary- she holds down random temp jobs, can’t seem to find a good person to settle down with, and isn’t “smart” enough to be a doctor herself or like any of the “special” companions who inherited god-like abilities. She’s “special” purely out of her own attitude towards life and The Doctor. Her tragic ending was sad because she thought she needed to be smart like The Doctor in order to be special, but with that taken away, everyone in her life -just like the viewers who watched her the entire time- know how special she is without realizing it. All of us Doctor Who fans fantasize about being a companion, and Donna is an excellent example of how we all could be great companions in our own right.
Completely agree about Clara’s rapport with Smith!!!! I have literally just re watched those episodes and felt honest a little bored at points but yes like you probably the writing for those bits. Love Clara and Capaldi though 🤩❤️
Great video Vera!! Always love hearing your insights!!!
For me it's gotta be...
1. River
2. Donna
3. Amy and Rory
4. Wilf
5. Bill
6. Jack
7. Martha
8. Sarah Jane
9. Clara (we were robbed of victorian Clara tho)
10. Rose
11. Graham
12. Mickey
13. Yaz
14. Dan
15. Ryan
Would love to see companions not from modern earth in the future. Give us one from another planet!!! Or even from the past/future!!!
I also really like The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe. Watch it every Christmas :)
Just had to comment today, We lost Bernard Cribbins. He was 93 years old. Doctor Who was a tiny part of his career even if you include his part in the 60s Cushing Movie, he was terrific by the way, giving the kind of comic performance he played throughout his career. Wilf introduced him to a new generation of fans but older British fans already loved him. As a storyteller and voiceover artist on children's television. As a singer of comic songs. Beating up John Cleese on Fawlty Towers. As Perks in timeless classic the Railway Children. Rest in peace Bernard.
I am guessing Bernard Cribbins was virtually unknown in the US before his creation of Wilfred Mott, despite being a national treasure in the UK. So I think it says so much about him and his wonderful work on Doctor Who that he has consistently been No.2 on this list. No-one could have delivered the "Four Knocks" scene quite the way he did with David. I weep with him even thinking about his last goodbye to the Doctor at Donna's wedding.
Thank you Bernard for Wilfred, the Wombles, Jackanory , one of the less dodgy "Carry On" films and all the other endearing things you did in the British media for so many years. We would all be honoured to have you as a father, or grandfather. Rest in peace.
While I agree Ryan’s dyspraxia could have been handled better, I related to him struggling with physical stuff when it was actually shown because I have dyspraxia and I did not actually learn to ride a bike til a couple years ago.
My top 5:
5. Rose Tyler
4. Cpt. Jack Harkness
3. Wilfred Mott
2. Donna Noble
1. Wilma "Bill" Potts
Donna Noble, River Song, Bill, Jackie Tyler, Amy & Rory, Wilf, and Graham are my favorite companions. So I LOVE your list.
So happy they ranked Bill highly. She's my absolute favourite, with Donna as a close second. Wasn't a fan of the doctor-donna story tho. It lent for some funny dialogue, but ultimately took away from her contrast to the doctor for me
Bill is like a good combo of Donna and Susan
Also.. am I the only one who thought that having Martha suddenly have a pre-mid-life crisis and quit being a doctor, leave UNIT, break off her engagement with Tom Milligan (aka hottie mchot Tom Ellis)... to go marry Mickey Smith out of nowhere and freelance Halo fight Sontarans instead seem like an odd character arc for her?
I know Donna is the best, but Clara is my favourite companion. Her and 12 were so good together.
I Imagine Donna and 12 together would of been immense 😅
Donna takes a lot of crap from her mother, it's very sad. Escaping parents abuse is very hard. I'm happy she developed her potential since meeting the doctor.
The moment that solidified Donna for me is one of my favourite episodes, The Fires of Pompeii. Through all the sass and chemistry they share, she has a heart of pure fucking gold. Constantly pushing back against the very notion that she can't save these people, and then when presented with the actual horrific choice in the end? She doesn't run, she doesn't break down, she holds the Doctor's hand so he doesn't have to bear the weight of it by himself. And of course, the absolutely heart-wrenching 'Just save someone'. I'm in tears every time.
My top 3 companions have always been rose, donna, and bill. I love their individual relationships with the doctor and honestly they are people i would be friends with if they were real.
From modern Who, Donna is the best for me but Amy and Rory are my favourites. I also really like Clara, despite some issues but it's also because it's Jenna who I adore.
Your earlier definition of 'companion' is pretty close to mine. Except that not only do they have to travel in the TARDIS, it has to be across more than one story. So Adam counts (unfortunately), the Brigadier doesn't (unfortunately) and none of the ones from the specials even class as a companion to me. They are guest characters, not companions
I understand your reasoning behind having found a way to exclude Noel Clarke (no issue there) but that doesn't change the fact that the fictional characters of Mickey is a companion. It's your list though, not mine and even on mine Mickey wouldn't be that high.
It may work for New Who, but having as a criteria that a character has to travel in the TARDIS to be a companion clearly doesn't if you expand to Classic Who - considering Three spent most of his run without ever traveling in the TARDIS!
@@rudewalrus5636 That is definitely a snag in the argument but it does work for classic Who outside of that time period. Also, doesn't that only apply to Liz Shaw, seeing as Jo and Sarah Jane got to travel? One more non-companion doesn't change much, so let's call that special circumstances, relabel her an assistant or something and my way still works, at least for me. Others can do what suits them and it's not like the show really has any hard rules or canon beyond the basics. 😁
Bill gets points for the Pope in the bedroom joke. That’s gold right there.
1) 🌹
2) Rita (from God complex)
3) Wilf
4) Donna
5) Bill
6) Sarah
7) Martha
8) Mickey
9) Rory
10) Amy
How about Clara?
To the point about older companions, I think it's the fact that the doctor is ancient, so if you pair him with a young person, the innocence and inexperience is justified by their age and the contrast between the incomprehensible age of the doctor and humans is diluted. Pair him with an older person, and they seem still so young next to him. It enhances it. Maybe?
Technically Blon the Slitheen would've met your original criteria as well
My personal criteria is that you have to be a member of the TARDIS team in consecutive stories which does include Adam but eliminates basically all of the other random people like Angie/Artie
"Wilfred, it's my honor."
For me, this single moment is Doctor Who in it's purest form. Everything the show represents summed up in a single moment. A 900 year old god sacrificing himself so that an old man can get a little more time to live life with his family. And you know what? It's his honor.
For me I'd say
D Tier: Ryan, the Arwell kids,
C Tier: Micky, Madge, Rosita, Lady Christina, Lady Me, Grant and Lucy, Yaz,
B Tier: Jackie, Astrid, Jackson, Shona, Nardole, Graham, Grace, Dan, Jericho
A Tier: Madame Dr Pompadour, Martha, River, Rory, Kazran, Missy, Bill, The First Doctor.
S Tier: Rose, Jack, Sarah Jane, Donna, Adalaide, Wilf, Amy, Clara.
I completely agree with everything you had to say about Clara! I used to hate her so much, but on a rewatch I adore her with Capaldi. Wish they could've got some better episodes because there was so miuch potential with them, but I like the change in doctor/companion power dynamics.
Rose and Donna truly are my favourite ones
In this house, our favorites are the Ponds (including River), the Nobles, Martha, and Bill. And in that group, while the others rotate, Donna will always be the top.
Of course I knew Donna would be the #1 watching this list, but when Bill came in at #3 I was shocked, I couldn't think who besides Donna could rank above Bill. I felt so bad a moment later when I realized I'd forgotten about Wilf. We may well have the same top three, however much variation there is farther down.
I grew up with Rose and she will always be my favourite 🌹
The only ranking I disagree with on this list is Amy, and that's also probably tied to the fact that I really didn't like Eleven in general and ended up using a watch list to only get the important bits after slogging though his first season. Amy is definitely very similar to Rose, but Rose to my knowledge was never so simultaneously infantilized and sexualized as Amy was. One moment she's still that little girl The Doctor left behind and has all this childlike wonder, and then next she's essentially sexually harassing him whilst being engaged. I couldn't stand any scene she was in because I knew she would make another selfish decision. I also despised the amount of shit Rory got constantly from Amy, The Doctor, and the universe in general for... being a reasonable person that happens to have anxieties?? I have a feeling I may have skipped over all the episodes that make Amy so likable to people, because I had heard such good things and really wanted to like her...
Jesus I started bawling when you brought up Wilf, the simple mention of his name brought back all the emotions he's ever made me feel! Such a great character and performance!
And i definitely agree with Donna being number 1, she's the reason season 4 will always be my favourite.
Well this is timely :(
@@SarcyBoi41 I'm still very much in denial
How companion rankings are done depends on what you are looking for. For example: for sheer usefulness Martha would be at the top, for (romantic) emotional support it would be Rose (or Yaz for 13 fans), for a moral compass it would be Donna or Wilf, for easygoing pals to travel with it would be Bill, Nardole and the Chibnall-era companions. They all have something to contribute to the Doctor's travels in their own way.
Before i watch this , i am hoping and praying Clara comes last lol donna, martha, the ponds, Bill made amazing companions. River was great too!!!!! Clara needs to go
Donna Noble was my favourite too 🙌🏻
R.I.P Bernard Cribbins
I’m absolutely happy about Donna and Wilf being as high as they are, but for me personally, I have Bill as my favorite nuWho companion. She’s extremely relatable to me, had a greatly fun and interesting dynamic with both Capaldi and Nardole, and really helped elevate series 10! Perhaps a rewatch would change things around, but those are my current feelings.
Missy travelled in the Tardis as kind of an ally a few episodes of season 10 ...
I love Wilf, Donna and Bill. I wouldn't mind a companion having a crush on the doctor if they didn't do it so damn often!
When I looked back at which were my favorite, I noticed that they were all companions that were not in love with the doctor. Rory, Nardal, etc.
One exception is Riversong because that wasn't a silly little crush kind of love. She also stood up to him and put him in his place.
I'm not a Rose/Doctor shipper. But after watching Eric's TBDRPG (a Doctor Who RPG live stream, ala Critical Role or Dimension 20), I do like the pairing of Rose with the metacrisis Doctor much more.
I would maybe have switched a few of these around, but there wasn't anyone that I would have shifted a significant amount. No more than 2 or 3 spots.
can't wait to see Donna back for the anniversary but gotta be prepared since she'll probably be like the runaway bride. Also loving the outfit.
Clara ranked a lot higher than I expected, I appreciate that. Very good rankings and explanations
Clara was great with Twelve up until Hell Bent. She was horrible with Eleven
Ten minutes in but I'm planting my Justice 4 Martha flag here now
edit: ok fine
IM SORRY IM LATE BUT DUDE ME TOO!!!! She's my favorite she deserved better (and honestly she got the better that she deserved on Torchwood, even if it was for just like 2 episodes)
I feel like Christina de Souza would have made for an interesting Vash [Star Trek] like character where they sometimes help/hinder the doctor based on their own goals. I feel like that would have been an interesting dynamic. However, saying that I feel would probably be better in a novelization than on screen.
Pleasantly surprised you placed Martha as high as you did. I think she's a great character well performed but remember your comments in previous videos. Glad you're warming to her. :)
I don't see Sarah Jane's missing the Doctor in S2 as a romantic pining but more of an emotional longing to be be back with someone she gelled with as well as for the type of adventures they had enjoyed together
Boy, I could never rank Amy higher than the middle of the pack after that scene in Series 5 where she sexually assaults the Doctor. It's not something she ever properly apologizes for and Moffat even apologized for writing it years later. One of the worst things a companion's ever done, and not in an "interesting character development" sort of way.
Why would the actress have to apologize? The writer's the one who put it on paper.
@@CouncilofGeeks I was talking about Amy the character, who did IMO owe the Doctor a sincere apology and should have spent some time examining why she did that to him
The three companions with 13 just didn't have enough to do and that's down to the writers they should have gone with one companion and the occasional extra person for a story or two.
So, my criteria for a 'good companion' is a bit different from yours.
I think, and it's backed up in a few episodes like Midnight, that the Doctor needs Companions to keep them grounded and capable of connecting to other people.
So, Donna is also my favourite with Rory close by. River, even though she was one of the ones who adored him, still managed to get The Doctor to treat her as another adult. A couple of the others felt more like pets.
And my controversial opinion, I think Adam is important to show us what a failed companion looks like. Vislor was actually slightly worse - since he started off trying to kill the Doctor.
Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with a "failed" companion. Adam being kicked out for using time travel for his benefit was interesting and illustrated why the Doctor has to be careful with who he associates with. Martha, Amy, and Rory all leave the Doctor because they've outgrown whatever kept them by his side (but of course the writer's undermine this by having show up later). Those are more interesting, complex, and grounded than "oh, boohoo, I want to run with you forever but now something TRAGIC has happened and I can't anymore, how TRAGIC!" Honestly I'd love if a companion was set up as a series regular, like any normal companion, they have a few adventures, everything seems fine, but then something happens that snaps them out of it and they leave, mid season, simply because they realize they aren't cut out for the lifestyle. Nothing traumatic or heartbreaking, and it's not a distaste for the Doctor, they get along, just an incompatibility that they thought they could overcome, but can't.
@@benjamintillema3572 Yes, I think that was an interesting way of contrasting with Rose, and showing why the Doctor can't just take *anyone* along. But I can understand why having to assess Adam as a "companion" is a bit of a fuss you might not want to bother with when you are compiling a ranking of favourite companions. I mean, the point of Adam is to make that point that the Doctor needs to have standards - he doesn't really compete on the same level people like Martha or Donna.
I personally feel Amy has the worst traits of Rose (that being the whole shipping thing with 11), and yet its so much worse to me because of the fact the doctor met her as a child. There’s something just incredibly creepy about it to me. Then with the fact River, the Doctor’s literal wife, is also Amy’s child just gives me way too much Twilight vibes with Jacob imprinting on Bella’s daughter. I’ve actually grown to really like Karen Gillian as an actor, just not keen on Amy. I do like aspects of her though, the fact she’s already used to his bs and calls him out is great.
Bill is probably my favourite, I love how inquisitive she is, and the fact she is both black and a lesbian is excellent representation, I just wish we got more of her. (Although Donna is a close second)
Wait, people are hating on Mag? But she is so lovely and filled in a bit of afab representation Doctor Who was really ,issong. And so what if the epsiode comes off with all thensweet dorkiness of a Christmas Special. It is a Christmas episode!
I'm torn on you not talking about Mickey. It is completely understandable and I respect your choice. However one of the problems of not at least talking about the character is it ignores one of the problems with Rose, she treats him like crap. I love Billie Piper, she was terrific for example in Penny Dreadful, Rose for me was vital to the initial success of the show, but as a character she has problems. In general however I pretty much agree with this list.
I live under a rock
Why was Mickey not talked about? Did the actor do something I'm not clued up on or
@@ThePrince1835 the actor got in a lot of trouble for alleged sexual harassment on several sets including while working on Doctor Who
@@brucehaven1 hasn't jack's actor been accused for similar also? Think I heard that somewhere though I may be wrong
@@ThePrince1835 JB has admitted some bad behaviour on set which is seen as childish and inappropriate the difference is it is not seen As predatory and at the time was seen as comparatively harmless. He's probably lost any chance to keep playing the character but the wider fandom I feel still support him. Mickeys actor's behaviour is seen as far more damaging,which I think it was.
@@brucehaven1 Ah I see. Though personally I keep actors and characters separate or try to. But yeah not my teir list so
River Song is the only time I actually respect Doc’s romantic relationship with somebody. Part of the reason why I hate the Thasmin ship is because it means Doc is cheating on River. How dare they!
River is dead from the Doctors POV. She said her final goodbye to her. And its not like river didn't cheat, she got married to multiple people while married to the Doctor
@@mrdr0161 Yeah from that point of view, his relationship with River would have been cheating on Susan's grandmother as well. Like, I can only imagine people who live for thousands of years have very different relationship expectations than we do.
I do hope Capaldi comes to Big Finish on the proviso his adventures are with Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts.
Love love LOVE! My criteria has always been quite similar to your original choice but with a key distinction; I count companions as characters who have BOTH travelled in the TARDIS and appeared in multiple, consecutive stories. This rules out the supporting cast in the specials but also includes classic characters like the Brigadier. However, it does mean that I have to make exceptions for a small handful of characters such as Liz Shaw who doesn’t meet that first part (on TV). There’s no perfect catch-all for what makes a companion
Liz is the exception to the rule, as the first three years of 3rds run, he was Earth bound, he COULDNT travel
I tended to like (or appreciate would maybe be a better word for it) Moffat's companions more than RTD's. I just feel they are more interesting and show different sides to the Doctor that RTD's don't always. I find it very difficult to rank them though because the performances are always great (until we get to Chibnall but even then it's mostly the writing that I blame) and I love the chemistry each new Tardis team brings to the show. Depending on when you asked me, I would possibly say my favourite is one of Amy, Clara and Martha. But I think any choice is justified!
I'd love it if you did a companion rating for the 8th Doctor in Big Finish. I know you probably won't, because how interesting would a video be where everyone gets first place?
BTW, I really hope BF do a spin-off series for Liv and Tanya... that would be AMAZING!
that's a tricky one
for me it's Charley as #1 (the original, the best, India Fisher is great)
Liv is #2 (she's a bit bland but she bounces off 8 well, thought she's starting to outstay her welcome)
#3 is Lucie Miller (Sheridan Smith is great, wish she had better stories, also best companion departure)
#4 is Bliss (awesome Dalek-smashing orphan of the Time War)
#5 is Helen (she needs Liv to leave so she can be the sole companion, she was wasted in Stranded)
#6 is Tania (all that hype and she turned out to be a really boring character)
#7 is Molly ( t A r D y B o X )
@@darlig.ulv.bakhjerne interesting, I'd have it mostly the same but swap Charley and Lucie, Lucie is all the best parts of Rose combined with all the best parts of Donna, I like Charley but she gets a bit grating towards the end of her era, Lucie didn't outstay her welcome.
I haven't listened to the 8th Doctor Time War audios so I don't know who Bliss is yet, but she sounds cool
Don't agree on Molly, I think she deserves to be way higher, and personally I find Liv boring.
Agree on Tania though, awful character. She was marketed as the first trans companion and she just... wasn't? Her relationship with Liv is so stilted, it's like getting the two most boring characters in a relationship. It doesn't help that I find Stranded as a whole to be really boring, a huge step down from Ravenous. So many pointless characters that I don't care about, and they had to wheel out Tom Baker's Curator for some godforsaken reason
I don't really have an opinion on Helen as I find her quite bland, but maybe you're right that without Liv in the way she could be a better companion, I liked her stuff with Missy in Ravenous 4
Overall I think the earlier 8th Doctor companions are the best, Charley, Lucie and Molly are all great
You reminded me with the Madge choice that her husband is played by Alexander Armstrong who also voices Mr Smith. So he gets added to the list of actors who’ve played multiple different characters in the Whoniverse.
New subscriber here based on this list and your reasons.
I don't rate Waters on Mars, I love Madge and the episode The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe.
I like Clara and don't really get how intense the hatred for her is.
I would rate River a bit higher as I loved her story arc even loved Wedding of River Song and Lets Kill Hitler.
Wilf 😍🥰 who could not love Wilf definitely deserving of his number 2 Rank.
Donna is my favourite companion and for pretty similar reasons especially the platonic part...I really hate the shipping but that's my personal choice.
Not a fan of Rose with 10, hated the romance part, disliked how she treated he "who doesn't deserve to be named", She was so petty and jealous at times too. However I did like her a little bit more after she developed in the parallel dimension.
I like Amy and Rory but she irritated me a tad at times.
Donna truly is the best companion
Rose was my first companion and I do love her relationship with the doctor both the 9th and the 10th. I didn’t have a problem with the romantic side of they relationship but I do understand peoples problems with it. Now Martha I wasn’t a huge fan of but after rewatching series 3 it does feel like they didn’t know what to do with her and having just come from a romantic relationship with the last companion I don’t think it works but all the times she shows up after leaving the Tradis is great and I do appreciate her a lot more then I used to. Donna I didn’t think was anything special but like a lot of the companies I do think has gotten a lot better durning a rewatch she is now in my top 3 for the modern era. Army and Rory I think are the best companion team the modern era has seen but individually I don’t think they’re as good but army is in the top 5. River song has such an amazing first appearance and while we do get episodes like the weeding of river song or let’s kill Hitler I do love her as a character. Now Clara I hate in series 7 I think is the only time she’s bearable then series 8 I feel like gets dragged down by her and Danny if they were going to make that relationship so important show us more of it I didn’t feel like she loved Danny and her destroying the Tradis keys is very stupid to me, now if she would of left either at the end of series 8 or the Christmas special I wouldn’t be as hard on her but Clara is series 9 is just awful the only good thing she does is die in face the raven but even that couldn’t be how her story ended because of course not she can’t die she’s Clara. Now Bill I love bill she’s a great character and without her I doubt i would appreciate the 12th doctor as much as I do now Clara ruined him for me and bill saved him I wish we got another series with bill. Ryan and Yaz are both in a similar boat to me they aren’t great but they aren’t bad they’re kinda just there and that’s fine but I don’t feel anything for them. Gram on the other hand I love and I do think it is because of the actor but he makes Gram so lovable and he plays heart break very well. Then finally Dan honestly I have no clue how I feel about this character flux was a total mess and since it feels like one story I really don’t feel like we’ve gotten a whole series with him I do like him a lot in the specials and am looking forward to seeing him again.
I mostly agree with you, but Missy should've been on the list!!!
She's not a companion
@@mrdr0161 ...nor are a lot of the others on the list, a lot of whom were just guest characters, and/or people who got their names in the credits because they're big names, not because they were cast as a Companion.
"The" Companion has been a key Doctor Who ingredient since 1963, and the select band of actors who landed one of these coveted roles almost all had to beat some tough competition to get there. If only out of respect for them, I wouldn't put the likes of Lady Christina or Lethbridge-Stewart's dad on the list. I wouldn't even have Jack or River on there, tbh, for the same reasons.
@@ftumschk did you even hear their rules? They only counted characters who's actors names appeared on the title sequence. Michelle Gomez was never on the title sequence
@@mrdr0161 Thought the “rule” was - a person who has travelled in the TARDIS counts as a companion, so… Missy counts as one.
@@tokublwhovian have you even watched this video? They literally state at the start of this video that they are only counting companions who's actors have been in the title sequence
My ranking would be totally different on almost all the companions but I agree about Ryan. The only episode where I really loved his storyline was his exit episode (ROTD), which was actually great.
Amy is still my favourite companion
I think specifically examining the individual Doctor-companion relationships is a good topic of discussion in and of itself, although New Who doesn't have that many of them to pinpoint.
I Definitely didn't like the 10th-Rose dynamic because it was hammy in a bad way; and I mean excruciatingly annoying (with the episode Fear Her probably being peak annoyance). But when you pair Rose with 9th then suddenly things work 1000× better. The 12th and Clara had a better dynamic than when she first met with 11th, mostly because with 11 she was just a plot device.
The only other companions I can note as having seen multiple doctor incarnations in new who would be Jack Harkness, River Song and Sarah Jane. The general trend of introducing a new doctor and new companion simultaneously becomes less appealing to me the more it happens. I haven't been a huge Yaz fan, but I must admit it would have been interesting to see her response to her alien crush having a very sudden and in her eyes unprecendented physical + personality change. But it isn't going to happen
I absolutely adore the doctor the widow & the wardrobe, and Madge is why. Smith is always charming & of course had great moments, but she totally stole the show. I don't know if it's that I'm a mother, but I think the reason it worked for me was the scene where she meets, tricks, and hijacks the security team BY using her hyperfemininity + sexism to create an opening for Mama Bear to win against literally impossible odds. Reminds me of my Fairy Godfather & sensei's first lesson: "There's no better weapon than being underestimated by your enemy. Pretty little thing like you? Keep your head on your shoulders, baby girl, because a clever woman is never unarmed." I'm not a woman as it turns out, but he wasn't wrong, and sexism is actually REALLY easy to manipulate like that. (If only other bigotries were.) And then the way she broke down begging not to see her husband, after trying so hard to keep it from the kids...
No, I fucken love that one. Probably my favorite actual *Christmas* special, specifically - I couldn't choose between that & The Husbands Of River Song, but the holiday is totally incidental to that one, so I'm not gonna. Usually I can do without the theming, but that transcended the religious divide for me. It was a beautiful little meditation on motherhood more than anything else, but the story wouldn't have functioned without the holiday. Thanks for reminding me how much I loved it.
BTW, I noticed you changed your credit to Vera.... I've done pretty well with eliminating masc pronouns, but I thought that was basically your cabaret name. I don't want to deadname, but is the other dead? (Sorry for the clumsy language, I'm having a hell of a time with fibro-brainfog & articulating the question without repeating the maybe-offense.)
Clare Skinner is an Underrated Actress in general
Ye, tdtdatw is a fantastic episode, its so heartfelt and cheering. I havent ever seen anyone hate on it tbh and i think marge/doc make the episode even better
I think for those companions that worked best, they did that through a strictly platonic relationship with the doctor.
Also great list and love your content
Not including as many people, but: Ryan < Rose < Jack < Dan < Gram < Martha < Yaz < Rory < Clara < Donna < Bill < River < Amy. Moffat companions tended to be my favorite. Good list!
Edit: forgot Rory. Always with the Rory