10 Classic Companions Who Deserve A Return
Guest contributor Zach Guida selects his top picks for a comeback.
One rule in the Doctor Who universe is that you keep going forward, never looking back. With the 50th anniversary celebration well over with, Moffat is therefore doing what anyone else would do: keep moving the show in a new direction. However, the return of Sarah Jane and K9 in Series 2 brought a connection between the revived series and the classic one. The most famous face to stand beside the Doctor returned and it was a joy.
Why past companions are not brought back is because often their stories are more or less done with. Their characters moved on with their own lives, made a difference somehow. But if we could just take a moment and dream about another “What if” scenario. So here follows my top 10 classic companions who deserve a return.
Author’s Note: As I have not completed the Big Finish collection, only the televised episodes of Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures will be considered canon.
10. Ian & Barbara Chesterton
Now before you ask why this pair are so low on the list, put into consideration that Jacqueline Hill has sadly passed away and William Russell looks nothing like he used to. Even with the quote in The Sarah Jane Adventures about how there was a rumour they were still young and immortal, the BBC would have to re-cast them like they did to Hartnell in The Five Doctors. It would be very unlikely that they would do that for a modern version of the show. Ian and Barbara left the TARDIS after feeling it was enough. They ended up going back to Coal Hill to teach. What next? Ian is now Chairman of the Governors at the school, but what of Barbara? With Clara still on Team TARDIS, the possibility of them (or at least Ian) joining in for another Caretaker-esque story intrigues me.
9. Grace Holloway
The TV Movie was average in my opinion. There were a couple of things they got right (Paul McGann, the gothic interior of the TARDIS) and there were a few things that they got wrong (The Master, the Eye of Harmony plot, The Master, the Victorian outfit for 8, the Master…). When it came to Grace, I’m still, to this day, undecided on her. There wasn’t enough of a focus for me to, even to this day, make a decision on whether I like her or not. She didn’t get that pazazz like the companions before, or even after her. Companions get introduced, get some episodes all about them, and then continue for a few more series/seasons. Daphne Ashbrook had under 2 hours to get us to like her. To me, that wasn’t enough. Especially if she wanted us to enjoy her as we did with Sarah Jane or Jo Grant. A single episode of the Doctor returning to LA and meeting up with Grace just once more, might help. A Weeping Angel story anyone?
8. Mel Bush
To me, Mel was never introduced properly. She was the River Song of the Classic era. She knew the Doctor, before he even met her. They didn’t even have an introductory episode for her. She was just sort of… there! Bonnie Langford only lasted 6 Serials or 20 episodes in total. That to me, isn’t very long. She had a lot of potential. Bringing back Mel would be easy. Her last episode saw her running off with a space pirate Sabalom Glitz, there in space, travelling on a ship. Easy pickings for the Doctor, even if he ended up on the ship by mistake.
7. Peri Brown
What could be worse than watching your companion die and then later find out she’s alive and married an alien king? Rose, Donna, and Amy… But that’s an argument for another time. Even though Peri was added to create sex appeal with her revealing outfits and girlish attitude, her character eventually matured as the infamous production hiatus ended and they shifted her character to meet standards for the companions. Nicola Bryant still very much looks like her 80s self and could very well come back and do an episode. The Doctor could very well wind-up on Thoros Alpha and save her from a marriage she may or may not have wanted.
6. Tegan Jovanka
Janet Fielding is the longest-serving companion (continuously) of the show’s history by 3 years and 1 month. Tegan served under two Doctors and had numerous well-written stories. She is perhaps one my favourite classic companions and reminds me a bit of Donna. She was there for the Doctor and was always at his side, even if the evidence pointed against him. Tegan would be perfect to bring back, especially if they wanted to re-introduce the Mara into modern Who. She was in both serials that the Mara was in and would be perfect to complete a trilogy.
5. Leela
Possibly one of the more argumental and controversial choices on my list. Leela is of course on Gallifrey at her departure in the show. With the Time War, she might as well be dead. How could anyone, even a non-Gallifreyan survive that? Bringing Leela back would take careful planning and consideration. A Dalek war camp perhaps? A post-Time War story when/if Gallifrey is brought back by the Doctor? Who knows? But Leela deserves to come back, especially to let us know if she survived.
4. Ace
Ace was a tough choice putting her this high on my list. She was the last classic companion for an episodic run. She was never given a end story, until The Sarah Jane Adventures where it was briefly mentioned that she formed a group called A Charitable Earth (Get it… A.C.E.) and raised millions. Even with this information, we could still bring her back. I just wish we could have explored her character more before the BBC cancelled the series. We didn’t even get a mention in the TV Movie. Ace could very well be brought back, especially if it’s a Dalek episode. I’d love to see the good old bazooka come back.
3. Romana
How I was hoping Michelle Gomez was playing Romana. It seemed like the perfect choice. Romana is clearly wanted and one of the more popular fan favourites. Her story arc moved, and we had a companion who could finally regenerate. This proved to be an extra bonus to the story arcs that the writers could play with. When an actress (Mary Tamm) wanted to leave, they could easily bring in a new one (Lalla Ward) and still have that same character. With her departure into E-Space with K9, I wonder if she ever found her way out, especially with the Time War. Would the Daleks have gotten that far? Would the Time War have raged that far? An interesting idea for a possibly interesting episode.
2. Jamie McCrimmon
Possibly the most famous male companion of the series next to Ian and Rory. Jamie was that best bud to the 2nd Doctor and inseparable they were. His character was deep with a well-written personality and a morals. He even questioned the Time Lords in The War Games. His character was cut short when the Time Lords sent him back to his time zone after decided the Doctor needed to be forced into exile. The Doctor could easily land back into his time and place and give him a good old visit. We all would like to see that best bud with the kilt again.
1. Susan Foreman
I bet you were all expecting this one. If not, shame on you. It’s clearly obvious why it needs to be done. Her character was left on a cliffhanger of sorts; she was a grown-up woman and the Doctor no longer thought that he needed to protect her. She was clearly in love and a new man would be able to do that. The Doctor gave one of the most famous speeches in the show’s history as he departed, claiming he would be back one day, only until she was able to prove something. With Capaldi being an older Doctor, especially around Hartnell’s age, it would make perfect sense to stop by the 22nd century and visit his granddaughter. One day I guess. One day…
