Top 10 Doctor Who Companions

Our first pick is the First Doctor’s granddaughter and the Doctor’s first ever on-screen companion. To date, she is one of the only relatives of the Doctor that we’ve seen on-screen, and it shows. Initially appearing to teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton as an enigmatic schoolgirl, she displayed her fear by yelling for her grandfather, but she turned out to be fiercely opposed to injustice wherever she found it and willing to put in hard work where needed to save the day.

When the Doctor first met her, she was a medical student. But under his wing, Martha Jones helped to save the world on multiple occasions. In the two part episode “Human Nature / The Family of Blood,” she took on one of the hardest tasks of all: overcoming the racism of the 1910s when she went undercover as the Doctor’s maid in an English boarding school. She proved herself more than equal to the challenge, and later used her wits and courage to rally the world around the Doctor when he really needed it.

This companion from the Scottish highlands is one of the few across “Doctor Who”‘s 50-plus year history that has come from somewhere other than modern-day Earth, specifically the 18th century. Though his lack of knowledge of modern concepts and objects was sometimes played for laughs, he made up for it by being incredibly loyal to the Doctor, creating a memorable pairing that is still fantastic to watch today.

The young woman first appeared in the first episode of the 7th series under the incarnation Oswin Oswald with a tendency to cook soufflés, and was later revealed to be trapped in the body of a Dalek. She then turned up as a Victorian governess, before abruptly dying and being found as a young nanny in the present day, which certainly took the Doctor by surprise. Over the years she was on the show, she matured from a woman who was frightened by new situations into a brave and adventurous lady who was not afraid to tell off the Doctorwhen he needed it.

This rebellious lady met the Doctor in a diner and quickly proved herself a capable equal to the time traveller, making her name as an explosives expert. When there was trouble to be found, odds were good that Ace was nearby. Indeed, she was so eager to defend the man she called ‘Professor’ that in one of the more memorable scenes of the franchise, she beat up a Dalek with a baseball bat. If that doesn’t take guts, we don’t know what does.

This kissogram-turned-supermodel first met the Doctor as a child before he accidentally left her behind for 12 years. Four psychiatrists couldn’t shake her unwavering belief in this man from the stars, and it was incredibly satisfying to watch the moment when the adult Amy first walked into the TARDIS. Eventually travelling alongside her husband Rory, whom we also considered for the list, Amy, Rory and the Doctor sought out many adventures that’re worth a lifetime of memories, which made their departure at the hands of the Weeping Angels all the more tragic. All things considered, she went through hell for the Doctor and still came out on the other side traumatized but intact.

Though the first incarnation of Romana, played by Mary Tamm, was a good companion in her own right, it’s the second body of the Time Lady that fans really remember. Played by Lalla Ward, she was the Doctor’s companion in the universally acclaimed story “City Of Death” and multiple others. Part of her character was that she was smarter than – or at least as smart as the Doctor, but wasn’t as experienced. But in this case, book smarts aren’t much of a setback, as she has still placed highly on our list.

Many of you were no doubt expecting Rose Tyler to be number one on our list, but she hasn’t quite made it that far. We doubt she’s losing much sleep over it though; she went from shop worker to working for a parallel version of Torchwood, all in the span of a year or two - so she’s clearly doing alright for herself. Played by the lovely Billie Piper, she imbued the first on-screen companion of the 2005 “Doctor Who” series with warmth and compassion, while still being capable of having a laugh.

This companion, played by British comedienne Catherine Tate, was a special guest star in the Christmas special “The Runaway Bride” and utterly stole the show. It’s no surprise that the producers of the show invited her back in 2008. Over the span of Series 4, she was changed by her experiences into a kind and humble person who helped to save the day on more than one occasion.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Leela
- Jo Grant
- Peri Brown
- Tegan Jovanka

She’s the companion who kept coming back. Initially a companion to Jon Pertwee’s older Third Doctor, she left during Tom Baker’s time in the role. She then returned in the 2006 story “School Reunion,” where she proved wildly popular and was given a spin-off series, “The Sarah Jane Adventures,” which continued until actress Elizabeth Sladen’s tragic death in 2011. Sarah Jane Smith was brave, funny and appealed to all generations in a way that most other companions just can’t, and she interacted with 9 incarnations of The Doctor, which is why she’s the top of our list.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite Doctor Who companion? For more dazzling top 10s, published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.