Top 10 Best Doctor Who Companions

Doctor Who might be an ever changing show, but The Doctor will always need companions. The companions will often make us view The Doctor in a different way. The companions might make the Doctor weaker or stronger. In this list you will vote for the best companions.
The Top Ten
1 Donna Noble Donna Noble is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Portrayed by British actress and comedian Catherine Tate, she is a former companion of the Tenth Doctor.

Out of all the companions, Donna was the best. People say that she was too noisy and loud, but I think she was hilarious. Donna was immensely brave, and she wasn't afraid to say what she thought was right! However, she also had a compassionate side, an emotional side that stole our hearts. She was the Doctor Donna, and for a couple of seconds, the most important woman in the universe.

There was no soppy romance with them (cough, Martha, cough, Rose, cough). Donna and the Doctor were simply best friends who balanced well together. Plus, Donna managed to be in some of the best episodes. She had a gripping ending, but I wish it could have been better for her. Donna had that funny side to her that made you enjoy listening to her, and I wish she could stay. The Doctor and Donna were so good together.

Donna didn't just do what the Doctor told her to. She did what she thought was right and didn't follow him like a puppy (Martha again). The universe wouldn't be the same without her.

2 Rose Tyler

Boy, is that one a tough call. In the end, for me, it came down to picking between two women who were nothing and nobody special, yet they made the Doctor so much more. The other being Donna Noble. Rose comes above for me by a hair's breadth because her growth is spectacular and yet entirely believable. Her story is the rare one of a young human who was nothing or nobody special, except for the challenges she was facing, and she grew to prove herself equal to the tasks set before her.

In a sense, that's why she had to go. When her story arc begins, she's just a companion. By the end of it, she's a match for the Doctor in so many aspects that, had the series gone on with her as a companion, the only fundamental difference between Rose and the Doctor would have been his knowledge. And that's where the amazing chemistry between the two of them would have broken, and when Rose's character would have become static. Which is worse than death for a character all about personal growth.

3 Amy Pond

I enjoyed watching the development of this character as the series continued. At first, she seemed unimportant and only followed the Doctor around for the occasional second-hand help on the job. She didn't seem to trust herself with situations and turned to the Doctor many times. After a while, though, she seemed more confident in her abilities and thoughts. Her loyalty to those she loved and her sarcastic humor could brighten any predicament, and her bravery was outstanding.

Her relationship with both the Doctor and Rory shaped the character into who she is. I enjoy seeing her as a wife who loves her husband so much that she put her life on the line for him to the end. Her significance in the Doctor's life is heartwarming. I love how they had a relationship far more complex than just friends, and his trust in her decisions as she grew up. Her departure was heartbreaking because it left the Doctor grieving in a way we hadn't seen him do before. Her courage, personality, and friendships leave her as a great companion and beloved friend.

4 Sarah Jane Smith

Sarah Jane Smith is one of the greatest companions the Doctor has traveled with. Her character was so well developed and is one of the most loved by classic era fans, including myself. She has also received her own spin-off series, which was just as great as the main show. I do find it an insult that many other great Classic Who companions are being pushed aside by the bland and undeveloped New Who ones, but I'm glad Sarah is in the top 10.

If any person deserves to be voted the best Doctor Who companion, it's Sarah Jane Smith. She and the Doctor went from not trusting each other to quickly becoming best friends. She is very easy to relate to, representing the majority of women in the world today with her mildly feminist ideas and stubborn, brave characteristics. She even went on to feature in K9 and Company, and later the Sarah Jane Adventures. She has met nine of the Doctors in total.

5 Clara Oswald Clara Oswald was one the companions to the 11th and 12th Doctors. Her actor is Jenna Coleman. Her first appearance is "Asylum of the Daleks" and her last is "Twice Upon a Time".

She saved the Doctor so many times. She influenced so many things. She convinced the Time Lords to give the Doctor more regenerations. She went back into his time stream to save him multiple times. She made him choose the TARDIS he did. In my opinion, she did the most to help the Doctor. Their relationship was the best to watch, and I'm just so sad she died. She should be #1 in my opinion.

I see Clara as Martha Jones done right. She can stand up to the Doctor, doesn't crush on him, and can do very good comedic banter, all while being the heart of the series. There seems to be a common misconception that she "doesn't have a personality and is just eye candy." This is a perfectly valid point, as long as you don't watch any 12th Doctor episodes. She is the Martha Jones we would have had if Tate delivered her lines less like a foghorn and more like a human being. Human beings have subtlety. Jenna Coleman has the acting chops to convey that. As for Martha, Rose, Amy, Rory, etc., I love them all, but they always seemed a bit too helpless to be my favorite. Sarah Jane, on the other hand, is brilliant, and is definitely an amazingly close #2, but Clara Oswald is my personal favorite.

6 River Song

Aw, come on, guys. How do you not like River? She is the only companion who isn't always whining and can take care of herself. She doesn't need the Doctor, despite the fact that they are the best couple in the show. But she is so much more than just the Doctor's wife. She is brave and just as smart as the Doctor. And if you have a problem with her refusing to kill him, well, would YOU do it?

She is one of the most courageous characters, in the end sacrificing her own life, plus she gave up all her regenerations. Oh, and she is responsible for two of the best quotes in all of Nu Who: "Well, I was on my way to this gay gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled when I thought 'the Third Reich's a bit rubbish, I think I'll go kill the Fuhrer'" and "I'm River Song. Check your records again."

7 Martha Jones Martha Jones was one of the companions to the 10th doctor. Her actor is Freema Agyeman. Her first appearance is "Smith and Jones" and her last is "The End of Time."

Martha is very interesting, but she lived in the shadow of Rose, causing her to become VERY underrated. In many ways, she is a better companion than Rose. She had a crush on the Doctor, but she also saved the world! The Doctor asked and expected so much of her, much more than he did of any other companion. She did everything and anything he asked, even when she wasn't his companion anymore. She's one of the bravest companions of all, having the courage to do what was best for her and leave the Doctor. She loved him, and he destroyed her life.

8 Jack Harkness

Jack is perhaps the most loyal of all the companions. In the sense that he waited, and continues to do so, forever at the Doctor's 'beck and call', without receiving so much as a 'thank you' or a sign of appreciation. Yet, he remains steadfastly loyal to the Doctor, dying in his name who knows how many times. However, this is frequently overshadowed or hidden via his charisma, charm, and flirtatious nature. Jack is, additionally, the only companion who can truly relate to the Doctor, in the sense that we do not know of his past, we do not know his true name, and the fact that, ultimately, he will lose those close to him, in the same way as the Doctor is destined to.

9 Rory Williams

Everyone loves Amy, but personally, I prefer Rory. He is really kind and very relatable. "Amy, a basic fact of our relationship is that I love you more than you love me." It's just terrible.

Rory should have stayed longer. I would have loved a sole companion Rory or just more Rory. He was the greatest, with so much character development and heart to him.

I love Rory because of how fun and dorky he is. I also love how Amy always calls him an idiot and then decides she wants to make out with him.

10 Jo Grant

Jo's awesome! Although she's not my favourite companion, she's in my top 10, that's for sure. I mean, she could resist hypnosis attempts, and that's pretty awesome. She may have been overshadowed by Sarah Jane, who was right after her, and I must admit, Sarah Jane is totally awesome. But who wouldn't appreciate the clumsy charm that Jo possesses, her absolute loyalty to the Doctor and the U.N.I.T group? She should be voted into the top ten! This just proves once again that people (especially kids my age, I'm only 12) should watch and read WAY more classic Doctor Who.

The Contenders
11 Ace

I knew as soon as I saw her for the first time that she would be awesome, and everything I've seen of her since confirmed that opinion. Not my absolute favorite companion, but top 5 for sure.

Ace will always be my favourite companion, and here's why:

I can relate to her because there are also some things that I want to run away from.

I also like her because she's funny, cool, and she blew up a Cyberman ship!

The fact that this funny, smart, actually capable companion is #13 is a wake-up call for people to watch more classic Who. She beat up a Dalek with a baseball bat, for God's sake!

12 Jamie McCrimmon

Jamie was absolutely the best companion the Doctor ever had. Despite rarely understanding the technology behind everything, Jamie was always willing to go along with the Doctor's plans. Not to mention, the Doctor and Jamie had a unique chemistry and worked very well together.

Even in the modern series, the Doctor remembers Jamie, because they were so close. It was Jamie who first gave the Doctor his cover name of "Doctor John Smith", which the Doctor uses to this day. If the actors Frazier Hines and Patrick Troughton hadn't had to leave when they did, I'm confident that Jamie would have traveled with the Doctor forever.

13 K9

A robotic dog, the Time Lord's best friend. The only downside was that we never got to see him take on a Dalek.

K9 was the first dog on Doctor Who. Who doesn't like a laser-shooting robot dog?

That's exactly how I feel. Who doesn't like an awesome robot dog like K9?

14 Leela

Leela is certainly in the Top Five. She could handle any enemy of the Doctor's and at times, the Doctor himself. And she, as a character, grew unlike many other companions.

Leela, a warrior of the savage Sevateem tribe, could adapt to any situation. Always ready to draw her knife or stab with a Janis thorn, although she rarely did. Very earnest and always in character.

Leela and many of the other classic Who companions are way too low. If people actually watched all of Doctor Who and not just the revival, characters like Yaz would never be able to rank higher than the Brigadier, Romana II, among others.

15 Bill Potts

A very different and funny companion who had, in my opinion, a really satisfying and emotional arc. She felt like someone who reminds me of real-life friends I have, while Rose and Clara especially feel like scripted characters and fall far flatter to me.

Bill took some time to grow on me, but I loved watching her excitement as she traveled with the Doctor.

Funny, curious, has the best moral compass for a while, and has a humble/tragic backstory. What's not to like? She is the Sarah Jane of our times and should return.

16 Yasmin Khan

I guess she's good as a companion to the new Doctor. I like how she walks to the beat of her own drum.

She is the best out of the newest companions.

A new companion but also a clever one.

17 Mickey Smith

He is seriously underrated. He is kind, and the only reason Rose is not my top pick is because she ditched Mickey for the Doctor!

Below, same thing with me! I call him Mickey, and he calls me Amy!

18 Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

He didn't join the Doctor on many off-world adventures, but they solved a lot of crazy mysteries together, making him one of the Doctor's best friends and closest allies. He went on for many years after the Doctor's departure and even got to reunite with him a few times, with new and familiar faces.

19 Romana I

Intelligent and not immediately infatuated with the Doctor, as many were. Also, very easy on the eyes, to say the least. Remembering he changed companions like other people change their socks, it was refreshing to have one that didn't subscribe to his somewhat pushy superiority. They tried to script her as a foil, but she was far too bright for that. Probably too difficult for the writers to keep up at that level, leading to the abysmal decision not to renew her contract.

She is so cool and brilliant. I love The Key to Time because of her. She is extremely intellectual, and I love how she and the Doctor bounce off each other. A brilliant and heavily underrated companion.

20 Romana II

My favorite Romana. The chemistry with the 4th Doctor is great to watch. Smart, adventurous, and brave.

Most interesting companion ever!

Great actor and very pretty. It's a shame she did not get many well-written episodes.

21 Dr. Liz Shaw

Why doesn't anyone like Liz Shaw? She was one of the first female scientist companions, one of the first to ask practical questions, and had quite a down-to-earth sort of feminist approach and personality that surely helped clear the way for the great legend Sarah Jane Smith. I think Liz deserves a top 10 spot. And how is she worse than Peri? I believe Peri is one of the worst.

Liz is, was, and always will be the best companion of all time. Just look at her episodes! Spearhead from Space = perfection, The Silurians = top quality, Ambassadors of Death = entertaining and original, Inferno = the best Doctor Who episode of ALL TIME.

22 Peri Brown

Definitely the sexiest companion, that's for sure. I only wish she never changed out of that bikini (Maybe if it were in the '90s...). She was the voice of reason to the hardheaded 6th Doctor. Apparently, she reminded him of some old companions because he constantly accidentally referred to her as one of them.

23 Wilfred Mott

Wilfred really deserves some recognition. He was sweet, loyal, kind, and brave, and was just such a joy to watch on screen. He was such a good grandad to Donna, always believing in her when her mother didn't and always wanting the best for her. Even in the alternate 'Turn Left' episode universe when Wilfred joins in the singing in their refugee house, you can see how kind and friendly he really is. All the best to good old Wilf.

24 Zoe Heriot

Zoe was a terrific companion. It's a pity she only had one year with the Doctor. Her staggering intelligence, mixed with an endearing naivety, made her the only likable teenage maths/physics genius in the history of science fiction.

She's a very fun character. Very sexy too.

25 Susan Foreman

The first and most important of them all. The mystery of what became of her has been on fans' minds for over 15 years now. The 12th Doctor has a picture of her on his desk. Clara looks briefly at a picture of her in the 50th Anniversary special. So it's obvious the show's makers want us to know she's not forgotten.

There's a lot we still wonder about her. What was her real name? Which parent called the Doctor father? And was she the only grandchild he had? But most of all, we want to know what happened after the Doctor left her behind and the Time Wars. Was she on Gallifrey at the end, or did she avoid their fate? And did the Doctor know anything about any of those things? So many questions surround this interesting character.

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