Planet Skaro Nails The Great Companion Debate: Round 2

[Rob McCow]

It's a question that has haunted man, and the occasional jumpered woman, since the dawn of 100,000BC. Who is, and who isn't, a "proper" Doctor Who companion?

It used to be simple. A companion stepped into the TARDIS until she or he left amid a blaze of publicity and a perky replacement. Then came Sara Kingdom, the "companion" who travelled in the TARDIS but didn't span more than one story! WTF? If you include her, surely that leaves the gates open for Herbert, Benton and Ola the Heat Vampire?! And then we had Katarina, the companion who spanned more than one story but still died after a handful of episodes! The New Series has pledged its own "is he or isn't it?" Companion in the shape of Adam, the two-story assistant that the Doctor couldn't stand, even if he made some of us boys salute Lord Andy Pryor for his casting decision that week.

So anyway. Let's settle this once and for all! In a series of polls, we will vote on the most contentious of companions, and decide once and for all who "counts" and who doesn't.

Please also state your reasoning, and try and persaude your fellow posters who may be wavering!

For round Two of the Great Companion Debate, we have the gun-totting, fratricidal sexbomb herself, Sara 'SSS' Kingdom!



It's another might-be-and-nearly-was from The Daleks Masterplan, except this time her companionship was neatly contained within the 12 episode epic. Is she a companion in your book? Or is she merely a 'Character' who appeared in one story?

Pull out your laser guns and choose!

[SiHart]

She's a companion. She has multiple travels with the Doctor, some of which are only tangentially related to the adventure they're in the middle of...

[J.R. Southall]

No she's not!

She was only ever under contract for one story, and when Jean Marsh joined the show there was never any question of her sticking around once the Daleks in that story were defeated...

[SiHart]

But fictionally, I think she is, no matter what the intentions of the production team/ actress. She does more travelling across time and space than many other official companions did.

[J.R. Southall]

Certainly more than Liz Shaw!

Remind me of the criteria, again, Si?

[SiHart]

It changes depending on who the "companion" is, obviously

[Rob McCow]

If there were criteria, it would be all too easy!

Sara may have only lasted one story, but she certainly travelled to quite a few locations with the Doctor. Not only that, because of the Christmas episode 'Feast of Steven' you could argue that she was involved in adventures that were totally unrelated to the main Dalek plot. If you can call what happens in that episode 'Adventure'.

Personally, I think she is.

[Jon Masters]

Nope - she's a one story character who, admittedly, gets to do a fair bit of TARDIS travelling.

Otherwise that would make Kazran Sardick a companion, since he got to travel to a variety of places every Christmas eve for a number of years.

I'm not familiar as some probably with DMP, but does Sara get an an official invite / acknowledgement to join the crew before she dies ?

[Jason Thompson]

No, but remember this was in the era of the show where the TARDIS was uncontrollable. Simply stepping on board and being present when the ship dematerialised was about as much invitation as you got, since the Doctor could not pilot the ship to return anyone home anyway at that point. In fact this adventure shows the only time until about season 10 that the TARDIS is ever specifically and successfully piloted to a desired location, and that was due to stolen parts from the Monk's TARDIS which burned out on their first use.

I'm going to be very boring in my view on Sara being a companion: she is because officially the current BBC documentation recognises her as such.

[Si Hunt]

Just to clarify for the "no" people, are we saying the criteria depends on where the production team choose to place the episode endings and beginnings?

So if a character had (from his/her perspective) 3 years worth of TARDIS travels, and met all kinds of monsters and enemies, but all this took place within one story, would that not make them a companion?

It seems we must decide whether the criteria rests on the fictional criteria (what happened in the plots) or factual (production teams intentions, number of title sequencing bookending her adventures).

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

I'm afraid that I'm a naysayer!

How many people here would count Cpl/Sgt/RSM Benton as a companion? He's travelled in the TARDIS and was in more than one story. Yet, most would see him as a regular, rather than a companion - much like, say, River Song.

I don't agree that travelling in the TARDIS makes someone a companion. Nor appearing regularly. And I don't think the intent of the production team should necessarily determine it - lest we all go off and watch our DVDs of "100,000 B.C.", "The Mutants" and "Inside the Spaceship"!

At the end of the day, Sara Kingdom appeared in a few episodes beginning in the middle of a story, and was gone by the end of that story. The fact is that she was only in it for one story and no more. Why do we count Sara Kingdom and not Bret Vyon? They've got just as much claim as each other!

[Jason Thompson]

He's travelled in the TARDIS and was in more than one story. Yet, most would see him as a regular, rather than a companion - much like, say, River Song.

Yes, because he's only travelled in the TARDIS once, then was absent for a while, then came back in a later story.

I don't agree that travelling in the TARDIS makes someone a companion.

Not on its own, no. But travelling in the TARDIS to unrelated 'adventures' is the point being made here, I think. Yes, Sara Kingdom was only in one story, but the events of episode 7 were entirely unrelated to the Dalek plot, and there could be an unspecified amount of time between her leaving Kembel at the end of part 6 and when the Dalek story picks up again. (The novelisation suggests that 6 months have passed, and although there is no direct evidence of that on screen, nor is there incontrovertible evidence that everything happens consecutively either.)

Why do we count Sara Kingdom and not Bret Vyon? They've got just as much claim as each other!

Bret never travelled in the TARDIS, nor did he go off to unrelated stuff with the Doctor and Steven. Sara did both.

[Anthony Williams]

Yes, because he's only travelled in the TARDIS once, then was absent for a while, then came back in a later story.

Maybe, but he'd had numerous adventures with the Doctor - The Ambassadors of Death, Inferno, Terror of the Autons... need I go on? Certainly a number of unrelated "adventures", and more than Liz Shaw (who never travelled in the TARDIS!)

Yes, Sara Kingdom was only in one story, but the events of episode 7 were entirely unrelated to the Dalek plot, and there could be an unspecified amount of time between her leaving Kembel at the end of part 6 and when the Dalek story picks up again.

Again, see my point above

(The novelisation suggests that 6 months have passed, and although there is no direct evidence of that on screen, nor is there incontrovertible evidence that everything happens consecutively either.)

The scenario gets even more interesting when expanded universe stuff is considered. Obviously, the people at Big Finish consider her to be a companion, and have given her her own stories in the "Companion Chronicles" range.

Bret never travelled in the TARDIS, nor did he go off to unrelated stuff with the Doctor and Steven. Sara did both.

Fair enough. I didn't really think that one through

[Si Hunt]

The fact is that she was only in it for one story and no more. Why do we count Sara Kingdom and not Bret Vyon? They've got just as much claim as each other!

They haven't though.

Sara travelled in the TARDIS full-time: she clearly moved in, and had many adventures, even if they took place within one TV story. What's the different between living in the TARDIS and going on many adventures over a season (which of course would qualify) and just happening to do it in one long story? If DMP had been split into four adventures, there'd be no debate. Is the positioning of the opening titles really enough to disqualify her?

By contrast, Bret Vyon WASN'T invited aboard the TARDIS and wasn't asked to travel with the Doctor.

I think a companion should be someone who the Doctor asks or accepts to be his assistant for multiple consecutive "adventures", whether they occur within the same TV story or not. This would include Sara and Katarina, but exclude Benton (who only travelled in the TARDIS once) and Vyon.

An adventure doesn't neccessarily equate to a TV Story. You can have many adventures within one TV Story, especially when they make epic feature length stories which clearly span many individual escapades.

Si.

[Si Hunt]

I don't think Benton really had adventures "with" the Doctor did he? He was never an assistant, or a companion (and here we use the word in its dictionary definition). He was just sort of there and helped out. He was more like the Brigadier's companion.

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

I don't think Benton really had adventures "with" the Doctor did he? He was never an assistant, or a companion (and here we use the word in its dictionary definition). He was just sort of there and helped out. He was more like the Brigadier's companion.

Oh, I'm not arguing that Benton was the Doctor's companion - quite the opposite, to be honest! But does the Brigadier count? I mean, the definition of "companion" is really quite loose. I was at a trivia night where the quizmaster insisted that the Tenth Doctor had had the most companions, because they counted all the one-offs like Lady Christina, Lindsey Duncan's character etc.

I don't believe that these characters count as companions. I don't believe that Sara Kingdom properly counts - The Feast of Steven is merely a light-hearted diversion in the middle of DMP. They're clearly still running from the Daleks, and the main story resumes very shortly after. It's not really a separate adventure, in my mind.

[Jon Masters]

Well, we haven't got to them yet but I'd count the Brig, Benton and Mike Yates as all companions.

[Si Hunt]

My previous definition still holds:

I think a companion should be someone who the Doctor asks or accepts to be his assistant for multiple consecutive "adventures", whether they occur within the same TV story or not.

We have different tiers of charaacters:

the "one story assistant" who is NOT a companion because they fall down on the "multiple adventures" bit. i.e Lady Christina, Herbert etc

conversely, we then have characters who were in multiple stories who didn't really take on the role of companion - so they were there, but they didn't really stand by the Doctors side, they may have been his friend but they didn't act out the role of his assistant, e.g the Brigadier, Benton etc. Usually, this is why they don't travel in the TARDIS. They arn't commited to him, so will not follow him into the TARDIS at the end, they will go home instead. They don't consider themselves to be working with him.

Liz is obviously a bit of a funny one as it was the season without the TARDIS, but she counts on the basis of clearly taking the role of his assistant during the adventures.

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree, Si

[SiHart]

Which is of course, why it's a poll and a debate!

[Si Hunt]

Absolutely!

Si.

[Terileptil]

I'm going to include her as a companion and leave it at that.

[Larry]

She's a companion. She has multiple travels with the Doctor, some of which are only tangentially related to the adventure they're in the middle of...

so would you say Duggan, is a companion or even HG Wells and Lytton they all traveled in the TARDIS, so could all be technically a companion if we go down the "travelled in the TARDIS quallification . Personally my opinion Is that to quallify as a companion that character needs to of travelled in the TARDIS for a minimum of 2 stories.

[Si Hunt]

See my comment above, Larry. Sara Kingdom visited at least 2-3 planets/adventures within her long TV story. Does that make her not a companion? Why is it important where the division of TV stories lies? Surely it should be minimum of journies, if anything, rather than stories?

Si.

[Jason Thompson]

so would you say Duggan, is a companion or even HG Wells and Lytton they all traveled in the TARDIS, so could all be technically a companion if we go down the "travelled in the TARDIS quallification .

No-one has suggested travelling in the TARDIS is alone enough to qualify as a companion. The point is whether they travelled somewhere unrelated to the events when they first boarded. By that criterion Katarina qualifies as she left Troy with no idea where she was going, and Sara Kingdom qualifies because of the events of episode 7, which had nothing to do with the Daleks' Master Plan whatsoever. Duggan and HG Wells travelled in the TARDIS only in relation to the plot of their respective stories.