From Rose Tyler to Ruby Sunday: The definitive ranking of every Doctor Who companion

Doctor Who is finally back with its second Russell T Davies era on Saturday, and with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor breathing a much needed fresh lease of life to the show it finally feels like one of my all time favourite programmes is back entering a new golden era. I’ve been a hardcore Doctor Who fan since the rebirth of the show in 2005, and with a fresh season starting in a matter of days here is my ranking of all the companions in Doctor Who from the RTD reboot to now.

17. Adam

Adam had no business getting an invite on the Tardis, and we knew that even before all the fuck ups he made during The Long Game. An abysmal character and I’m glad he got the bollocking he deserved from the Ninth Doctor and Rose. Deserved nobody’s time. He was literally created by Russell T Davies to be a bad companion, and, uh – job well done, I guess.

16. Ryan

You know we’re in dire straits when you’re upstaged by your nan in your first episode, and then when she’s killed off heartbreakingly everyone spends the entire series wishing she was the one who got to be the 13th Doctor’s companion instead. Just… boring.

15. Nardole

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What a shock to the system guys! Matt Lucas is here, and he’s playing… Matt Lucas! Every single role Matt Lucas dabbles in is just Matt Lucas. I don’t want Matt Lucas doing the Matt Lucas thing in the Tardis, and honestly he is the scourge of the otherwise excellent series 10 in my opinion. Forever mournful we didn’t just get a great series of the Doctor and Bill telling the great stories that were present. He’s notable for being the first full time alien companion of the reboot era, but that’s ruined by the fact that Nardole is just… MATT LUCAS.

14. Yaz

I really want to love Yaz, but the dismal writing of the Chibnall era really holds everything back. There’s a really good character here buried by a bad era for the show. I think it’s so frustrating that the most interesting story the show had going for it – the fact Yaz had feelings for the 13th Doctor – was sort of confined to this will they, won’t they dynamic that never chose its path. They just left it all up in the air. Yaz deserved better.

13. Dan

I quite like Dan. I groaned at the John Bishop casting a bit, but he was actually a decent enough time and a nice companion for Flux even when that little mini series era was an abysmal time for the show. I love Liverpool and it was great to see Who show off the city in such a way, and Dan was a huge part of that. Would have been nice to see him in a proper series.

12. Graham

The best companion of the Chibnall dismal era of Doctor Who goes unexpectedly to Bradley Walsh as Graham. I feel like when this casting was announced many worried it was a stunt casting move, but really Bradley Walsh brought so much warmth to the Tardis and was the best out of the “fam” era surrounding Jodie. Just felt good having someone of a different age group along for the main adventures.

11. Clara

Clara is a companion who is simply … a good companion. Whilst Moffat tries to tangle in so many mysteries as he is keen to do, I think Jenna Coleman takes on Clara as a character who can go toe to toe with the Doctor and is vastly different than Amy, but if someone was to ask me what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Clara… I honestly don’t know what I’d say. Perhaps it has something to do with the apathy I have towards her era of Doctor Who and my loathing of Danny Pink – Clara just always sort of ends up… there. In the words of Taylor Swift, it wasn’t love it wasn’t hate it’s just indifference.

10. River Song

The thing with River Song is she starts off great. When used sparingly, this mysterious figure from the Doctor’s future is engaging, intriguing – extremely nailed on and cool thanks to a great performance by Alex Kingston. But the more River episodes crop up, the messier it gets and the more the character outstays her welcome.

9. Ruby

I am all in for Ruby Sunday. We’ve literally had one episode with her, and although Millie Gibson’s performance airs on the side of her Corrie roots rather than a show like Doctor Who – her and Gatwa have great chemistry and I think her backstory is really warming and loved her surrounding family dynamic. That’s an important thing to me that I think the other show runners never always nailed but Russell T Davies always gets perfect. I’m so excited to see where they go with her this season and if she goes up or down this Doctor Who companions ranking.

8. Mickey

Taking Noel Clarke out of the equation here and simply discussing the character, for obvious reasons. I like how Mickey starts the show as a joke but grows to get the Doctor and Rose’s respect through the RTD era of Doctor Who – he has great growth and it’s amazing to watch him go from someone quite anti the chaos the Doctor’s presence brings to a much braver guy rising to the occasion.

7. Amy

A hard one for me to rank personally because Amy is just not the companion or the character for me personally, but I do think she brought so much to the show and I can completely understand why her era in the Tardis with the 11th Doctor is so beloved and revered by fans of it. Karen Gillan is an amazing performer and I think the choice to make Amy a bit of a reckless brat in comparison to other companions before her was a smart one that made her time in the Tardis infinitely memorable.

6. Rory

In at six when ranking Doctor Who companions Amy’s fella Rory, who is just one of those characters who is sort of accidentally great. I love a reluctant hero. He’s only really wrapped up in all this because of his love for Amy – and his bravery and growth over his time with the Doctor is just so heartwarming. Of all the Tardis teams, I think the combination of Amy, Rory and the 11th Doctor just feels the most harmonious. It’s like they were all meant to be there.

5. Bill

The most underrated of all the companions from Doctor Who and kicking off the top five of the ranking is Bill. I LOVE Bill, and it’s absolutely criminal we only got one series of her and the 12th Doctor. I think series 10 is such a great return to form – interesting stories, a fresh dynamic – so much of that is down to what Pearl Mackie brings to Bill. Her ending is absolutely tragic and she deserved better. Love her. Lesbian icon.

4. Captain Jack

Again, John Barrowman shudders aside – I love Jack as a character a lot. I was rattled to my core seeing another alien presence join the Tardis group when I first watched series one and it just brought so much to the table. He was a natural character to expand further in Torchwood and I’ve just always loved Jack for all his sexual vigour and leading man vibes. Yes, he was a sexual awakening – and no, I don’t want to talk about it x

3. Martha

The show very unfairly keeps Martha Jones often in Rose’s shadow. It’s not fair, because Martha is a great companion in her own right and deserved better than to be the Doctor’s rebound after Rose was gone. I truly love Martha Jones, and series three – because Martha does out of all the Doctor Who companions in this entire ranking so much to save the world and help the Doctor. Her intelligence and resilience is second to none, and I love that the show brings Martha back recurrently in series four and on Torchwood because she’s that damn clever and that damn useful. Queen.

2. Donna

The character of all of Doctor Who with the biggest heart – Catherine Tate brings so much warmth and love to this character it is beyond belief. From her first appearance in The Runaway Bride to her return in the 60th specials at the end of last year, she never lost what made this character an instant fan favourite. Tate’s dynamic with David Tennant as the 10th Doctor is magnetic and I love how it was always about their friendship with no romantic undertones ever. It just always worked so well, and Donna is a character with a huge heart and endless bravery. Cherish.

1. Rose

Urgh, the only person who I could ever be ranking atop the rest of Doctor Who companions has GOT TO BE Rose Tyler. Rose is honestly the reason I started watching Doctor Who – as Buffy ended it seemed that nine year old me needed another blonde girly fighting monsters to obsess over. Little was I to know how incredible Billie Piper would actually be in this role. Rose is the reason the reboot of Doctor Who worked so well – because her dynamic with the Doctor was honestly just like this magic glue that made everything else feel natural. Perfectly written, impeccably performed – the ultimate hero. For all her bratty flaws and rash ways, something about Rose just always feels like she’s the main it girl of the Tardis and always will be for me.

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