Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants by Andy Frankham-Allen
Authors: Andy Frankham-Allen
Ads: Link
companions are heard of again.
The next Expanded Universe-only companion comes along in 2011, when we are introduced to Oliver Harper. A city trader from 1966, Oliver joins the Doctor and Steven in the audio book, The Perpetual Bond, and is killed two stories later in The First Wave . His mind continues to exist, and he remains with the Doctor (who is completely unaware of his presence) for the rest of his first incarnation until fading out when the Doctor regenerates.
The last Expanded Universe companion is, probably, the most interesting, in that she was created for television, but never intended to be an ongoing companion. Sara Kingdom appeared in the epic twelve-part story The Daleks’ Masterplan , and was killed in the closing moments. Her position as companion has been hotly contested by fans for decades. A debate that was ratcheted up in 1989 when John Peel adapted the story into two books, fixing a very definite six month gap between episodes seven and eight. During that time, Sara continues to travel with the Doctor and Steven, as seen in several audio books and short stories. But in the audio book Home Truths we learn that Sara’s mind is copied by a house, and later she is reincarnated as an older woman – and it is this Sara who appears in the audio play, The Five Companions .
The Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton
‘Our lives are different to anybody else’s. ...Nobody in the universe can do what we’re doing.’
The Doctor – The Tomb of the Cybermen
With the change of Doctor a radical shift in the companion dynamic occurred. Up to this point the majority of the Doctor’s companions were contemporary (and even when they were not, very little was made of the ‘out of time’ aspect of their characters), with a nice balance between male and female. But along came the Second Doctor, and off go Ben & Polly. Their replacements were three very distinctively different types of companions – and not one contemporary character among them – a fact that was tailored to the stories’ benefit, and, indeed, the Doctor’s.
Ben Jackson & Polly – Michael Craze & Anneke Wills continued... ( The War Machines to The Faceless Ones )
During the rest of their travels with the Doctor, we learn very little about Ben & Polly, even though they continue with him for a further six adventures. It is a curious thing that from the start, despite having seen the Doctor’s ‘renewal’, Ben refuses to accept that the Doctor is indeed who he claims to be. Once again Polly is the voice of reason, willing to accept what she has seen, even if she cannot really understand it. Throughout their adventure on the human colony on Vulcan ( The Power of the Daleks ) Ben continues to be irritable and highly strung, while Polly opts for calmness. It is only when a Dalek recognises the Doctor that Ben finally accepts this strange man in the frock coat is the same old man he had come to trust.
Throughout his travels, Ben is heard moaning and complaining a lot, often responding with aggression, but at his heart he is a good man; a hero of sorts, although sometimes he is not the sharpest of travelling companions. His lack of historical knowledge is proven when the TARDIS takes its occupants to the Battle of Culloden in 1746 ( The Highlanders ) but he displays an unexpected level of scientific knowledge on the Moonbase when helping Polly find a way to combat the Cybermen. He reveals himself to be a little ignorant of other cultures when he points out that Polly can speak ‘foreign’ and continues to be protective of Polly, calling her ‘Duchess’ on many occasions. When separated for some time, Ben’s first thought on seeing the Doctor is always, ‘Where’s Polly?’
With the arrival of Jamie, Ben finds a kindred spirit – another young man who is not shy of taking action. They bond in an almost sibling-like way, although they almost come to blows when Ben suggests that Jamie ‘cracks up’ while on the Moonbase.
The next Expanded Universe-only companion comes along in 2011, when we are introduced to Oliver Harper. A city trader from 1966, Oliver joins the Doctor and Steven in the audio book, The Perpetual Bond, and is killed two stories later in The First Wave . His mind continues to exist, and he remains with the Doctor (who is completely unaware of his presence) for the rest of his first incarnation until fading out when the Doctor regenerates.
The last Expanded Universe companion is, probably, the most interesting, in that she was created for television, but never intended to be an ongoing companion. Sara Kingdom appeared in the epic twelve-part story The Daleks’ Masterplan , and was killed in the closing moments. Her position as companion has been hotly contested by fans for decades. A debate that was ratcheted up in 1989 when John Peel adapted the story into two books, fixing a very definite six month gap between episodes seven and eight. During that time, Sara continues to travel with the Doctor and Steven, as seen in several audio books and short stories. But in the audio book Home Truths we learn that Sara’s mind is copied by a house, and later she is reincarnated as an older woman – and it is this Sara who appears in the audio play, The Five Companions .
The Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton
‘Our lives are different to anybody else’s. ...Nobody in the universe can do what we’re doing.’
The Doctor – The Tomb of the Cybermen
With the change of Doctor a radical shift in the companion dynamic occurred. Up to this point the majority of the Doctor’s companions were contemporary (and even when they were not, very little was made of the ‘out of time’ aspect of their characters), with a nice balance between male and female. But along came the Second Doctor, and off go Ben & Polly. Their replacements were three very distinctively different types of companions – and not one contemporary character among them – a fact that was tailored to the stories’ benefit, and, indeed, the Doctor’s.
Ben Jackson & Polly – Michael Craze & Anneke Wills continued... ( The War Machines to The Faceless Ones )
During the rest of their travels with the Doctor, we learn very little about Ben & Polly, even though they continue with him for a further six adventures. It is a curious thing that from the start, despite having seen the Doctor’s ‘renewal’, Ben refuses to accept that the Doctor is indeed who he claims to be. Once again Polly is the voice of reason, willing to accept what she has seen, even if she cannot really understand it. Throughout their adventure on the human colony on Vulcan ( The Power of the Daleks ) Ben continues to be irritable and highly strung, while Polly opts for calmness. It is only when a Dalek recognises the Doctor that Ben finally accepts this strange man in the frock coat is the same old man he had come to trust.
Throughout his travels, Ben is heard moaning and complaining a lot, often responding with aggression, but at his heart he is a good man; a hero of sorts, although sometimes he is not the sharpest of travelling companions. His lack of historical knowledge is proven when the TARDIS takes its occupants to the Battle of Culloden in 1746 ( The Highlanders ) but he displays an unexpected level of scientific knowledge on the Moonbase when helping Polly find a way to combat the Cybermen. He reveals himself to be a little ignorant of other cultures when he points out that Polly can speak ‘foreign’ and continues to be protective of Polly, calling her ‘Duchess’ on many occasions. When separated for some time, Ben’s first thought on seeing the Doctor is always, ‘Where’s Polly?’
With the arrival of Jamie, Ben finds a kindred spirit – another young man who is not shy of taking action. They bond in an almost sibling-like way, although they almost come to blows when Ben suggests that Jamie ‘cracks up’ while on the Moonbase.
Similar Books
