5 Reasons Why a Historical Companion is a Good Idea

Guest contributor Connor James shares his reasoning.

Since it started over half a century ago, Doctor Who has had its fair share of good, bad, unforgettable and easily forgettable companions *cough* Dodo *cough*. The show’s current companion being Miss Clara Oswald, somebody who definitely has fans divided with their opinions of her. Some feel she has overstayed her welcome and would like her to depart in Series 9, whereas some would welcome her back with open arms for Series 10. A constant reason behind people’s dislike of Jenna Coleman’s character is that they would like a new companion not only for Capaldi, but for us viewers too.

Another thing some people are getting frustrated about is, since the return of the show in 2005, we’ve basically only had the generic 21st Century companion (Not including River Song, whose time line is too messed up to even remember WHERE she started off!). For a show about time travel this is baffling to me and many other viewers. In this article I want to discuss the possibility of using the time travel privilege the show has, to have a main series companion from the past and why it may be a good idea.

The Rarity of It

Looking back over the show since its return in 2005, the closest we have gotten to this type of companion is the Victorian counterpart of Clara Oswald. However before she could join the TARDIS as an actual companion, she was killed from a tragic fall. The circumstances of her existing was merely down to 21st Century Clara who threw herself into the Doctor’s timeline to save him, thus creating multiple versions of herself throughout time and space, one being governess and barmaid Clara Oswin Oswald.

The show experimented slightly in ‘Dinosaurs On A Spaceship’ with a historical figure as a companion, when Queen Nefertiti came along for the adventure. This, at first, made the theme of the episode rather cheesy, however the Egyptian Queen was later revealed to have a purpose in the episode, when she was kidnapped to become part of Solomon’s collection.

However it’s not just 2005 onwards that has lacked in historical companions. In the overall 50 plus years its been on, we’ve only ever really had two companions that came from Earth’s history, Jamie McCrimmon and Katarina, one who was memorable (more below) and the other who is forgettable due to her brief amount of time on the show.

Character Development At Its Best

The show could do with somebody from the past due to the fact they would be easily confused, allowing for the Doctor to explain equally to them and us as the audience, something we saw frequently with Jamie McCrimmon and Patrick Troughton’s Doctor. Like with Jamie, multiple things in a sci-fi show would not make sense due to said companion originating from the past, this being the sort of stuff that is probably easier to comprehend for companions from the 21st Century.

Also, dependent on where and when the character is from, they may have a way of life that the Doctor frowns upon, allowing for him to somehow change them into a better person throughout the series. Eventually said companion will develop into somebody with an understanding and way of life which allows us to have witnessed some very interesting development for the character.

The Minimal but Successful Classic Track Record

Though it’s not been done much, a previous companion from the show that originated from the past was a very interesting and popular character, that people thoroughly enjoyed watching, even to this day. In the Classic series, we met the aforementioned Jamie McCrimmon, a brave Scotsman whose time with the Doctor often saw him bemused by technology. His heart was in the right place even if he was a little bit dim at times. Something tells me a companion just like Jamie is what we need for the show at the moment, and quite frankly, somebody like him would be the perfect right hand man for Capaldi’s Doctor.

That Classic Touch of Teaching Viewers

Having such a companion also allows the producers of the show to bring back the more informative aspects. The show started off as a form of television that was both entertaining and informative, in that it taught younger viewers about history. It’s something that isn’t absent too much in the revived show, but could possibly be more evident. Having a companion from the past allows the historical aspect of the show to start being used to teach more frequently, and if you can be entertained and taught at the same time, it’s a win win for those who watch .

A Breath Of Fresh Air

While I really have thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the 21st Century companions Doctor Who has given us, its fairly certain that the show now needs a breath of fresh air. With a companion that doesn’t fit into the generic type we usually get, it may finally shake things up and allow us to experiment with the show’s themes, to see if change is successful or not.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the show is in need of some change, and possibly, bringing in a companion whose origins and lifestyle we aren’t more used to, is a positive move. Gathering some diversity in companions is never the worst thing and it was successfully achieved once in the Classic Series with a historical companion.

Who knows? Maybe its exactly what the show needs.