Ranking Clara With the New Who Companions: Countdown (Part 1)

Guest contributor Kane Andriunas begins his countdown.

This year marked a decade of brand new Doctor Who and now with Jenna Coleman leaving, I decided it was a good time to write an article rating the companions, worst to best. With also including their best episodes. So let’s start this off in Tenth Doctor style! Allons-y!

8. Martha Jones

Played by: Freema Agyeman, Doctor: 10th, Best Episode: The Last of the Time Lords

So I’ve decided to start the countdown off with Martha Jones, the girl who wanted so much to be loved by the Doctor. Introduced as a Doctor herself, Martha was someone new, someone who would save the Doctor after his recent heartbreak with Rose. The Doctor needed a friend, instead, Martha fell in love with him, travelled and fought against the Daleks, Judoon, Sontarans and even the Master. Made clear throughout the whole of series three was her unrequited love for the Doctor, I think maybe sometimes it was overdone. The companion is meant to be the Doctor’s friend not his lover.

With Rose being the companion before her, the first couple of episodes saw Martha try and match up. It felt as if she was written in to be a second Rose, but never quite made it. Although at times she appeared whiny, Martha would have done anything for the Doctor, even walking the earth to try and find a weapon to defeat one of the Doctor’s most evil enemies, the Master. The reason why I have put her as my least favourite companion of the new era of Doctor Who is because although she was in a full series, and a couple of episodes during Donna’s era, I never felt connected with her, it always felt like a woman chasing a man for love and attention.

7. Captain Jack Harkness

Played by: John Barrowman, Doctor: 9th & 10th, Best Episode: Utopia

Torchwood’s Captain Jack Harkness swoops handsomely in at number seven. Companion to the Doctor on just six adventures (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Boom Town, Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, Utopia/The Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords & The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End), the devilish Captain brought a certain amount of charm before River Song’s era.

Although it was made clear that the Doctor often didn’t agree with Jack’s choices and even tried to leave him behind when he saw him again after The Parting of the Ways, Jack was someone who the Doctor knew he could rely on, even when things got tough. Every time the Captain showed up, he would be dazzled in adventure once more with the beloved Time Lord and even created his own alien fighting team, Torchwood.

6. Amy Pond

Played by: Karen Gillan, Doctor: 11th, Best Episode: The Girl Who Waited

It was the start of Steven Moffat’s reign and he decided that Karen Gillan was going to be companion to new Doctor, Matt Smith. Throughout the Eleventh Doctor’s first series it felt as if she had been written based on Rose’s looks, love and passion and Donna’s feistiness. However, we weren’t expecting her husband to join the TARDIS team. When Rory joined I sort of went off Amy, it felt as if the show wasn’t about the Doctor and his companion anymore, instead, a Saturday night soap-opera featuring the lives of two ordinary humans flying around time and space with an idiot in a blue box! I have so many dislikes about Amy, however, the reason she is placed as the sixth best companion since Doctor Who re-started in 2005 is because even though the whole Amy and Rory thing got a bit too much in my opinion, there were times when I thought that the Eleventh Doctor and Amy worked perfectly beside each other.

5. Rose Tyler

Played by: Billie Piper, Doctor: 9th & 10th, Best Episode: The Parting of the Ways

This was certainly a tricky choice, many of you Whovians out there probably won’t agree with me and are probably wondering why Rose comes in as the fifth best companion of the new Doctor Who, well… when Doctor Who came crashing back on our TV screens in 2005, we were greeted with a new face, new look TARDIS and a brand new companion, someone who was going to be by the Doctor’s side and help him alongside his thrilling adventures, fighting Daleks, Cybermen, Slitheen, a werewolf and even the Beast. Back in 2005, I remember finishing series one and really just wondering what Rose ever actually did except for cry, moan and run, and when series two finished, I thought for the past two years, Doctor Who had become one big massive love-story.

But however negative this sounds I can still recall crying into a box of tissues as the Doctor and Rose said a heartbreaking goodbye on the beach of Bad Wolf Bay. Billie Piper was certainly a great actress to bring Doctor Who back with, and for the reason why she comes in as fifth position in my Doctor Who companion countdown is simply because after one and a half series of watching and listening to her, in my opinion, she just got boring. Don’t get me wrong I thought she was fantastic in The Parting of the Ways and even better in Doomsday, but for me, she really wasn’t all that and I sometimes wonder what all the hype is about over her.

So that’s the end of part one of my companions countdown! Did you agree with my choices? If not, leave a comment and let me know what you thought! Can you guess who the top 4 are? Where will Jenna come in at? Until tomorrow…. Geronnnnnnnnnimmmmmmoooooooo!