Companions of NuWho: Relatable or Repetitive?

Guest contributor Will Brown wonders if the companion template needs a shake-up.

As the ninth series of revived Doctor Who edges ever closer, there has been, as always, much speculation concerning possible events in it. Receiving a large proportion of these theories is current companion, Clara Oswald, as played by Jenna Coleman, particularly concerning her likely departure from this role. A new companion will inevitably have to be introduced at some point and looking back over the past ten years, a pattern has certainly been developing, but should the show continue it or go with something new?

I shall firstly clarify what I think this pattern is. Thus far, all the ‘main’ companions of the revived era have mostly been twenty-something year-old women from modern-day London. Of course, there has been a little lee-way from this template, as is to be expected, such as Donna being slightly older or Amy being from Leadworth (although she did live in London from The God Complex onwards). The fact that they all fit in a similar mould strikes me as somewhat lazy on the part of the writers and, most chiefly, the show-runners. To be quite frank, I consider it to be irritating and it seems illogical to me in that the Doctor has access to all of time and space. One or two; absolutely fine. Five in a row; overkill.

The reuse of the same basic details would not be such a bad thing, except I strongly feel that this similarity has further extended to the characters’ personalities and overall traits. They all have had bucket loads of wit and sass, this sometimes becoming sheer obnoxiousness, most have fancied the Doctor (and all have shared a snog with him), and the majority of them are destined to serve a pivotal purpose in the layout of a series, so having a befitting title, e.g. ‘Bad Wolf’, or the ‘Impossible Girl’. Again, I find it to be an incredibly lazy approach for the show to take.

An alternative take on proceedings? As many have previously suggested, having a companion from another place or time (or even both), like they had back in Doctor Who’s original ‘classic-series’ run. I think that this choice would differentiate the character, not only in their background but also their personality, as I believe it would give the writer greater freedom to innovate. It would bring a fresh perspective and could possibly change how we see the events of the show and, of an even greater importance, challenge the practises and opinions of our culture. The show has already excelled at this, and a ‘different’ companion would make this easier to do.

A common argument among the defenders of a modern-day companion is that it means there is an audience surrogate; someone with whom the viewers, mainly the casual ones, can relate to and better experience the stories we see unfold on screen. Personally, I have many problems with this oft-used reason. Firstly, relatability, like with time, is all relative; I am sure that Martha or Amy isn’t too relatable for an elderly Northern gentleman.

Secondly, and more significantly, I shall look back to the classic era, where there were large periods of the show when none of the companions we had were from the then-modern-day; there were no major objections by the viewing public and, if anything, in the thirty-plus years since, society has become more accustomed to sci-fi concepts and different eras and places. I am more than certain people can handle someone from a few decades ago or from now, and if not, a few adventures in contemporary times would assist and ease this creative move.

To conclude, I highly believe a change from the template of a young woman from modern-day London would be a refreshing move to head in, as the possibilities are practically endless; for example, we could have a young man from 70s New York or a middle-aged woman from a technically advanced future (as you can probably tell, these are off the top of my head). A large problem for me recently has been too much of a focus on contemporary times; a radically changed companion would negate the need for this emphasis, and broaden the show’s horizons as a whole.