Friends and Companions

The Doctor, wearing a blue pinstriped outfit, is sitting on a rail inside the TARDIS while smiling. Belinda, wearing a white top and dark jeans, is standing next to him, with her right hand on his knee. — Image caption,
The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) with his companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu)

21 November 2023

The Doctor's friends bring a unique dynamic to the journey through space and time. Their support and advice have helped transform him from a crotchety old man to the ever-curious adventurer we know and love today.

To honour the importance of these friends of television's most famous time-traveller, BBC Archives has curated this intergalactic photo album…

"You act like such a lonely man. But look at you! You’ve got the biggest family on Earth" Sarah Jane Smith (2008)

The Doctor, wearing his long, striped scarf and a dark jacket is standing in a white room next to a mirrored divider. Leela is the other side of the divider. Both are looking curious. — Image caption,
Leela (Louise Jameson) and The Doctor (Tom Baker) team up to face a supercomputer in The Face of Evil (1977)

The Doctor, wearing his brown suit and coat, is outside in a Roman street standing next to Donna, who is wearing a dark patterned top and her hair in a ponytail. Both are looking up at something with an expression of alarm on their faces. — Image caption,
The Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate) on the day Vesuvius erupts in The Fires of Pompeii (2008)

Black and white photo of Barbara, wearing a light coloured jumper and black trousers, and Ian , wearing a Chinese style jacket and high-necked shirt, standing next to The Doctor, who is wearing a dark jacket, outside a building. Barbara is looking at The Doctor, while Ian looks quizzically at something up and to his left. The Doctor looks like he is solving a problem, while he holds one finger up to the side of his mouth. You can almost hear him saying “hmmm”. — Image caption,
Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), Ian (William Russell) and The Doctor (William Hartnell) explore the mysterious tower in The Keys of Marinus (1963)

The Doctor, wearing a brown jacket, shirt and red bowtie, stares into Amy’s eyes. Amy, wearing a red top and her long hair over her shoulders, returns his stare. — Image caption,
Don't blink! The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) look out for Angels in Flesh and Stone (2010)

Black and white photo of Harry, who has short dark hair and is wearing a duffle coat over an open necked shirt and dark blazer, standing next to Sarah, who has dark, shoulder length hair and also wears an open necked shirt and dark jacket. They are standing in a cave with the light casting shadows on the wall behind them. — Image caption,
Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) in Revenge of the Cybermen (1975)

A group of people standing on steps outside of a building. On the left of the group is Leo, who is wearing a dinner suit and bow tie, and Tish, who is wearing a knee length fitted black dress. In the centre is Martha, who is wearing a dark, knee length sleeveless dress with matching heeled shoes. On the right are Francine, who is wearing a full-length bronze coloured dress, and the Doctor, who wears his usual 10th Doctor suit. They are all standing on a red carpet, looking in horror at something in the distance. — Image caption,
Keeping Martha Jones' (Freema Agyeman) family safe. The Doctor (David Tennant) with Leo (Reggie Yates), Tish (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), and Francine (Adjoa Andoh) in The Lazarus Experiment (2007)

Peri, who has short dark hair with a fringe and is wearing a bright red jumpsuit with silver zips, has a Cryon either side of her and another behind her. The Cryons are completely covered in white and iridescent plastic looking fabric. The have an opaque bubble over their head with whiskers around their mouth. The also have long, silvery fingernails. It is impossible to see the faces of, or identify the actors who are playing the Cryons. — Image caption,
Peri (Nicola Bryant) surrounded by Cryons in Attack of the Cybermen (1984)

A black and white photo of The Doctor, Ben and Polly inside the TARDIS, near the doors. They are all looking at something out of shot to their right as if it is strange. All three are wearing dark tops, with Polly also wearing a cap with her hair tucked in it. — Image caption,
The Doctor (William Hartnell), Ban (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills) inside the TARDIS in The Smugglers (1966)

BBC Archives

Jo Grant (Katy Manning) is a prisoner of The Master (Roger Delgado) in Frontier in Space (1973)

Ace, wearing a black jacket with badges on, rests her hands on The Doctor’s shoulder. The Doctor, wearing a hat, a light coloured jacket and Paisley scarf over a shirt, tie and jumper, rests his chin on the question-mark shaped handle of his umbrella. — Image caption,
Ace (Sophie Aldred) and The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) visit The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1988)

Romana, wearing a white, feather trimmed outfit, is crouching down on the right-hand side of K9, and grey box-shaped robot dog. — Image caption,
Romana (Mary Tamm) confers with K9 in The Ribos Operation (1978)

A black and white photo of Jamie, wearing a shirt and sheepskin waistcoat, with his arms around Zoe’s shoulders. Zoe is wearing a light coloured high-necked top. They are both looking at something scary out of shot. — Image caption,
Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury), the companion with a computer mind, in The Wheel in Space (1968)

Yas, wearing a red shirt and black jacket, and Dan, also wearing a dark jacket over a dark zip-up top, are standing inside the 13th Doctor’s TARDIS. The orange arching pillars that surround the console can be seen behind their heads. The are both looking towards where the TARDIS doors would be, with worried expressions on their faces.

Tegan , wearing a purple uniform of skirt and jacket, Nyssa, wearing a floaty skirt and fir-trimmed jacket, and The Doctor, wearing a long beige jacket over a cricket jumper and striped trousers, are standing in the TARDIS. The Doctor has his head tipped back and his arms outstretched, while Tegan and Nyssa look exasperated. — Image caption,
Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) help a newly regenerated Doctor (Peter Davison) find some rest and relaxation aboard his TARDIS in Castrovalva (1981)

The Doctor, wearing a dark velvet jacket and cravat, and Grace, wearing a pink blouse, are hunched over the TARDIS console. Grace looks in awe of her surroundings. — Image caption,
The two doctors. The Doctor (Paul McGann) and Dr Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) aboard the TARDIS in Doctor Who: The Movie (1996)

Black and white photo of Steven Taylor, who has short dark hair and is wearing a black cloak, and Vicki, who has lighter hair in short pigtails and is wearing a light coloured cowl-neck top, look out at something to their left. They are standing in amongst trees and bushes. — Image caption,
Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) and Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) look out for danger in The Time Meddler (1965)

The Doctor, wearing his long, striped scarf and a brown jacket, stands close to Romana, who is wearing a pink coat and a long white scarf. Both of them are looking into the distance. — Image caption,
The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Lalla Ward) on the planet Skaro in Destiny of the Daleks (1979)

Rose has her long blond hair tied in two plats, one on either side of her head. She is wearing a denim jacket and a short denim skirt which has a slightly frayed bottom edge. She also wears a purple and red scarf and coordinating red gloves. She is pressing the front of her body and her head and hands against the outside edge of the TARDIS, with a contented look on her face. — Image caption,
Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) feels at home with the TARDIS in Boom Town (2005)

Black and white photo of Deborah Watling, wearing a cagoule with the hood up so that you can just see her face, holding a white cup in her right hand. She is looking and smiling at Patrick Troughton, who is wearing a large fur coat and is looking back at her. Patrick is also holding a cup in his right hand and a saucer in his left. — Image caption,
Who's for tea? Deborah Watling (Victoria) and Patrick Troughton (The Doctor) on the set of The Abominable Snowman (1967)

The Doctor, wearing a dark jacket with a hoodie underneath, is standing behind Bill, who is wearing a multi-coloured striped top. The Doctor is looking over Bill’s shoulder as she holds a phone up in front of them both, as if taking a selfie. In front of them is a smiling Emojibot. — Image caption,
The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Bill (Pearl Mackie) head to a future Earth colony to discover if the people there are happy in Smile (2017)

The 3rd Doctor is walking on a path alongside a river with Liz on his left and the Brigadier on his right. The Brigadier is wearing a beige military uniform with a red lanyard around his right shoulder and ribbons on the left side of his chest. He also wears a beret on his head with a UNIT badge above his left eye. Liz wears a dark grey coat with black toggle fastenings over a red dress. She has long blond hair pinned off her face, but with the length falling down her back. The Doctor is wearing a white frilly shirt with a black tie under a black jacket and cloak. The cloak has a bright red lining which can be glimpsed behind the Doctor, suggesting he’s moving.

Mel, wearing a pink stripy top, is looking fearfully up while stretching her hands and arms in front of her in a defensive pose. — Image caption,
Mel (Bonnie Langford) about to be trapped in a giant bubble in Time and the Rani, Sylvester McCoy's debut episode as The Doctor (1987)

The War Doctor, who has short greying hair and a white goatee beard and is wearing a battered brown leather coat with a scarf around his neck, is sitting next to Clara, who has long dark hair and is wearing a black, belted jacket. They both hold an old fashioned small teacup in their right hands. — Image caption,
Sometimes, at the end of an adventure, you just need a cup of tea. The War Doctor (John Hurt) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) in The Day of the Doctor (2013)

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