Doctor Who: The one companion the Doctor said they loved

Rose was certainly very close to the Doctor. But even she didn’t get to hear the Doctor say that he loved her…

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

With her upcoming return, we look at the one companion in Doctor Who history the Doctor clearly and openly said they loved. And it isn’t River. It isn’t even Rose…

There have been many companions in Doctor Who over the years. Some of them have really only been there for the journey itself, or even only completely by accident. But others have been much closer to the Doctor than that. Some of them have been their best friends, and sometimes, they’ve been even more than that…

One recent example is, of course, their wife, River Song. The Eleventh Doctor was very close to River in particular, and River openly stated that she loved him, particularly during The Wedding of River Song.

But, despite clearly being very close to her and even marrying her, the Doctor never stated – on screen, at least – that he loved her. In fact, it was enough for River to believe that he could never truly love anyone, even when the Twelfth incarnation of her husband was standing right next to her in The Husbands of River Song.

Another obvious and immediate example that springs to mind is Rose Tyler. Again, the Doctor was very close with her, especially in his Tenth life. To be honest, their love for each other seemed pretty obvious.

So it wasn’t surprising when Rose, during the final moments of Doomsday, admitted that she loved him. The Doctor? Faded away before he could tell her what he wanted to say. And even when they reunited in Journey’s End, he still didn’t say it. His half-human copy said something to her, but of course, we didn’t hear what.

So somehow, we’ve never heard the Doctor say that he ever loved a companion. He may have loved a few – and in some cases, that’s pretty obvious – but never told them.

Except one.

Charley first met the Doctor in his first audio story Storm Warning. And it was a relationship that would change them both forever…

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

An Edwardian Adventuress

When the Doctor first met Charley Pollard in Storm Warning, the chemistry between them was instantly clear. A young and aspiring “Edwardian Adventuress”, she was so eager to see so much more of the world that she snuck on board the R101 during its maiden voyage.

However, when she did that, she didn’t know that three things would happen. One, the ship was going to crash on that maiden voyage. Two, she was destined to be one of the people who died on that ship. And three, that she would meet the Doctor, who change her life – and endanger the whole of history – by one simple act of kindness.

It was obvious that the Doctor and Charley liked each other from the start. Charley clearly loved the life that the Doctor was living, while the Doctor loved Charley’s bright and innocent attitude towards the universe. And despite him knowing almost from the very start that her death was a fixed point in time, he still couldn’t say no to her joining him on his travels.

It took Charley a while to realize that the R101 was where she was meant to die. But eventually, after many travels together, the Time Lords had caught up with her and the Doctor in Neverland. And that’s when they finally realized just how damaging Charley’s existence was to history.

Through Charley’s survival, a kind of doorway had been created into another universe – Anti-Time. Wherever the Doctor and Charley went, history would change across the universe. (Even on Earth, Benjamin Franklin suddenly became President!)

Neverland was a crucial story in the Doctor’s and Charley’s relationship. Particularly due to what he said…

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

“You’re my friend, and I love you…”

To fix things, the Doctor, Charley and the Time Lords went into the universe of Anti-Time. But of course, once they got there, they found a group of people who wanted to destroy Time completely. And they were going to use Charley to do it.

There seemed to be one way the Doctor could stop them. Just one: by shooting Charley so that the portal could be closed and there was no way for the Anti-Time to cross over into our universe. And it was during this moment, when he was forced to point a gun at his friend, that the Doctor finally said these words:

"Charley, I can’t. You’re my friend, and I love you. I can’t look you in the eye and shoot you, no matter what!"

It’s a pretty powerful and incredibly dramatic moment. Exactly what was needed for a statement as bold as that. This is then followed by him proving that love by finding another way to save her life – one that almost destroys him completely.

The Doctor loving Charley was only openly brought up in the following two stories: Zagreus and, in a far deeper and more satisfying way, Scherzo. That story really examined what loving someone actually means to the Doctor. Why Charley’s so different, how it affects the Doctor, and why he finds it so difficult to even accept it.

There’s one particularly powerful scene when he angrily declares it, and it’s brilliant:

"Of course I loved you! I killed myself for you, didn’t I? Of course I loved you!"

After Scherzo, it’s never directly addressed again, although it’s certainly hinted at. After they lost one of their friends, C’Rizz, and due to the Doctor’s rather shocking reaction to their friend’s death, Charley decided it was time for her to leave.

The last time the Eighth Doctor and Charley were together was in The Girl Who Never Was back in 2007. Will the pair finally be reunited in Ravenous 3?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

A last goodbye…?

Of course, the Doctor decided it was time for them to have one more adventure in The Girl Who Never Was. And, naturally, he talked Charley round. Even after she had written a letter for him explicitly explaining never to find her again.

By the end of the story, Charley had forgiven the Doctor. But she was also stranded on an island millennia into the future. Worse still, the Doctor had a mild case of amnesia. Not enough to make him forget his whole life (at least, not this time), but enough to make him forget his last adventure with Charley. So when he found Charley’s letter, he’s shocked and heartbroken, not knowing that she’s still waiting for him.

Of course, Charley was eventually rescued by the Doctor. But definitely not the one she was expecting…

Possible reunion?

More from Winter is Coming

It’s been over a decade since the Eighth Doctor and Charley were separated. During that time, they had their own separate adventures. The Doctor traveled with Lucie Miller, Molly O’Sullivan and more recently Liv and Helen, while Charley had some adventures with the Doctor’s Sixth incarnation. The only stories we’ve had featuring Eight and Charley have mainly taken place before The Girl Who Never Was.

However, that could change with the next Eighth Doctor boxset on Tuesday, Ravenous 3.

In that set, one of the episodes, Companion Piece, will feature several of the Eighth Doctor’s companions, past, present and future. However, it also sounds like it’ll be a Doctor-lite story. Still, it’s enough to make you wonder: will the Doctor and Charley be reunited at all? Will the words they once said be addressed? And how will they feel about each other’s lives now?

Regardless, whatever happens, one fact won’t change: that Charley Pollard is still the only companion that the Doctor has said he loved. And honestly, I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.

Next. Why the reunion between Paul McGann’s Doctor and Eric Roberts’s Master is huge. dark

Have you heard of Charlotte Pollard before? Do you think he should have said the same thing to Rose, River or even other companions? Let us know in the comments below.

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