Doctor Who: Why old Doctors with new companions is always so exciting

New companions often present fresh and exciting opportunities in Doctor Who – even when they’re paired with previously established Doctors.

When it comes to telling stories with previous Doctors in expanded media, you’ll usually see them paired with previously established companions. Especially if they themselves were a key part of the era. For example: while a few novels have been written featuring the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane together, many more were written for the Third Doctor and Jo or for the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane, both of which were arguably much more iconic pairings.

It’s easy to see why this happens. After all, if you’re telling a story based on a bygone era, then you’re essentially telling a story heavily based on nostalgia. As a result, you want your story to be as nostalgic as possible, and seeing old Doctors with their most recognizable companions is a sure way of doing that.

However, this isn’t without its problems. If both the Doctor and the companion are heavily established, then we already know the full story of both. It’s not that new adventures can’t be told with them, but we already know their story’s beginning, middle, and end. So there’s considerably less room for development, especially if you’re telling stories as part of an ongoing series. Fortunately, there is a way around it: introduce a new companion for an old Doctor.

Colin Baker’s Doctor (pictured here with Miranda Raison and Lisa Greenwood) has had many original companions in the audios. All of which have brought out different sides to his character.

(Image Courtesy: Big Finish Productions.)

Fresh opportunities

Giving old Doctors new companions may lead to effectively reducing nostalgia. But at the same time, it can also add a feeling of freshness to the era, too. When new companions are introduced with current Doctors in the TV series, it’s a chance to see them with completely fresh eyes. The same is true for the old Doctors, too.

When Titan Comics began their series of comics based on the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, they made sure to create brand new companions for them, specifically Gabby Gonzalez and Alice Obiefune, respectively. This was a smart choice, as both comic series were meant to last for the long term, and introducing new companions was a sure way of getting plenty of character development.

It can also lead to exciting opportunities, too. For example, for last year’s series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures from Big Finish, Tom Baker’s Doctor was paired with a new companion – Ann Kelso, as played by Jane Slavin. Together, they worked together to bring down the mysterious organization known as “the Syndicate”.

Along with giving the Doctor a brand new friend, it also heightened the stakes considerably. After all, with established companions, we know that they won’t die before the end of their journeys. But with new companions like Ann, however? There are no such guarantees. As such, the drama is arguably heightened and leaves the audience a little more eager to find out how the story is resolved.

More from Winter is Coming

• For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
• Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
• Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
• Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
• Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”

New life for old Doctors

Lastly, new companions often help with bringing new life to old Doctors. Especially when they’re set in such clear gaps. For example, the first three volumes of The Tenth Doctor Adventures have been rather short, featuring only three episodes each. This isn’t too surprising: along with featuring actors as busy as David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Billie Piper, there’s also limited room for new stories set in such mapped out eras.

But of course, there’s no such problem with new companions. Introducing these set in clear gaps during a Doctor’s era allows for more stories with that Doctor. Going back to The Tenth Doctor Adventures, next year will see the release of Dalek Universe: a nine-part series featuring Ten with two (more or less) brand new companions. It means we can get a new and extremely fresh take on his era. To be honest, it’s the most excited I’ve been about The Tenth Doctor Adventures yet.

Telling new stories with both Doctors and companions we all know and love isn’t a bad thing, far from it. It can certainly be enough to just tell brand new stories during that particular era. But new companions always provide so many new and exciting opportunities for established Doctors. More than that, it feels like getting to see those Doctors and their eras with a fresh perspective.

Which do you prefer when it comes to telling new stories for old Doctors? Do you prefer them to be paired with recognizable companions? Or would you like to see them start traveling with someone new? Let us know in the comments below.