Leela: skin-clad warrior of the Sevateem, Leela played Eliza Doolittle to the Fourth Doctor's Henry Higgins. She left to marry drippy Andred on Gallifrey; the New Adventures implied that the couple might be the Doctor's own parents. Somehow. With the new series of Fourth Doctor audio adventures, Leela has come into her own as befits the most intelligent person on her planet.
Liz Shaw: the Doctor's first Assistant, brainy Liz was assigned to the exiled Third Doctor by UNIT. In that regard, she's really a long-term supporting cast member, like Mike Yates. Appeared in a handful of novels and died a distressing death in Virgin's Eternity Weeps. I much prefer the SJA reference to her work on a moonbase.
Louise: ravishing mystery woman in Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD. She is allegedly Dr. Who's niece and therefore cousin to Susie and Barbara Who. Looks very fetching in a cape.
Lucie Miller: a brash and very funny young woman from Blackpool, foisted on the Eighth Doctor as part of a Time Lord witness protection scheme. After an initially fractious period, the pair became close until a saving lie drove Lucie to team up with the Meddling Monk. Some time later, she gave her life to halt a second Dalek invasion of Earth.
Magenta Pryce: enigmatic con artist and all-around diva Majenta treated the DWM Tenth Doctor as an employee rather than a travelling companion. A ruthless, pragmatic survivor, Majenta redeemed herself when she saved the universe from the Crimson Hand conspiracy.
Martha Jones: trainee medical doctor who fell hopelessly in love with the Tenth Doctor. She was instrumental in his plan to end the Master's Year of Hell. The first companion of colour on tv, Martha later worked with UNIT and Torchwood and married Mickey Smith.
Mary Shelley: an actual, non-fictional historical personage in the Tardis! Mary travelled with the Byronic Eighth Doctor, aptly enough, at the beginning of his regeneration. So far, her four audio adventures mirror events in her writing, which is a bit patronising.
The Master: an android version of the renegade Time Lord travels with the Doctor in Scream of the Shalka. Unable to leave the Ship, he trades silkily sardonic banter with his jailer/saviour. It's implied that this mechanical vessel was the solution to his predicament at the end of the TV Movie. Derek Jacobi provided, er his Master's voice.
Max Edison: UFO spotter and geeky eccentric from the village of Stockbridge. Assisted the Fifth and Tenth Doctors and appeared on audio played by Rory Williams' dad, Mark Williams. Presumably named after Maxwell's Silver Hammer.
Melanie "Mel" Bush: Bonnie Langford. Wait, come back! The panto-tastic companion of the Sixth and Seven Doctors may have brought a theatrical archness to the role but she was given a more down-to -earth Sussex background in the BBC book Business Unusual. Much better on audio where she can be warm and earnest and a comic foil.
Mickey Smith: Rose Tyler's hapless boyfriend, Mickey joined a parallel Earth's Torchwood before marrying Doctor
Martha Jones and going all freelance -alien- hunter.
Mike Yates: UNIT officer who became dominated by the super-computer BOSS, then became part of the Operation: Golden Age conspiracy. One of the first gay characters in Doctor Who, as far as the Virgin books were concerned ( allegedly in a relationship with Tommy from Planet of the Spiders.) Mike assisted the Fourth Doctor in Paul Magrs' Hornets Nest/ Demon Quest/ Serpent Crest audio series.
Miranda Dawkins: the Eighth Doctor's adopted daughter and heir to an intergalactic empire, sassy 80s teen Miranda had her own comic for at least one issue. Killed in the BBC book Sometime Never. Possibly the mother of Susan Foreman?
Nikki Jupiter: teenage private eye in the BBC Book, Judgement of the Judoon. A charming homage to the tv series Veronica Mars, Nikki teams up with the Tenth Doctor in Elvis the King Spaceport. She would make a suitable comic book companion.
Nyssa : fairy-like aristocrat from Traken. Sole survivor of her people, prim Nyssa travelled with the Fifth Doctor. A bit of a wet blanket, Nyssa stayed on at a space leper colony to research a cure.Later rejoined the Fifth Doctor (on audio) as a middle-aged woman.
Oliver Harper: closeted gay stockbroker from the Sixties who travelled with the First Doctor and Steven Taylor. In a rather inappropriate twist from Big Finish, this was to avoid being arrested for a homosexual act. Killed by the Vardans, the most rubbish aliens of all time.
I would definitely include Leela in my Top Twenty companions but Lucie and Majenta are in my personal top ten.
Next: Companions P-S
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