Outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, who will be handing the reins over to Chris Chibnall after Series 10 in 2017, has reported that he does not believe current Doctor Peter Capaldi will be leaving with him.
According to an article in entertainment weekly Moffat told Doctor Who magazine that he has “no reason to suppose” that he is writing out a Doctor and added “Peter is loving the role, and long may he do so”. With this news fans can hope (or dread if you dislike this incarnation) to have the Twelfth Doctor for at least a fourth full series which we are yet to have since the 2005 relaunch.
As you may know in Series 10 Capaldi will be joined by new companion Bill (you can see the teaser with her here) but the longevity or the quality of this new pairing is anyone’s guess. So for this edition of “So Who Saturday” we will be looking at the seven Doctor/Companion pairings of the NuWho era, from the ones that exploded like a Cybership in “A Good Man Goes to War” to the ones that fell flatter than the Boneless. So Allons-y, Geronimo and here we go:
#7 Eleventh Doctor and Clara
I really enjoyed the Eleventh Doctor and I liked Clara as she progressed, but combining the two was like having peanut butter with pizza – they just didn’t go together. At this point Clara was still the “Impossible Girl” and had barely any personality which made it difficult to have any chemistry with the Doctor. These two together just felt forced and going through the motions and, other than a brief flirtatious aspect, there was not much going on here. Moving right along.
#6 Tenth Doctor and Martha
Now I liked the character of Martha Jones. She was intelligent, courageous and forthright. Sadly for most of her adventures she was the Eleventh Doctor’s unrequited love sick puppy, leading to quite a few awkward moments. Thankfully when she moved past that things got a whole lot better.
#5 Ninth Doctor and Rose
Run! The first NuWho Doctor/Companion combination was a fun pair. The intense and capricious Doctor taking every girl Rose on amazing adventures was a good time for all. They had good chemistry but not to the depth of the others lower on this list.
#4 Eleventh Doctor and Amy
Come along Pond! Spunky Amy and the wild and crazy Eleventh Doctor were like fish fingers and custard – surprisingly delicious. This was such a terrific pairing and you really felt like the two cared for each other. Sure Rory Pond (I mean Williams) was around sometimes but the core was these two. And when they were torn apart it was genuinely heart breaking.
#3 Tenth Doctor and Rose
Just thinking of these two and my heart is filling with feels. This pairing was fun and flirty and evolved from friends into almost lovers. Lots of out of this world adventures and chemistry that crackled, you don’t get much better than Tenth Doctor and Rose. The better would be our top two.
#2 Twelfth Doctor and Clara
I think that few companions have divided fans more than Clara Oswald. Some have loved her while others have downright loathed her and could not wait to see her leave. As I mentioned above in point #7 Clara was woefully underdeveloped when she was first introduced so some of the dislike is understood. But she really grew and flourished into a strong interesting character and the introduction of the Twelfth Doctor brought out the best in her. Their relationship of cranky father figure and “carer” was pretty unique and made for some scenes of humour, intense confrontation and also beautiful affection. These two fit together perfectly and that is why they are number two on the list.
#1 Tenth Doctor and Donna
As I mentioned in my article on the Top 9 series of Doctor Who (you can read that here) I am a huge fan of Series 4 which featured the ultimate NuWho combination. Unlike Rose and Martha, Donna was not a love interest but a “mate”, advisor, friend and conscience for the Doctor. She really brought out the best in him and their friendship was heartwarming and highly entertaining. Among NuWho Doctor/Companion combos nobody did it better.
So what’s your favorite NuWho Doctor/Companion combination? Feel free to comment below.
For my Top 10 Doctor Who accessories you can click here and for my Top 7 Worst NuWho Monsters you can click here. And for more wibbley wobbly timey wimey TV posts you can follow me on @suprememango012 for updates.
Julien is outie like a navel. l8rs
Meh