Over the course of its many years on television, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who has not only seen changes in the actors to play the Doctor, but in the supporting cast as well.
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The Doctor is usually accompanied in his travels by one to three companions (sometimes called assistants). These characters provide a surrogate with whom the audience can identify, and further the story by asking questions and getting into trouble, (similar to Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.) The Doctor regularly gains new companions and loses old ones; sometimes they return home, or find new causes on worlds they have visited. A few of the companions have died during the course of the series.
Other humans
This list includes characters who appear to be human and who are not known to be anything other than human, even if having originated extra-terrestrially.
- Ashildr AKA Lady Me (Maisie Williams)[1]
- Captain Henry Avery (Hugh Bonneville)[2]
- Toby Avery (Oscar Lloyd)[3]
- Sophie Benson (Daisy Haggard)[4]
- Captain Carter of the Teselecta (Richard Dillane)[5]
- Nasreen Chaudhry (Meera Syal)[6]
- Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice)[7]
- computer programmer, unnamed (Jo Stone-Fewings)[8]
- Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles)[9]
- "Danny Boy" and Captain Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart (Mark Gatiss)[10]
- Special Agent Canton Everett Delaware III (W. Morgan Sheppard, Mark Sheppard)[11]
- Miss Dexter (Elize du Toit)[12]
- Charles Dickens (Simon Callow)[13]
- Queen Elizabeth I (Vivienne Bennett, Angela Pleasence, Joanna Page)[14][15]
- Queen Elizabeth II (Jeannette Charles, Herself [archival], Jessica Martin [voice], Angharad Baxter [body])[16][17][18]
- Queen Elizabeth X, a/k/a "Liz 10" (Sophie Okonedo)[19]
- Elliot (Samuel Davies)[6]
- female programmer, unnamed (Nisha Nayar)[8]
- Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart)[20]
- floor manager, unnamed (Jenna Russell)[8]
- Midshipman Alonzo Frame (Russell Tovey)[21]
- French newsreader, unnamed (Anthony Debaeck)[22]
- Dr Paul-Ferdinand Gachet (Howard Lee)[23]
- Vincent van Gogh (Tony Curran)[24]
- Detective Inspector Gregson (Paul Hickey)[25]
- Yvonne Hartman (Tracy-Ann Oberman)[26]
- Clive Jones (Trevor Laird)[27]
- Francine Jones (Adjoa Andoh)[28]
- Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister (Penelope Wilton)[29]
- Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd)[30]
- Leo Jones (Reggie Yates)[31]
- Letitia "Tish" Jones (Gugu Mbatha-Raw)[32]
- President John F. Kennedy (himself,[33][34] wax sculpture)[35][36]
- Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber)[37]
- Tanya Lernov (Clare Jenkins)[38][39]
- President Abraham Lincoln (Robert Marsden,[40] wax sculpture)[41]
- Charlotte Abigail Lux (Eve Newton)[42]
- Strackman Lux (Steve Pemberton)[43]
- Gustave[44] Lytton (Maurice Colbourne)[45]
- Tony Mack (Robert Pugh)[6]
- Angie Maitland (Eve de Leon Allen)[46]
- Artie Maitland (Kassius Carey Johnson)[47]
- Mo (Alun Raglan)[6]
- Moira (Jennifer Hennessy) (The Pilot, Extremis)
- Oliver Morgenstern (Ben Righton)[48]
- Lynda Moss (Jo Joyner)[49]
- Nerys (Krystal Archer)[50][51]
- President Richard M. Nixon (Stuart Milligan,[52] wax sculpture,[53] plastic mask.)[54]
- Sylvia Noble-Mott (Jacqueline King)[55][56]
- Lady Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17 (voiced by Zoë Wanamaker; the character was largely computer-generated)[57][58]
- Dave Oswald (Michael Dixon,[59] James Buller)[60]
- Ellie Oswald (Nicola Sian)[61]
- Alfie Owens a/k/a Stormageddon Dark Lord of All (Isabelle James, Josy James & 5 other babies)[62]
- Rupert "Danny" Pink (Samuel Anderson,[63] Remi Gooding,[64] Jeremiah Krage[65])
- Rigsy (Joivan Wade)[66]
- Rodrick (Paterson Joseph)[8]
- Lucy Saxon (Alexandra Moen)[67]
- William Shakespeare (Hugh Walters, Dean Lennox Kelly)[68]
- Walter Simeon (Richard E. Grant, Cameron Strefford)[69]
- Jake Simmonds (Andrew Hayden-Smith)[70]
- Luke Smith (Tommy Knight)[71]
- Carla Sunday (Michelle Greenidge)
- Cherry Sunday (Angela Wynter)
- Professor Edward Travers (Jack Watling)[72][73]
- Miss Trefusis (Sylvia Seymour, Tracie Simpson)[74]
- Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri)[75][76][77][78][79][80]
- Pete Tyler (Shaun Dingwall)[81]
- Madame Vernet (Chrissie Cotterill)[82]
- Queen Victoria (Pauline Collins)[83]
- Trinity Wells (Lachele Carl)[84]
- Weng-Chiang / Magnus Greel: Poses as a Chinese god but is actually a time traveller whose real name is Magnus Greel. Played by Michael Spice, A.V. Club reviewer Christopher Bahn the character saw inspiration from Gothic horror figures Jack the Ripper, Dracula and the Phantom of the Opera in the character.[85] The villain is the former Minister of Justice of the 51st century Supreme Alliance, responsible for the deaths of 100,000 enemies of the state, and was known as "the Butcher of Brisbane".[86] He appears in the 1977 serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Greel fled to 19th century China by means of a time cabinet, taking The Peking Homunculus with him.[86] Consequences of Greel's time travel are explored in the spin-off Virgin Missing Adventures novel The Shadow of Weng-Chiang by David A. McIntee.[87] Greel is also mentioned in Simon A. Forward's Eighth Doctor Adventures novel Emotional Chemistry, which is partly set in the 51st century. Greel's days as The Minister of Justice are explored in the 2012 prequel audio story The Butcher of Brisbane.[88]
- Brian Williams (Mark Williams)[89]
- Courtney Woods (Ellis George)[90]
- Courtney appears in three episodes during the 8th series. She is characterized as quirky and disruptive, frequently clashing with Clara.[91]
- Professor Zaroff: "egotistical villain", "insane" and "unbalanced", who symbolizes one of "the great fears of modern humanity - the ego run amok", which "can dominate and destroy the weak willed (which would be most of the rest of us)".[92] He is fondly recalled by fans as one of the most over-the-top villains in the entire history of the programme. Particularly well remembered is his cry of "Nothing in the world can stop me now!" in a noticeable Austrian accent. Only two of the four episodes from this story survive, but the surviving material includes that infamous line.[93]
Time Lords
- Borusa (Angus MacKay;[94] John Arnatt;[95] Leonard Sachs;[96] Philip Latham)[97]
- The Castellan (Paul Jerricho)[98]
- Professor Urban Chronotis (Denis Carey [television],[99] James Fox [webcast],[100] Andrew Sachs [radio])[101]
- The Corsair (Elizabeth Berrington) [left arm only][102]
- The General (Ken Bones,[103] T'Nia Miller)[104]
- The Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham)
- Jenny (Georgia Tennant)[105]
- Chancellor Goth (Bernard Horsfall)[94]
- The Master (Roger Delgado, Peter Pratt, Geoffrey Beevers, Anthony Ainley, Gordon Tipple, Eric Roberts, Derek Jacobi, John Simm, William Hughes, Michelle Gomez, Sacha Dhawan): "egotistical villain", "insane" and "unbalanced", who symbolizes one of "the great fears of modern humanity - the ego run amok", which "can dominate and destroy the weak willed (which would be most of the rest of us)".[92]
- The Meddling Monk (Peter Butterworth)[106][107]
- The Messenger (David Garth)[108]
- K'Anpo Rimpoche (Cho-Je) (Kevin Lindsay)[109]
- Omega (Stephen Thorne; Ian Collier)
- The Rani (Kate O'Mara): "egotistical villain", "insane" and "unbalanced", who symbolizes one of "the great fears of modern humanity - the ego run amok", which "can dominate and destroy the weak willed (which would be most of the rest of us)".[92]
- Rassilon (Richard Mathews, Timothy Dalton, Donald Sumpter)
- Third Time Lord/Chancellor (Clyde Pollitt)[39][110]
- The Valeyard (Michael Jayston)
- The Woman (Claire Bloom)[111]
- companions Susan Foreman, Romana, Donna Noble in her "DoctorDonna" phase, and River Song, are all Time Lords to one degree or another. Depending upon the continuity, companion Dorothy "Ace" McShane also became a Time Lord
Other beings
- Abzorbaloff / Victor Kennedy, appearing in "Love & Monsters":[112] The concept of the Abzorbaloff was the winner of a fan competition,[112] and while it was considered "a marvellous idea"[113] its slapstick-heavy execution was criticised as "juvenile clowing" and "an insult to the intelligence of the viewers" and negatively compared to the antagonists in "Blink" with its "dark adult humor".[112]
- Lady Adrasta, appearing in "The Creature from the Pit": Sociology researcher Lindy A. Orthia argued that the series showcases individuality as a virtue, exemplified by the unconventional approach of the Doctor, and that thus Lady Adrasta, the autocratic ruler of a matriarchal society, functions as a villain because she "asserts her power via force not individualism".[114]
- Delegate Alpha Centauri (body: Stuart Fell; voice: Ysanne Churchman)
- Black Guardian (Valentine Dyall)
- Blon Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen (Annette Badland)
- The Face of Boe (Struan Rodger)
- Edwin Bracewell (Bill Paterson)[115]
- Cyber Controller (Michael Kilgarriff, Peter Hawkins [voice only])
- Dalek Sec, Dalek Thay, Dalek Caan and Dalek Jast (all voiced by Nicholas Briggs)
- Davros (Michael Wisher, David Gooderson, Terry Molloy, Julian Bleach)
- Frankenstein's monster (Boris Karloff [archival],[116] John Maxim [Festival of Ghana robot])[117]
- The Great Intelligence (portrayed by Jack Woolgar and Richard E Grant; voiced by Wolfe Morris, Ian McKellen and Cameron Strefford)
- Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby)
- Novice Hame (Anna Hope)
- Icthar (body: Pat Gorman; voice: Peter Halliday; Norman Comer)
- Dorium Maldovar (Simon Fisher-Becker)[118]
- Malohkeh (Richard Hope)
- Nestene Consciousness
- Ood Sigma (body: Paul Kasey; voice: Silas Carson)
- Sil (Nabil Shaban)[119]
- Mr Smith (voice: Alexander Armstrong)[120]
- Strax (Dan Starkey)
- Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh)
- White Guardian (Cyril Luckham; Gerald Cross [voice only])
Notes
- Lethbridge-Stewart appeared as a regular in Seasons 7 and 8 and more sporadically in many other episodes. Nicholas Courtney, along with his role as Bret Vyon in The Daleks' Master Plan, his appearance in the charity special Dimensions in Time and his participation in the Eighth Doctor audio play Minuet in Hell, has the distinction of having acted with every screen Doctor before the Ninth and also the Tenth (although in adventures before actor David Tennant was cast as the Doctor).
- The Inquisitor and The Valeyard appeared in every episode of Season 23, a season that comprised just one story, (albeit split into four segments), The Trial of a Time Lord.
- Mickey Smith was a significant recurring character in the 2005 series, prior to briefly becoming a companion in the 2006 series. Similarly, Jackie Tyler appeared in many episodes of the 2005 and 2006 series; in the episodes "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday", she briefly travels in the TARDIS and acts like a companion, although she is not generally considered one.
- The Master appeared as a regular in Season 8 and has returned numerous times in subsequent seasons and the television movie.
The Doctor Who comics, novels and audio dramas have created companions, villains and supporting characters of their own. Some of these originated in one medium and later appeared in another. The lists below indicate where a character has appeared.
Companions
with the Second Doctor
- John and Gillian (TV Comic comic strip)
with the Eleventh Doctor
- Kevin (IDW Comics)
- Decky Flamboon ("Doctor Who Adventures")
- Pippa ("Doctor Who Adventures")
- Alice Obiefune (Titan Comics)
with the Fourteenth Doctor
- Georgette Gold (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
- Georgy Gold (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
Other recurring or important characters
Miss Dexter appears in the Tenth Doctor episodes "42" in which she is credited simply as 'Sinister Woman', and "The Sound of Drums" in which her name is given in the credits.
Queen Elizabeth II is also present but unseen in the Olympic Stadium at the end of the Tenth Doctor episode "Fear Her" and in the Eleventh Doctor mini-episode "Good as Gold", both of which take place with the torch's arrival, and thus after Her Majesty's entrance and formal opening of the games; and is at an off-camera party outside of the TARDIS in the Eleventh Doctor mini-episode, "Bad Night" (the Queen is unidentified in the mini-episode itself, but is revealed as "Liz Two" in the associated behind-the-scenes featurette.
Episode 1 of the Seventh Doctor serial, Remembrance of the Daleks, opens with a voice-over excerpt from John F. Kennedy's American University speech of 10 June 1963 (165 days prior to the episode's 22 November 1963 setting); the episode's cliffhanger end takes place in the early evening of 22 November, at or about the moment of Kennedy's assassination.
The newly regenerated Eighth Doctor examined a Richard Nixon mask when stealing clothes.
Jackie is not generally considered a companion to the Doctor, however she does fulfill this role in the two-part episode Army of Ghosts/Doomsday.
Phillips, Ivan (2020). "Fandom as a character: 'Most likely to fight back'". Once Upon a Time Lord: The Myths and Stories of Doctor Who. Bloomsbury. pp. 24–27. ISBN 978-1-7883-1888-4.