Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants (4 page)

As with Susan and Vicki, a replacement was waiting in the wings once Ian & Barbara returned to their own time. This new companion joined the Doctor’s travels by what would become the most popular method of all; stowing away in the TARDIS.

Steven Taylor – Peter Purves
(
The Chase
to
The Savages
)

When the Doctor, with Ian & Barbara and Vicki, first meet him he introduces himself as Steven Taylor, Flight Red Fifty. He has already spent two years as a prisoner of the robotic Mechanoids on the planet Mechanus, in an undisclosed period of Earth’s future. Steven is an astronaut, his ship having crashed on that planet; his only companion his stuffed panda, Hi-Fi. Despite two years of captivity he is a man of good humour, grateful of some human company at last. He happily assists the Doctor and company in escaping the Mechanoids’ city, but at the last minute returns for Hi-Fi. He manages to escape the burning city himself, and stumbles through the jungle, disorientated, and into what he describes as a door.

‘I went through it,’ he says. ‘I must have flaked out. I remember registering that, well, it didn’t look like a ship – it was very small. I must have been delirious.’

After his initial incredulity, and mocking of Vicki’s explanations, he soon adapts to time travel. Granted, his scepticism is supported when he discovers a wristwatch in a small woods in Northumbria in 1066 (
The Time Meddler
) but events reveal the truth. Steven is a man prone to natural sarcasm and bouts of frustrated anger, but to counter these less positive attributes, he is also a man of great courage and resourcefulness.

He becomes very close to Vicki, and develops a strong sibling-like bond with her, displaying the typical bickering one would expect to find in an older brother/younger sister relationship, most notable when they are both imprisoned in Troy and Vicki becomes the object of Troilus’ affections. Both are determined in their mind sets, and often conflict over the simplest of things, but ultimately they stand by each other. His relationship with Dodo is, in contrast, merely that of two friends. Steven’s natural cynicism is often contrasted by Dodo’s enthusiasm for everything they encounter, and she tends to bring out the child in him, as shown during the games of the Celestial Toymaker and Steven’s joy at being in the ‘Wild West’ of American legend (
The Gunfighters
).

By the time they arrive on the ‘Ark’, a space craft taking the survivors of Earth to the world of Rufusis, Steven’s good humour has already been sorely tried by his experiences in Paris and the Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve. He spends most of the time without the Doctor’s company, getting embroiled in the political and religious strife that is plaguing Paris, despite the Doctor warning him not to, and becomes angered greatly by the Doctor’s refusal to involve himself in events – an act that, in Steven’s eyes, means the death of a young woman he has befriended, Anne Chaplet. This anger is compounded by all the other deaths he had witnessed recently, including that of Katarina and Sara Kingdom, both of whom died during the Doctor’s effort to prevent the Daleks from gaining control of the Time Destructor. Such is his anger that as soon as the TARDIS arrives on Wimbledon Common in the 1960s he storms out of the ship, intent on leaving the Doctor for good. It is only the presence of police officers that change his mind, and he returns forthwith to warn the Doctor to move the TARDIS. He is immediately concerned about Dodo, who has just happened upon the TARDIS, wondering what her parents will think of her disappearing, but that concern soon fades when he realises that Dodo is a likely descendant of Anne Chaplet, suggesting that the young French girl has survived the massacre after all. Even with this positive news, Steven still contains some anger in his belly, which erupts when he is put on trial by the humans on the Ark and he expresses his distaste for humanity and the fear that always seems to drive them.

Nonetheless, despite his growing dislike for his own race, Steven is still the compassionate man he has always been and is willing to sacrifice his freedom for both the Doctor and Dodo when faced with the dilemma of how to escape the Toymaker’s celestial domain.

He learns much during his journeys, and when he is asked to help the Elders and the Savages find a way to live together in peace, he resists, not wanting to walk out on the Doctor and Dodo. But the Doctor insists he take up the offer, a position he is now ready for. Steven agrees, but only if both sides wish him to, which they do. He takes his leave of the Doctor and Dodo, and we never hear of him again.

Katarina, the handmaiden of Cassandra of Troy, was one of the shortest-lived companions of the Doctor, and the first to die.

Katarina – Adrienne Hill
(
The Myth Makers
to
The Daleks’ Masterplan
)

Cassandra, fearful of the false prophetess, Cressida, sends Katarina to spy on Vicki. During the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans, Steven is wounded by a spear in the shoulder, and Katarina is tasked with caring for him. She helps him back to the TARDIS and is still aboard the ship when the Doctor quickly leaves the troubled land.

She has no understanding of the strange world she has entered, and believes the Doctor to be Zeus, the TARDIS his temple. She is, in her mind, on a journey to the Palace of Perfection – the afterlife. Out of her depth, she remains by Steven’s side, practically worshipping at the Doctor’s feet. Such is her devotion, that when the criminal Kirksen holds her hostage to force the Doctor to return the
Spar
, stolen from the planet Kembel where the Daleks are waiting, she understands enough to know that it cannot be. She sacrifices her life, by blowing the airlock in which she and Kirksen stand, and the two of them are swept out into the depths of space.

Dorothea ‘Dodo’ Chaplet was one of only two companions to find herself inside the TARDIS after mistaking it for a real Police Box. Having witnessed an accident on Wimbledon Common, she rushed to it to get help…

Dorothea ‘Dodo’ Chaplet – Jackie Lane
(
The Massacre
to
The War Machines
)

Dodo adapts very quickly to TARDIS life, although with the usual level of incredulity, to the idea that it is a time machine. Due to the police officers rushing towards the TARDIS, the Doctor has no choice but to leave Wimbledon Common, and when Steven voices his concerns about leaving with Dodo she points out that she doesn’t care. She has no parents and no reason to stay in London. One suspects that it is not just the arrival of the police that causes the Doctor to take Dodo away with them, but rather the fact that he thinks she looks a little bit like his absent granddaughter, Susan.

During the initial journey Dodo finds the time to root through the TARDIS’ wardrobe, something she continues to avail herself of throughout her short time as companion. When arriving in a jungle, Dodo refuses to accept it might be an alien world, instead believing it to be Whipsnade Zoo, and shows a keen awareness and liking for nature. Indeed she is almost smug about her knowledge, presenting a very ‘know it all’ attitude. Of course, she is soon proven wrong when they discover the jungle is just a small part of a space craft taking refugees from the dying Earth. She dubs the ship ‘the Ark’, and accidentally infects all its inhabitants with her cold – something that has not existed on Earth for centuries. She feels terrible for causing so much trouble and does everything she can to assist the Doctor in finding a cure, especially when Steven, who has no antibodies to combat the cold, also succumbs to it.

While pitted against the dolls created by the Toymaker (
The Celestial Toymaker
)
,
Dodo takes the view that they are as much victims as she and Steven – even arguing her point about free will, although she never convinces Steven of her stance. This is probably another example of her contrary nature and her single-mindedness. As she points out when they land on the world of the Savages and Elders, she never did like guided tours and preferred to wander off the assigned route. Or, as Steven once said, ‘If it wasn’t allowed, Dodo would be first in line.’ This is evidenced a lot during their visit to Tombstone (
The Gunfighters
)
.
Dodo is a big fan of the Wild West and has always wanted to meet Wyatt Earp, thus she throws herself into the period, giving herself over to every cliché of the ‘western’, even to the point where she seems to enjoy being forced to play the piano at gunpoint. Steven is more perturbed, but Dodo encourages him to sing, and shows an ability to not only play but also read music. She is also taken in by Doc Holliday’s charm, barely batting an eye at his propensity for killing almost everybody they meet, even though she is, ultimately, his captive.

She is upset by Steven’s sudden departure, and wonders if she will ever see him again. The Doctor explains how unlikely it is, and is proven to be correct when they next land back in London, 1966 (
The War Machines
)
.
Glad to be back in familiar surroundings, Dodo quickly bonds with Polly, the secretary of Professor Brett, who takes her to the Inferno nightclub where they both meet Able Seaman Ben Jackson. WOTAN, an intelligent machine, brainwashes Dodo in an attempt to remove the Doctor, but the Doctor sees through the conditioning and is able to break it. He sends Dodo to a house in the country to recover, and she is never seen again.

After showing such enthusiasm for her travels, and growing attached to the Doctor, it is very odd that she doesn’t return to at least say goodbye to him. Instead she passes on a message to him through Ben & Polly, saying that she has decided to remain in London. What is the reason for such a drastic shift in her character? We never find out on television, but several other reasons have been offered up in the
Doctor Who
Expanded Universe.

As with Ian & Barbara the next companions came as a ‘couple’ – they joined together, they left together and, according to Sarah in 2010 they are still together.

Ben Jackson & Polly – Michael Craze & Anneke Wills
(
The War Machines
to
The Faceless One
s)

Polly is the secretary of Professor Brett, a young ‘dolly bird’ with an active social life, enjoying the night life of the Inferno club. When Polly meets Ben Jackson she takes it on herself to cheer him up, with mixed results. Despite this, Ben defends Polly against the attentions of an unwanted admirer, a trait that continues throughout their time together.

Polly has a tendency to tease those she likes, Ben in particular. He soon gets used to this and takes to calling her ‘Pol’. After assisting the Doctor in defeating WOTAN and the War Machines, it is Polly who is curious as to why the Doctor enters a Police Box. Ben is less bothered, more concerned about returning to his own ship, but Ben remembers the key that had fallen out of the Doctor’s pocket earlier. At her urging, Ben joins her and they both enter the Police Box mere seconds before it dematerialises.

Both are somewhat sceptical of the Doctor’s claims about the TARDIS, but Polly adapts to things a lot quicker than Ben who is, upon arriving on a beach in Cornwall, sure that the Doctor is a hypnotist or something. Throughout their harrowing adventures in the seventeenth century (
The Smugglers
), Polly finds herself enjoying the notion of time travel, while Ben is more concerned about getting home and back to his ship. Even when the Doctor insists they have to stay and sort out the problem with the pirates and the smugglers, it takes both him and Polly to convince Ben that it is the right thing to do. Polly’s humour is also something Ben takes a while to get used to, coming across as positively miserable next to her cheekiness. But he does take some pleasure in her horror at seeing a rat, despite them both being imprisoned at the time and facing a likely death sentence, a fact that does not seem to bother Polly too much. The humour soon infects Ben, too, when he begins to turn on his own cocky charm, even to the point of quipping, ‘Polly, put the kettle on?’ when he has to leave her for a short while.

By the time the TARDIS brings them to the South Pole some twenty years after their own native 1966, both seem to have adapted nicely to travelling with the Doctor. Faced with the emotionless Cybermen, in
The Tenth Planet
, it is Polly who first challenges them, while Ben tries to hold his ‘duchess’ back, fearing for her safety. Ben also stands up to the Cybermen, making inventive use of a projector to blind one, and then using its own weapon against it. It is an act Ben is not proud of – but he knows it is necessary. His courage is never far away, and when the Cybermen intend on taking Polly prisoner, Ben soon stands forward insisting he go in her place.

Ben & Polly are the first companions to meet the Cybermen, but also at the end of
The Tenth Planet
they are on hand to witness the most remarkable thing about the Doctor. His body wearing thin, the Doctor staggers back to the TARDIS, and it is there that a concerned Ben & Polly witness him collapse mere moments after setting the time machine in motion. They pull him over to check on him, and watch as his face begins to blur and change...

The First Doctor

Expanded Universe

Once again, we start with Susan, a character we know so little from TV, the Doctor’s very own granddaughter. It isn’t surprising that the stories contained in the Expanded Universe explore her origins and character in some extreme (and often conflicting) ways.