Yeah but what are they really gonna say? "In a way the Doctor has never been challenged before, except for this one companion from over forty years ago that most of our audience has never seen or was alive for"?
Ian and Barbara. Dodo. Steven I think. Ben and Polly. Jo Grant and Sarah Jane after a fashion (he’d presumably read the Haynes guide by this point) Himself and Romana after they got lost in e-space. Tegan. Mel (technically) and Ace (sort of, they meant to take the scenic route, and ended up going to Perivale more as an afterthought) Rose of course ends up accidentally jumping a year on her return journey, and Captain Jack was also hitching a lift.
(I’ve probably missed someone. I was going from memory.)
Basically the Doctor either accidentally picking people up, getting lost on the way back, and leaving the meter running is a hell of a returning theme. As is ‘unable to get back to right place and time’ (which may be why Doctor Sam Beckett borrowed the vibe) which originally applied to the Doctor and Susan, and certainly the Doctor himself post Time War.
As to challenge, well, he was also trying to give the exiled Vislor Turlough a lift, but that was complicated, as the chap was also technically trying badly to kill him. With Tegan. Who would, on some days, not only have helped, but done it with more success. Admittedly, by the time Turlough shows up, Tegan is in her chill Boob-tubes and leather skirts era. But wasn’t the whole selling point of Donna that she was also argumentative? And Nardole too.
Oh, and the fam was picked up in order to take home again too, if I recall. No arguments there really though, that was the socially awkward kitchens at parties era.
Basically, a lot of this is *really* basic stuff. Literally part of the shows very storied genesis. And am sure they could have found something to say. Although repeating themselves and remixing eighties stuff is a habit these days.
It’s all shades of ‘my Bond girl is different’ with a splash of ‘I’m Star Treks first African American lead! And a woman!’
*stares in Ben Sisko holding a cup of Kathryn Janeway’s coffee*
