What about the new companion?

[Allyn Gibson]

This is my biggest complaint with the new series (once it finally had regular non-Earth visits). Some of my favorite companions have been non-contemporary (Leela, Jamie, Zoe) or alien (Romana, Turlough, Nyssa) and I would like to see more of that. Nothing inherently wrong with contemporary (The Brigadier, Tegan, Ace, Donna, Amy, Rory are all fantastic), but we definitely need some variety.

Both RTD and Moffat considered non-contemporary companions, though. Martha was originally developed to be from 1914, and Clara was developed as the Victorian governess we saw in "The Snowmen." Ultimately both producers decided to make them contemporary (and for Moffat, that was a very late production decision) for whatever reasons.

Past, contemporary, future -- it doesn't really matter to me. Yes, I'd like to see more variety in the companions' eras, but it's not a make-or-break thing for me. What matters is the character and whether or not the character works.

 

[matthunter]

Whifferdills all day.

 

[Marc]

I'd love see a companion that isn't from London. Love to see a companion that isn't English at some stage.

Perhaps another loud Australian

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

My gut says they'll go for a pair of companions as well.

What I'd like for them to do is introduce the new TARDIS team gradually. Perhaps give Thirteen a solo adventure first, or with a one-off guest star (that we already know) for us to get used to the new Doctor before we introduce a one, then a second companion as well. Build a team, don't just drop a trio on us with so many new variables.

Not that Doctor Who hasn't already DONE this (The Eleventh Hour with a new trio, and then Deep Breath using Clara and the Paternoster Gang as familiar elements), but I want Thirteen given her best chance to shine before bringing other stars along for the ride. Gradually building a team is something that hasn't been done before, and IMO would be interesting to see a dynamic evolve instead of be gifted to the audience. Coming from Broadchurch's slow-burn storytelling, I'm sure this is certainly possible for Chibnall to do.

Mark

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

^ This sounds wonderful.

Long shot, but I wouldn't mind if her first adventure involved saving Nardole and his new friends down the stream in his future and leave us with more closure than just, 'Well, he's okay now until the Cybermen catch up and kill him and everyone new he loves indiscriminately.'

 

[JasonJ]

^ This sounds wonderful.

Long shot, but I wouldn't mind if her first adventure involved saving Nardole and his new friends down the stream in his future and leave us with more closure than just, 'Well, he's okay now until the Cybermen catch up and kill him and everyone new he loves indiscriminately.'

Yep.. that's a plot line that needs to be resolved one way or the other. Leaving it as is leaves Nardole and company as well as their descendants to eventually all die.

Really, I don't care much who or what the new companion is/are. I want it to make sense to the story and for the character(s) to be believable in the scope of the show. Other than that, male, female, both, neither, past, contemporary, future, alien, robotic, doesn't much matter.

 

[matthunter]

HuffPo UK have a story suggesting Kris Marshall may actually be the companion and this is where speculation about him being the Doctor originally came from. Not sure if any basis or just bollocks.

ETA: Apparently the story originated in the Sun, so likely bollocks.

 

[JasonJ]

HuffPo UK have a story suggesting Kris Marshall may actually be the companion and this is where speculation about him being the Doctor originally came from. Not sure if any basis or just bollocks.

ETA: Apparently the story originated in the Sun, so likely bollocks.

From The Sun? Oh, for sure it's bollocks then.

(Truthfully, I just wanted to use "bollocks" in a real conversation lol). Brit slang is generally more interesting to use than what we do here stateside.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

HuffPo UK have a story suggesting Kris Marshall may actually be the companion and this is where speculation about him being the Doctor originally came from. Not sure if any basis or just bollocks.

ETA: Apparently the story originated in the Sun, so likely bollocks.

From The Sun? Oh, for sure it's bollocks then.

(Truthfully, I just wanted to use "bollocks" in a real conversation lol). Brit slang is generally more interesting to use than what we do here stateside.

On a side note, what does it mean to receive a "bollocking"?

 

[DimesDan]

HuffPo UK have a story suggesting Kris Marshall may actually be the companion and this is where speculation about him being the Doctor originally came from. Not sure if any basis or just bollocks.

Given that Huff is just user generated bollocks, it may well just be that, just a pile or bollocks.

Now if that news shows up in Private Eye!

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

I haven't seen anything with Kris Marshall in it other than Love Actually, where he plays someone insanely annoying. Can anyone confirm that he is not actually that annoying in other roles who also found him annoying in that movie? I hate to be judgmental, but my first gut reaction to seeing his picture (and not recognizing him from Love Actually, looked that up later on) was that this guy looks really annoying.

This might not be fair, because I think 90% of Love Actually is annoying.

 

[DimesDan]

This is all I got:

What?

 

[JasonJ]

What?

Quoted the wrong user, I'll edit and it'll make more sense. My mistake.

 

[JasonJ]

On a side note, what does it mean to receive a "bollocking"?

This is all I got:

v. Bollocking, when one is lectured, criticised or reprimanded. When one receives things Bollocking they have just been bollocked. Alternatively bollocked is used to describe a high state of inebriation.
"You're gonna get a bollocking my son"
"He just bollocked me!"
"I am completely bollocked"

After seeing Transformers TLK, I had to go look up what "sozzled" means...

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

This is all I got:

v. Bollocking, when one is lectured, criticised or reprimanded. When one receives things Bollocking they have just been bollocked. Alternatively bollocked is used to describe a high state of inebriation.
"You're gonna get a bollocking my son"
"He just bollocked me!"
"I am completely bollocked"

After seeing Transformers TLK, I had to go look up what "sozzled" means...

Thanks! That fits with the context from the Iron Maiden "track" Mission From Harry, where Nicko is yelling and ranting and says he gave some guy a bollocking.

I was just reminded of it from the earlier posts.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I wan the new companion to be Susan after she regenerates into an old man.

 

[Starkers]

If there is any truth to the notion of Kris Marshall as companion I'd be a trifle unhappy, not because of him per se, but because of the potential message it sends out. So the new Doctor's a woman and her first companion is an older, male actor who is much more well known than the new Doctor is. For me it would show a lack of confidence in Jodie and would remind me of the first time Bruce Forsythe had to miss an episode of Strictly Come Dancing and the Beeb shoehorned Ronnie Corbett in to co-present with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkelman because they clearly thought the public needed an old school male presence (thankfully they soon realised that the public were just fine with Tess and Claude on their own!)

Look at your modern companions. Yes Catherine Tate and Matt Lucas are well known, but neither of them were their Doctor's initial companion. Freema was a relative unknown, Karen was a relative unknown, Jenna was a relative unknown. I think the only initial companion you could argue wasn't was Billie, and even there she less well known as an actress than for her short stint as the British Britney and her marriage to Chris Evans!

 

[Jayson1]

If there is any truth to the notion of Kris Marshall as companion I'd be a trifle unhappy, not because of him per se, but because of the potential message it sends out. So the new Doctor's a woman and her first companion is an older, male actor who is much more well known than the new Doctor is. For me it would show a lack of confidence in Jodie and would remind me of the first time Bruce Forsythe had to miss an episode of Strictly Come Dancing and the Beeb shoehorned Ronnie Corbett in to co-present with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkelman because they clearly thought the public needed an old school male presence (thankfully they soon realised that the public were just fine with Tess and Claude on their own!)

Look at your modern companions. Yes Catherine Tate and Matt Lucas are well known, but neither of them were their Doctor's initial companion. Freema was a relative unknown, Karen was a relative unknown, Jenna was a relative unknown. I think the only initial companion you could argue wasn't was Billie, and even there she less well known as an actress than for her short stint as the British Britney and her marriage to Chris Evans!

Is he more well known? I don't know who Kris Marshall is. If I saw his pic I might be familiar with him but the name doesn't call attention to who he is. It might be because I am American which I m also confused to just how important Doctor Who feels when trying to impress a American audience.

Jason

 

[Starkers]

Is he more well known? I don't know who Kris Marshall is. If I saw his pic I might be familiar with him but the name doesn't call attention to who he is. It might be because I am American which I m also confused to just how important Doctor Who feels when trying to impress a American audience.

Jason

In UK terms I'd say yes. He was a regular in a long running sitcom for many years, had a series of high profile TV ads that again ran for years, and has just finished a stint as the lead of a popular comedy-drama series on the BBC. I'm trying to think who the US equivalent of him might be in terms of how well known he is, hopefully someone might provide a helpful comparison.

 

[Qonundrum]

Why only one companion?

Why not two companions?

Or even zero, the way Tom Baker wanted for a while?


Either which way, fewer modern day stiffs and more humans from the past or future or even aliens. The show offers that potential a nd a lot more yet they rarely take the show to any potential. It's gotten better since 2005-2010, though.