July 30, 2020
Travelling through space and time allows you to visit the most splendid places, encounter the strangest monsters… and make some new friends! To celebrate World Friendship Day, we look at some friends of the Doctor who just missed the chance to travel with the Doctor for more adventures. Did some of your favourites make the list?
Happy World Friendship Day!
Ada Lovelace and Noor Inayat Khan from 'Spyfall'
“Don’t have a TARDIS… do have an Ada!” These two incredible pioneers from history helped the Thirteenth Doctor when she was separated from the fam. Trapped by the Kassavin after after O revealed himself as the Master, who else would the Doctor bump into but the mother of computers, Ada? The two then ended up trapped in World War Two, but Noor took them in and helped hide them from the Master.
They briefly took a trip in the Master’s TARDIS, but the Doctor had to wipe their minds in order to preserve history. Imagine the adventures they could have had!
The Ghost from 'The Return of Doctor Mysterio'
When a mysterious Doctor appears on the roof of your apartment complex, you’re bound to eat anything he gives you… right? Grant Gordon’s life was changed forever when the Twelfth Doctor materialised, and accidentally gave him the Hazandra, a gemstone with mythical properties, and Grant became a superhero, the Ghost.
Together, the Doctor and the Ghost made an unbeatable duo (once they got over their differences), and shut down the Harmony Shaol. With the Doctor’s brains, and the Ghost’s power, the universe may have had a new superpowered pair!
Rita from 'The God Complex'
There’s a fine line between tragedy and comedy, as sadly Rita found out the hard way. Sometimes, tragedy strikes before you can be saved. When the Doctor, Amy and Rory became trapped in a mysterious hotel with a monstrous Minotaur, everyone’s faith was tested.
Rita proved to be resourceful, smart, funny and full of faith, quickly commanding the respect of the Doctor (Amy was almost fired!). Sadly, her faith was the reason she was targeted by the Minotaur.
Lynda from 'Bad Wolf'
Lynda with a Y! From the set of Big Brother in the far future, sweet Lynda with a Y quickly made friends with the Ninth Doctor when he saved her from being ‘evicted’… in other words, transmatted into the Dalek Armada. She quickly bonded with the Doctor and he even suggested she could come with him, after helping the survivors of Satellite Five defend from a Dalek invasion.
Sadly, her story ended when she was exterminated by the Daleks. Poor Lynda with a Y!
Ray from 'Delta and the Bannermen'
What do you get when you combine a host of tourist aliens in disguise, a fugitive Chimeron Queen, and a Welsh holiday camp in 1959? A whole lot of chaos for the Seventh Doctor and Mel to deal with! They’ll need all the help they can get to save the day…
Enter Ray! This feisty, motorbike driving girl from Wales proved herself to be vital in helping the Doctor and Mel defeat Gavrok and the sinister Bannermen, but after stopping them she opted to stay. She had a similar attitude to another friend of the Seventh Doctor, who was equally Ace…
Samantha from 'The Faceless Ones'
The Second Doctor and Jamie faced a crisis of identity when their friends Ben and Polly appeared to forget who they were. It turns out they had been captured… by the Faceless Ones!
Also missing was Samantha Briggs’ brother, and she certainly proved persistent in finding him. She quickly made friends with the Doctor, and she even gave Jamie a kiss! She helped them in stopping the Faceless Ones and rescuing all the humans, even stopping a laser with a pocket mirror. She ultimately decided to stay on Earth and look after her brother.
Jackie Tyler
Who wouldn’t want to travel with your companion’s mum? Jackie Tyler, defeater of Slitheen with vinegar, defender of planet Earth, and mother to Rose Tyler. She may have had one trip in the TARDIS to Torchwood Tower, where she got mistaken for Rose, but why not even more?
Jenny from 'The Doctor’s Daughter'
If not mums, why not daughters? When accidentally landing on a colony planet at war, the Doctor had a sample of tissue extracted, extrapolated, cloned and grown in seconds… and out came Jenny, the Doctor’s Daughter!
Jenny proved herself to be smart, quick-witted, and very fond of running, just like her Dad! They grew close exceptionally quickly and she took a bullet for him, literally. Luckily there was still some regenerative energy left around and she was saved, quickly going off to explore the universe on her own.
Astrid from 'Voyage of the Damned'
“You’re not falling, you’re flying!” Astrid Peth was a kindred spirit to the Doctor: good, brave, curious, wanting to travel and see the stars and willing to sacrifice herself to save others. She helped the Doctor stop the sinking of the Titanic… not the ocean liner, but a space cruiseliner that crashed into the TARDIS and visited Earth for Christmas.
Unfortunately, the Titanic was her last voyage, and she sacrificed herself to save the Doctor from the cyborg Max Capricorn. The Doctor made sure that she had a proper send-off, and she was able to travel amongst the stars at last…
Grace O’Brien from 'The Woman Who Fell to Earth'
Grace O’ Brien. Smart, funny, caring, special. Proper special. She may have only met the Doctor briefly, but her adventurous spirit would not be forgotten. She helped the Thirteenth Doctor save the world by stopping the Stenza (Tim Shaw) from attacking and abducting Karl.
She gave everything to protect her grandson Ryan, but her passion for adventure would inspire the rest of Team TARDIS to travel with the Doctor.
There are plenty of others that almost travelled in the TARDIS for more adventures… which are your favourites?
Happy World Friendship Day!
