Doctor Who thing of the day: who is your favorite companion, and why?

I’m gonna go with Vislor Turlough, companion to the Fifth Doctor played by Mark Strickson. Turlough was never easy to like, but he was always intriguing and frustrating, in the most interesting kind of way. He upended ideas about who could be a companion, and why: he never really seemed to like the Doctor, and indeed bullshitted his way onto the TARDIS only as a way to escape an intolerable situation, not because he was seeking adventure or excitement. And of course there’s the small detail of how he tried to kill the Doctor, more than once, at the behest of the Black Guardian, who misled Turlough about the Doctor’s nature. Turlough was smart and sarcastic, which always appeals to me, but more importantly, he was a different sort of companion, and his presence pushed the drama into new corners. I’d love to see what the new incarnation of the show would do with someone like him.

Your turn...

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