Over the course of its many years on television, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who has not only seen changes in the actors to play the Doctor, but in the supporting cast as well.


Main article: Companion (Doctor Who)

Template:Doctorwhocompanions The Doctor is usually accompanied in his travels by one to three companions (sometimes called assistants). These characters provide a surrogate with whom the audience can identify, and further the story by asking questions and getting into trouble, (similar to Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.) The Doctor regularly gains new companions and loses old ones; sometimes they return home, or find new causes on worlds they have visited. A few of the companions (Katarina, Sara Kingdom, Adric, Astrid, and the android Kamelion) have died during the course of the series.

Recurring or important charactersEdit

Recurring UNIT personnelEdit

Other recurring humansEdit

Recurring Time Lords Edit

Recurring or significant aliens, robots or characters of an unknown raceEdit

Recurring or significant villainsEdit

(See also List of Doctor Who villains)


  1. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is thought to be a companion by some, though by others he is not. The argument over whether he is an acceptable companion continues to this day, although he is on the list of companions on the BBC's Doctor Who website.
  2. Some fans also consider UNIT era regulars Sergeant Benton and Captain Mike Yates to be "companions" although they do not fit the accepted definition. Benton and Yates appeared as regulars in Season 8, again making other appearances before (in Benton's case) and after.
  3. Lethbridge-Stewart appeared as a regular in Seasons 7 and 8 (as well as making guest appearances before and since). Nicholas Courtney, along with his role as Bret Vyon in The Daleks' Master Plan, his appearance in the charity special Dimensions in Time and his participation in the Eighth Doctor audio play Minuet in Hell, has the distinction of having acted with every screen Doctor before the Ninth.
  4. The Inquisitor and The Valeyard appeared in every episode of Season 23, a season that comprised just one story, (albeit split into four segments), The Trial of a Time Lord.
  5. Mickey Smith was a significant recurring character in the 2005 series, prior to briefly becoming a companion in the 2006 series. Similarly, Jackie Tyler appeared in many episodes of the 2005 and 2006 series; in the episodes "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday", she briefly travels in the TARDIS and acts like a companion, although she is not generally considered one.
  6. The Master appeared as a regular in Season 8 and has many guest appearances in subsequent seasons and the television movie.

Recurring alien species, monsters or robotsEdit

(See also Category:Doctor Who races and Creatures and aliens in Doctor Who.)

Characters from Doctor Who spin-off comics, novels, audio dramas and webcastsEdit

The Doctor Who comics, novels and audio dramas have created companions, villains and supporting characters of their own. Some of these originated in one medium and later appeared in another. The lists below indicate where a character has appeared. The canonicity of these spin-offs is unclear.


(See also List of companions in Doctor Who spin-offs)

with the First DoctorEdit

with the Second DoctorEdit

  • John and Gillian (TV Comic comic strip)

with the Third DoctorEdit

with the Fourth DoctorEdit

with the Fifth DoctorEdit

with the Sixth DoctorEdit

with the Seventh DoctorEdit

with the Eighth DoctorEdit

with the Tenth DoctorEdit

Other recurring or important charactersEdit

See alsoEdit


  1. Template:Cite serial
  2. Template:Cite serial
  3. Template:Cite serial
  4. 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite serial
  6. "The End of the World". Writer Russell T Davies, Director Euros Lyn, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2005-04-02.
  7. "Aliens of London". Writer Russell T Davies, Director Keith Boak, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2005-04-16.
  8. "World War Three". Writer Russell T Davies, Director Keith Boak, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2005-04-23.
  9. "Father's Day". Writer Paul Cornell, Director Joe Ahearne, Producer Phil Collinson. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One, Cardiff. 2005-05-14.
  10. Doctor Who Magazine (388), 2007-10-18 (cover date) 
  11. Template:Cite serial

External linksEdit