List of Doctor Who supporting characters
Encyclopedia
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.
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
, the android Kamelion
, Astrid Peth
, and Adelaide Brooke) have died during the course of the series.
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.
Adam Mitchell is a television companion of Christopher Eccleston
's Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series
. He was acquired as a companion in "Dalek" and was expelled from the TARDIS in the very next episode, "The Long Game
", for bad behaviour.
The character of Adam Mitchell was first conceived, along with Henry van Statten, during Russell T Davies' 2003 pitch to the BBC, in a story heavily based on Robert Shearman's audio play Jubilee called "Return of the Daleks" (which would later form the base for the episode "Dalek"). It was always the intention of the production team for Adam to join the TARDIS after Rose developed a liking for him. To play this role, Bruno Langley
was chosen, mostly for his role on Coronation Street
as Todd Grimshaw
. However, Adam was not meant to be a long-term companion; indeed, Davies intended to show that not everyone is suitable to join the TARDIS crew and dubbed him "the Companion That Couldn't". "I always wanted to do a show with someone who was a rubbish companion," Davies explains in the book Doctor Who: The Inside Story. "Adam doesn't realise he's out for his own good until he's put in a situation of temptation, where knowledge, information and power are put in front of him," Davies says in Doctor Who Confidential. "He's a little bit ambitious; he's a little bit too clever for his own good. So it's a chance to see someone starting on that path, which the Doctor cuts dead."
Originally, there were several aspects of the character that were cut before appearing on screen: in early drafts, he was the son of Henry van Statten, and Adam's reason for his duplicity in "The Long Game" was his father's ill-health. (In the DVD commentary for "The Long Game", director Brian Grant and actor Bruno Langley discuss Adam's scripted motive of bringing future medical knowledge back home to cure his father.) Adam was also supposed to reside in Nottingham
, until the casting of Langley made the production team relocate his house to Manchester
. To date, he is the only known companion to be booted from the TARDIS for "bad behaviour" and the only companion of the Ninth Doctor to not meet the Tenth.
Outside of television, there is also an oblique other media allusion to Adam, made in the week in which "The Long Game" was first broadcast. The tie-in website "Who is Doctor Who?" announced that "14 year-old Adam Mitchell from Nottingham
" had won a competition arranged by van Statten the previous week. Adam's winning essay on "Why I Want To Meet An Alien" focuses on acquiring advanced knowledge from them ("I don't think it's cheating, really. It's just a shortcut"). The canonicity of the material on the website is unclear.
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
has not only seen changes in the actors to play the Doctor, but in the supporting cast as well.
Companions
- Main article: Companion (Doctor Who)Companion (Doctor Who)In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
The Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
is usually accompanied in his travels by one to three companions
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
(sometimes called assistants). These characters provide a surrogate
Audience surrogate
In the study of literature, an audience surrogate is a fictional character with whom the audience can identify, or who expresses the questions and confusion of the audience...
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
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
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
Katarina (Doctor Who)
Katarina is a fictional character played by Adrienne Hill in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who appearing in the programme from November to December 1965....
, Sara Kingdom
Sara Kingdom
Sara Kingdom is a fictional character played by Jean Marsh in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A security officer for Mavic Chen from the 41st century, she would later join the First Doctor and Steven to work against Chen's interests...
, Adric
Adric
Adric is a fictional character played by Matthew Waterhouse in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a young native of the planet Alzarius, which exists in the parallel universe of E-Space. A companion of the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, he was a regular in the...
, the android Kamelion
Kamelion
Kamelion is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A shape-changing android voiced by Gerald Flood in its default form, it is a companion of the Fifth Doctor and appears in the television series in two serials between 1983 and...
, Astrid Peth
Astrid Peth
Astrid Peth is a fictional character played by Kylie Minogue in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She is a one-off companion of the Tenth Doctor who appears in the episode "Voyage of the Damned", which was first broadcast in the UK on 25 December 2007...
, and Adelaide Brooke) have died during the course of the series.
UNIT personnel
- Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-StewartBrigadier Lethbridge-StewartBrigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
(Nicholas CourtneyNicholas CourtneyWilliam Nicholas Stone Courtney was an English television actor, most famous for playing Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
) - Captain Mike YatesCaptain Mike YatesCaptain Mike Yates is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Richard Franklin. He was adjutant of the British contingent of UNIT , an international organisation that defends the Earth...
(Richard FranklinRichard FranklinRichard Franklin is a British actor.He has had various roles in different television programmes including Crossroads and Emmerdale Farm...
) - Captain Erisa Magambo (Noma DumezweniNoma DumezweniNoma Dumezweni is a Laurence Olivier Award-winning English actress based in London.-Personal life:Born in Swaziland, of South African parents, Dumenzweni came to England with her family as a child, first living in Suffolk, where she was educated, before moving to London.-Theatre:Dumezweni's work in...
) - Sergeant BentonSergeant BentonSergeant Benton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by John Levene. He was the senior NCO of the British contingent of UNIT , an international organisation that defends the Earth...
(John LeveneJohn LeveneJohn Levene is an English actor. His most famous role was that of Sergeant Benton of UNIT on the television series Doctor Who.He was born John Anthony Woods in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England....
) - Corporal Bell (Fernanda MarloweFernanda MarloweFernanda Marlowe is a British actress, best known for her role as Corporal Bell, in the Doctor Who stories, The Claws of Axos, , and The Mind of Evil, . She also appeared in Dixon of Dock Green.-External links:...
) - Private Carl Harris (Clive StandenClive StandenClive Standen is an English actor best known for playing Sir Gawain in the Starz series Camelot as well as 'Archer', the brother of Robin Hood in the BBC TV series Robin Hood and Private Carl Harris in the British sci-fi show Doctor Who.-Acting:Standen's first experience of stunts, horse...
)
Other humans
- CaptainCaptain (naval)Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Henry Avery (Hugh BonnevilleHugh BonnevilleHugh Richard Bonneville Williams, known professionally as Hugh Bonneville , is an English stage, film, television and radio actor.-Education:...
) - Thomas Avery (Oscar LloydOscar LloydOscar Lloyd is a young British actor from Seaford. In early 2009, at the age of 12, he started starring in Emmerdale as the character of Will Wylde, son of Mark and Natasha Wylde; he left in January 2011...
) - Edwin Bracewell (Bill PatersonBill PatersonBill Paterson is a Scottish stage, film and television actor.-Early years:Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Paterson spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice, before attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama...
) - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(Ian McNeiceIan McNeiceIan McNeice is a prolific English screen, stage, and television character actor.-Early life:McNeice was born in Basingstoke in Hampshire. McNeice's acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by two years at the Salisbury Playhouse...
) - Queen Elizabeth I (Vivienne Bennett, Angela PleasenceAngela PleasenceAngela Pleasence is an English actress. She is the daughter of actor Donald Pleasence and his first wife, Miriam Raymond. The surname for both daughter and father has occasionally been miscredited as "Pleasance"...
) - Queen Elizabeth II (Jeanette Charles, Jessica MartinJessica MartinJessica Martin is an actor and comedian. She is probably best known for her work as an impressionist and voice artist on the television series Spitting Image, impersonating the voice of Her Majesty The Queen. She also appeared on Yorkshire Television's 3-2-1 in the 1980s with impressionist Aiden J...
(voice)) - Queen Elizabeth X a/k/a "Liz 10" (Sophie OkonedoSophie OkonedoSophie Okonedo, OBE is a British actress, who has starred both in successful British and American productions. In 1991, she made her acting debut in the British critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama, Young Soul Rebels...
) - The Face of Boe [possibly human] (Struan RodgerStruan RodgerStruan Rodger is a British actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles. His first feature film role was as Eric Liddell's friend and running coach Sandy McGrath, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film, Chariots of Fire....
(voice)) - Vincent van GoghVincent van GoghVincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
(Tony CurranTony CurranAnthony "Tony" Curran is a Scottish actor.Curran was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He is an alumnus of Holyrood Secondary School and is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama....
) - Clive Jones (Trevor LairdTrevor LairdTrevor Laird is an English actor.Born in London, Laird appeared in the 1979 film Quadrophenia as Ferdy, a drug supplier for the main character Jimmy. His breakthrough role was in the 1980 cult classic Babylon. He also appeared in the 1986 Doctor Who serial Mindwarp as the guard commander Frax...
) - Francine Jones (Adjoa AndohAdjoa AndohAdjoa Andoh is a British film, television, stage and radio actress of Ghanaian descent. Andoh is known on the UK stage for lead roles at the RSC, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Almeida Theatre, and is a familiar face on British television Adjoa Andoh (born 1962) is a British...
) - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Harriet JonesHarriet JonesHarriet Jones MP is a recurring fictional character played by Penelope Wilton in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. With the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, Jones was introduced in the two-part story "Aliens of London" and "World War Three" as an MP who aids the...
(Penelope WiltonPenelope WiltonPenelope Alice Wilton, OBE is an English actress.-Life and career:Penelope Alice Wilton was born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, to a former actress mother and a businessman father. She is a niece of actors Bill Travers and Linden Travers and a cousin of the actor Richard Morant...
) - Leo Jones (Reggie YatesReggie YatesReginald "Reggie" Yates is a British actor, television presenter and radio DJ of Ghanaian descent. He went to Central Foundation Boys' School.-Early career:...
) - Tish Jones (Gugu Mbatha-RawGugu Mbatha-RawGugu Mbatha-Raw is an English actress.- Life and career :Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha in 1983, in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, England. Her name, "Gugulethu", means pride in Zulu. Her mother, Anne, is an English nurse, and her father, Patrick Mbatha, is a South African...
) - Tanya Lernov (Clare Jenkins)
- Wilfred MottWilfred MottWilfred "Wilf" Mott is a recurring fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Bernard Cribbins. He is the maternal grandfather of the Tenth Doctor's companion Donna Noble, and father of character Sylvia Noble...
(Bernard CribbinsBernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
) - Sylvia Noble (Jacqueline KingJacqueline King-Career:King trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After training she worked as an actor in Africa, Canada, America, Sri Lanka and UAE.On returning to the UK, she appeared in several Alan Ayckbourn productions, including the original runs of Comic Potential and the Damsels in Distress...
) - Lady Cassandra O'Brien (Zoë WanamakerZoe WanamakerZoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
) - Craig OwensCraig OwensCraig Owens was an American post-modernist art critic, gay activist and feminist.-Biography:Craig Owens was a senior editor of Art in America, a contributor to such scholarly journals as Skyline and October, a graduate of Haverford College, and a professor of art history at Yale University and...
(James CordenJames CordenJames Kimberley Corden is an English actor, television writer, producer and presenter. He is co-creator and star of BBC comedy shows Gavin & Stacey and Horne & Corden, and acted in the 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers....
) - William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(Hugh Walters, Dean Lennox KellyDean Lennox KellyDean Lennox Kelly is an English actor, He is the brother of actor Craig Kelly.Dean is best known for his role as Kev Ball in Channel 4’s Shameless.-Career:...
) - Jake Simmons (Andrew Hayden-SmithAndrew Hayden-SmithAndrew Hayden-Smith is a British actor and television presenter best known for his work with CBBC.-Early years:...
) - Luke Smith (Tommy KnightTommy KnightThomas 'Tommy' Lawrence Knight is an English actor best known for playing Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Personal life:...
) - Sophie (Daisy HaggardDaisy Haggard-Family:The daughter of film director Piers Haggard and his wife Anna Slovsky, she was raised and educated in Dulwich, South London at the James Allen's Girls' School.-Career:...
) - Professor Edward TraversProfessor Edward TraversProfessor Edward Travers, played by Jack Watling, is a fictional anthropologist and explorer who appears in two serials of the BBC television series Doctor Who and a spin-off TV movie.-Character history:...
(Jack WatlingJack WatlingJack Watling was a British actor.-Early life:Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts as a child and made his stage debut in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Holborn Empire in 1936...
) - Jackie TylerJackie TylerIn "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" Coduri plays a parallel Earth version of Jackie. In this universe, she is still married to Pete, but they have no children, although she has a Yorkshire terrier named Rose. Despite Pete's success, which has led to Jackie becoming a celebrity, they...
(Camille CoduriCamille CoduriCamille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...
) - Pete TylerPete TylerPete Tyler, full name Peter Alan Tyler, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Shaun Dingwall...
(Shaun DingwallShaun DingwallShaun Dingwall is a British actor and is known for his roles on British television.-Early life:Shaun Dingwall was born in 1972 and attended Ilford County High School for boys. His initial ambition was to become a photographer and for several years he worked as an assistant photographer within the...
) - Trinity Wells (Lachele CarlLachele CarlLachele Carl is an American actress based in England.She has appeared in Grange Hill, Batman and Alien Autopsy.She also plays the recurring character of American news anchor Trinity Wells in Doctor Who, appearing in the episodes "Aliens of London", "World War Three", "The Christmas Invasion", "The...
)
Time Lords
- Borusa (Angus MacKay; John ArnattJohn Arnatt- Biography :John Arnatt was born in Petrograd on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis Arnatt and Ethel Marion Arnatt . He attended Epworth College. Arnatt trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
; Leonard SachsLeonard SachsLeonard Sachs was a British actor.-Early life and career:Sachs was born in South Africa in the town of Roodepoort, Transvaal...
; Philip LathamPhilip LathamPhilip Latham is a British actor. He was educated at Felsted School.In the late 1960s/early 1970s he was well known to British TV viewers for his portrayal of chief accountant Willy Izard, the "conscience" to hard-nosed oil company industrialist Brian Stead in the BBC series The Troubleshooters...
) - The Castellan (Paul JerrichoPaul JerrichoPaul Jerricho is a British actor.He has been mostly active in television. His best known roles include Robert Hastings during the final series of Howards' Way, violent P.E. teacher Mr. Hicks in Grange Hill and the Castellan in two Doctor Who stories, Arc of Infinity and The Five Doctors...
) - The Inquisitor (Lynda BellinghamLynda BellinghamLynda Bellingham is a Canadian-born English actress, broadcaster and author, who is known for her distinctive husky voice.-Early life:...
) - The MasterMaster (Doctor Who)The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
(Roger DelgadoRoger DelgadoRoger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was an English actor, best known for his role as the first Master in Doctor Who....
; Peter PrattPeter PrattPeter Pratt was an English actor and singer who is best remembered for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
; Geoffrey BeeversGeoffrey BeeversGeoffrey Beevers is a British actor who has appeared in many different television roles.Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor ; and as an adaptor/director of George Eliot's novel Adam Bede , for which he won a Time Out Award, and Balzac's...
; Anthony AinleyAnthony AinleyAnthony Ainley was an English actor best known for his work on British television and particularly for his role as the third Master in Doctor Who. He was the fourth actor to play the role of the Master, and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring role after the death of Roger Delgado...
; Gordon Tipple; Eric RobertsEric RobertsEric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
; Sir Derek Jacobi; John SimmJohn SimmJohn Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
) - The Meddling MonkMeddling MonkThe Meddling Monk, or simply The Monk, was a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Played by the British comic actor Peter Butterworth, the character appeared in two stories: as an adversary of the First Doctor.Other than the...
(Peter ButterworthPeter ButterworthPeter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
) - OmegaOmega (Doctor Who)Omega is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. In the context of the series, Omega is known as one of the founding fathers of the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, and is a revered figure in Time Lord history together with the equally...
(Stephen ThorneStephen ThorneStephen Thorne is a British actor of radio, film, stage and television.He trained at the and after a time in weekly rep. he played several seasons with the Old Vic Company and the RSC in Stratford and London including a tour to Russia...
; Ian CollierIan CollierIan Collier was a British actor.Collier appeared on stage in "Hamlet" in 1969 at the Lunt-Fontanne in New York City.He appeared in various television programmes including Rentaghost, Hi-de-Hi! and Howards' Way. He appeared in the Doctor Who story The Time Monster...
) - The RaniRani (Doctor Who)The Rani is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was played by Kate O'Mara. The word "Rani" means "queen" in the Urdu and Hindi languages and "The Rani" follows the naming convention for other renegade timelords, "The Doctor," "The Monk," "The War...
(Kate O'MaraKate O'MaraKate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...
) - RassilonRassilonRassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
(Richard Mathews; Timothy DaltonTimothy DaltonTimothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
; Don WarringtonDon WarringtonDon Warrington, MBE is a Trinidadian British actor.-Personal life:Warrington was born in Trinidad and Tobago on 23 May 1951 and brought up in Newcastle upon Tyne, England from age five. His father was the Trinidadian politician, Basil Kydd, who died in 1958. He has two sons.His acting career...
) - The ValeyardValeyardThe Valeyard is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. He is described as an aspect of the Doctor from between his twelfth and final incarnations as depicted in the TV show or regenerations in the novelization of the story...
(Michael JaystonMichael JaystonMichael Jayston is a Nottingham-born English actor.- Early life :He attended the Becket Grammar School in West Bridgford, then worked briefly as a trainee accountant at the offices of the National Coal Board before obtaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train as an...
) - Goth (Doctor Who) (Bernard HorsfallBernard HorsfallBernard Horsfall is a British actor.Horsfall was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. He has appeared in many television and film roles including: Guns at Batasi , On Her Majesty's Secret Service , Enemy at the Door , Gandhi , The Jewel in the Crown , The Hound of the Baskervilles Bernard...
) - Third Time Lord/Chancellor (Clyde Pollitt)
- Dr. River Song (née Melody Pond)River Song (Doctor Who)River Song is a fictional character played primarily by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS...
(Alex KingstonAlex KingstonAlexandra Elizabeth "Alex" Kingston is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the NBC medical drama ER and as River Song in Doctor Who.-Early life and education:...
)
Aliens, robots or characters of an unknown race
- Aggedor (Nick Hobbs)
- Alpha CentauriAlpha Centauri (Doctor Who)Alpha Centauri, played by Stuart Fell and voiced by Ysanne Churchman, is a fictional alien delegate for the Galactic Federation who appears in two serials of the BBC television series Doctor Who.-Character traits:...
(Body: Stuart FellStuart FellStuart Fell is a professional actor and stuntman. He has appeared on British television many times, with his earliest role being in the LWT comedy series Hark at Barker, in which he plays the driver of a car that crashes when he's distracted by Ronnie Barker carrying a mannequin...
; Voice: Ysanne ChurchmanYsanne ChurchmanYsanne Churchman worked as an actor and narrator on British radio, TV and film for over 50 years . She achieved national fame as 'Grace Archer' in the long-running BBC drama series, when Grace died in a fire on the night when ITV launched in 1955.Ysanne Churchman was born on 14 May 1925 in...
) - The Face of Boe (Voice only: Struan RodgerStruan RodgerStruan Rodger is a British actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles. His first feature film role was as Eric Liddell's friend and running coach Sandy McGrath, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film, Chariots of Fire....
) - Sabalom GlitzSabalom GlitzSabalom Glitz is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Glitz is a rogue from the planet Salostophus in the Andromeda Constellation. Glitz's first love is money, and he is often engaged in mercenary acts and profiteering...
(Tony SelbyTony SelbyTony Selby is an English actor.He has appeared in many television programmes including a starring role in RAF National Service comedy Get Some In!, and a recurring role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as the intergalactic conman Sabalom Glitz...
) - Novice Hame (Anna HopeAnna HopeAnna Hope is an English actress from Manchester. She is perhaps best known for her Doctor Who role of Novice Hame, who first appeared in the webcast TARDISODE 1 - "New Earth" before appearing in the television episodes "New Earth" and "Gridlock"....
) - K-9 Mark IIIK-9 (Doctor Who)K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
(John LeesonJohn LeesonJohn Leeson is a British actor who is best known for voicing K-9 on the television series Doctor Who from 1977 to 1979, and again in the 1980–1981 season. He was called back to do the voice of K-9 again for the 2006 episode "School Reunion" and again for the 2008 Doctor Who episode "Journey's End"...
) - K-9 Mark IVK-9 (Doctor Who)K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
(John Leeson) - Dorium Maldovar (Simon Fisher Becker)
- The White GuardianWhite GuardianThe White Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Cyril Luckham, with the exception of a vocal message in The Stones of Blood which was performed by Gerald Cross....
(Cyril LuckhamCyril LuckhamCyril Luckham was a British film, television and theatre actor.Luckham played the White Guardian in the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. He appeared in The Ribos Operation, the first serial in The Key to Time season, and Enlightenment...
; Gerald Cross, (voice only))
Major Recurring Villains
- The MasterMaster (Doctor Who)The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
(Roger DelgadoRoger DelgadoRoger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was an English actor, best known for his role as the first Master in Doctor Who....
; Peter PrattPeter PrattPeter Pratt was an English actor and singer who is best remembered for his comic roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas....
; Geoffrey BeeversGeoffrey BeeversGeoffrey Beevers is a British actor who has appeared in many different television roles.Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor ; and as an adaptor/director of George Eliot's novel Adam Bede , for which he won a Time Out Award, and Balzac's...
; Anthony AinleyAnthony AinleyAnthony Ainley was an English actor best known for his work on British television and particularly for his role as the third Master in Doctor Who. He was the fourth actor to play the role of the Master, and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring role after the death of Roger Delgado...
; Gordon Tipple; Eric RobertsEric RobertsEric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
; Derek JacobiDerek JacobiSir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
; John SimmJohn SimmJohn Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
) - DavrosDavrosDavros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
(Michael WisherMichael WisherMichael Wisher was a British actor.He is probably best remembered for having played Davros, the wheelchair-using scientific mastermind and creator of the Daleks, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
; David GoodersonDavid GoodersonDavid Gooderson is a British actor who has appeared in several television roles. As well as portraying Davros, creator of the Daleks in the Doctor Who serial Destiny of the Daleks, he has appeared in Lovejoy, Mapp & Lucia and A Touch of Frost amongst other roles...
; Terry MolloyTerry MolloyTerry Molloy is an English actor known predominantly for his work on radio and television.Molloy has been a member of the cast of BBC Radio 4's The Archers playing Mike Tucker since 1973 and has won awards for his work as an actor on radio.On television, Molloy is perhaps best known for his role...
; Julian BleachJulian BleachJulian Bleach is an English actor who is best known as co-creator and "M. C." of Shockheaded Peter, a musical entertainment based on the works of Heinrich Hoffmann, which won the 2002 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.Bleach trained at LAMDA...
) - Dalek Emperor and Dalek Supreme
- Cyber ControllersCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
(Michael KilgarriffMichael KilgarriffMichael Kilgarriff is a British actor, born 16 June 1937 in Brighton. As an actor he is well known for two things: his rich voice, leading to much radio and voice over work; and his height. At six feet seven inches tall, he is sought for certain roles, the most notable of which has been The Cyber...
, Paul KaseyPaul KaseyPaul Kasey is an English actor who frequently plays monsters on Doctor Who and Torchwood.He has recently played the Cybercontroller, the Cyber Leader, Cybermen, a clockwork android, the Hoix, an Auton, a Slitheen, an Ood, the Anne-Droid and a member of the Forest of Cheem in Doctor Who, and Janet...
) and Cyber LeadersCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
(Christopher RobbieChristopher RobbieChristopher Robbie is a British actor, television announcer, theatre director and designer, playwright and photographer. He trained as an actor at RADA in London, and has had a distinguished theatrical career, playing the title role in King Lear when a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He...
, Davis Banks, Paul Kasey) - The Black GuardianBlack GuardianThe Black Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Valentine Dyall....
(Valentine DyallValentine DyallValentine Dyall was an English character actor, the son of veteran actor Franklin Dyall. Dyall was especially popular as a voice actor, due to his very distinctive sepulchral voice, he was known for many years as "The Man in Black", narrator of the BBC Radio horror series Appointment With Fear.In...
) - Madame Kovarian (Frances BarberFrances BarberFrances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also appeared in numerous television productions...
) - The RaniRani (Doctor Who)The Rani is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was played by Kate O'Mara. The word "Rani" means "queen" in the Urdu and Hindi languages and "The Rani" follows the naming convention for other renegade timelords, "The Doctor," "The Monk," "The War...
(Kate O'MaraKate O'MaraKate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...
) - OmegaOmega (Doctor Who)Omega is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. In the context of the series, Omega is known as one of the founding fathers of the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, and is a revered figure in Time Lord history together with the equally...
(Stephen ThorneStephen ThorneStephen Thorne is a British actor of radio, film, stage and television.He trained at the and after a time in weekly rep. he played several seasons with the Old Vic Company and the RSC in Stratford and London including a tour to Russia...
; Ian CollierIan CollierIan Collier was a British actor.Collier appeared on stage in "Hamlet" in 1969 at the Lunt-Fontanne in New York City.He appeared in various television programmes including Rentaghost, Hi-de-Hi! and Howards' Way. He appeared in the Doctor Who story The Time Monster...
) - The Meddling MonkMeddling MonkThe Meddling Monk, or simply The Monk, was a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Played by the British comic actor Peter Butterworth, the character appeared in two stories: as an adversary of the First Doctor.Other than the...
(Peter ButterworthPeter ButterworthPeter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
)
Minor Recurring Villains
- Dalek Sec, Dalek Thay, Dalek Caan and Dalek Jast
- The ValeyardValeyardThe Valeyard is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. He is described as an aspect of the Doctor from between his twelfth and final incarnations as depicted in the TV show or regenerations in the novelization of the story...
(Michael JaystonMichael JaystonMichael Jayston is a Nottingham-born English actor.- Early life :He attended the Becket Grammar School in West Bridgford, then worked briefly as a trainee accountant at the offices of the National Coal Board before obtaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train as an...
) - Blon Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day "Margaret Blaine" Slitheen (Annette BadlandAnnette BadlandAnnette Badland is an English actress best known for her work in children's television.-Biography:Her training took place at East 15 Acting School, London...
) - Sinister Woman (Elize du ToitElize Du ToitElize du Toit is a South African born actress best known for playing the role of Izzy Davies in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2000 to 2004, with a brief return in 2007.-Biography:...
) - Cassandra
- Celestial ToymakerCelestial ToymakerThe Celestial Toymaker is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. He was played by Michael Gough, and featured in the 1966 story The Celestial Toymaker by Brian Hayles.-Character overview:...
- SilSil (Doctor Who)Sil is a fictional alien from the television series Doctor Who, first appearing in the 1985 serial Vengeance on Varos. Sil was portrayed by Nabil Shaban....
Recurring alien species, monsters, or robots
(See also :Category:Doctor Who races and Creatures and aliens in Doctor Who.)Major
- DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s - CybermenCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
- Time LordTime LordThe Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s - SontaranSontaranThe Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
s - SiluriansSilurian (Doctor Who)The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
Secondary
- AutonAutonThe Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and adversaries of the Doctor. First appearing in Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, Spearhead from Space in 1970, they were the first monsters on the show to be presented in colour.Autons...
s and the Nestene Consciousness - OodOodThe Ood are a fictional alien species with telepathic abilities from the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future ....
- Cybermats
- Raxacoricofallapatorians (the SlitheenSlitheenThe Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...
family's species) - JudoonJudoonThe Judoon are a fictional extraterrestrial species of mercenary police from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs. They first appeared in the episode Smith and Jones in 2007....
- SilenceSilence (Doctor Who)The Silence is a fictional religious order or movement in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.Executive producer Steven Moffat created the Silence, intending them to be "scarier" than past villains in Doctor Who...
- Weeping AngelsWeeping AngelsThe Weeping Angels are a fictional ancient race of aliens from the Doctor Who television series, featured in the Tenth Doctor episode "Blink", and the Eleventh Doctor episodes "The Time of Angels", "Flesh and Stone" and in a cameo appearance in Series 6's "The God Complex"...
- Ice WarriorIce WarriorThe Ice Warriors are a fictional extraterrestrial race of reptilian-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The race originated on Mars, and first appeared in the 1967 serial The Ice Warriors where they encountered the Second Doctor and his...
s - OgronOgronOgrons are a fictional extraterrestrial race from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The name may be derived from the mythological ogres....
s
Minor
- Macra
- WeevilsWeevil (Torchwood)Weevils are a fictional extraterrestrial species from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, first appearing in the episode "Everything Changes". As Jack Harkness explains in that episode, the name "Weevil" is applied to them by Torchwood, but as communication with them is...
- ThalThal (Doctor Who)The Thals are a fictional race of humanoid aliens from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originating on the planet Skaro.-History within the show:...
s - YetiYeti (Doctor Who)The Yeti of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, although resembling the cryptozoological creatures also called the Yeti, are in actuality alien robots. Their external appearance, that of a huge hairy biped, disguises a small spherical mechanism that provides its motive power...
and the Great Intelligence - Cats
- Demons
- KaledHistory of the DaleksThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The mutated remains of the Kaled people of the planet Skaro, they travel around in tank-like mechanical casings, and are a race bent on universal conquest and destruction...
- Rutans
- Robotic Santa Clauses and Christmas Trees
- Sea Devils Silurian (Doctor Who)The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
- WerewolfWerewolf (Doctor Who)Werewolves have featured a number of times in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its other media tie-ins...
- ZygonZygonThe Zygons are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They first appeared in the Fourth Doctor serial Terror of the Zygons, where it was revealed that centuries ago, the Zygon homeworld was destroyed in a stellar explosion. A...
s
Characters from Doctor Who spin-off comics, novels, audio dramas and webcasts
The Doctor Who comics, novels and audio dramasRadio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
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.
with the First Doctor
- John and GillianJohn and Gillian (Doctor Who)John and Gillian, a young brother and sister, are characters in the TV Comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The stories featuring them were drawn first by Neville Main, then by Bill Mevin and finally by John Canning. They first appeared in the...
(TV ComicTV ComicTV Comic was a British comic book published weekly between November 9, 1951 and June 29, 1984 for 1,697 issues. With its bright, eye-catching covers, it featured stories based on television shows running at the time of publication. The first issue had 8 pages and had Muffin the Mule on the cover....
comic strip)
with the Third Doctor
- Jeremy Fitzoliver (The Paradise of DeathThe Paradise of DeathThe Paradise of Death is a radio audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on BBC Radio 5 from 27 August to 24 September 1993. The original radio play was released on CD as part of the BBC...
and The Ghosts of N-SpaceThe Ghosts of N-SpaceThe Ghosts of N-Space is a radio audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was recorded in 1994 and finally broadcast in six parts on BBC Radio 2 from January 20 to February 24, 1996. This was the second Third Doctor radio play, following The...
radio plays)
with the Fourth Doctor
- SharonSharon (Doctor Who)Sharon is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Fourth Doctor...
(Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
comic strip) - Mike Yates (Hornets' Nest; audio drama arc announced for release Autumn 2009)
with the Fifth Doctor
- Sir Justin (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
- Angus "Gus" Goodman (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
- ErimemErimemErimemushinteperem, or simply Erimem, is a fictional character played by Caroline Morris in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A princess of Ancient Egypt born in 1419 BC, she is the daughter of...
ushinteperem "Erimem" (Caroline MorrisCaroline MorrisCaroline Morris is a British actress who played the part of the companion Erimem in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on the BBC television series Doctor Who....
) (Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
; Telos novellaTelos Doctor Who novellasThe Telos Doctor Who novellas were a series of tie-in novellas based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, officially licensed by the BBC and published by Telos Publishing Ltd...
) - Thomas Brewster (John PickardJohn Pickard (British actor)John Pickard is a British actor who is currently best known for appearing in Channel 4's Hollyoaks playing Dominic Reilly from 2005-2010. He is the brother of fellow Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, who plays Tony Hutchinson, Dom's half-brother, in the soap...
) (Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
) - Amy (Ciara JansonCiara JansonCiara Janson is an English actress best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Nicole Owen.The character of Nicole Owen was Ciara Janson's first major television work. Previous parts include the role of Heidi for a BBC radio drama...
) (Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
)
with the Sixth Doctor
- FrobisherFrobisher (Doctor Who)Frobisher is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who in the 1980s. He was a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors...
(Robert JezekRobert JezekRobert Jezek is a Canadian film and television actor based in the United Kingdom.-Career:He is known for playing companion Frobisher in a range of Doctor Who audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions and based on the BBC television series Doctor Who...
) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions; Past Doctor AdventuresPast Doctor AdventuresThe Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
) - Grant MarkhamGrant MarkhamGrant Markham is a fictional character originally created by author Steve Lyons as a new companion of the Sixth Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the Missing Adventures...
(Missing AdventuresVirgin Missing AdventuresThe Virgin Missing Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the programme. The novels were published from 1994 to 1997, and...
) - Angela Jennings (Missing Adventures)
- Dr. Evelyn SmytheEvelyn SmytheDr. Evelyn Smythe is a fictional character played by Maggie Stables in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A professor of history from the 20th century with a fondness for chocolate, she is a...
(Maggie StablesMaggie StablesMaggie Stables is a British actress who plays the part of the companion Evelyn Smythe in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on the BBC television series Doctor Who.-Career:...
) (Big Finish Productions; Past Doctor Adventures) - Charlotte Elspeth "Charley" PollardCharley PollardCharlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
(India FisherIndia FisherIndia Fisher is a British actress born in 1974. Her father is the ex-MP Mark Fisher. She is also the stepsister of musician Crispin Hunt and of actress Francesca Hunt, who appears with her in the play Other Lives....
) (Big Finish Productions)
with the Seventh Doctor
- Frobisher (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
- Thomas Hector "Hex" SchofieldHex (Doctor Who)Thomas Hector Schofield, nicknamed Hex, is a fictional character played by Philip Olivier in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A staff nurse working for St. Gart's Hospital in London in the year...
(Philip OlivierPhilip OlivierPhilip Olivier is an English actor, model and stage performer best known for playing the role of Tim O'Leary in the soap opera Brookside.-Early life:...
) (Big Finish Productions) - Bernice "Benny" SummerfieldBernice SummerfieldBernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
(Lisa BowermanLisa BowermanLisa Bowerman is a British actress.Bowerman trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and was a regular in the first two series of BBC medical drama Casualty playing Sandra Mute, the show's first female paramedic. Her other television work includes: Dodgem, The Count of Solar, Grange Hill, The...
) (New AdventuresVirgin New AdventuresThe Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
; Big Finish Productions) - Chris CwejChris CwejChristopher Rodonanté Cwej, usually just known as Chris Cwej, is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(New Adventures) - Roz ForresterRoz ForresterRoslyn Sarah Inyathi Forrester, usually just known as Roz Forrester, is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who....
(New Adventures) - Antimony (Kevin Eldon) (Death Comes to TimeDeath Comes to TimeDeath Comes to Time is a webcast audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on the BBCi Cult website from 12 July 2001, accompanied by limited animation.-Synopsis:When two Time Lords are...
) - Catherine Broome (Telos novella)
with the Eighth Doctor
- Bernice "Benny" SummerfieldBernice SummerfieldBernice Surprise Summerfield is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures...
(New Adventures; Big Finish Productions) - Izzy SinclairIzzy SinclairIsabelle "Izzy" Sinclair, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
(Jemima RooperJemima RooperJemima Rooper is an English actress.- Background :Born in Hammersmith, London, Rooper is the daughter of TV journalist Alison Rooper. She attended Redcliffe Primary School in Chelsea, London and Godolphin and Latymer girls' school. While working on The Famous Five, she passed eight GCSEs with A*...
) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions) - Fey Truscott-SadeFey Truscott-SadeFey Truscott-Sade, also known as Fey or Feyde, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
(Doctor Who Magazine comic strip) - KrotonKroton (Cyberman)Kroton is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a companion of the Eighth Doctor. The canonicity of the comic strip with respect to the television series, like other Doctor Who...
(Doctor Who Magazine comic strip) - DestriiDestriiDestrii, or to give her full title, the Primatrix Destriianatos, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
(Doctor Who Magazine comic strip) - Stacy TownsendStacy TownsendStacy Townsend, or simply Stacy, is a fictional character in the Radio Times comic strips based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the comic strip Dreadnought by Gary Russell, and she went on to become one of his companions...
(Radio TimesRadio TimesRadio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
comic strip) - SsardSsardSsard is a fictional character in the Radio Times comic strips based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor and Stacy Townsend first met the Ice Warrior in the comic strip Descendance by Gary Russell, and he went on to become one of his companions...
(Radio Times comic strip) - Samantha "Sam" JonesSam Jones (Doctor Who)Samantha Angeline Jones, or simply Sam, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel The Eight Doctors by Terrance Dicks, and she went on to become one of his...
(Eighth Doctor AdventuresEighth Doctor AdventuresThe Eighth Doctor Adventures are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. 73 books were published overall...
) - Fitz KreinerFitz KreinerFitzgerald Michael Kreiner, or simply Fitz, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met him in the novel The Taint by Michael Collier — the character was co-created by Stephen Cole...
(Matt Di AngeloMatt Di AngeloMatt Di Angelo in London, England is an English actor and singer.He is mostly known for playing fictional character Deano Wicks in the popular British soap EastEnders, and for his current role of Sean Kennedy in the BBC series Hustle.-Education:He attended Southgate School, and started studying...
) (Eighth Doctor Adventures; Big Finish Productions) - CompassionCompassion (Doctor Who)Compassion is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Compassion was originally from a people known as the Remote, a splinter group of the time travelling voodoo cult Faction Paradox...
(Jackie Skarvellis) (Eighth Doctor Adventures, Faction ParadoxFaction ParadoxFaction Paradox is a fictional time travelling cult/rebel group/organized crime syndicate, originally created by the author Lawrence Miles. The Faction's belief-system as portrayed has some similarities to voodoo, and is sometimes described as such...
) - MirandaMiranda (Doctor Who)Miranda is a fictional character from the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel series published by BBC Books; based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. She was, for a time, the adopted daughter and companion of the Eighth Doctor...
(Eighth Doctor Adventures) - Anji KapoorAnji KapoorAnji Kapoor, or simply Anji, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, a novel series based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel Escape Velocity by Colin Brake, and she went on to become one of his companions....
(Eighth Doctor Adventures) - Beatrix MacMillanTrix MacMillanBeatrix MacMillan, or simply Trix, is a fictional character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels based upon the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The Eighth Doctor first met her in the novel Time Zero by Justin Richards, but it was not until the novel Timeless by Stephen Cole...
(Eighth Doctor Adventures) - Charlotte Elspeth "Charley" PollardCharley PollardCharlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
(Big Finish Productions) - C'rizzC'rizzC'rizz is a fictional character played by Conrad Westmaas in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A Eutermesan from the planet Bortresoye, which exists in a parallel universe, he is a companion of...
(Conrad WestmaasConrad WestmaasConrad Westmaas is a British actor who trained at The Poor School, London from 1998-2000.Westmaas has appeared mainly in theatre, including Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare's Globe in 2008 and also played Paul McGann's companion C'rizz in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on...
) (Big Finish Productions) - Lucie MillerLucie MillerLucie Miller is a character in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions for BBC7 based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(Sheridan SmithSheridan SmithSheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
) (Big Finish Productions)
with the Ninth Doctor
Adam Mitchell is a television companion of Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
's Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series
Doctor Who (series 1)
The new first series of British science fiction series Doctor Who began on 26 March 2005 with the episode "Rose", which marked the end of the programme's 16-year absence from episodic television following its cancellation in 1989, and aired its finale episode "The Parting of the Ways" on 18 June 2005...
. He was acquired as a companion in "Dalek" and was expelled from the TARDIS in the very next episode, "The Long Game
The Long Game
"The Long Game" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on May 7, 2005. Along with new companion Adam, the TARDIS deposits the Doctor and Rose on Satellite 5, a space station that broadcasts across the entire human empire...
", for bad behaviour.
The character of Adam Mitchell was first conceived, along with Henry van Statten, during Russell T Davies' 2003 pitch to the BBC, in a story heavily based on Robert Shearman's audio play Jubilee called "Return of the Daleks" (which would later form the base for the episode "Dalek"). It was always the intention of the production team for Adam to join the TARDIS after Rose developed a liking for him. To play this role, Bruno Langley
Bruno Langley
Bruno Langley is an English actor. He is best known for playing Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street and Adam Mitchell in Doctor Who.- Early life :...
was chosen, mostly for his role on Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
as Todd Grimshaw
Todd Grimshaw
Todd James Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Bruno Langley. He originally appeared from 13 January 2001 till 22 September 2004 and returned for a brief stint in from 15 October 2007 till 7 November 2007...
. However, Adam was not meant to be a long-term companion; indeed, Davies intended to show that not everyone is suitable to join the TARDIS crew and dubbed him "the Companion That Couldn't". "I always wanted to do a show with someone who was a rubbish companion," Davies explains in the book Doctor Who: The Inside Story. "Adam doesn't realise he's out for his own good until he's put in a situation of temptation, where knowledge, information and power are put in front of him," Davies says in Doctor Who Confidential. "He's a little bit ambitious; he's a little bit too clever for his own good. So it's a chance to see someone starting on that path, which the Doctor cuts dead."
Originally, there were several aspects of the character that were cut before appearing on screen: in early drafts, he was the son of Henry van Statten, and Adam's reason for his duplicity in "The Long Game" was his father's ill-health. (In the DVD commentary for "The Long Game", director Brian Grant and actor Bruno Langley discuss Adam's scripted motive of bringing future medical knowledge back home to cure his father.) Adam was also supposed to reside in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, until the casting of Langley made the production team relocate his house to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. To date, he is the only known companion to be booted from the TARDIS for "bad behaviour" and the only companion of the Ninth Doctor to not meet the Tenth.
Outside of television, there is also an oblique other media allusion to Adam, made in the week in which "The Long Game" was first broadcast. The tie-in website "Who is Doctor Who?" announced that "14 year-old Adam Mitchell from Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
" had won a competition arranged by van Statten the previous week. Adam's winning essay on "Why I Want To Meet An Alien" focuses on acquiring advanced knowledge from them ("I don't think it's cheating, really. It's just a shortcut"). The canonicity of the material on the website is unclear.
with the Tenth Doctor
- Heather McCrimmon (Doctor Who AdventuresDoctor Who AdventuresDoctor Who Adventures is a magazine based on the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It is published by BBC Magazines and aimed at 6–13 year-olds, a different demographic from the Doctor Who Magazine readership...
comic strip) - Majenta Pryce (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
Other recurring or important characters
- Abslom Daak (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; New Adventures)
- Beep the MeepBeep the MeepBeep the Meep is a fictional alien who appeared in the Doctor Who Weekly comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The cute and cuddly appearance of Beep the Meep — a round, furry biped with large, expressive eyes and long ears — belies...
(Toby LongworthToby LongworthToby Longworth is a British actor who has appeared on film, radio and television. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath...
) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions) - Iris WildthymeIris WildthymeIris Wildthyme is a fictional character created by writer Paul Magrs, who has appeared in short stories, novels and audio dramas from numerous publishers...
(Katy Manning) (Eighth Doctor Adventures; Past Doctor Adventures; Big Finish Productions) - Jason Kane (Stephen FewellStephen FewellStephen Fewell is a British actor who portrays Jason Kane in the audio adventures of Bernice Summerfield. He has also appeared in classical theatre and as several roles in various Doctor Who audio productions...
) (New Adventures; Big Finish Productions) - Kadiatu Lethbridge-StewartKadiatu Lethbridge-StewartKadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. She is a descendant of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart....
(New Adventures) - Muriel FrostMuriel FrostMuriel Frost is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An officer in the British Army, she worked for UNIT , an international organisation that defends the Earth from alien threats...
(Karen Henson) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions) - SabbathSabbath (Doctor Who)Sabbath is the name of a recurring villain from the Eighth Doctor Adventures — spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. The character was created by Lawrence Miles and first appeared in The Adventuress of Henrietta Street...
(Saul Jaffe) (Eighth Doctor Adventures; Faction Paradox) - ShaydeShaydeShayde is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(Mark DonovanMark DonovanMark Donovan is a Welsh character actor best known for grotesque roles in productions such as Shaun of the Dead, Black Books, In Bruges, and Murder Investigation Team. He also played a brief scene of Hamlet in an episode of the David Renwick comedy-drama, Love Soup...
) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions) - TimewyrmTimewyrmThe Timewyrm is the name of a recurring villain from the Virgin New Adventures spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. The character featured in a four-novel story arc: Timewyrm: Genesys, Timewyrm: Exodus, Timewyrm: Apocalypse and Timewyrm: Revelation.The...
(New Adventures) - Irving BraxiatelIrving BraxiatelIrving Braxiatel or Cardinal Braxiatel is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures—spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. He subsequently became a regular character in novels and audio dramas in the Bernice Summerfield universe...
(Miles RichardsonMiles RichardsonMiles Richardson is a British actor.He was born on 15 July 1963 in Battersea, London to parents Ian Richardson and Maroussia Frank , both founder members of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) (New Adventures; Big Finish Productions)