Russell T Davies on Doctor Who's companions

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Russell T Davies on Doctor Who's companions

As Rose returns to Doctor Who for the climactic episodes of season four, Russell T Davies tells Benjamin Cook about the role of the companion and the magic of Billie Piper (June 2008).

"The companion acts as our eyes and ears, our gateway into the Doctor's extraordinary world," says Russell T Davies, Doctor Who's lead writer and executive producer. "The companion is there so that the kids watching at home can think, that could be me!" When Davies was a child, did he dream of turning a street corner and seeing the Tardis, and running inside? "Yes, always! I hope the companions still make children think that's possible, to travel in time and space."

Although the role of companion is not uniquely female ("I think the Doctor can bedazzle anyone," says Davies, "whether it's a man, woman, Slitheen or robot dog!"), the single woman companion tends to be the show's staple.

"As the Doctor has said himself," continues Davies, "what's the point of seeing the whole of the cosmos and all of history if there's no one to share it with, no one to join in with the wonder and awe, no one's hand to hold when it gets terrifying? Underneath all the Doctor's wit and vigour, I think there's quite a lonely man, the last of his kind, wandering inside the only Tardis in existence. He needs companionship."

In return, the Doctor offers his companions the trip of a lifetime. "He changes their lives, mostly for the better," says Davies. "We've seen Donna undergo the biggest change of all. She's discovered the compassion inside her, the intelligence, and the bravery that a Chiswick temp wouldn't normally have the chance to show. At the beginning, Donna was fantastically self-absorbed - superficial, brash, and perceiving herself only in terms of her marital status." Season four's episode, Turn Left, shows "what would have happened if the Doctor hadn't liberated her from that."

What do the Doctor's companions really mean to him? He'll show them the wonders of the universe, save them from the monsters, and fight for them tooth and claw... and yet, again and again, he places them in the most terrible danger. "In fairness, the Doctor never hides the danger. That's pretty clear, from the first time you meet him.

"But the Doctor, let's not forget, can be a powerful, dark presence at times. If that's not tempered by humanity, then I think he can be capable of terrible deeds. As Donna once told him, 'I think you need someone to stop you.'" Find out more about how Russell T Davies sees the companions - and what the women who play them think too:

Read Russell's thoughts - and Billie Piper's - about Rose and the Doctor

Russell T Davies and Freema Agyeman on Martha

Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies on the evolution of Donna

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Now take a look at our full Doctor Who guide.

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