Doctor Who showrunner praises "gorgeous" Freema Agyeman and Martha Jones’s "epic" journey
"She walked across the entire world, for a year, in the middle of a war. She was amazing."
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has opened up about which time-travelling companions he wanted to be growing up, praising Martha Jones's (Freema Agyeman) "epic" journey in the season 3 finale.
Davies revived the BBC sci-fi classic in 2005 and worked on the show until 2010, before rejoining in 2023.
In a new interview with guest Tia Kofi on The Whoniverse Show, Davies was asked which Doctor Who companion he aspired to be when he was younger, to which he responded: "Oh well it depended on what age I was. I wanted to be Sarah Jane, or Jo [Grant] I suppose. Zoe [Heriot] when I was little."
He continued: "Bear in mind I remember all the way back to the beginning. I remember William Hartnell regenerating, so I probably wanted to be Polly."
Tia went on to explain that she always wanted to be Martha (Freema Agyeman), who served as the Doctor’s companion in season 3 (2007).
"Freema, gorgeous," Davies responded, before adding: "she walked across the entire world, for a year, in the middle of a war. She was amazing."
Asked whether he still feels a connection to the companions that he’s written, Davies added: "Oh my god, I love them. Yes. Completely. When you write something you’re connected to it forever."
Speaking about the season 3 finale, he went on to add: "Yeah I really feel that when you talk about her year walking the world. God, the opening of that last episode. When she arrives on that cold beach, with that boat, and just one light to guide her. I love that. Epic. Really epic stuff."
He also joked: "I do love how quickly the Doctor must have whispered that plan to her. You can travel around the world for a year, make sure you spread my name. Make sure you come back here on the stroke of 10 o'clock. Technically, well done Doctor."
Elsewhere on the episode, fans were also treated to an appearance from composer Murray Gold.
Gold, who returned to the show for the 60th anniversary specials in 2023 after having departed in 2017, teased that fans can expect the soundtracks for the 60th anniversary specials, season 14 and season 15 (the latter two being known as seasons 1 and 2) to be released soon.
He said: "I'm a man of my word, as I said. We are on that. I think we might be... that will be 2026 I think. Hopefully all three."
Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
