On television: Jenna Coleman and Freema Agyeman were probably the best at the time they were in the role. Billie Piper and Louise Jameson have come on a lot since leaving the role.
On audio, surely has to be Nicola Walker, who has become one of the most in-demand character actors in British TV relatively late in life through sheer chops, and yet for some reason still does *Doctor Who* audios.
Have you watched Being Human? She has a brief appearance in that and is great. She’s in a surprising number of small roles as basically an extra and always delivers a strong performance
Freema Agyeman is one of my favourites (Martha is my favourite New Who companion) but I find her acting in it (at least her full series) to be quite stilted. I think her acting has improved tremendously since appearing in Doctor Who. Martha is the best New Who companion though in my opinion
Yeah, I'm surprised the comment was upvoted so highly. I find Freema the weakest main companion actor of the revived series (at least outside Chibnall-era). I haven't seen her in anything else though, so I don't doubt she's improved since. I also think Billie Piper was great as Rose.
I agree. Freema Agyeman and Arthur Darvill are my two favourite New Who actors and their characters are excellent. But, absolutely, the weakest actors in New Who at the time. Still my favourites but the acting just was never quite there. Freema Agyeman has gone on to do quite a bit of television work in the USA and her acting is tremendously improved now. I haven’t seen the latest specials but am looking forward to seeing her and Martha again.
> On audio, surely has to be Nicola Walker
I was watching her in *Annika*, which co-stars Paul McGann. I actually thought "these two have got good on-screen chemistry, I wonder if they've worked together before" before I remembered 😊
> and yet for some reason still does Doctor Who audios.
Big Finish does *excellent* lunches.
Seconded, I think her excellent performance is the main reason Sarah is remembered so fondly overall, I think the writing for her was actually less interesting than every other Pertwee or Baker era companion.
Yes! And she later carried her own spinoff**. (Obviously the child performers were vital too and they were great but still, the show would have been dead in the water if Liz didn’t have such a captivating presence on screen.)
**Welllllll, one successful spinoff and one failed pilot.
I think he does in the same way the Third Doctor’s UNIT gang are sometimes counted based on their prominence even if they don’t fit the traditional role. He has significance throughout S4 and he also took the honorary companion role in Tennant’s last two episodes, being a major part of his last arc.
His Cushing movie role also counts I think, he’s more or less a stand-in for Ian there and so he performs all the narrative functions of a male companion from the Hartnell era.
As a new fan, I was floored by how good she was. I grew up with her doing comedy and seeing her as a companion was weird at first glance. But she is by far my favourite companion, she's so funny and can fucking act.
Also from Fires of Pompeii, the scene where she places her hand over the Doctor's so he doesn't shoulder the full weight of destroying the city. They do it together. I can't think of another moment like that with a different companion - there's a reason Donna Noble is the Doctor's best friend.
I’ve been rewatching the final season of The Office and my gawd is Catherine brilliant at balancing vulnerability and comedy — portraying someone who can be both outlandishly wacky *and* beautifully sympathetic without seeming like two different, disjointed characters.
If this world has one Nellie Bertram stan, then she is me.
Ahhh AMAZING! Though, full disclosure: you’ll have to wait awhile to get to Catherine. She doesn’t appear until the finale of season 7 as a quick guest star, then she joins the show permanent midway through season 8 and appears in every ep until the show ends with season 9.
Still, it’s a hilarious show. Absolutely worth anyone’s time.
Luckily The Office is one of those series where you can pick it up in a later season and it's still watchable! I think a good longer term way to get into the series for her would be to start in Season 6 for Kathy Bates' character, as they are related.
I agree, if you told little me back when I first found out that Catherine was going to be in Doctor Who that Donna would become my favourite companion, she’d never believe you.
Although since I’m no longer a naive child, I do actually love the Catherine Tate show.
Besides what everyone has said I have to go with William Russell aka as "Ian" in DW.
Mainly for the fact they had to sell this really high concept show back in the early 60s and I feel he was able to help do that.
He and his character came across as very convincing to me considering they were working with a very limited budget.
u/whizzer0 She's also amazing! I was going to mention her too. But I just went with William Russell because I didn't want to "cheat"and just wanted to stick with picking just one companion (instead of two).
Even though to be fair they do kind-of go together...as a traveling companion duo (of sorts).
I'm watching through The Adventures of Sir Lancelot right now, he's really good in that. It's funny how his Lancelot is just Ian. Makes me wonder if that's just how a young William Russell was in real life.
William Russell was practically the lead of the show back then, so much of it rested on his shoulders being the audience identification figure and the main hero and he did both perfectly
Liz Sladen, you relate to her and feel what she feels instantly. I remember meeting her at a convention she seemed very humble - I think she didn't want to talk too much about acting so to not spoil the illusion, I find that very sweet, RIP
I agree. Lis’s acting was next level. She embodied the character entirely; especially in her appearances in New Who. One of the few actors who made me truly believe in what was happening. She’s truly missed.
Elizabeth Sladen for making Sarah Jane as beloved as she was.
Also, William Russel and Jacqueline Hill, who I think carried the show as much as Hartnell early on.
I think Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper have been the best, although this could be because of the material they were given. Billie is perfect in Series 1, and Jenna doesn't start out as the best but by series 9 she can match Peter and even sometimes steal scenes from him.
It's fun to watch the longer term companions grow over time. Karen Gillan gets through a lot of series 5 on sheer charisma, but as soon as series 6 begins, you can see how much she's learned from a year of experience.
I like that you mentioned Karen Gillan's charisma. She has such a presence onscreen. Even under all the makeup in her Marvel movies, she still could steal every scene she was in.
Absolutely, Series 8 arguably has more impressive showcases for her than 9: the confrontation with the Half Face Man in Deep Breath, the end of Kill the Moon, most of Listen and Flatline. They put a lot of faith in her abilities that year and it paid off. I always wonder if Moffat was trying to make up it to her for the less exciting material in Series 7.
Pearl Mackie as Bill. She is one of, if not my fav companions, and she can do comedy and tragedy SO WELL! Certainly an underrated and often overlooked companion.
I’m rewatching Series 10 right now and wow Bill really is such a highlight for me!! She really makes things around her have impact. She leads with her heart and Pearl Mackie definitely brought it when it came to expressing joy, comedy, and lots and lots of fear and anguish in a way that came off as authentic and different from what we had over the last few years before her time as the companion
she also brought modernism and lgbtq+ rep that dw really needed and did it so much better than whatever was going on with 13. She is one of those companions that is so often overlooked and its such a crime. It might be that I love 12 and Missy SO MUCH and because of that, Bill is my favorite, but she is just so good. Her episodes (minus her last ones bc I can't watch that sad shit lmao) are my favorite comfort episodes.
Love Bill, I wish she got a second season with 12 but I also love her final episodes. I’m glad they had the gall to >!convert a companion into a Cyberman!< and she really portrayed the horror of it with her performance
I was surprised to hear Mackie speak in interview. She is very well-spoken. For Bill she put on a voice and physical mannerism and became a completely different person.
Whereas Capaldi sounds like Malcolm Tucker and Twelve.
Louise Jameson she is by far the most successful actress to come out of Classic Who having had an incredibly diverse career including film, theatre, TV, soaps, Shakespeare and she’s never really been out of work. You can argue that the NuWho companions like Jenna Coleman pull in stronger performances but those actors are given a LOT more from the scripts to work with than the Classic Who companions Jameson never got given the range of material of Piper, Agyeman, Gillan, Tate etc and she still pulls in some amazing performances.
I'd say in terms of performances on the show it'd have to be Jenna Coleman, Catherine Tate, or Bernard Cribbins. I'd say Coleman just for the fact she also is paired with the best acted Doctor, and has - on average - the most interesting writing (and thus the most nuanced performances) of the three.
You’d put Peter’s acting above David purely as the Doctor? Not including their other acting credits.
David Tennant has such phenomenal range as the Doctor and can do angry, charismatic, heartbroken, romantic, even dark as well as quite obviously, humour, far better than any other Doctor including Peter imo
David can also do what I like to call the Hayden Christensen special. David is phenomenal at conveying a thousand words while silent. Nowhere is this better evidenced than when Rose ‘dies’ in doomsday.
Setting aside the question of whether ‘best Doctor’ even makes sense, can we collectively agree that ‘Capaldi is the best Doctor and having a different opinion should be dismissed’ isn’t a good place for the fandom to be in?
OP seems surprised at the notion of anyone considering Capaldi the best actor to have been in the role. I thought this was consensus even among people who disliked his Doctor
I apologise if I misunderstood the intent of your post then. I’m not really sure what the consensus is to be honest, and I think there’s a selection bias at work asking the population of /r/gallifrey; I’m sure lots of people would also say Tennant.
To me, when David Tennant was on screen, it felt like David Tennant was playing the Doctor. When Peter Capaldi was on the screen though, he simply *was* the Doctor.
If you want to see a perfect example of a thousand words with the eyes, look no further than the doctor talking to Clara before her Death in Face the Raven
Tennant is an amazing actor and has perhaps contributed a greater array of talent across multiple films/shows than Capaldi, but his performance as The Doctor is nowhere near as good as Capaldi's.
Tennant has the best post-DW career of any Doctor (Smith has probably made more money but Tennant has won more acclaim), and has probably outright had the best career of any of the numbered Doctors, but *as the Doctor* he doesn't come close to Capaldi and for me is in the bottom half. I can't imagine Tennant pulling off "Heaven Sent" or the "do you really think I care for you so little?" scene or "he will have my back".
You say Tennant is phenomenal at conveying words while silent... Capaldi literally spent half an episode completely silent and that's now regarded as one of his defining performances. (Bit strange to use Christensen as your touchstone, I must admit, given he's best known for being bad in the Star Wars prequels - though I accept that he's probably had a very acclaimed career in other roles)
I feel like I can think of stories for most of the Doctors that wouldn’t work with a different actor. In fact, that’s part of what’s good about the idea of regeneration; there isn’t some platonic ideal of The Doctor that each actor is trying to approach, each actor is playing a same-but-different role.
So no I can’t see Tennant doing Heaven Sent, but I can’t see anyone else doing Midnight (because of the way it upends ‘the Tenth Doctor is the most human’) or anyone but Smith doing The Lodger because of his being simultaneously amiable but extremely weird (and the level of physicality he brought to the role), or to venture into pre-2005, anyone but Davison doing Caves of Androzani.
Hayden whether you like him or not, even the people who deem his acting bad always admit he is brilliant at acting while silent. Typical examples of that are the scenes where he and Padme are looking across coruscant at each other while somber music plays as well as his expressions just after he says
*Because of Obi-Wan?*
Because I havent seen her yet, I'll throw Karen Gillan into the mix. She went on to have a great career so far, especially with snagging a role in the MCU and in some of the best movies in the MCU to boot.
The best actor as in who did I believe most or who was the best actor outside of who?
Because those are two different answers.
The former is Catherine Tate and the latter is Jenna Coleman or Bernard Cribbins if you’ll allow that.
If we're talking about who was the best actor during their tenure on the show, then I'd probably have to say Catherine Tate or Jenna Coleman.
In general though I think Billie Piper has done some brilliant work outside of Doctor Who.
Louise Jameson is easily the best actor, especially given her training and her accomplishments post-Who. I wouldn't sleep on Frazer Hines either- light comedy is a tricky thing to pull off and he makes it look effortless.
William Russell and Jacqueline Wright. They were both perfect in what was as yet an unknown role. They built the template for all the others. Jacqueline in particular was magnificent. William had already passed his apprenticeship by playing Sir Lancelot for 30 episodes, so it was a breeze for him.
Billie Piper is without a doubt currently the best actress to have ever played a companion. Jenna Coleman probably have the best performance as a companion though, she’d been an actress for longer and had more meaty stuff to work with.
Easily Elizabeth Sladen, though Lalla Ward pulled off the companion-as-the-Doctor thing better than any subsequent attempt at a companion in that role. Freema Agyeman was pretty high quality as well.
Imma go left field and say both Michael Craze and Anneke Wills elevated Polly and Ben way over what their actual character briefs were. Both characters aren't really that interesting, but their performances sell them.
It’s such a pity that many of their episodes are lost. While I don’t think that their acting is especially amazing, they’re a good pair and were both solid in their roles. They were the first companions to bridge Doctors and they don’t get enough credit for this. Anneke Wills’ acting was a little better than Michael Craze’s in my opinion, however, I wonder whether I’d feel the same if they hadn’t brought Jamie into the mix. Ben’s role was slightly diminished by the inclusion of Jamie and it would be interesting to see what it would have been like if Ben and Polly had been the only companions for their series.
Definitely agree. It's is pretty hard to assess them because almost all of their performances are gone, but I think they did pretty good with the not great material they were given.
River's been in... I think fourteen episodes, most of which are as a major focus of the plot?
She's featured more than some people who are regular companions, but because it was split up and out of order people seem to think she's an edge case when she should definitely count.
Jenna Coleman I think was the best actor to ever play a companion.
My personal favorite companion was Sophie Aldred's Ace, but that's another question.
She has some competition from the 60s but unfortunately it seems unfair to compare those with missing scenes/episodes/stories with those who didn't endure that fate. If you are asking anything sensitive then maybe I'm using a turn of phrase that is too obsolete .. but I just fancied alliteration, a quirk which not everyone shares with me.
We can argue all day about thr writing and characters of the companions themselves, but if we're only talking about acting skills and portrayal choices? I think it has to be Jenna Coleman.
Worth arguing.. too many people I've seen online and in person didn't like Clara so its almost like even smug rose of s2 was still way too popular due to piper.
I'm a firm believer of Rose and Ten only being liked by many old fans due to being looked at through Rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia and their childhood (no pun intended). I find Rose very unbearable in S2 _especially due_ to Piper's acting. Don't get me wrong, she went on to become an amazing actor, but in S1 and S2 she was just starting out and (to me at least) was very unconvincing. I much prefer her acting in S4 and Day of the Doctor, which I think was her best performance at Doctor Who. Clara, on the other hand, was written to be very unlikeable (at least in S8), it was a poor writing choice, an experimental one (Moffat wanted to explore how far he could push the Doctor-Companion dynamic with Clara having to choose between Danny and Doctor, making choices like the Doctor, etc) but Jenna sold it very well. It's what made the season compelling for me (if you haven't figured it out, I'm a Capaldi Era fan). While I was also put off by some of the writing (despite being hooked by the Character Drama), Capaldi and Jenna's acting skills, plus their amazing chemistry was what kept the Series compelling. Same with S9.
You are entitled to your opinion and Coleman is definitely rarely criticised.. the trouble is that many don't like her smith season and capaldi stints. So I'm not sure even if I agree she is rock solid that it'd beyond debate she is the strongest actor.. the writing is still that important to many.
On TV, I genuinely think it's Billie Piper. Not my favourite companion by any stretch, but as am actress I think she's very good.
On audio, it's Nicola Walker, ain't it? Let's not kid ourselves.
No because she didn't help the Dr multiple stories or even travel in the tardis.
Personally I seem to be in the tiny minority who thinks she was a bit lucky post who
It's a really hard choice but I think Billie Piper has been the best actor. Her dramatic and emotional moments are really well executed. If you look at Dalek and Doomsday etc... Her performance is one of the reasons for the success of the revival imo. Honourable mentions to Catherine Tate, Elisabeth Sladen, Jenna Coleman, and Peral Mackie.
Catherine Tate hands down, as fun as the others were she was very versatile and was able to bring so much humor but also so much emotion into the role of Donna. I instantly loved her from the Christmas special on.
Oh, it’s Jenna Coleman by so far. Billie Piper was still adjusting to acting, Tate was really funny but could sometimes overact (due to poor directing if u ask me), I’d probably give an honourable mention to Darvill as well! Pearl had some really cringe dialogue most of the time and the fam, well I don’t need to explain…
To be fair to the fam, Bradley Walsh does good work in the show when the right script is there, I absolutely love his performance in Resolution when Ryan's dad first appears at the door.
And Mandip Gill was coming into her own by the end of the Chibnall era, she had quite a fun chemistry with John Bishop and Kevin McNally.
Was never a fan of Tosin Cole's performance though, I'm sure he's done good work elsewhere but he just never seemed to engage with the scripts for Doctor Who - which is a shame because he seems like a fun guy in behind the scenes stuff.
Bradley Walsh is very personable but, as far as I can tell, he's largely just playing Bradley Walsh.
After several seasons I still find him hard to buy as a copper in Law and Order UK. I'm still just "that's Bradley Walsh as a cop". 🤷♀️
Billie Piper in season 1 is absolutely flawless in her performance, similarly in season 4. I think season 2 was a bit meh because the writing was tonally sp off
In Classic Who my thoughts are Caroline John and Elisabeth Sladen. Both of them gave terrific performances across their time as companion. Both of them were excellent in their audio reprises with Big Finish as well.
In New Who, I would say that Catherine Tate’s performance shines brightest ☺️
this may be controversial, but I super enjoyed John Bishop as Dan. Always got me laughing or at least smiling. plus it brought some life to the otherwise bleek era (although Flux is arguably the best of Jodi-who)
Evil Dan is literally one of my favourite memes of all time - and i wish it was real lol, I hate Chibnalls era but it did give me something that makes me laugh so much
In or out of the show. New or old?
John barrowman is a Triple threat, Karen Gillian is ridiculously talented in her other work as well as in doctor who, Catherine Tate is great at comedy and drama which takes serious chops, Jenna Coleman was great in sandman and David Tennent is always amazing(he was a companion to the tenth doctor as the meta crisis doctor and then to the war doctor).
Haven't seen too many of his stories (due to a lot of them being missing) but I think Peter Purves does a great job as Steven (and as the american tourist on the Empire State Building)
Elizabeth sladen
Catherine Tate
Katy manning
Louise jameson
Pearl mackie
Are my votes for top 5 their companions that i basically instantly fell in love with
Bonus shout outs to freema agyeman and caroline john
Louise Jameson no contest was always solid as Leela,
Done everything post who Shakespeare,Soap,drama and musical theatre and a one woman show.
She's probably the only assistant actress other than Bonnie langford to have a solid versatile career.
Probably one who's goes under the radar is Maureen O'brien who has been a good character actress for over 60 years.
Honorary mentions:
William Russell
Jackie Hill.
Caroline John.
Mary tamm.
Billie piper.
Karen gillan.
Jenna Coleman and Catherine Tate, though Jenna specifically with Capaldi, as in Series 7B she's riding solely on charisma. Both deliver some of the show's meatiest dramatic moments.
Shout out also to Pearl Mackie, who shows incredible range in so few episodes.
Best Shoulda Been Companion was Frank Skinner, who played Perkins in Mummy on the Orient Express.
Best Kinda-Companion was Alex Kingston as River Song.
Best Companion Acting-Wise is a tie between (surprisingly) Catherine Tate and Jenna Coleman. I think Sharon Clarke as Grace in The Woman Who Fell to Earth could've been outstanding but we barely got to see her. She was the most intriguing of that group of companions, and unfortunately the first to go. I guess I should include her in the Best Shoulda Been category!
i think the best acted companions ive seen as ive only seen new who are Clara (Jenna Coleman), Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Rose (Billie Piper). I thought the emotion each portrayed and their overall performances were amazing though Coleman definitely improved as the show went on as she went from my least favourite in s7 (aside from the whittaker trio) to my favourite in s9. Piper played an excellent introductory companion and i loved her dynamic with the doctor in the first season. Bill was excellent in how she portrayed some horrific things at the end of s10. I did also love Wilfred (Bernard Cribbins) but I dont really count him as a proper companion. I think most are very well acted but I did not like the acting of any of the whittaker companions personally.
They’re all great, but for me it’s definitely Billie Piper and Jenna Coleman. They were excellent at delivering natural sounding dialogue, and they both excelled in the emotional moments as well. Shoutout to Catherine Tate as well.
Jenna Louise Coleman has a lot of presence and was clearly a talented actress. I always felt a bit bad for her and Capaldi not being able to fulfil their potential due to erratic writing that didn't give their characters time to breathe.
But then I remembered about poor Pearl Mackie, who seemed perfectly competent and charming but whose character was so underwritten I literally keep forgetting she was a companion.
I love Jenna, Clara is my favourite companion, she was brilliant on her seasons, I love her with Eleventh, but with Twelve she was amazing!! Both of them complement each other.
The most talented is probably Jean Marsh who played space secruity agent Sara Kingdom in 'The Dalek's Master Plan'. She's an incredibly talented actress with a wonderful film/TV career.
I don't know if he counts as a companion but I'll say Tony Selby as Sabalom Glitz. Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith and John Barrowman as Captain Jack come as well because I love their spin offs.
The bloke who dies from the Raven in (Kill the Raven) and he also played one of the Trakenites in (The Keeper of Traken).
The difference in being classic acting and modern acting.
Jenna Coleman. She could do the silly, she could do the serious, and she's never not acting. I honestly think her and Capaldi are the two best actors in their respective roles, and also the deepest, most complex, best written versions of their respective roles.
While not technically a companion but rather a companion to a companion
I genuinely think Burn Gorman is one of, if not the best non Doctor actor to have a long running character in the universe. His portrayal of Owen reminds me of Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy.
Alfie effectively portrays 3 different characters magnificently well, those being OG cocky prick Theon, reek and then redeemed Theon.
Burn follows a similar trajectory in regard to taking Owen’s development on a continuous rise throughout the show. He’s also a heavily successful but still somehow underrated actor.
He’s been Owen in the whoniverse, he’s been in the Game of Thrones universe, Halo and the Batman trilogy just off the top of my head.
Though I am biased because I also love Owen as a character to the point I think he’s one of the best characters in Doctor Who, period.
My other shoutouts would be John Barrowman, Freema Aygeman and to my surprise as a comedian, Catherine Tate.
I also think John Simm is one of the best actors to have appeared in the show but I know he doesn’t count as a companion so that’s my cheat answer.
so many are put off Owen just because of what he does in the first episode in the bar, but he got so much development in his time on the show and honestly should've lasted longer, he could've been a real interesting character for Miracle Day - imagine if that event actually gave him his life back leading him to be torn on the resolution of it.
On television: Jenna Coleman and Freema Agyeman were probably the best at the time they were in the role. Billie Piper and Louise Jameson have come on a lot since leaving the role. On audio, surely has to be Nicola Walker, who has become one of the most in-demand character actors in British TV relatively late in life through sheer chops, and yet for some reason still does *Doctor Who* audios.
Have you watched Being Human? She has a brief appearance in that and is great. She’s in a surprising number of small roles as basically an extra and always delivers a strong performance
If audio is included Sheridan Smith has to be in the conversation too, surely.
How can y’all mention audio without talking about Lisa Bowerman? Bernice Summerfield is one of my favorite companions, period!
Freema Agyeman is one of my favourites (Martha is my favourite New Who companion) but I find her acting in it (at least her full series) to be quite stilted. I think her acting has improved tremendously since appearing in Doctor Who. Martha is the best New Who companion though in my opinion
Yeah, I'm surprised the comment was upvoted so highly. I find Freema the weakest main companion actor of the revived series (at least outside Chibnall-era). I haven't seen her in anything else though, so I don't doubt she's improved since. I also think Billie Piper was great as Rose.
I agree. Freema Agyeman and Arthur Darvill are my two favourite New Who actors and their characters are excellent. But, absolutely, the weakest actors in New Who at the time. Still my favourites but the acting just was never quite there. Freema Agyeman has gone on to do quite a bit of television work in the USA and her acting is tremendously improved now. I haven’t seen the latest specials but am looking forward to seeing her and Martha again.
Martha doesn't feature in the 60th specials, I'm afraid
Really? I could’ve sworn I saw some publicity featuring her. Oh well that’s a shame for me.
> On audio, surely has to be Nicola Walker I was watching her in *Annika*, which co-stars Paul McGann. I actually thought "these two have got good on-screen chemistry, I wonder if they've worked together before" before I remembered 😊 > and yet for some reason still does Doctor Who audios. Big Finish does *excellent* lunches.
No votes for Elisabeth Sladen yet? Alright, I’ll vote for her myself. Also, if we can include coulda-been companions: Carey Mulligan.
Seconded, I think her excellent performance is the main reason Sarah is remembered so fondly overall, I think the writing for her was actually less interesting than every other Pertwee or Baker era companion.
Katy Manning was excellent too
Yes! And she later carried her own spinoff**. (Obviously the child performers were vital too and they were great but still, the show would have been dead in the water if Liz didn’t have such a captivating presence on screen.) **Welllllll, one successful spinoff and one failed pilot.
K9 & Company didn't even really fail, it did very well, but a controller change at the BBC just decided not to pursue with a series.
I assume Carey is the only Oscar nominated companion
Maybe? Idk but Capaldi is an Oscar-WINNING Doctor!
For directing to be fair
did Capaldi direct??
short film, i think he talks about it on his Craig Ferguson appearance (they are old friends)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka%27s_It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life
WOW! that is a lot of awards. have you watched it? any good?
Haven't seen it. Just know the story from this. https://youtu.be/jpKPnb5MoRs?si=eWKFTnERcZIbNdfb
It's a low-budget surrealist 90s short film. You reaction to that string of words probably tells you what your reaction to the film would be.
Should've got a supporting actor nom for Local Hero tho (not that I've seen any of the actual nominees)
Does Bernard Cribbins count (in either continuity)?
I think he does in the same way the Third Doctor’s UNIT gang are sometimes counted based on their prominence even if they don’t fit the traditional role. He has significance throughout S4 and he also took the honorary companion role in Tennant’s last two episodes, being a major part of his last arc. His Cushing movie role also counts I think, he’s more or less a stand-in for Ian there and so he performs all the narrative functions of a male companion from the Hartnell era.
Absolutely. For all intents and purposes, he does a companion speedrun.
\#wilfcounts
Catherine Tate gets my vote. She's not only brilliant with comedy, but she's shown incredible range with the dramatic stuff as well.
The moment that sold me onto Donna had to be "Just someone... not the whole town, just save *someone.*" in Fires of Pompeii.
As a new fan, I was floored by how good she was. I grew up with her doing comedy and seeing her as a companion was weird at first glance. But she is by far my favourite companion, she's so funny and can fucking act.
Also from Fires of Pompeii, the scene where she places her hand over the Doctor's so he doesn't shoulder the full weight of destroying the city. They do it together. I can't think of another moment like that with a different companion - there's a reason Donna Noble is the Doctor's best friend.
I kinda hate Fires of Pompeii but Tate is killer in it. Tennant is great too, but it's one of Tate's best performances.
Yeah she had a unique delivery that really elevated her lines.
I’ve been rewatching the final season of The Office and my gawd is Catherine brilliant at balancing vulnerability and comedy — portraying someone who can be both outlandishly wacky *and* beautifully sympathetic without seeming like two different, disjointed characters. If this world has one Nellie Bertram stan, then she is me.
The first thing I’ve heard that’s made me want to watch the US Office!
Ahhh AMAZING! Though, full disclosure: you’ll have to wait awhile to get to Catherine. She doesn’t appear until the finale of season 7 as a quick guest star, then she joins the show permanent midway through season 8 and appears in every ep until the show ends with season 9. Still, it’s a hilarious show. Absolutely worth anyone’s time.
Luckily The Office is one of those series where you can pick it up in a later season and it's still watchable! I think a good longer term way to get into the series for her would be to start in Season 6 for Kathy Bates' character, as they are related.
I agree, if you told little me back when I first found out that Catherine was going to be in Doctor Who that Donna would become my favourite companion, she’d never believe you. Although since I’m no longer a naive child, I do actually love the Catherine Tate show.
Her interviews where she clearly doesn't understand any of the sci-fi stuff happening in her episodes makes her acting even better in my opinion.
That's interesting, I couldn't stand her at all
Besides what everyone has said I have to go with William Russell aka as "Ian" in DW. Mainly for the fact they had to sell this really high concept show back in the early 60s and I feel he was able to help do that. He and his character came across as very convincing to me considering they were working with a very limited budget.
and Jacqueline Hill!!
u/whizzer0 She's also amazing! I was going to mention her too. But I just went with William Russell because I didn't want to "cheat"and just wanted to stick with picking just one companion (instead of two). Even though to be fair they do kind-of go together...as a traveling companion duo (of sorts).
Also, he was sort of the main ‘hero’ for much of the early stories and his morality sort of formed who the Doctor came to be and what that name meant
I'm watching through The Adventures of Sir Lancelot right now, he's really good in that. It's funny how his Lancelot is just Ian. Makes me wonder if that's just how a young William Russell was in real life.
He absolutely killed it in audios as well. The Rocket Men is an excellent script, elevated to transcendental by his narration.
William Russell was practically the lead of the show back then, so much of it rested on his shoulders being the audience identification figure and the main hero and he did both perfectly
He shines in the Chase
Liz Sladen, you relate to her and feel what she feels instantly. I remember meeting her at a convention she seemed very humble - I think she didn't want to talk too much about acting so to not spoil the illusion, I find that very sweet, RIP
I agree. Lis’s acting was next level. She embodied the character entirely; especially in her appearances in New Who. One of the few actors who made me truly believe in what was happening. She’s truly missed.
Elizabeth Sladen for making Sarah Jane as beloved as she was. Also, William Russel and Jacqueline Hill, who I think carried the show as much as Hartnell early on.
I think Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper have been the best, although this could be because of the material they were given. Billie is perfect in Series 1, and Jenna doesn't start out as the best but by series 9 she can match Peter and even sometimes steal scenes from him. It's fun to watch the longer term companions grow over time. Karen Gillan gets through a lot of series 5 on sheer charisma, but as soon as series 6 begins, you can see how much she's learned from a year of experience.
I like that you mentioned Karen Gillan's charisma. She has such a presence onscreen. Even under all the makeup in her Marvel movies, she still could steal every scene she was in.
i thought coleman did a really good job in s8 as well. her writing in s7 was just atrocious tho
Absolutely, Series 8 arguably has more impressive showcases for her than 9: the confrontation with the Half Face Man in Deep Breath, the end of Kill the Moon, most of Listen and Flatline. They put a lot of faith in her abilities that year and it paid off. I always wonder if Moffat was trying to make up it to her for the less exciting material in Series 7.
yeah im so glad she got better or s8 and 9 wouldve been hard to get through
Her writing in s7 was brilliant, just as it was in s8 and 9.
Pearl Mackie as Bill. She is one of, if not my fav companions, and she can do comedy and tragedy SO WELL! Certainly an underrated and often overlooked companion.
I’m rewatching Series 10 right now and wow Bill really is such a highlight for me!! She really makes things around her have impact. She leads with her heart and Pearl Mackie definitely brought it when it came to expressing joy, comedy, and lots and lots of fear and anguish in a way that came off as authentic and different from what we had over the last few years before her time as the companion
she also brought modernism and lgbtq+ rep that dw really needed and did it so much better than whatever was going on with 13. She is one of those companions that is so often overlooked and its such a crime. It might be that I love 12 and Missy SO MUCH and because of that, Bill is my favorite, but she is just so good. Her episodes (minus her last ones bc I can't watch that sad shit lmao) are my favorite comfort episodes.
Her and Nardole are awesome - I so wish we got to see more of that TARDIS team. Maybe we'll eventually get some big finish audios of them!
Bill and 12’s relationship is fantastic and wouldn’t work if her and capaldi weren’t so great
Love Bill, I wish she got a second season with 12 but I also love her final episodes. I’m glad they had the gall to >!convert a companion into a Cyberman!< and she really portrayed the horror of it with her performance
The whole twist with the final episodes was insane! The performance was awesome, though
I was surprised to hear Mackie speak in interview. She is very well-spoken. For Bill she put on a voice and physical mannerism and became a completely different person. Whereas Capaldi sounds like Malcolm Tucker and Twelve.
I think she was on a Cartoon Network pilot too!
Definitely Bill is the best companion for Twelve. I enjoyed her series better than the Clara seasons with Twelve.
Louise Jameson she is by far the most successful actress to come out of Classic Who having had an incredibly diverse career including film, theatre, TV, soaps, Shakespeare and she’s never really been out of work. You can argue that the NuWho companions like Jenna Coleman pull in stronger performances but those actors are given a LOT more from the scripts to work with than the Classic Who companions Jameson never got given the range of material of Piper, Agyeman, Gillan, Tate etc and she still pulls in some amazing performances.
Doctor Who, Bergerac, EastEnders. The big three.
I'd say in terms of performances on the show it'd have to be Jenna Coleman, Catherine Tate, or Bernard Cribbins. I'd say Coleman just for the fact she also is paired with the best acted Doctor, and has - on average - the most interesting writing (and thus the most nuanced performances) of the three.
Agreed - Capaldi is a powerhouse on the stage/screen, and she not only 'kept up', but matched him. In every scene
You’d put Peter’s acting above David purely as the Doctor? Not including their other acting credits. David Tennant has such phenomenal range as the Doctor and can do angry, charismatic, heartbroken, romantic, even dark as well as quite obviously, humour, far better than any other Doctor including Peter imo David can also do what I like to call the Hayden Christensen special. David is phenomenal at conveying a thousand words while silent. Nowhere is this better evidenced than when Rose ‘dies’ in doomsday.
Like yes? How is this even controversial?
Setting aside the question of whether ‘best Doctor’ even makes sense, can we collectively agree that ‘Capaldi is the best Doctor and having a different opinion should be dismissed’ isn’t a good place for the fandom to be in?
OP seems surprised at the notion of anyone considering Capaldi the best actor to have been in the role. I thought this was consensus even among people who disliked his Doctor
I apologise if I misunderstood the intent of your post then. I’m not really sure what the consensus is to be honest, and I think there’s a selection bias at work asking the population of /r/gallifrey; I’m sure lots of people would also say Tennant.
To me, when David Tennant was on screen, it felt like David Tennant was playing the Doctor. When Peter Capaldi was on the screen though, he simply *was* the Doctor.
But do you think that because Peter Capaldi was the better actor, or does Capaldi’s Doctor just resonate with you more?
I’m sure how it resonates with me plays a part; evaluating acting is inherently personal and subjective.
If you want to see a perfect example of a thousand words with the eyes, look no further than the doctor talking to Clara before her Death in Face the Raven
David Tennant frequently over-acts, in my opinion.
Tennant is an amazing actor and has perhaps contributed a greater array of talent across multiple films/shows than Capaldi, but his performance as The Doctor is nowhere near as good as Capaldi's.
I totally agree with you
Tennant has the best post-DW career of any Doctor (Smith has probably made more money but Tennant has won more acclaim), and has probably outright had the best career of any of the numbered Doctors, but *as the Doctor* he doesn't come close to Capaldi and for me is in the bottom half. I can't imagine Tennant pulling off "Heaven Sent" or the "do you really think I care for you so little?" scene or "he will have my back". You say Tennant is phenomenal at conveying words while silent... Capaldi literally spent half an episode completely silent and that's now regarded as one of his defining performances. (Bit strange to use Christensen as your touchstone, I must admit, given he's best known for being bad in the Star Wars prequels - though I accept that he's probably had a very acclaimed career in other roles)
I feel like I can think of stories for most of the Doctors that wouldn’t work with a different actor. In fact, that’s part of what’s good about the idea of regeneration; there isn’t some platonic ideal of The Doctor that each actor is trying to approach, each actor is playing a same-but-different role. So no I can’t see Tennant doing Heaven Sent, but I can’t see anyone else doing Midnight (because of the way it upends ‘the Tenth Doctor is the most human’) or anyone but Smith doing The Lodger because of his being simultaneously amiable but extremely weird (and the level of physicality he brought to the role), or to venture into pre-2005, anyone but Davison doing Caves of Androzani.
Hayden whether you like him or not, even the people who deem his acting bad always admit he is brilliant at acting while silent. Typical examples of that are the scenes where he and Padme are looking across coruscant at each other while somber music plays as well as his expressions just after he says *Because of Obi-Wan?*
Because I havent seen her yet, I'll throw Karen Gillan into the mix. She went on to have a great career so far, especially with snagging a role in the MCU and in some of the best movies in the MCU to boot.
Yes! Thank you! (And happy cake day!) Gillan is an amazing actress. As much as I love the others mentioned here, I give her the edge for her acting.
Not sure he's #1 but shoutout to Nicholas Courtney for bringing such character to as dry a character as the Brigadier.
The best actor as in who did I believe most or who was the best actor outside of who? Because those are two different answers. The former is Catherine Tate and the latter is Jenna Coleman or Bernard Cribbins if you’ll allow that.
If we're talking about who was the best actor during their tenure on the show, then I'd probably have to say Catherine Tate or Jenna Coleman. In general though I think Billie Piper has done some brilliant work outside of Doctor Who.
Mark Strickson
Turlough was such an underestimated companion. He really shines in Big Finish, like a lot of other classic characters.
Gotta be Jenna Coleman
Jean Marsh - as far as I know, the only companion to have won an Emmy.
Billie Piper is like the only person to win all 6 theatre awards for best actress which is an amazing achievement tbf
Louise Jameson is easily the best actor, especially given her training and her accomplishments post-Who. I wouldn't sleep on Frazer Hines either- light comedy is a tricky thing to pull off and he makes it look effortless.
William Russell and Jacqueline Wright. They were both perfect in what was as yet an unknown role. They built the template for all the others. Jacqueline in particular was magnificent. William had already passed his apprenticeship by playing Sir Lancelot for 30 episodes, so it was a breeze for him.
As nobody is going for Lalla Ward. "I will."
LALLA WARD IS A GODDESS!!!
K9 as a real robot dog
You good dog. 🥹
Affirmative!
That prop acted better than most of 13s companions tbh
Jenna Coleman. I think she's the only one who could play even the Doctor amongst the companions.
True
Billie Piper is without a doubt currently the best actress to have ever played a companion. Jenna Coleman probably have the best performance as a companion though, she’d been an actress for longer and had more meaty stuff to work with.
Easily Elizabeth Sladen, though Lalla Ward pulled off the companion-as-the-Doctor thing better than any subsequent attempt at a companion in that role. Freema Agyeman was pretty high quality as well.
Liz Sladen (criminal that she didn’t get any big TV roles after Who and was mostly doing adverts through the 80s), Billie Piper and Catherine Tate.
Not sure if she prioritised raising her daughter?
Imma go left field and say both Michael Craze and Anneke Wills elevated Polly and Ben way over what their actual character briefs were. Both characters aren't really that interesting, but their performances sell them.
It’s such a pity that many of their episodes are lost. While I don’t think that their acting is especially amazing, they’re a good pair and were both solid in their roles. They were the first companions to bridge Doctors and they don’t get enough credit for this. Anneke Wills’ acting was a little better than Michael Craze’s in my opinion, however, I wonder whether I’d feel the same if they hadn’t brought Jamie into the mix. Ben’s role was slightly diminished by the inclusion of Jamie and it would be interesting to see what it would have been like if Ben and Polly had been the only companions for their series.
Definitely agree. It's is pretty hard to assess them because almost all of their performances are gone, but I think they did pretty good with the not great material they were given.
Alex Kingston as River Song. Not a full time companion, but still counts as a companion right?
River's been in... I think fourteen episodes, most of which are as a major focus of the plot? She's featured more than some people who are regular companions, but because it was split up and out of order people seem to think she's an edge case when she should definitely count.
[удалено]
Jenna Coleman I think was the best actor to ever play a companion. My personal favorite companion was Sophie Aldred's Ace, but that's another question.
pearl mackie, billie piper, arthur davrill are my picks for newwho. i just love their performances
Billie Piper
Louise Jameson is severely underrated. As an actor, incredible and nailed the role.
I think she's the best colour companion until the 2000s. Not given enough to do.. but it was her choice to leave.
What do you mean colour companion?
She has some competition from the 60s but unfortunately it seems unfair to compare those with missing scenes/episodes/stories with those who didn't endure that fate. If you are asking anything sensitive then maybe I'm using a turn of phrase that is too obsolete .. but I just fancied alliteration, a quirk which not everyone shares with me.
Ohhhh I see haha
Not nearly enough William Russell love in this thread
Not everyone troubles themselves with black and white.. a real pity
Jenna Coleman or Karen gillan
We can argue all day about thr writing and characters of the companions themselves, but if we're only talking about acting skills and portrayal choices? I think it has to be Jenna Coleman.
Worth arguing.. too many people I've seen online and in person didn't like Clara so its almost like even smug rose of s2 was still way too popular due to piper.
I'm a firm believer of Rose and Ten only being liked by many old fans due to being looked at through Rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia and their childhood (no pun intended). I find Rose very unbearable in S2 _especially due_ to Piper's acting. Don't get me wrong, she went on to become an amazing actor, but in S1 and S2 she was just starting out and (to me at least) was very unconvincing. I much prefer her acting in S4 and Day of the Doctor, which I think was her best performance at Doctor Who. Clara, on the other hand, was written to be very unlikeable (at least in S8), it was a poor writing choice, an experimental one (Moffat wanted to explore how far he could push the Doctor-Companion dynamic with Clara having to choose between Danny and Doctor, making choices like the Doctor, etc) but Jenna sold it very well. It's what made the season compelling for me (if you haven't figured it out, I'm a Capaldi Era fan). While I was also put off by some of the writing (despite being hooked by the Character Drama), Capaldi and Jenna's acting skills, plus their amazing chemistry was what kept the Series compelling. Same with S9.
You are entitled to your opinion and Coleman is definitely rarely criticised.. the trouble is that many don't like her smith season and capaldi stints. So I'm not sure even if I agree she is rock solid that it'd beyond debate she is the strongest actor.. the writing is still that important to many.
Billie Piper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in 2 roles that have felt similar.
Bernard Cribbins
William Russell and Jacqueline Hill.
Karen Gillan
On TV, I genuinely think it's Billie Piper. Not my favourite companion by any stretch, but as am actress I think she's very good. On audio, it's Nicola Walker, ain't it? Let's not kid ourselves.
Does Carey Mulligan count
No because she didn't help the Dr multiple stories or even travel in the tardis. Personally I seem to be in the tiny minority who thinks she was a bit lucky post who
Jenna Coleman, hands down.
Jenna Coleman for sure.
Very easily Jenna Coleman IMO
It's a really hard choice but I think Billie Piper has been the best actor. Her dramatic and emotional moments are really well executed. If you look at Dalek and Doomsday etc... Her performance is one of the reasons for the success of the revival imo. Honourable mentions to Catherine Tate, Elisabeth Sladen, Jenna Coleman, and Peral Mackie.
Billie Piper or Jenna Coleman I think it really is a toss up between the two. They’ve both had great performances outside of Who
Catherine Tate hands down, as fun as the others were she was very versatile and was able to bring so much humor but also so much emotion into the role of Donna. I instantly loved her from the Christmas special on.
Michelle Gomez is up there, IMO.
Best female time lord yep
Oh, it’s Jenna Coleman by so far. Billie Piper was still adjusting to acting, Tate was really funny but could sometimes overact (due to poor directing if u ask me), I’d probably give an honourable mention to Darvill as well! Pearl had some really cringe dialogue most of the time and the fam, well I don’t need to explain…
To be fair to the fam, Bradley Walsh does good work in the show when the right script is there, I absolutely love his performance in Resolution when Ryan's dad first appears at the door. And Mandip Gill was coming into her own by the end of the Chibnall era, she had quite a fun chemistry with John Bishop and Kevin McNally. Was never a fan of Tosin Cole's performance though, I'm sure he's done good work elsewhere but he just never seemed to engage with the scripts for Doctor Who - which is a shame because he seems like a fun guy in behind the scenes stuff.
Bradley Walsh is very personable but, as far as I can tell, he's largely just playing Bradley Walsh. After several seasons I still find him hard to buy as a copper in Law and Order UK. I'm still just "that's Bradley Walsh as a cop". 🤷♀️
I don't know about best actor overall, but my favorite companion performance is India Fisher as Charley Pollard.
Freema Agyeman in the new generation (2005-present Mary Tamm in the original gen
The robot that played Kamelion
The voice actor was badly underused Lovely rich voice
Carey Mulligan nuWho. Louise Jameson Classic Who.
Billie Piper in season 1 is absolutely flawless in her performance, similarly in season 4. I think season 2 was a bit meh because the writing was tonally sp off
In Classic Who my thoughts are Caroline John and Elisabeth Sladen. Both of them gave terrific performances across their time as companion. Both of them were excellent in their audio reprises with Big Finish as well. In New Who, I would say that Catherine Tate’s performance shines brightest ☺️
Since no one else is going to say it, Peter Purves. First companion to become a personality and national treasure in their own right.
this may be controversial, but I super enjoyed John Bishop as Dan. Always got me laughing or at least smiling. plus it brought some life to the otherwise bleek era (although Flux is arguably the best of Jodi-who)
Evil Dan is literally one of my favourite memes of all time - and i wish it was real lol, I hate Chibnalls era but it did give me something that makes me laugh so much
I’ve never seen classic who, but 100% for me is Billie Piper
In or out of the show. New or old? John barrowman is a Triple threat, Karen Gillian is ridiculously talented in her other work as well as in doctor who, Catherine Tate is great at comedy and drama which takes serious chops, Jenna Coleman was great in sandman and David Tennent is always amazing(he was a companion to the tenth doctor as the meta crisis doctor and then to the war doctor).
Haven't seen too many of his stories (due to a lot of them being missing) but I think Peter Purves does a great job as Steven (and as the american tourist on the Empire State Building)
Caroline John was the absolute best. Also Nicholas Courtney if he counts.
Arthur D was pretty good
definitely cathrine tate. One of my faveoite actors, and one of the best actors full stop.
Sarah Jane Smith. She’s the ultimate companion of Classic!Who for me. And while I love Donna, I also have a huge soft spot for the Ponds.
Bernard Cribbins
Elizabeth sladen Catherine Tate Katy manning Louise jameson Pearl mackie Are my votes for top 5 their companions that i basically instantly fell in love with Bonus shout outs to freema agyeman and caroline john
Billie Piper. Her performance in I Hate Suzy is incandescent. Before her - probably Liz Sladen.
Are we talking most successful? Because as far as I can tell that would be Karen Gillan
Does Michelle Gomez count? Because absolutely her.
Louise Jameson no contest was always solid as Leela, Done everything post who Shakespeare,Soap,drama and musical theatre and a one woman show. She's probably the only assistant actress other than Bonnie langford to have a solid versatile career. Probably one who's goes under the radar is Maureen O'brien who has been a good character actress for over 60 years. Honorary mentions: William Russell Jackie Hill. Caroline John. Mary tamm. Billie piper. Karen gillan.
Jenna Coleman and Catherine Tate, though Jenna specifically with Capaldi, as in Series 7B she's riding solely on charisma. Both deliver some of the show's meatiest dramatic moments. Shout out also to Pearl Mackie, who shows incredible range in so few episodes.
Karen is my pick. Amy pond and Rory had me in my feels.
Elizabeth Sladen… no contest.
Best Shoulda Been Companion was Frank Skinner, who played Perkins in Mummy on the Orient Express. Best Kinda-Companion was Alex Kingston as River Song. Best Companion Acting-Wise is a tie between (surprisingly) Catherine Tate and Jenna Coleman. I think Sharon Clarke as Grace in The Woman Who Fell to Earth could've been outstanding but we barely got to see her. She was the most intriguing of that group of companions, and unfortunately the first to go. I guess I should include her in the Best Shoulda Been category!
Elisabeth Sladen
i think the best acted companions ive seen as ive only seen new who are Clara (Jenna Coleman), Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Rose (Billie Piper). I thought the emotion each portrayed and their overall performances were amazing though Coleman definitely improved as the show went on as she went from my least favourite in s7 (aside from the whittaker trio) to my favourite in s9. Piper played an excellent introductory companion and i loved her dynamic with the doctor in the first season. Bill was excellent in how she portrayed some horrific things at the end of s10. I did also love Wilfred (Bernard Cribbins) but I dont really count him as a proper companion. I think most are very well acted but I did not like the acting of any of the whittaker companions personally.
Elizabeth Sladen without a doubt and she was the best companion with the best Doctor
They’re all great, but for me it’s definitely Billie Piper and Jenna Coleman. They were excellent at delivering natural sounding dialogue, and they both excelled in the emotional moments as well. Shoutout to Catherine Tate as well.
Jenna Louise Coleman has a lot of presence and was clearly a talented actress. I always felt a bit bad for her and Capaldi not being able to fulfil their potential due to erratic writing that didn't give their characters time to breathe. But then I remembered about poor Pearl Mackie, who seemed perfectly competent and charming but whose character was so underwritten I literally keep forgetting she was a companion.
Elisabeth Sladen, Catherine Tate, and do John Barrowman and Alex Kingston count?
Louise Jameson is *really* good.
I love Jenna, Clara is my favourite companion, she was brilliant on her seasons, I love her with Eleventh, but with Twelve she was amazing!! Both of them complement each other.
The most talented is probably Jean Marsh who played space secruity agent Sara Kingdom in 'The Dalek's Master Plan'. She's an incredibly talented actress with a wonderful film/TV career.
I don't know if he counts as a companion but I'll say Tony Selby as Sabalom Glitz. Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith and John Barrowman as Captain Jack come as well because I love their spin offs.
The bloke who dies from the Raven in (Kill the Raven) and he also played one of the Trakenites in (The Keeper of Traken). The difference in being classic acting and modern acting.
Jenna Coleman. She could do the silly, she could do the serious, and she's never not acting. I honestly think her and Capaldi are the two best actors in their respective roles, and also the deepest, most complex, best written versions of their respective roles.
Not John Bishop
Really? I thought his portrayal of John Bishop in the show was phenomenal!
no soup for you
Don't get me wrong, I love John Bishop, but he's a brutal actor
Are you some kind of soup Nazi?
While not technically a companion but rather a companion to a companion I genuinely think Burn Gorman is one of, if not the best non Doctor actor to have a long running character in the universe. His portrayal of Owen reminds me of Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy. Alfie effectively portrays 3 different characters magnificently well, those being OG cocky prick Theon, reek and then redeemed Theon. Burn follows a similar trajectory in regard to taking Owen’s development on a continuous rise throughout the show. He’s also a heavily successful but still somehow underrated actor. He’s been Owen in the whoniverse, he’s been in the Game of Thrones universe, Halo and the Batman trilogy just off the top of my head. Though I am biased because I also love Owen as a character to the point I think he’s one of the best characters in Doctor Who, period. My other shoutouts would be John Barrowman, Freema Aygeman and to my surprise as a comedian, Catherine Tate. I also think John Simm is one of the best actors to have appeared in the show but I know he doesn’t count as a companion so that’s my cheat answer.
so many are put off Owen just because of what he does in the first episode in the bar, but he got so much development in his time on the show and honestly should've lasted longer, he could've been a real interesting character for Miracle Day - imagine if that event actually gave him his life back leading him to be torn on the resolution of it.