The Doctor's adventures through time and space are so universally colossal that it's no surprise they've stretched out in to the realms of new programmes over the years. Doctor Who's wide array of ever evolving characters and worlds means there's an never ending supply of stories to be told and since 1963 that little old scifi show has spawned its fair share of spin offs, some of which became acclaimed franchises in their own right, while others were ultimately destined to fail. Everyone loves a trier, though, and if there's one thing the producers of Doctor Who have consistently been, it is just that. It's no doubt their ongoing attempts to make the Doctor Who universe as far reaching and encapsulating as possible that has made the series such a formidable force within the TV landscape and, while, in retrospect, some of the decisions to expand the mythology of the series were somewhat mystifying, it has always been the fans' interests at heart. Take K-9 & Company, for example, the short lived spin off from 1981 which gave Sarah Jane Smith and her beloved tin dog their much needed jaunt in the spotlight. It was ultimately a flop, with only an aired pilot to its name, however its concept was evolved as a response to the tremendous admiration that had continued to follow Elisabeth Sladen after her exit from the main series, and the premise of giving the character her own series is not one that many shows other would have actively pursued. There have been success stories too, of course. At the other end of the spin off spectrum is the critically acclaimed Torchwood and Sarah Jane got another crack at the bat when she landed her own CBBC series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which aired from 2007 to 2011. Unfortunately though, not all of Doctor Who's characters are given the privilege of fronting their own spin off and, as this list sets out to prove, there are plenty of them who would be more than deserving...
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
