3. A Non-Contemporary - Or Even Extra-Terrestrial Companion
Jack and River are the only two non 21st century companions of the Doctor in the new series, barring the one-episode companions such as Astra in Voyage of the Damned and the doomed explorers of Bowie Base One in The Waters of Mars. Jack and River are for all intents and purposes, humans too. The Classic Who series had no qualms about having an 18th Century Highlander (Jamie) and a classy Victorian lady (Vicki) share the TARDIS with the Second Doctor, or a Time Lady (Romana) , an E-Space Maths genius (Adric) and a robot dog shacking up with the Fourth Doctor. We're not asking for the TARDIS crew to suddenly be made up of all characters from across the stars, but the implications for a companion to not be from 21st-century England are certainly interesting and definitely worth consideration. Can you imagine a real Victorian heading into the TARDIS with the Doctor and having to deal with what would become the future of planet Earth two world wars and the invention of reality TV? Though weve seen the end result of an interspecies cross-time relationship with Jenny and Madame Vastra, could they play that out on the show with a romance between the Doctors companions from separate eras the 1920s and 2050s? A companion from 1963 could be seen as representing the early seasons of the classic series and their growth could chart the development and changes of Doctor Who over the following 50 years. The possibilities are so much broader when the showrunners look beyond 21st century Britain.