Doctor Who: 10 Actors Who Could Play The Next Companion

10. Samara Weaving

Samara Weaving has built a career out of playing badasses, becoming a staple of the horror/thriller scene with the likes of Ready or Not, The Babysitter and Guns Akimbo. She excels at playing snarky, chaotic characters, often with glint of mischief and a penchant for violence.

For some time I’ve been hoping for a companion that is less of a traditional hero, with a rougher edge that the Doctor could help to smooth out. Weaving’s characters tend to verge onto the reckless, self-serving side, which is precisely the shift in energy we need for the show right now. Not easily impressed, and someone of action, not words. Irritable, but pragmatic and competent.

This would be the chance for a character more akin to River Song or Jack Harkness to step into the full-time spotlight, something fans have been asking about for some time. I also reckon Weaving would nail portraying a companion from the far future, or a different planet altogether, an archetype that’s really dropped off in the revival (and has been reserved for secondary companions only).

The vision: A hacker-type from the far future with criminal ties, few moral scruples and a quick temper, paired with a measured, mentor-figure Doctor that might indulge her tendencies more, while providing some interesting moral discussion - a McCoy type, for instance. If we’d ever got a War Doctor series, I can also see this type of companion being a good fit.