2. Carey Mulligan
Also known as 'The Companion Who Never Was'. Granted, that's a phrase that's thrown about all too much these days (apparently you only have to shake hands with the Doctor to be considered as his next TARDIS co-resident!) but Sally Sparrow earned that prestigious accolade a long time before it was so heavily overused. And deservedly so, too. It's true that fans across the land would've simultaneously rejoiced had Carey Mulligan been announced as the Doctor's full time companion after her first and only guest stint in Series 3's Blink. Unfortunately, though (well, for us, at least), the bright lights of Hollywood beckoned this young actress who went onto enjoy roles in various blockbuster hits such as
Drive,
Shame,
The Great Gatsby and
Never Let Me Go (in which she starred alongside the aforementioned Andrew Garfield - gets about a bit, doesn't he?) after facing off with the Weeping Angels in their critically acclaimed debut story back in 2007. And then there was her performance as Jenny in the 2009 coming of age drama
An Education for which she gained widespread recognition and a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Not too shabby for an actress who became a household name as the star of a Doctor-lite episode. Doctor Who fans only wish there could've been more of them, but she's quite obviously got bigger fish to fry.