10 Biggest Doctor Who Criticisms (And Why They're Wrong)

A criticism most commonly levelled at Clara, this is the opinion that Doctor Who’s writing is weighted too much towards the Doctor’s Companions. Which is kind of understandable since all of the major Companions since 2005 have ended saving the universe and rescuing the Doctor at least once. Bonus points if they get special powers and/or a title like the Doctor-Donna or the Impossible Girl. But this is one of those changes from Classic Who that was definitely needed.

The real birth of all of this was the Seventh Doctor’s Companion Ace. While previous Companions were well characterised for the most part; Ace had entire stories built around her past and personal demons, and was a part of the story arc in the Seventh Doctor’s last two seasons. Had Season 27 gone into production in 1990, she would have even left the Doctor to become a Time Lord. In fact, you could make the argument that Ace was the first really fleshed out Companion and set the template for Nu-Who.

Because modern Doctor Who is mostly a double act character-wise, the Companion is a lead character and needs a certain degree of focus. That’s part and parcel of having a well-written show. But most importantly, it’s what elevates them to properly engaging characters rather than a tagalong sidekick who’s there to scream and run down corridors until they’re hastily written out when the actor leaves.