10 Doctor Who Characters Who Don't Deserve The Hate

4. Dan Lewis

Doctor Who The Power of the Doctor John Bishop Dan Lewis
BBC Studios

Poor Dan. A character who never got the opportunity to fully shine.

With the introduction of a group of companions at the start of Thirteen's era (rather than just one, as had been the norm in the modern series) there was a big issue with some characters feeling more redundant than others.

Once Ryan and Graham departed, it seemed as though the Doctor and Yaz would continue on their own. In all honesty, this would've been the better option, but instead, audiences were introduced to John Bishop as Dan Lewis.

Dan is a very likeable character. Bishop brings his comedy chops to the role and there are some brilliant moments between him and Karvanista. But with Flux being so busy across various storylines (packed into just six episodes), Dan got lost in the mix, and after just nine episodes in total, he ultimately felt like an afterthought.

Viewers weren't given a chance to properly connect with Dan, and that resulted in some deciding that he wasn't a good character. He lacked depth, granted, but he was very entertaining, and the image of him battering Sontarans with a wok isn't one that's going to fade from the memory any time soon!

 
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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.