The Doctor has now been travelling through time and space for over 2,000 years and along the way he's been accompanied by a plethora of privileged companions who have strived to make him better and, ultimately, be made better in return. From awe-inspired human beings to loyal robot dogs, the Doctor is in many ways defined by having a companion by his side and, as well as serving as our eyes and ears into the show's weird and wonderful world, the companion also sits to bring out different aspects of the Doctor's character which continues to add new dimensions and dynamics to the titular Time Lord's ever evolving personality. So they're pretty important, basically! When a new companion steps on board the TARDIS, it's always exciting to see how they'll react to their new surroundings and fair in their poisiton as Earth Defender, but one thing is always for sure. When you've experienced the great wonders that the universe has to offer, it's pretty easy to understand how real life would suddenly feel pretty mundane in comparison. While some companions have chosen to swap time travel in favour of a more ordinary life, others have found it particularly difficult to accept a world without the Doctor, and it is these companions - the companions who just couldn't stay away - who are commemorated in this list. The ones who refused to return to the 9-5, who couldn't readjust to life on Earth and who, when their companionship with the Doctor is concerned, would quite literally rip time and space apart.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
