10 Doctor Who Companions Who Just Couldn't Stay Away
9. Jo Grant
Played by Katy Manning First appearance: Terror of the Autons (1971) Last appearance: The Sarah Jane Adventures - Death of the Doctor (2010) The loveable Jo Grant first burst (put that fire extinguisher down, Jo!) on to our screens back in 1971 in the classic Jon Pertwee serial Terror of the Autons. Working as a civilian employee at UNIT, this plucky young laboratory assistant was assigned as the Third Doctor's coveted new companion following Caroline John's departure from the series as Liz Shaw. What the Brigadier wants, the Brigadier gets and, while the Time Lord himself was initially reluctant to allow her on board the TARDIS, Jo had other ideas and set out to assert her worth by rescuing the Doctor from his latest sticky situation at Luigi Rossini's circus. Well, that's certainly one way to get into his hearts! Having already been given a tantalising taste of "what's really out there", Jo promptly set her sights on a life amongst the stars. And a life amongst the stars she did get, as well as the odd giant maggot, dæmon and time-eating monster too, of course. This is Doctor Who after all. It wasn't long before Jo managed to firmly establish herself as a fully fledged time traveller and throughout her tenure in the TARDIS she proved that she was much more than just a catalyst for clumsiness. It's a well known fact in this universe though, that all good things must come to an end, and her eventual exit in The Green Death (1973) is still regarded as one of the most emotional companion departures in the show's history, with Jo opting for a life of trailing the furthest reaches of the Amazon rainforest with her husband to be, Professor Clifford Jones. Cuties. Alone again (story of his life, right?), the Third Doctor raised a glass for Jo before driving off into the sunset in his beloved Bessie. Little did he know, that wasn't really going to be the last time their paths would cross, although he sure was in for a long wait. Still an avid explorer, Jo eventually returned in 2010 when she journeyed into the realms of CBBC for a long overdue comeback in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Here, Jo was faced with the truly gut-wrenching realisation that she had never been reunited with the Doctor like so many of his other friends had been. "He must have really liked you," she gracefully noted to the star of the show, Sarah Jane Smith, but the look on her face said it all. It wasn't until she personally came face to face with the now much younger face of the Doctor that she realised she was ultimately happy about how their journey had ended. Still happily married, she was lucky to have spent her life living the best of both worlds, from travelling across the universe and experiencing the beauty of Planet Earth to somehow finding the time to bear seven children in between. Jo Grant, the fans salute you.
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.
Here, Jo was faced with the truly gut-wrenching realisation that she had never been reunited with the Doctor like so many of his other friends had been. "He must have really liked you," she gracefully noted to the star of the show, Sarah Jane Smith, but the look on her face said it all. It wasn't until she personally came face to face with the now much younger face of the Doctor that she realised she was ultimately happy about how their journey had ended. Still happily married, she was lucky to have spent her life living the best of both worlds, from travelling across the universe and experiencing the beauty of Planet Earth to somehow finding the time to bear seven children in between. Jo Grant, the fans salute you.