10 Genius Decisions By Doctor Who Companions

One of the benefits of Doctor Who being a time travel show is that, occasionally, we get to see stories that are set in alternate timelines. Series 4's Turn Left is one of the most notable examples of this, directly addressing a really interesting question: what would happen to the Earth if the Doctor had died in festive special The Runaway Bride?

The answer? Everything would've gone to hell.

The space Titanic would've destroyed London, Martha Jones would've died on the moon, millions of Americans would've perished after being turned into fatty Adipose creatures, and the Torchwood team would've given their lives to stop the Sontarans' gas attack. And that's without mentioning the fact that the Earth would've been left vulnerable to any and all alien attacks in the future.

Thankfully though, none of this horrible stuff happened, but only thanks to Donna's actions in the aforementioned The Runaway Bride.

With the Doctor having drowned the Racnoss using water from the Thames, he stands and stares, coldly, observing the death that he's just caused. In the Turn Left timeline, he remains in this angry trance and is eventually drowned, but in the proper timeline, Donna decides to yell at him, making him exit the scene before that can happen.

Some companions would've left the Doctor unchallenged, but Donna noticed that he needed her, and she wisely chose to intervene instead. In doing so, she not only saved the Doctor's life, but she prevented the Earth from devolving into a never-ending spiral of widespread death, alien attacks, and general misery.

Side note: you may be wondering why Donna's big choices in Turn Left - namely, turning the car left, and jumping in front of the truck - didn't make the list. Well, for that first one, turning a car wheel hardly requires much bravery or intelligence, and for the second, her death was hinted at by Rose, so you could say that the truck decision was somewhat predetermined. Either way: best temp in Chiswick, by a mile.

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Know any other genius decisions made by Doctor Who companions? Let us know in the comments section!