10½ Best Male Companions In Doctor Who History
6. Mickey Smith - Noel Clarke

As Sarah Jane herself said, "You need a Smith in the TARDIS," so he's definitely included on this list. Starting out as a butt of jokes and a human contrast to his girlfriend Rose's adventuring spirit, Mickey's ultimate evolution from fearful Earthbound "Mickey the Idiot" to world-saving hero in 1½ seasons has been one of the nicest bits of character development seen since the reboot.
Finally talking himself into making the jump into spacetime travel with the Doctor and Rose, Mickey quickly got into the swing of things in "The Girl In The Fireplace." For a brief while, we got a glimpse of the couple-dynamic we'd get a few seasons later courtesy of the Ponds and for an all-too-short three episodes, the once-trepidatious Mickey was a full-on TARDIS traveler.
Ironically, Mickey might have placed higher on this list had said natural character arc been allowed to end gracefully and amazingly in "The Rise Of The Cybermen" with him setting to rid the planet of the evil metal men. This was a heroic choice similar to prior companions such as Steven and Nyssa who departed the Doctor with his inspiration to fight the good fight. But as the Russell T. Davies era was synonymous with "retread," so was Mickey with precious little added to his character.