20 Things Doctor Who Wants You To Forget

18. Exactly How Old Was She?

Doctor Who Forget
BBC Studios

The concept of a complete stranger taking usually young girls to travel the universe, inside a box that masquerades as police property, is in itself a little bit concerning. Motivation for countless adult parodies, the show has always been aware of the awkwardness of its central premise right from the very first episode when Susan Foreman’s teachers were concerned for her welfare.

The Doctor’s latest companion was even more explicit. Clara nicknamed the TARDIS the snog-box, and questioned the Doctor’s motivations for seeking a ‘companion’ (The Bells of Saint John).

Occasionally the age of the companion is quite troubling. The Doctor promised to come back for Amelia Pond, when she was only seven. Thankfully he got the dates wrong on that occasion and Amy Pond is the grand old age of 19 when she finally gets to join him. But the character notes for the Second Doctor’s companion, Zoe Herriot, described her as a child-genius, aged 14. Fortunately, this was not stated on-screen and in the officially licenced audio adventures, her age when meeting the Doctor was upped to 16 (the same age as Ace when she started travelling with the Seventh Doctor).

Contributor
Contributor

Paul Driscoll is a freelance writer and author across a range of subjects from Cult TV to religion and social policy. He is a passionate Doctor Who fan and January 2017 will see the publication of his first extended study of the series (based on Toby Whithouse's series six episode, The God Complex) in the critically acclaimed Black Archive range by Obverse Books. He is a regular writer for the fan site Doctor Who Worldwide and has contributed several essays to Watching Books' You and Who range. Recently he has branched out into fiction writing, with two short stories in the charity Doctor Who anthology Seasons of War (Chinbeard Books). Paul's work will also feature in the forthcoming Iris Wildthyme collection (A Clockwork Iris, Obverse Books) and Chinbeard Books' collection of drabbles, A Time Lord for Change.