Doctor Who: 10 Best Companion Performances In NuWho

It's 2005. Fans are fearful but excited as their favourite show is finally back on the air, but there's no telling whether it's going to be good or not. Of course, it's now common knowledge that that revived series of Doctor Who was set to become one of the biggest television shows in the world, and Billie Piper's performance as Rose was a big part of that. That's more the case in the Series 1 opener than anywhere else.

Piper had to showcase the character's bravery when fighting off Autons. She had to be apathetic (while being likeable) when the episode explores how disatisfied Rose is with her life. She had to be curious when Rose was investigating the mysterious man she had met. And she had to do all this whilst making Rose seem like an every person character. In short, she had to be someone any member of the target audience could identify with. No biggie.

She had to do this because the companion is the viewer's entry point into the show. This will have been a huge burden, given that the audience was discovering this new world at the same time as Rose was. If any part of Piper's performance had been off, it would have thrown new fans off, too. 

It didn't, and thanks to a strong foundation, here the show was able to leap from strength to strength.