Doctor Who: 10 Reasons Tom Baker Was The Greatest Doctor

8. The Companions

Sarah jane If you were to ask who were people€™s favourite companions in Classic Who, chances are only the Third Doctor would compare to the companions that travelled with the Fourth Doctor (and one of those travelled with both Doctors) That companion of course was Sarah Jane, who along with the Brigadier was present at the regeneration between the Third and Fourth Doctors. While she was a sassy, intelligent companion in Jon Pertwee€™s final series, the late, great Elizabeth Sladen had a fantastic dynamic with Tom Baker and stuck around for over two years, travelling with the Fourth Doctor encountering Davros and birth of the Dalek race, the Wirryn and the Krynoid, Androids and Zygons and Sutekh himself. Sarah Jane was a staple companion of many €˜classics€™ and it is easy to see why she was brought back in the Tenth Doctor€™s School Reunion before having her own spinoff series. Playing possibly the best companion in Doctor Who history, Elizabeth Sladen is sorely missed. But Sarah Jane wasn€™t the only great companion in the Fourth Doctor€™s era. Harry Sullivan was a great addition to the show, making a brilliant trio with Sarah and the Doctor (possibly my favourite alongside Amy, Rory and the Eleventh). After Harry and later Sarah Jane, came Leela, the fierce warrior woman who brought great humour and heart to what could have been a very over the top role. And then we had not one, but two Romanas, both sharing great chemistry with the Doctor. Romana II€™s Laila Ward had such a spark with Tom Baker that she went on to marry him€though that marriage was ultimately short lived. And love him or hat him, K9 was a memorable addition to the show. Tom Baker ended the show with the new trio, Adric, Nyssa and Tegan€lesser companions, (though I preferred Adric here to his bratty role alongside the Fifth) A damp squib of an ending or not, it can€™t be denied that over the course of seven series, the Fourth Doctor continued to associate himself with the best of the best. My favourite companion moment of the Fourth Doctor€™s era? €œHave you met Miss Smith, she€™s my very best friend!€ from The Seeds Of Doom is one of the loveliest shared Doctor/companion moments in all of Doctor Who.
Contributor
Contributor

A writer for Whatculture since May 2013, I also write for TheRichest.com and am the TV editor and writer for Thedigitalfix.com . I wrote two plays for the Greater Manchester Horror Fringe in 2013, the first an adaption of Simon Clark's 'Swallowing A Dirty Seed' and my own original sci-fi horror play 'Centurion', which had an 8/10* review from Starburst magazine! (http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/eventsupcoming-genre-events/6960-event-review-centurion) I also wrote an episode for online comedy series Supermarket Matters in 2012. I aim to achieve my goal for writing for television (and get my novels published) but in the meantime I'll continue to write about those TV shows I love! Follow me on Twitter @BazGreenland and like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BazGreenlandWriter