Doctor Who Cast: Where Are They Now?

Amy Pond clearly represented a break from the Russell T Davies era's way of handling companions. Her parents, although functioning as a brief plot device in Series 5, are rarely seen and the emphasis is much more on her attachment to the Doctor and Rory as they travel together rather than on what's waiting for her back home.

So it is a credit to Karen Gillan's talent that she still managed to make Amy feel just as grounded and relatable as all the companions who came before her. She left the show in 2012's The Angels Take Manhattan, returning briefly for The Eleventh Doctor's regeneration scene a year later.

Since then, Gillan has arguably become the most successful ex-Doctor Who actor, landing the role of Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starring in Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing film of all time. She has also been seen as Ruby Roundhouse in the successful Jumanji sequels, alongside The Rock, Kevin Hart and Jack Black.

She also wrote and directed the 2018 film, The Party's Just Beginning, which earned a BAFTA nomination and several positive reviews from critics.