Doctor Who: Every Modern Companion's DEFINITIVE Episode

Belinda is a slightly frustrating case in terms of this list, because let's be honest, The Robot Revolution is the only story that feels like it's written specifically for her character.

It isn't the most remarkable episode, and there are some very debatable writing choices, but what it does do supremely well is paint a very promising picture of the companion Belinda is going to be. Sadly, this isn't carried throughout the series, but in isolation it's great stuff.

The Robot Revolution clearly establishes who Belinda is and what drives her. She is not the adventurous, 'waiting to be swept off her feet' type, and she will not be wooed by the Doctor's promises of intergalactic travel. More than anything, she's just looking to return home ASAP.

She's a nurse with a defined ethical code, more concerned with tending to the injured than partaking in any traditional heroics, going so far as to (fairly) take issue with the Doctor scanning her without consent. She has a sense of humour, but chides the Doctor for not taking life and death scenarios seriously enough, and often talking over people's heads. The bones of a very interesting dynamic are laid down here – one that breaks from the NuWho norm by having an unwilling companion. Why on earth they didn't stick with this, we'll never know.

While it doesn't do it overly well, the episode does at least connect directly to Belinda's own past, and this is the only time the season bothers to do so.

RTD introduced a companion that had the potential to be a classic, hired a cracking actress to play the part, then did absolutely nothing with her, and character-assassinated her by giving her a 'happy ending' that robbed her of her autonomy and gave her a child without consent – remember in The Robot Revolution when this was mentioned as being one of Belinda's core principles?

A solid start, but it all could've been so much better.