Doctor Who: Every NuWho Companion Ranked From Worst To Best

11. Graham O'Brien

Doctor Who Bradley Walsh Graham O'Brien
BBC Studios

Graham brings a sense of maturity to Doctor Who in that, through him, the ideas of grief and mortality are on full display, though handled with Bradley Walsh's extreme talent on-screen.

In his first appearance, he faces the death of his wife, with the impact of this lasting throughout his tenure to date. He attempts to be a good grandfather to Ryan, whether the latter will let him be that or not.

His finest moment comes in perhaps the most heartbreaking moment of all. He is the one for whom Rosa Parks is expected to stand for on the bus, despite the pain in his eyes and the guilt that he feels. He is, from that point, inextricably linked to both history and The Doctor, remaining with her on all of her adventures to date.

While the most recent seasons have been a little up and down, Graham has been a solidly entertaining companion throughout, thanks in large part to Walsh.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"