Doctor Who: Remembering The First Doctor's Companions

4. Steven Taylor (1965-1966)

What is there to say about Steven? He was a young, charismatic space pilot who, alas, pretty much never got to even showcase his acquired skills on screen. Like, at all. It's basically like how Peri was a botanist and Mel was a computer programmer. They all had jobs but never really did them. Steven sort of wandered into the TARDIS at the conclusion of The Chase. He does this off screen and fans don€™t really know about it until the following story, The Time Meddler, during which he comes out of hiding. He initially refuses to believe in time travel, and that they€™ve journeyed back to 1066, which leads to a wonderful moment involving a (possible) space helmet for a cow. Eventually, however, he really gets into what's going on and becomes a nice counterbalance to the Doctor, as well as an excellent replacement for Ian. Steven is by the Doctor's side through three other companions, Vicki, Sara and Dodo (remember, this list isn't counting Katarina!), and is even lucky enough to have a few solo adventures with him. The character eventually calls it a day when he stays behind on a savage world where he becomes a king and tries to civilize everyone. So there you go. Happily, the character has also returned in several of the Big Finish stories, with Peter Purves still voicing him. His audio adventures have led to pretty exciting and unusual things for the character, like him actually getting to be a pilot. Better late than never, eh?