The Third Doctor
The Best Companion: Liz Shaw A controversial choice to be sure. Liz only got one series (series seven) and was not as warm as Jo or Sarah Jane, but for me, I loved the dynamic between Liz and the Third Doctor. She might not have come from Gallifrey, but she was an intellectual woman that could hold her own against the Doctor, particular as he was still in his arrogant, bitter phase over his forced exile to Earth. With the Third Doctor in his scientific advisory role for Unit, Liz made a worthy assistant though her original position, before the appearance of the newly regenerated Third Doctor, was the role of scientific advisory herself. Liz was kind of a prototype Scully, a scientists and sceptic, questioning if the Tardis could really do what the Doctor said it could (at this time it was essentially dormant). But there was also essentially a great loyalty to the Third Doctor and she supports him in his work, helping to mass-produce a vaccine to the Silurian virus in
Doctor Who And The Silurians and helping him to fix the Tardis in
Inferno, even though she continues to doubts it use. Her best moment on screen was probably as the militaristic section leader in the alternate version of Earth in Infernowho still fell under the Doctors sway and joined him in the (ultimately futile) battle to save her version of Earth. Though Im rather fond of her apparent discussion with the Brigadier, retold in the series eight opener
Terror Of The Autons, where she stated the reason for her departure was because she felt all the Doctor needed was someone to pass him his test tubes and tell him how brilliant he was." That pretty much sums up who Liz wasa brilliantly clever woman who was not content to follow a man who was more brilliant than she was. I wish Liz had had more screen time, maybe a chance to travel in the Tardis she found it so difficult to comprehend or believe. But in my mind, Caroline John made a great impression as Liz and worked brilliantly alongside Jobn Pertwees Third Doctor.
The Runner Up: Jo Grant
A favourite of many fans, Jo is one of the few who could take Sarah Janes crown. The reason I havent put Sarah Jane in this section is because I preferred her dynamic with the Fourth Doctor. Jo was bubbly, feisty and had a very generous heart, finally being the person to warm the embittered Third Doctor as he settled into his life in exile on Earth. Though personally I found Jo a little too kooky and preferred the intelligence in Liz or Sarah Jane. But there was no denying the chemistry she had with the Doctor and the loss felt by him and all the Unit staff when she finally met the man of her dreams in
The Green Death.