Every Classic Doctor Who Companion Ranked From Worst To Best

Although Liz Shaw never got the chance to travel in the TARDIS, she was a companion of the Third Doctor during his sojourn on Earth. She worked at UNIT, closely monitoring the Doctor's activities while teaching him a thing or two as well. Her greatest quote though describes him perfectly, in that he doesn't need an assistant but rather someone to stand in awe and tell him how amazing he is.

Liz would not take nonsense lying down, which made her a good match for Jon Pertwee's incarnation. As of the date of writing, she is the earliest companion to have no missing episodes from production, as many of the First and Second Doctor's episodes were scrapped to make room in BBC Studios. Also, according to the first Preternatural Research Bureau story, the Zero Imperative, she is a Dr in her own right, who enjoys smoking a pipe.

Through the P.R.O.B.E spin-off series, which predates Torchwood, she was retroactively shown to have been with a female partner, which makes her the Doctor's first LGBTQIA+ companion in canon.