How Much Money Doctor Who's Biggest Stars Got Paid

No data is available for the show’s original companions Susan, Ian, and Barbara – though based on what we know about other actors from that era, they would've been earning significantly less than the Doctor.

In a 2021 interview, Steven actor Peter Purves described the BBC of 1965 as “particularly ungenerous”, revealing that he was paid just £30 per episode (£490 in today’s money). Purves starred in 46 episodes over a one year period, giving him an overall figure of £1,380 (about £22,500 today).

The First Doctor Handbook reports that the era’s final pair of companions, Anneke Wills and Michael Craze, were earning slightly more per episode than Purves was: £68 and £52 respectively (which is around £1,000 and £800 today).

So certainly not the most glamorous paydays, especially by modern standards. That said, for all Doctor Who companions there are two silver linings: residuals, and the convention circuit.

As Purves put it, “there can’t be many people who are still earning a little bit from Doctor Who 50-odd years later."