10 Times Doctor Who Wanted You To Hate It
8. Literally Everything About Adam Mitchell (The Long Game)
Companions are usually Doctor Who’s audience identification figures, so typically they are likeable and relatable.
Adam Mitchell was neither of these things. In fact, he was the exact opposite of what a companion should be, breaking all the rules during his single trip in the TARDIS by attempting to steal future technology for himself.
His actions also put the Doctor and Rose in danger, very nearly granting the Editor access to the TARDIS. If side character Cathica hadn’t stepped in to save the day, they’d have been toast.
The whole thing was essentially a great big experiment from RTD to see what would happen if a companion completely misunderstood the assignment. He even conceived The Long Game under the title The Companion Who Couldn’t, which is certainly an apt description.
And there was method to the madness too – the contrast between Adam and Rose ultimately served to highlight what a good companion she was. As the Doctor says, he only takes the best!
Still, making us sit through 45 minutes of the worst companion ever just to make a point was certainly a choice. The goal was to make us detest Adam and RTD certainly succeeded on that front.