Why Every Classic Companion Left Doctor Who
3. Nicola Bryant - Peri
Did Peri suffer more than any other companion in the classic era? Strangled by the Doctor, perved on by all manner of alien villains, and married off to Brian Blessed all makes crashing a freighter into prehistoric Earth sound like a blessed relief.
Nicola Bryant's desire to leave Doctor Who wasn't fueled by the perils of Peri, however. She was more concerned by the way the relationship between the Doctor and Peri was written. Bryant and Baker were great friends, but this was rarely allowed to come through on-screen.
Dissatisfied with this, Bryant made the decision to leave in the following season. However, this was complicated by the 1985 hiatus, pushing her departure back by 18 months.