List of Doctor Who supporting characters

Over the course of its many years on television, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who has not only seen changes in the actors to play the Doctor, but in the supporting cast as well. This is not an attempt to make a comprehensive list of all supporting characters or alien races in Doctor Who, but merely the most significant.

Companions
The Doctor is usually accompanied in his travels by one to three companions (sometimes called assistants). These characters provide a surrogate with whom the audience can identify, and further the story by asking questions and getting into trouble. The Doctor regularly gains new companions and loses old ones; sometimes they return home, or find new causes on worlds they have visited. Some companions (notably Katarina, Sara Kingdom and Adric) have died during the course of the series.

There is some disagreement over the definition of a companion. Most companions travel in the TARDIS with the Doctor for more than one adventure, although there are exceptions: Liz Shaw never traveled in the TARDIS in the television series, and Sara Kingdom died in the same adventure in which she made her debut. Fans also disagree on whether Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and other UNIT staff, who sometimes filled the companion's dramatic role during the Third Doctor's exile on Earth, should be counted as companons. Sometimes a guest character will take a role in the story similar to that of a companion: one recent example is Lynda in Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways.

The new series (2005–) has slightly altered the significance of the companion status, partly due to a strong focus on the character of Rose Tyler and characters connected to her. For example, although Adam Mitchell was a companion by the standard definition, he appeared in only two episodes and was arguably a less significant part of the 2005 series than Rose's sometime boyfriend Mickey Smith, who was not technically a companion during the 2005 series, but appeared in five episodes (or six, including a brief appearance as a child in Father's Day).

See also Category:Doctor Who companions.

with the First Doctor

 * Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) (Seasons 1–2)
 * Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) (Seasons 1–2)
 * Ian Chesterton (William Russell) (Seasons 1–2)
 * Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) (Seasons 2–3)
 * Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) (Seasons 2–3)
 * Katarina (Adrienne Hill) (Season 3)
 * Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) (Season 3)
 * Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet (Jackie Lane) (Season 3)
 * Ben Jackson (Michael Craze) (Seasons 3–4)
 * Polly (Anneke Wills) (Seasons 3–4)

with the Second Doctor

 * Ben Jackson (Season 4)
 * Polly (Season 4)
 * James Robert "Jamie" McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) (Seasons 4–6)
 * Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) (Seasons 4–5)
 * Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) (Seasons 5–6)

with the Third Doctor

 * Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw (Caroline John) (Season 7)
 * Josephine "Jo" Grant (Katy Manning) (Seasons 8–10)
 * Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) (Season 11)

with the Fourth Doctor

 * Sarah Jane Smith (Seasons 12–14)
 * Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) (Seasons 12–13)
 * Leela (Louise Jameson) (Seasons 14–15)
 * K-9 Mark I (voice of John Leeson) (Season 15)
 * K-9 Mark II (voice of John Leeson [Seasons 16 and 18]), voice of David Brierley [Season 17])
 * Romanadvoratrelundar ("Romana") (Mary Tamm [Season 16]; Lalla Ward [Seasons 17–18])
 * Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) (Season 18)
 * Nyssa of Traken (Sarah Sutton) (Season 18)
 * Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) (Season 18)

with the Fifth Doctor

 * Adric (Season 19)
 * Nyssa of Traken (Seasons 19–20)
 * Tegan Jovanka (Seasons 19–21)
 * Vislor Turlough (Mark Strickson) (Seasons 20–21)
 * Kamelion (voice of Gerald Flood) (Seasons 20, 21)
 * Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown (Nicola Bryant) (Season 21)

with the Sixth Doctor

 * Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown (Seasons 21–23)
 * Melanie "Mel" Bush (Bonnie Langford) (Season 23)

with the Seventh Doctor

 * Melanie "Mel" Bush (Season 24)
 * Dorothy ("Ace") (Sophie Aldred) (Seasons 24–26)

with the Eighth Doctor

 * Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) (1996 television movie)

with the Ninth Doctor

 * Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) (Series 1, 2005)
 * Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley) (Series 1, 2005)
 * "Captain Jack" Harkness (John Barrowman) (Series 1, 2005)

with the Tenth Doctor

 * Rose Tyler (Series 2, 2006)
 * Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) (Series 2, 2006)
 * Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) (Series 2, 2006)

Other recurring or important characters

 * Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)
 * Sergeant Benton (John Levene)
 * Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin)
 * Borusa (John Arnatt; Philip Latham; Angus MacKay; Leonard Sachs)
 * The White Guardian (Cyril Luckham)
 * The Inquistor (Lynda Bellingham)
 * Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby)
 * Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri)
 * Pete Tyler (Shaun Dingwall)
 * Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton)

Recurring or significant villains
(See also Category:Doctor Who villains and List of Doctor Who villains)


 * The Meddling Monk (Peter Butterworth)
 * The Master (Roger Delgado; Peter Pratt; Geoffrey Beevers; Anthony Ainley; Gordon Tipple; Eric Roberts)
 * Davros (Michael Wisher; David Gooderson; Terry Molloy)
 * Omega (Stephen Thorne; Ian Collier)
 * The Black Guardian (Valentine Dyall)
 * The Mara
 * Sil (Nabil Shaban)
 * The Rani (Kate O'Mara)
 * The Valeyard (Michael Jayston)
 * The Cyber Controller (Michael Kilgarriff) and Cyberleaders (Christopher Robbie, David Banks)
 * The Dalek Emperor and Dalek Supreme
 * Lytton (Maurice Colbourne)
 * "Margaret Blaine" Slitheen (Annette Badland)
 * Lady Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker)

Significant alien species
(See also Category:Doctor Who races and List of Doctor Who monsters and aliens.)


 * Autons
 * Cybermen
 * Daleks
 * Draconians
 * Ice Warriors
 * Ogrons
 * Rutan Host
 * Sea Devils
 * Silurians
 * Slitheen
 * Sontarans
 * Yeti
 * Zygons

Characters from Doctor Who spin-offs
The Doctor Who comics, novels and audio dramas have created companions, villains and supporting characters of their own. Some of these originated in one medium and later appeared in another. The lists below indicate where a character has appeared. The canonicity of these spin-offs is unclear.

Companions
(See also List of Doctor Who spin-off companions)

with the First Doctor

 * John and Gillian (TV Comic comic strip)

with the Second Doctor

 * John and Gillian (TV Comic comic strip)

with the Fourth Doctor

 * Sharon (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)

with the Fifth Doctor

 * Sir Justin (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
 * Angus "Gus" Goodman (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
 * Erimemushinteperem (Caroline Morris) (Big Finish Productions; Telos novella)

with the Sixth Doctor

 * Frobisher (Robert Jezek) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions; Past Doctor Adventures)
 * Grant Markham (Missing Adventures)
 * Angela Jennings (Missing Adventures)
 * Dr. Evelyn Smythe (Maggie Stables) (Big Finish Productions; Past Doctor Adventures)

with the Seventh Doctor

 * Frobisher (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
 * Thomas Hector "Hex" Schofield (Philip Olivier) (Big Finish Productions)
 * Bernice "Benny" Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) (New Adventures; Big Finish Productions)
 * Chris Cwej (New Adventures)
 * Roz Forrester (New Adventures)
 * Antimony (Death Comes to Time)
 * Catherine Broome (Telos novella)

with the Eighth Doctor

 * Bernice "Benny" Summerfield (New Adventures)
 * Izzy Sinclair (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
 * Fey Truscott-Sade (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
 * Destrii (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip)
 * Stacy Townsend (Radio Times comic strip)
 * Ssard (Radio Times comic strip)
 * Samantha "Sam" Jones (Eighth Doctor Adventures)
 * Fitz Kreiner (Eighth Doctor Adventures)
 * Compassion (Jackie Skarvellis) (Eighth Doctor Adventures, Faction Paradox)
 * Miranda (Eighth Doctor Adventures)
 * Anji Kapoor (Eighth Doctor Adventures)
 * Beatrix MacMillan (Eighth Doctor Adventures)
 * Charlotte Elspeth "Charley" Pollard (India Fisher) (Big Finish Productions)
 * C'rizz (Conrad Westmaas) (Big Finish Productions)

Other recurring or important characters

 * Abslom Daak (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; New Adventures)
 * Beep the Meep (Toby Longworth) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions)
 * Iris Wildthyme (Katy Manning) (Eighth Doctor Adventures; Past Doctor Adventures; Big Finish Productions)
 * Jason Kane (Stephen Fewell) (New Adventures; Big Finish Productions)
 * K-9 Mark III (John Leeson) (K-9 and Company)
 * Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart (New Adventures)
 * Muriel Frost (Karen Henson) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions)
 * Sabbath (Saul Jaffe) (Eighth Doctor Adventures; Faction Paradox)
 * Shayde (Mark Donovan) (Doctor Who Magazine comic strip; Big Finish Productions)
 * Timewyrm (New Adventures)