# And a the new Doctor has a new regular companion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672 "2009-06-13T16:48:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/1 "2009-06-13T16:48:43Z")
The official BBC site has news about a new ongoing [companion character](http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/news/latest/090529_news_02) to assist the next (eleventh) Doctor. > [@](#): > > The new companion, starring opposite Matt Smith when Doctor Who returns for a full series in Spring, 2010, has been revealed! She has appeared previously in Doctor Who, playing the Soothsayer in the Tenth Doctor adventure, The Fires of Pompeii. In that episode the Doctor admits, ‘I sometimes need someone’ and from 2010 that someone will be Karen Gillan! From what I saw of her in “Fires”, she is a decent actress. But it seems that they producers are definitely targeting a much-younger demographic with the series now - I’m slightly afraid that the show will become a sci-fi version of “Twilight.” ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/2 "2009-06-13T17:05:26Z")
Well, I’m hooked on the show so it’s likely I would be watching all of next season no matter who the next companion was, but it’s a little disappointing that they seem intent on sticking to the formula “1 Doctor + 1 Younger British Woman”\* when there are so many other possibilities. Are there so few actresses in Britain that they have to recycle them? Out of five companions,\*\* all but the first had appeared previously on the series. - The actress who played Donna was a whopping 3 years older than the actor who played the Doctor, and it was a refreshing change. \*\* A companion means someone who has traveled with the Doctor on several consecutive adventures, no matter what the BBC says. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/3 "2009-06-13T17:37:02Z")
I just realized I have a typo in my post-line. (must.remember.to.PROOFREAD!) If a mod could be so kind as to remove that dangling ‘a’, I’d be much obliged. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/4 "2009-06-13T17:50:44Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > But it seems that they producers are definitely targeting a much-younger demographic with the series now - I’m slightly afraid that the show will become a sci-fi version of “Twilight.” Umm… it always was a show for children. The great thing about it was the added jokes & stuff for adults. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/5 "2009-06-13T17:55:03Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Are there so few actresses in Britain that they have to recycle them? My guess is that they prefer to go with people they know a bit on new Who. The shooting schedule is apparently quite intense. I know its only 13 or 14 shows a year, but there’s not a huge ensemble cast so the lead and companion are onscreen for much of it, and there are only a few fixed sets so there’s a lot of being up and about and filming at odd hours. Another factor I think is that in the UK Who now has a _huge_ media profile, so there’s a ton of publicity to do - skewed towards kids in many cases - so they need to be sure the cast are going to be good at that too. I suspect that some bit parters are on the show being checked out for possible future roles. I read (on Outpost Gallifrey, so y’know give this the credence it deserves) that Karen Gillan was one of the few non-leads taken out to Rome when they filmed _Fires of Pompeii_. She was probably being checked out. Of course, Matt Smith is the wild card in all this. If Moffat liked him immediately, then he gets the benefit of the doubt from me. I’ve only seen him in a couple of interviews and he did strike me as being a bit, well, Doctor-ish. _ramble ramble pub all afternoon ramble ramble_ ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/6 "2009-06-13T18:35:10Z")
The next Doctor will be 15 years old, with a 13 year old companion. The one after that will be 10, with a 7 year old companion. ---
**Author:** ![Other\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Other\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Other_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/7 "2009-06-13T18:48:00Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The next Doctor will be 15 years old, with a 13 year old companion. > > The one after that will be 10, with a 7 year old companion. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/8 "2009-06-13T19:47:34Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Umm… it always was a show for children. The great thing about it was the added jokes & stuff for adults. I’ve seen people say this, but having watched several episodes now, I’m not convinced. It appears to me to be clearly aimed at adults. It’s not particularly deep or anything, but there’s nothing in the show that appears particularly kid-friendly. Why do some people claim it’s always been a show for kids? I think Wikipedia said (last time I read it) that the show was originally concieved as a kids show, but it looks to me like they got away from that. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/9 "2009-06-13T19:59:39Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Why do some people claim it’s always been a show for kids? I think Wikipedia said (last time I read it) that the show was originally concieved as a kids show, but it looks to me like they got away from that. > [@](#): > > **We’ve been debating on our site endlessly: Is Doctor Who a kids’ program?** > > Yes. Debate over. It’s good to fix those things quickly. > > **Even though it has a huge adult following? It’s not aimed at both?** > > It’s aimed at kids and adults. And why should anyone care about this? If you watch it, then it’s for you. It shouldn’t matter. I mean the specific thing about it being a children’s program, is that it follows the imperatives and narrative rules and the joy of children’s fiction. If you watch Doctor Who at 9 pm at night [as you do in the United States] it’s going to seem a bit odd. It’s energetic. The Doctor walks straight out of the TARDIS and into trouble, and you accept it. The Master becomes Prime Minister of Britain, and you accept it. It’s got all the brio and vigor of Harry Potter, Narnia and Star Wars. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t appeal to adults. Star Wars, the most successful film franchise ever, is explicitly for children, but adults love it. Doctor Who is my favorite thing in the world. If you’re in Britain, we’ll show you the sticker books [and] the lunchboxes. In the schoolyard on Monday, they’re all talking about Doctor Who. That doesn’t mean it’s childish. It’s very sophisticated. > > **And of course England has a tradition of children’s literature that’s quite nasty, like Roald Dahl.** > > It’s naughty… It’s all fear. death and screaming women. It’s innocent people being melted in the first 5 minutes of every episode. Why should there be a debate? If they watch it, it’s their program. We’re very happy they watch it [but] every single one of them would enjoy it more if they watched it with an eight-year-old. You really see it then… Literally, the whole family sits down to watch Doctor Who: mum and dad, granddad, the two kids… Mum’s fancying David Tennant, dad’s thinking the spaceships are really cool, the granddad is saying it was better when it was William Hartnell… and they’re all thinking it’s aimed at them. > **[Exclusive Interview With Doctor Who's Steven Moffat](https://gizmodo.com/exclusive-interview-with-doctor-whos-steven-moffat-5028464)** > > Steven Moffat has written most of the best episodes of the re-launched version of Doctor Who, the BBC's action-adventure show about a time-traveling ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/10 "2009-06-13T20:29:48Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I’ve seen people say this, but having watched several episodes now, I’m not convinced. It appears to me to be clearly aimed at adults. It’s not particularly deep or anything, but there’s nothing in the show that appears particularly kid-friendly. In the UK it has gone out between 6:45 and 7.30 (ish) on a Saturday evening (BBC schedules are all over the place). That’s a kid-friendly slot, and it is a kid friendly show, but as you say there’s often a lot else going on. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/11 "2009-06-13T21:25:10Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > [Exclusive Interview With Doctor Who's Steven Moffat](http://io9.com/5028464/exclusive-interview-with-doctor-whos-steven-moffat) It’s an interesting excerpt. First comment says it’s a kids’ program–then (most of) the rest of his comments go on to explain more or less explicitly why it’s _not_ a kids’ program. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/12 "2009-06-14T00:31:15Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The next Doctor will be 15 years old, with a 13 year old companion. > > The one after that will be 10, with a 7 year old companion. I must admit- done right, that could be pretty damn cool. For a bit, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/13 "2009-06-14T01:45:58Z")
I think some of the kid show konfusion komes, er, comes from a fundamental difference between Doctor Who and American kid shows. Over here they are generally low-budget crap, usually with no violence and, if there is some, nobody dies. The Doctor danced when, at the end of an adventure, he realized that, for once, nobody had died. Doctor Who is dark, even sad. American kid shows mostly don’t do dark and the sadness is wiped away when Fluffy the Bunny is found safe and sound. Another difference is that Doctor Who is smart and most American kid shows are stupid. There are exceptions, from Rocky and Bullwinkle to Animaniacs, but those shows also had people questioning whether they were really kid shows. ETA: And bitter. American production companies don’t do bitter, but Doctors Nine and Ten are bitter and damaged. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/14 "2009-06-14T04:26:13Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I think some of the kid show konfusion komes, er, comes from a fundamental difference between Doctor Who and American kid shows. Over here they are generally low-budget crap, usually with no violence and, if there is some, nobody dies. The Doctor danced when, at the end of an adventure, he realized that, for once, nobody had died. Doctor Who is dark, even sad. American kid shows mostly don’t do dark and the sadness is wiped away when Fluffy the Bunny is found safe and sound. > > Another difference is that Doctor Who is smart and most American kid shows are stupid. There are exceptions, from Rocky and Bullwinkle to Animaniacs, but those shows also had people questioning whether they were really kid shows. > > ETA: And bitter. American production companies don’t do bitter, but Doctors Nine and Ten are bitter and damaged. Very true. And also, are there any American kid shows that have a prominent gay (well bisexual, well anything-sexual really) heroic character? I imagine something like that would be hugely controversial here. Has there been any problems with it in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/15 "2009-06-14T05:36:49Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Are there so few actresses in Britain that they have to recycle them? From decades of watching BBC shows on PBS, I’d say, “yes.” Good God, they run through the same actors and actresses over and over. What’s Peter Davison done since his role as the 5th Doctor? Okay, the same dramatic and comedic roles he did before his immortality, but that’s not my point. Or is it? Never mind. :mad: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/16 "2009-06-14T10:13:37Z")
New girl companion. Fine. Let’s just hope he can stop with the moony eyes, kissy face stuff. It really slows everything down, not to mention it makes me wanna barf. If I’m out of date on this, please excuse me. I haven’t really tuned in past Rose. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/17 "2009-06-14T15:08:23Z")
About the kid’s show bit … What I find funny is that Torchwood was created as a vehicle to pull some of the adult Doctor Who demographic into, while keeping Doctor Who itself a bit more kid friendly … yet I find Doctor Who the more mature show of the two while Torchwood often gets a bit infantile. As to the new companion - I just wanna see new eps! I do think it could be interesting to see a companion who physically appears much older than the doctor but I do not expect to see it. Donna probably pushed that as far as they will ever go. Are they going to just let the [River Song](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/River_Song) storyline die? If she is to be a companion then they really need to do it before [Alex Kingston](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005094/)starts to age too much, hadn’t they? And a female Doctor eventually could also be interesting with the right actor in the part. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/18 "2009-06-14T17:37:04Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > New girl companion. Fine. Let’s just hope he can stop with the moony eyes, kissy face stuff. > It really slows everything down, not to mention it makes me wanna barf. > > If I’m out of date on this, please excuse me. I haven’t really tuned in past Rose. Of the four primary companions, Rose is the only one he really got moony-eyed over. Martha suffered from unrequited mooniness, while he and Donna went from adversaries to friends without ever getting romantic. In fact, if the kissy-face stuff annoys you, you might really enjoy season 4. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/19 "2009-06-14T18:00:03Z")
Mmm, a redhead companion. I see my tastes are being catered to. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-the-new-doctor-has-a-new-regular-companion/499672/20 "2009-06-14T21:27:07Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > What I find funny is that Torchwood was created as a vehicle to pull some of the adult Doctor Who demographic into, while keeping Doctor Who itself a bit more kid friendly … yet I find Doctor Who the more mature show of the two while Torchwood often gets a bit infantile You’re not the only one. I said before that Torchwood is a bit like the late night spin off of yoof soap opera, Hollyoaks. The concession to late night drama resulted in nothing more than snogging and the inevitable “Are you coming? No, it’s just the way I’m sitting” joke (in the first episode to boot). As for the demographics for Doctor Who, IIRC it was originally intended to be somewhat educational in nature, hence the episodes dealing with Earth of the past, such as the Doctor’s first trip to Pompeii.