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Believe it or not, there are some Doctor Who characters who turn the Doctor down when asked to travel in the TARDIS. The best Doctor Who companions are remembered for being smart, tough yet vulnerable, and most importantly, caring. However, there are other characters who present these traits, but still decide that they don’t want to join the Doctor in time and space.
This doesn’t really happen during Doctor Who’s classic era, although that can be attributed to the fact that the storytelling during those serials isn’t as convoluted compared to nowadays, and one-time characters are designed to be exactly just that. Both past companions and brand-new faces have turned the Doctor down, but each has their reasons, too.
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Donna Noble
Christmas 2006 – “The Runaway Bride”
Donna Noble is one of the most enthusiastic Doctor Who companions ever, so it’s odd to remember that she initially turns the Doctor down. After the Tenth Doctor meets Donna during her disastrous wedding day in the Doctor Who Christmas special “The Runaway Bride,” the Time Lord invites her to join the TARDIS. This is an unexpected moment, seeing as the Doctor loses Rose Tyler only mere hours before this conversation with Donna, but it proves that the pair are meant to be.
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When you think about the character Donna is now, almost two decades after her introduction, it’s a shock that she rejects the Doctor. However, when she returns in “Partners in Crime,” an aptly titled episode for the duo, it’s clear that she considers her decision a mistake. In fact, even the universe decides this, too, which eventually results in the DoctorDonna.
9
Captain Jack Harkness
Season 3, Episode 13 – “Last Of The Time Lords”
Although Captain Jack Harkness does travel with the Doctor, he also turns down the Time Lord again. Following the Master’s tyrannous reign as Prime Minister in “Last of the Time Lords,” Jack realizes what is important. Before the two reunite, Jack runs Torchwood Three in Cardiff, and despite what Torchwood One does in season 2, the former time agent strives to make his branch the best it can be, all in the name of the Doctor. Ultimately, Jack decides that Gwen, Tosh, Ianto, and Owen need him more than the Doctor does.
Without this moment, we would never learn that Doctor Who’s Jack Harkness is the Face of Boe.
It’s a shame Jack says no, especially as season 3’s three-part finale proves that he has a great rapport with Martha, but thankfully, she appears in a few episodes of Torchwood season 2. However, without this moment, we would never learn that Doctor Who’s Jack Harkness is the Face of Boe, a stunning revelation to not just the Doctor and Martha, but audiences as well.
8
Grace Holloway
The Doctor Who 1996 TV Movie
As Grace Holloway only appears on-screen in the last of the three Doctor Who movies, it was always unlikely she would take up the Eighth Doctor’s invitation to join him in the TARDIS. However, considering the events of the film, it’s a surprise she doesn’t. After Grace helps the Doctor save the world from the Tremas Master on New Year’s Eve, the Time Lord asks her to come with him. But Grace’s response is unique in comparison to other characters who reject the Doctor.
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Rather than offering the Doctor a reason as to why she doesn’t want to join him, she simply tells him he should come with her instead. Of course, this interaction also results in the Doctor’s first on-screen romantic kiss with a “companion,” a groundbreaking moment for Doctor Who and something that impacted the post-2005 reboot’s attitude towards relationships between the Time Lord and those he travels with.
7
Petronella Osgood
Season 9, Episode 8 – “The Zygon Inversion”
The former scientific advisor to Doctor Who’s UNIT, Petronella Osgood, is one character I wish had said yes to the Doctor. After the events of “The Zygon Inversion,” Osgood questions the Twelfth Doctor about what TARDIS stands for. The Doctor can clearly see how the blue box piques Osgood’s interest, and when he tells her to come along, she looks conflicted for a moment. It’s apparent that she is tempted, but ultimately, she decides to stay.
Osgood even says she wants to join him and Clara more than anything, but she has a world to keep safe and a “Couple of boxes to keep an eye on.” At least Osgood isn’t alone, though, as Zygon Bonnie imitates her same form and replaces the other Osgood twin killed by Missy. However, Osgood is confident that Clara will take care of the Doctor, as the pair discuss while saying goodbye.
6
Joan Redfern
Season 3, Episode 9 – “The Family Of Blood”
After John Smith becomes the Tenth Doctor again and Doctor Who’s Family of Blood are defeated, the small village where the Time Lord and Martha hide themselves in 1913 is in complete disarray, both mentally and physically. Even though the Doctor knows he’s in a sticky situation, by unintentionally allowing his human alter ego to fall in love with the school’s nurse, Joan Redfern, he still invites her to join him aboard the TARDIS.
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This moment annoys me a little, especially as it seems like the Doctor doesn’t take Joan’s attitude towards Martha into account. However, it’s more than likely the Doctor feels sorry for the heartbreak Joan has experienced, although I do wonder whether it occurs to him that inviting her along could do more harm than good. Joan turns the Doctor down anyway, and having seen the danger that comes along with the TARDIS, it’s probably for the best. Thankfully, the Doctor learns through Joan’s great-granddaughter that she lives a happy life.
5
Perkins
Season 8, Episode 8 – “Mummy On The Orient Express”
Perkins from the season 8 episode “Mummy on the Orient Express” is a hilarious character who has brilliant companion potential. He’s sarcastic, points out the obvious, is quick-witted, and thinks about the logical next step without being prompted. In fact, this even throws the Twelfth Doctor off for a moment when Perkins brings him the information that’s needed in record speeds. He also proves himself even more capable in the TARDIS, and points out engineering issues with the Doctor’s ship.
It’s a shame the Doctor doesn’t push further, but at the same time, the Time Lord is painfully aware of how dangerous his lifestyle is.
However, when the Doctor implies that Perkins could do the repairs, indirectly inviting him along, the engineer turns him down. Perkins states that a “Job like that could change a man,” something the Doctor knowingly agrees with, and the two part ways. It’s a shame the Doctor doesn’t push further, but at the same time, the Time Lord is painfully aware of how dangerous his lifestyle is, and especially that those who join him in the TARDIS don’t always get back home alive.
4
Mickey Smith
Season 1, Episode 5 – “World War Three”
Although Rose’s on-off boyfriend Mickey eventually joins Team TARDIS, he initially turns the Ninth Doctor’s invitation down. After “World War Three,” Mickey realizes just how dangerous the Doctor is. Mickey spends an entire year fending off accusations and attempting to prove to the police that he hasn’t hurt Rose, and while he is relieved she is alive, the events that occur after her return only cement his suspicions about the Time Lord.
This makes the fact that Mickey says no even stranger. Rose and Mickey’s relationship in Doctor Who is far from perfect, but if he cares that much about her, why not protect her, like the Doctor suggests? In fact, he even asks the Doctor to not tell Rose that he thinks the TARDIS lifestyle is too much for him. Of course, not everyone is fit to take on an adventure with the Doctor, and when Mickey does join the Tenth Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS in season 2, he’s far more prepared for the job.
3
River Song
Season 7, Episode 5 – “The Angels Take Manhattan”
The saddest example of when someone turns the Doctor down is in “The Angels Take Manhattan.” Despite being considered a proper companion, Doctor Who’s River Song doesn’t actually travel with the Doctor on a regular basis. However, when the Eleventh Doctor asks his wife to join him fully after losing Amy and Rory in “The Angels Take Manhattan,” she says no. The Doctor is prompted to ask this after River insists that he doesn’t travel alone, but she knows it shouldn’t be her.
It must be incredibly hard for River to reject the Doctor, but it’s important to remember that he isn’t the only one who loses Amy and Rory. River is in a lot of pain over never getting to see her parents again, but she is also familiar with the harsh realities of TARDIS life, too, and just has to keep pushing on. Thankfully, the Doctor isn’t alone for long, and after enjoying the company of the Paternoster Gang, he meets Clara Oswald.
2
Martha Jones
Season 4, Episode 6 – “The Doctor’s Daughter”
Martha Jones is another Doctor Who companion who travels with the Doctor, leaves, and then says no when asked to come back aboard the TARDIS. Martha departs the TARDIS at the end of season 3 to support her family, who are sadly forced to live with the memories of the Master torturing them during the Year That Never Was. However, Doctor Who season 4 and Torchwood season 2 prove that Martha’s life is flourishing after leaving the Doctor.
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Even though Martha is in an even better position to be a companion to the Doctor after the events of “The Doctor’s Daughter,” her time with the titular character teaches her to prioritize. She’s tempted by his offer, as would anyone, but Martha also knows that she has a family and fiancé who still need her as well. Martha realizes she won’t be treated as second best anymore, especially with Donna around, but knowing that is enough for her, she doesn’t feel the need to return to the TARDIS in order for it to be proved.
1
Sarah Jane Smith
Season 2, Episode 3 – “School Reunion”
Without Sarah Jane saying no to the Doctor in “School Reunion,” we wouldn’t have the Doctor Who TV spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures. When the Tenth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith reunite after years in “School Reunion,” things are initially a bit tense. Rose is jealous, and she and Sarah Jane clash at first, but later on, the pair bond over the Doctor’s quirks and the ins and outs of traveling through time and space in the TARDIS.
It’s nice how they find common ground, and so when the Doctor asks Sarah Jane to come back, Rose is fine with it. Sarah Jane talks about having a bigger adventure ahead of her, that it’s time for her to stop waiting for the Doctor, and to find a life of her own. Beautifully, her last conversation with the Doctor in this episode of Doctor Who touches on the topic of grandchildren, and in a way, it foreshadows her fate as Luke and Sky’s mother in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
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- Release Date
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2005 – 2022-00-00
- Directors
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Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy
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Jodie Whittaker
The Doctor
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5/10
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Directors
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Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
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- Release Date
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May 14, 1996
- Runtime
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89 Minutes
- Director
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Geoffrey Sax
- Writers
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Matthew Jacobs
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Eric Roberts
Bruce / The Master
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Sylvester McCoy
Dr. Grace Holloway
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Sylvester McCoy
Chang Lee
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