Review Classic Who Companions!

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



Regularly voted one of the most popular companions of all time, Mela.....

Oh, no. Hang on.... That's Sarah Jane Smith.

Ermm. So what does everyone make of Melanie ("Mel") Bush from Pease Pottage?

Is it love?

Or hate?

And, either way, why?


 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



Are you going to be "wicked!" and say that she was great?

Or are you going to be a "bilge-bag!" and say that she was rubbish?


Is it love or hate for Ace?

And, either way, why?


 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



He may never know if he was right....

But we can find out who thought he was all wrong.

Is it love or hate for Adric?

And, either way, why?


 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
I couldn't honestly say that I loved Adric, but I didn't actually hate him... much.

In any case, despite whatever faults he may have had, he still had one of the most memorable exits from the TV series ever. Something that currently appears to be denied to companions in New Who.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
As much as people want to complain how DOCTOR WHO writers have never known how to write for women, they certainly didn't know how to write for men, either. We had a long run of male companions who were really good, both smart and resourceful. Then we had Harry, who was a doctor by training, but turned quickly into comic relief and a buffoon (which is slightly better than a doctor in training who quickly becomes a doe-eyed fangirl). After that, we got Adric, who was a whiny know-it-all, and Turlough, who was a useless wimp. The closest we would get to a decent male companion was Glitz, who only appeared twice, but would have made a better companion than Peri or Mel.

I just never liked Adric. Even going back and re-watching the episodes, he just comes off as juvenile. All through "Earthshock", he just sits and pouts and fights with The Doctor. I still tear up when he dies, because it was powerful for the show, and as ant-mac pointed out, the "deaths" we get now don't have the gravitas because they get retconned quickly (I can't say much, because I have a scenario written out for my idea to bring River Song back, so I'm just as bad).
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
I was in my early teens when I started Doctor Who and Adric was the companion when I started. So I didn't really have much to compare him to. His exit was fairly stunning and, probably (at least partly) because of that I don't have too bad a view of him. In hindsight his acting skills didn't really stand up well in comparison to Tom Baker or Peter Davison. But I always felt that his character was consistent with a teenager, which he was playing.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
She was my companion. I had been watching for several years, and I was entering my teens, and really noticing girls. And then there was Ace. Lovely Ace. Self-reliant Ace. Carries explosives and beats Daleks with a ballbat Ace. Ahhh...I need some alone time with my stuffed unicorn now.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



Her arrival is missing from the archives....

Her departure.... Well, what can one say?

She wasn't around long either....

But did Dodo still win your heart?

Or were you glad when Ben and Polly turned up?


Is it love or hate for Dodo Chaplet?

And, either way, why?


 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
Her arrival and departure are symptomatic of her appearance in the show. More of an afterthought than anything impactful.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



Was Polly a vastly underrated companion, who was a lot stronger and more independent than first impressions might lead us to believe?

Or should she go and make some coffee while you decide what to vote?


Is it love or hate for Polly Wright?

And, either way, why?



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10



He would have moved Heaven and Earth to rescue his "Duchess", Polly!

(Even when brainwashed by the Macra!)

But would you have happily have left him to one of Professor Zaroff's sharks?


Is it love or hate for Ben Jackson?

And, either way, why?



 

The Seeker

Member: Rank 6
I do love her coffee making skills.

She did have good chemistry with Ben, I thought. I know they hired her because she was prettier than Dodo.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Are you absolutely sure this shouldn't be called A POLLY LOPEZ THREAD?
I wasn't sure myself and only had the less than certain wikepedia to go on.

Polly was never given a last name in the series. According to production notes, she was meant to be Polly Wright, but this was not used in case it would be confused with earlier companion Barbara Wright. In The Faceless Ones, a double of Polly is named Michelle Leuppi; an apparent mishearing of this and misinterpretation of the context led to some reference works giving Polly the last name of "Lopez".

Anneke Wills suggested the name "Bettingham-Smith", after one of her friends.

In the Virgin Missing Adventures novel Invasion of the Cat-People by Gary Russell, Wright is expressly given as Polly's last name, as it was supposedly given in Gerry Davis's character breakdown and audition script sample when, as story editor, he and producer Innes Lloyd created Ben and Polly in 1966.

I just felt that, since Ben had a last name in his poll, that it was only fair to give poor Polly one too - and went with the (flimsy) weight of evidence. :emoji_alien: And I also liked the idea that she may be related to Barbara Wright too! :emoji_alien:
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
I wasn't sure myself and only had the less than certain wikepedia to go on.




I just felt that, since Ben had a last name in his poll, that it was only fair to give poor Polly one too - and went with the (flimsy) weight of evidence. :emoji_alien: And I also liked the idea that she may be related to Barbara Wright too! :emoji_alien:
I don't see why they had such a problem. I mean there are plenty of English last names to pick from...

And it's not as if they'd used up many of them back in the 1960s...
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
It's hard to get a good feel for Ben and Polly as companions because they were only in 9 stories and only the first of those still exists in its entirety. There is very little remaining of their time on screen so we're limited to reconstructions and (hopefully increasingly) animations. Neither of those really give you a good picture of their performances.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
It's hard to get a good feel for Ben and Polly as companions because they were only in 9 stories and only the first of those still exists in its entirety. There is very little remaining of their time on screen so we're limited to reconstructions and (hopefully increasingly) animations. Neither of those really give you a good picture of their performances.
I'll leave you to get a good feel of Ben, but if you don't mind, I'll focus on getting a good feel of Polly... :emoji_wink:
 
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