Ever since Doctor Who‘s return to the BBC in 2005, the Doctor has had many companions. Some have lasted multiple series like Rose and Clara, but many have only appeared in a few episodes. However, there are some companions who only managed to accompany the Doctor through time and space for just one or two episodes. So here are six companions who had short but memorable journeys.
Adam Mitchell
- Appearances: Series 1 “Dalek ” and “The Long Game”
In the year 2012, Adam Mitchell was a researcher for Henry van Statten. The Ninth Doctor and Rose encountered Adam and discovered that van Statten’s team had found the last surviving Dalek, but it self-destructed. The Doctor then invited Adam to come with them on their adventures.
The trio then travelled to the year 200,000 where Adam had an “infospike” implanted in his head. The infospike would allow him to access the databanks for any information available, so when he realized it could make him wealthy, he called his house in the past and left valuable information on his answering machine. The Doctor found out about his plans, deleted the machine, and left him at his house in the past – with the now useless infospike still in his head.
So far, Adam is the only companion since the show first aired over 50 years ago to have been kicked out of the TARDIS because of bad behaviour.
Craig Owens
- Appearances: Series 5 “The Lodger” and Series 6 “Closing Time ”
Craig Owens was one of the Eleventh Doctor’s first companions. They even shared a flat in Craig’s first appearance after the Doctor was trapped in Colchester while Amy and the TARDIS were stuck in the Time Vortex. Craig and the Doctor discovered that a spaceship disguised as the upstairs of their flat was causing the vortex, and with the help of Craig’s girlfriend, Sofie, together they destroyed the ship, allowing the TARDIS to land safely.
The Doctor met his short-term companion again in Series 6 when Craig helped the Doctor defeat a Cyberman invasion. During this adventure, the Doctor also reassured Craig that he could be the father that his son, Alfie, needed him to be.
Although Craig is alive and well, the chances of him appearing beside the Doctor again are very slim. His unique comedic chemistry with Eleven is a good indicator that we won’t see him with any future incarnation of the Doctor, but only time will tell.
Rigsy
- Appearances: Series 8 “Flatline” and Series 9 “Face the Raven”
Rigsy lived in Bristol during the Twelfth Doctor’s tenure. A graffiti artist, Rigsy was in the middle of a community service term when he met Clara and the Doctor and helped them defeat an alien race who had been killing people.
Later, Rigsy contacted Clara when he discovered strange markings on the back of his neck. After finding out that an alien death sentence known as a Quantum Shade had been placed on him, Clara convinced him to give it to her instead. Unfortunately, as a result of Clara’s selfless act, she died in Rigsy’s place.
Following Clara’s death, Rigsy honored her by painting a mural of her on the TARDIS. He then went back home to his girlfriend and daughter, never to meet the Doctor or Clara again.
Astrid Peth
- Appearance: Series 4 Christmas Special “Voyage of the Damned”
Astrid Peth was a waitress aboard the Titanic, a spaceship replica of the ill-fated cruise liner. The Tenth Doctor met Astrid when the Titanic crashed into the TARDIS.
After the ship got caught in a meteor shower, the Doctor, Astrid, and a small group of survivors went to find out who was responsible for the disaster. The group discovered that Max Capricorn, the head of the company that owned the Titanic, was behind the incident. So, in revenge for getting kicked off the board of his own company, Capricorn then sabotaged the ship causing it to plummet towards Earth.
Sadly, Astrid sacrificed herself to defeat Capricorn. However, the Doctor retrieved her consciousness from a teleportation bracelet she was wearing, and he released it into space.
Christina de Souza
- Appearance: Series 4 Easter Special “Planet of the Dead”
Lady Christina de Souza was a minor British aristocrat and an adrenaline junkie thief who met the Doctor on a bus after a theft one night. After the bus went through a wormhole which led to the planet San Helios, Christina assisted the Doctor with trying to get themselves and the rest of the passengers back home.
Although she expressed interest in staying with the Doctor, he declined, explaining that he was dealing with the loss of his previous companion, Donna. Unfortunately, Christina was never able to go on any other adventures with the Doctor. While the show left it open for her to return, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see Christina again.
Abigail Pettigrew
- Appearance: Series 6 Christmas Special “A Christmas Carol”
Abigail was a young woman who lived in Sardicktown. She volunteered to act as “security” for loans that her family needed from the town’s ruler, Elliot Sardick. As a result, she was frozen, and because of a terminal illness, she was unable to come out of her chamber too many times.
While on their honeymoon, Amy and Rory were in a ship that got trapped in the cloud layer above Sardicktown. To save them (and 4,000 others), the Doctor tried to convince Kazran, Elliot’s son, to release the ship. After he refused, the Doctor went back in time to when Kazran was a child to keep him from becoming the same greedy miser his father was.
In this alternate past, the Doctor, Kazran, and Abigail went on adventures every Christmas Eve. Ultimately, Abigail told Kazran about her impending death, which made him shun both her and the Doctor for many years. However, once he saw the error in his ways, he helped the Doctor save the ship. Shortly after, he and Abigail spent one last night together before her death.
