Best Recurring Characters (Who Aren't Companions) in Doctor Who's Modern Era 

Yes, we know who you are

Yes ma’am. We are aware of who you are.

Yes, the Council knows who she is...

Yes, we know who she is.

I was 100% going to say this before I saw you'd done it already.

Ah, touché!

He's literally the title character and has been in the lead in almost every episode. He by no means fits the definition of a recurring character in a series.

Aaron O'neil I'm not sure you get what a joke is.

scaper8 my apologies, I did chuckle at first but my pedantic brain got the better of me.

By his definition, he is a companion. He's traveled in the Tardis with the Doctor.

I love how you abbreviate her name including the "Former Prime Minister" part.

+*Ahsim Nreiziev* thank you.

Moffatt considered bringing her back to life, you know.

@@TheSmart-CasualGamer sad he didn’t have the balls to do it

@@fletcheragenda6014 ik, especially as he brought back literally everyone else like he couldn't have sprung for one more 😒

Exactly. She’s a great way to continue his legacy and a good character in her own right.

Baka - Chan if the pond era TARDIS doesn't win I'll be upset

If the washing up bowl 'Time Monster' set doesn't win, then i will call a fix.

Glen McCulla the what? What episode is that?

'The Time Monster': worst TARDIS console room set ever. It makes me feel slightly ill just thinking of it. But i might not be 'with it' so far as console room trends go: i was informed recently that Paul McGann's 1996 interior was rubbish, and that's my favourite. Who knows?

If the Secondary Console Room doesn't win, I'll be upset.

Yes, I know who she is

And the tin dog could catch some ridiculous air doing flips lol

NPCarlsson One fatal flaw in that theory... The human must remain alive for the Zygon duplicate to retain its form... Therefore, it HAD to have been the Zygon who died, otherwise, the Zygon duplicate of Osgood would've lost that form and thus, no more Osgood PERIOD... (Ref. "Terror of the Zygons")

Yeah that's my take on it as well... and you don't even have to go as far back at TotZ ... just go back to the first part of the Clara and the Zygons story and you see that they still had to keep the subject alive to duplicate their memories

wait the doctor himself had said that the 2 had merged so well that even if the human had died then the other would be able to maintain her form, also she said it herself it does not goddamn matter one died that was the point and that was one of many sparks for the zygon uprise

Christopher Althouse But, they explained that in The Zygon Invasion that they no longer need to keep the human counterpart alive. I'd link a clip if I could find one, but The Doctor comes to that conclusion as well and says to Osgood that she must be the human. But, Osgood explains that Zygons only need to keep the humans alive if they need more information from them. That's why the Zygon Clara was threatening to kill real Clara if she didn't tell her the truth.

Exactly. The reason why Osgood was chosen to be the caretaker of the box was because there wasn't that differentiation between them. There wasn't a "Human Osgood" and a "Zygon Osgood", there was just Osgood. The two of them figured out back during the 50th anniversary which was which, thanks to the inhaler, and they decided it didn't matter, They moved past that distinction, which is why the doctor trusted them with that secret.

I'm not wearing a coat

@@gryffinclawgymgirls0911 Oh. What's that then?

Joshua V. Harding YES PLEASE.

Stormagedon best character

Joshua V. Harding I never considered that, but that would be great.

Let’s hope his dad isn’t dead of obesity-related illness by the time it happens.

Please...God....no....

Honestly, this really annoyed me. It's like, if all it takes you make you COMPLETELY immortal is a bit of souped-up alien medical tech, why isn't everyone doing it in the future?

Geo Da Sponge yeah exactly, like what about the aliens who actually invented the tech

Like.. There are immortals that can't die from anything but the immortal that could die from getting shot is the only one still alive? How is that possible? Especially when (at least to me) they're as annoying as Ashildr or that Me bullshit she calls herself

Her being the only immortal alive is very convenient for the story. Even Jack, who was made immortal by the dangerous in the tardis dies eventually as the face in the story. She just should live extremely long. Still not a bad character, but she suered i make my characters the best, the most immortal, syndrome. Or she could have lead a clan of immortals. Missed opputunity.

Ned Barks exactly, the technology that kept her alive definitely shouldn't have lasted as long as the power of the time vortex or whatever kept jack alive. The doctor consulting a council of immortals would have been cool, hell bent was still bs tho 😂

I love Jenny so much

liz and the brig were mainly in the3rd doctors era, and he was stuck on earth for 3 of his 5 years, so earth bound companions count, and the brig and sgt benton HAS travelled in the TARDIS (more than once actually) so they are definately companions

I haven't watched episodes series 8 and 9 in a long time because I don't particularly like Danny or Clara but unless I'm missing something I remember thinking Danny was reasonable about her travelling with the Doctor? From what we see her tell him about, he knew that she regularly put her life at risk, was very devoted to the Doctor who was regularly putting her in situations that put her life at risk, and at that point he even says he understands but to let him know if things ever got to be too much. She does and is very upset after Kill the Moon and tells him the Doctor went way too far and she doesn't want to travel with him anymore and he expresses that he's glad she's calling it quits and not staying when the Doctor pushes her buttons, then she proceeds to lie to him about still travelling with the Doctor, and he's upset when he finds out because she's staying with someone she told him she didn't want to be with anymore. Then, in series 9, I feel like they built off of the unhealthy attachment she had to the Doctor and mixed it with her recklessness after losing Danny to make her trying to be the Doctor and risking her life all the time, which I think shows that Danny had the right idea. You have to consider him from the angle of someone that cares about Clara and personally knows her, not someone on the outside looking in who knows the Doctor as well as we do. I don't think he was any more manipulative or demanding than Rose's mom in early series 1 when she was going "can you tell me my daughter will be safe with you!?" The only difference is Clara was more indecisive and secretive than Rose was. Hopefully I'm remembering everything that happened correctly and props if you read all this, you just made me think pretty hard with the forceful boyfriend Danny comment lol

ana iglesias I like him cause I like james

Same. I don’t care for Osgood, but Kate should appear in future UNIT stories regardless of era.

Not gonna happen

Night Bot She did get name dropped in Resolution

And just like that, chibnall gets rid of UNIT

@@rachelamitrano9094 I know, right? All for a dumb Brexit joke.

This actually makes sense, it's kinda changed my mind although I do agree she is boring to watch but I do get the concept and I've come e to realise how she serves as contrast to Wilf's happy and jolly personality and I feel that she is a very realistic character who has the most realistic reactions

She's boring as HELL though, sorry!

I know she was so precious 🥺

Well actually, the real Osgood can't be dead because it was established that the Zygons need to keep the original alive so they can take that person's shape.

But otherwise I get you

@@sw3602 Pretty sure they don't have to keep them alive to refresh the image anymore. They explained this in either the Zygon Invasion/Inversion. Of course this could be falsified but I don't think so. I think Missy killed the Human Osgood. The beauty is we probably will never know, and it's better that way.

+1 internet for you :)

Danny encouraged Clara to calm down after the incident in Kill the Moon so that she could repair her relationship with the Doctor. If he was controlling or manipulative, he would have encouraged her to stay away from him so that he could have her for himself.

@@tomnorton4277 My instinct at the time was he was being supportive in words only. His intent, I felt, was more coercive than that. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure I agree with that stance now, but I still don't find the character particularly likeable. As I say, I don't know why.

He doesn't include that because we never actually seen them in the tardis. We assume it's the only poisible way they could have got there, but we didn't see it sooo

but we literally see Vastra travel in the TARDIS in The Snowmen

@@anthonyjones6870 try rewatching that episode, I recently rewatched it and no she doesn't

You never see them enter nor exit the Tardis or inside the Tardis

@@BenNightHound no I'm referring to a different episode, 'The Snowmen' in which we see vastra enter the TARDIS and travel in it

umm you now he was on the list... right?

And we will MELT HIM WITH ACID Uh strax?? ....and we will n o t. MELT HIM WITH ACID

look on big finish, they have three stories!

is it possible the sergeant is the father/grandfather of modern Osgood, no the name is NOT a coincident!

You skip one to like save it for later?? I really like that idea

1: It's Ashildr not Ashislder. 2: She had multiple children and saving just one would have been cruel 3: As the Nightmare she is awesome

BladeOfFlames Productions My bad on the spelling corrected it now. It was more the callous way she came across if she'd given the reason that she considered immortality a curse she didn't want to inflict on anyone else I'd have no issue but she just said "No one was good enough".

Vortex Traveller. Including herself

I’m glad she didn’t return for series 10. I hope they NEVER bring her back.

Also, the alien tech square that made Ashildr immortal stops the aging process unlike Captain Jack's immortality. If I'm remembering correctly, we see a scene of her crying over what appears to be babies. If she had given one of her children immortality before they grew up they would be eternal babies. Even if she was planning on giving one immortality, the plague took them away before she had the chance.

not a companion

We have to be 100% certain they were in the TARDIS.

Yeah i think he said in another we have to physically see them in the TARDIS and not just implyed

They are seen in the TARDIS on Trenzalore when the Great Intelligence, Clara, and the Doctor enter the Doctor's timestream

They have to be seen entering, exiting or inside of the Tardis and travel in it so no 'A Good Man Goes to War' and 'The Name of the Doctor' do not count

I hated her Her absolute confidence in bossing the Doctor around and basically being perfectly ok with letting Clara die and sending the Doctor into effectiveally TimeLord Hell She is awful

I'd say yes to Dorium but no to Avery as Avery is a historical figure and I don't really count those

I agree, the problem wasn't her, she was great and had so much potential. It's just the episode didn't take advantage of any of it.

I have despised IT since series seven, and yes I agree, Kate is a scientist, IT is an English teacher (not that theres anything wrong with English teachers they can be quite brilliant!!), what makes IT so much better!

Because Danny wasn’t the only member of his family who might have had kids.

fair point

No, it's because timey wimey stuff

Twin brother.

Maybe Danny's death wasn't a fixed point? Alternate future maybe. The doctor was definitely more willing than usual to help try to get him back, even finding him a way to come back. So yh. Time can be re-written on that one..

I was the same age as young Amy, *not Karen her Cousin* and never have I agreed so hard!!!

nightowl she was on his other list as she traveled in the Tardis

Agree 100% with all what you said.

Michelle Sloney m

Don't... don't salute.

there are very few, because the classic era companions were companions, the only two who dont meet the traveling criteria is Liz Shaw and Captain Mike Yates from 3rds era, but thirds era was the exception because his first three years were earthbound

Also earlier in a good man goes to war,

Mad the Monk he’s technically a companion

Mad the Monk he traveled in the tardis, got second place in the companion list

Greg Hawkins Ah alright never mind 😂

He travelled in the TARDIS in the end of time

Mad the Monk He is a companion really

Implied but not explicit.

They have to be seen entering, exiting or inside of the Tardis none of them apply for 'A Good Man Goes to War'

I count two partners as one story. So no.

Thanks, kinda thought that after I posted the comment, sorry.

yes

An extra or somebody with lines?

Nah just an extra. He walks past Van Gogh with a radio (wearing a scarf) after they've just got out of the tardis. Doctor tells him to ignore my brother haha. In this scene: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ubTJI_UphPk.html He also appears inside the gallery in the next scene but not as obvious.

That's pretty dang nifty!

Yuki Nagato But if the human dies, the zygon reverts back to human.

Well, there's a line in the zygon 2 parter where Osgood tells the Doctor this is no longer the case, so that line about Clara is all we really have to go on.

Yuki Nagato I don't remember Osgood interacting with Clara in the day of the doctor at all, but it's been a while since I've seen, it so I'll be watching it again tomorrow to make sure.

Alright, be sure to get back to me lol

Yuki Nagato I probably will.

I always assumed it was the Zygon who died because otherwise who is Zygella going to copy? Can a Zygon copy a Zygon copy of a Human? Seems a bit of a stretch given how the Zygons had to keep the human alive in order to be able to mimic them accurately earlier in the two parter.

Well those would be the one-time companions, which I did a list of years back. I'll have to rewatch that to see if I feel it's worth revisiting.

Yeah I think Danny was over-hated at the time. I think he's definitely one of the better developed supporting characters.

It's classic like he said

the brig is a companion

wrong, the brig is a companion, more of a companion than any modern one!

She only appeared in one episode through. Vincent had a second appearance in Wedding of River Song.

Council of Geeks No it was Winston Churchill and Charles Dickens who appeared in TWORS , Van Gogh’s cameo was in The Pandorica Opens.

Yes but the important point was a second appearance, not the specific episode.

Council of Geeks point taken. By the way, did you remember Henry Avery (I can’t seem to find your companion video)