Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall talked about his desire to bring back past companions from both the classic and modern series to meet the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker).
Speaking with Huw Fullerton of the Radio Times, Chibnall discussed bringing back companions from past eras of the show. “To be honest, the canon of Doctor Who is filled with amazing characters. I’d love to see Ace (Sophie Aldred) back, I’d love to see Tegan (Janet Fielding) back, I’d love to see Amy and Rory (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill)…the list goes on.”
Tegan and Ace were companions to the Fifth (Peter Davison) and Seventh Doctors (Sylvester McCoy), respectively, from the classic series while Amy and Rory were the Eleventh Doctor's (Matt Smith) initial companions from the 2005 series.
Sadly, Chibnall also noted that not all of his dream returns are possible because the actors portraying them have since passed away. Elizabeth Sladen, who played one of the most popular companions in the show's history, Sarah-Jane, died in 2011. "I would really love to bring back Sarah-Jane. People working on the show now worked with Lis Sladen and everybody still remembers her so fondly and talks about her a lot."
Chibnall also expressed that he would have liked to have brought back Harry Sullivan, a companion of the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker). Harry Sullivan was portrayed by actor Ian Marter, who passed away in 1986.
Such returns would fit well with the current direction of the show. While the eleventh series of the show, which was Whittaker's first season as the Doctor and Chibnall's first as showrunner, focused on new characters and threats, the 2020 New Year's special "Resolution" and the twelfth series have so far brought back former companion Caption Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and villains the Master, the Daleks, the Judoon and the Cybermen.
Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker as the 13th iteration of the titular Time Lord. Whittaker is joined by co-stars Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill in a series spearheaded by showrunner Chris Chibnall. The next episode is set to air on the BBC on Feb. 16. The new season and all previous 11 seasons will stream on HBO Max later this year.