A Look Back at Classic Who: The Eighth Doctor's Era · 12:55am Oct 9th, 2013
Let's finish up this look back at "Classic Who" with the era of the Eighth Doctor! Now, I'm going to talk about this era a little differently than I have about the previous ones. In relation to the previous Doctors' eras, I tended to talk mostly about what occurred in the televised episodes rather than the audio stories, novels, and comics (save Ace's departure). Since the Eighth Doctor has only one televised appearance and the rest of his era is told through a collection of audio stories, novels, and comics, I'm going to go ahead and talk about not just the 1996 film but also of the rest of the Eighth Doctor's era as told in the other forms of media. So let's get started!
The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann)
The Eighth Doctor awoke from a traumatic and violent regeneration confused and temporarily suffering from amnesia. The Eighth Doctor was much more romantic than any of his previous incarnations and had a more open respect of humans than some of his past incarnations; such as the First and Seventh Doctors who easily grew tired of human failings and quirks. He was a highly proficient swordsman, was skilled in the art of Venusian aikido (much like his third incarnation), had a fear of hospitals due to his traumatic regeneration, exhibited an endearing vulnerability (much like his fifth incarnation), had quite a bit of experience in pick-pocketing, could play a large assortment of classical instruments, and could even use his romantic flattery to deceive a few of his enemies. He was the first Doctor to temporarily lose his second heart, the first Doctor since the Third to be temporarily exiled on Earth, and was the first Doctor to romantically kiss a human (and is hinted at to having sex with one in the novel The Dying Days). He claimed to not understand the meaning of gloating, insisted he was psychologically incapable of experiencing survivor's guilt, and had a bad habit of giving people hints about their futures. He also developed a great disdain for his previous incarnation's manipulative nature and vowed to never travel alone again in order to never forget how precious life was. As time went on and the tragedies and inconveniences began to pop up more and more, the Eighth Doctor became a much darker and colder person; though a strong amount of compassion still resided within him. The Eighth Doctor eventually met his end in the Time War.
Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook)
Grace was a San Francisco cardiologist who was responsible for the Seventh Doctor's regeneration into the Eighth Doctor when she attempted to "fix" the Doctor's irregular heartbeat. She was intelligent, feisty, independent, had a strong sense of humor, and had a love for opera. Following her resignation from the hospital she worked at in order to not be complicit in a cover-up of the events, she was greeted by the Eighth Doctor and immediately found it hard to believe that he was the same man whom she had accidentally killed on the operating table. She was eventually convinced that the Eighth Doctor was the same as the Seventh when he removed the remains of her probe from his chest. Grace was temporarily possessed by the Master and killed by the Eye of Harmony but was brought back to life by the TARDIS. The Doctor offered her a spot in the TARDIS but she declined for she had fallen in love with the Doctor and would rather him stay on Earth with her. After a romantic kiss, Grace and the Doctor went their separate ways. She and the Doctor crossed paths not too long afterwards and she joined him for a few adventures in the TARDIS, which she quickly became overfaced with. She was eventually returned home and parted ways with the Doctor for a final time.
Bernice "Benny" Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman)
Benny was an archaeologist from the 26th and 27th centuries who encountered both the Seventh and Eighth incarnations of the Doctor. She had many travels with the Seventh Doctor and Ace but left following Ace's initial departure when she (Benny) met her future husband, Jason Kane. Benny met the Eighth Doctor following her and Jason's divorce and became a rector at the St. Oscar's University on the planet Dellah. She had a few more sporadic encounters and adventures with the Eighth Doctor before eventually settling down on the planet Legion.
Samantha "Sam" Jones (Novel Character)
Sam was a unique companion for she traveled with the Eighth Doctor in two different timelines. In the first timeline, she had dark hair, was a drug addict, and was on the run most of the time. She encountered the Doctor when he met her to investigate a dimensional scar in San Francisco that the TARDIS had become a part of. After several days of traveling with the Doctor, she ran into a dimensional scar that altered her timeline and her biodata. In the new timeline, Sam was blonde, ran track, was a vegetarian, and hated drugs. She ran across the Eighth Doctor in 1997 while being chased by a group of drug dealers. She had several more adventures with the Doctor before once again coming across the dimensional scar in San Francisco that had altered her timeline. She managed to rework it and establish the timeline she had experienced with the Doctor. She parted ways with the Doctor in 1996 Earth and helped out Sarah Jane Smith for a year before heading back to her parents. It was implied later on in the novel Repercussions that Sam was later erased from existence due to the paradoxes surrounding her life.
Stacy Townshend (Comic Character)
Stacy was a woman from the 23rd century who came across the Eighth Doctor in the space haulage ship Dreadnought. Following the death of her fiance Bill at the hands of the Cybermen, she joined the Doctor in the TARDIS. She had a few adventures with the Doctor and she and the Doctor were later joined by an Ice Warrior named Ssard. Eventually, Stacy parted ways with the Doctor to marry Ssard.
Ssard (Comic Character)
Ssard was an Ice Warrior guard who met the Eighth Doctor and companion Stacy Townshend during an early period of Martian history. Following a series of tragic events and corruption within the Martian goverment, Ssard was invited for a "holiday" with the Doctor and Stacy. He had a few adventures with the Doctor that spanned from Victorian London to the distant future. He parted ways with the Doctor in the late 40th century to marry Stacy.
Gemma and Samson Griffin (Lizzie Hopley and Lee Ingleby)
Gemma and Samson were a pair of siblings who met the Eighth Doctor in a library. They joined him in the TARDIS for a little bit before temporarily parting ways in Vienna when the Doctor went to investigate a distress signal. They soon reunited and had a few more adventures together from encountering a Nekkistani time vessel to facing off with Davros and the Daleks. They parted ways when Gemma was possessed by Davros and, while under his control, altered the Doctor's memories and returned herself and Samson to Earth. The Doctor returned to Gemma and Samson a few years later and freed them from Davros's control.
Mary Shelley (Julie Cox)
The 19th century author of Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus who joined the Eighth Doctor for a few adventures in between his travels with Gemma and Samson. During her few travels with the Doctor, Mary encountered the Cybermen, King Harold, Axons, and the Bone Lord. She had the Doctor return her to her own time and the two parted on good terms.
Charlotte "Charley" Pollard (India Fisher)
Charley was a young woman who met the Eighth Doctor on the British airship R101 on New Year's Eve, 1930. The Doctor ended up saving her life by rescuing her from the fatal crash of the R101 even though her death had been a fixed point in time. The Doctor then took Charley along with him in the TARDIS. Charley had many adventures with the Eighth Doctor. Her initial adventures involved the Cybermen in 2503, 2294 Venice, and facing the demon Marchosias in 2003 Malebolgia. Charley's continued existence beyond her originally fixed death began causing problems in the Web of Time and, after an encounter with the Time Lords, Charley and the Doctor ended up trapped in the Divergent Universe. They had several adventures in the alternate universe and even picked up a new companion, C'rizz, although Charley didn't take a liking to him at first but grew close to him with time. Charley and the Doctor, along with C'rizz, eventually returned to their own universe and had a few more adventures together. Charley's time with the Eighth Doctor came to an end after a battle with the Cybermen over their goal to once again try and harness time travel. Charley ended up stranded on a desert in 500,002 where she soon met and became a companion of the Sixth Doctor. Charley was definitely not as close to the Sixth Doctor as she had been with the Eighth, mostly due to the fact that she resided in his future and didn't want to reveal anything to him. This, in turn, caused the Sixth Doctor to be incredibly suspicious of her. After a few adventures together, Charley parted ways with the Sixth Doctor after an incident with the Cybermen. Before they parted ways, Charley explained everything about herself and her travels with the Eighth Doctor to the Sixth Doctor and then used the Viyrans' memory-altering technology to replace herself with that of Mila, a woman who had been experimented on by the Daleks, within the Sixth Doctor's memories.
C'rizz (Conrad Westmaas)
C'rizz was a male Eutermesan from Bortresoye, a planet located in the Divergent Universe. He met the Eighth Doctor and companion Charley Pollard following the kidnapping of his wife, L'da, by the Kromon. After he was forced to kill his wife, who had been transformed into a Kromon queen, C'rizz joined the Doctor and Charley. He rarely talked about himself, had a fear of heights, and had a rocky start with Charley but gained a close, sibling bond with her in time. He had several adventures with the Doctor and Charley in his home universe before joining the Doctor and Charley on their trip back to their own universe. After a few more adventures together, C'rizz parted ways with the Doctor and Charley through tragedy. C'rizz obtained immense psychic powers and a new, terrifying form when he, the Doctor, and Charley arrived on a planet that resembled Hell. C'rizz gave up his new form and powers to save the Doctor, Charley, the planet, and its inhabitants. This act greatly weakened C'rizz and he died with the Doctor and Charley by his side, but not before calling Charley his sister and thanking the Doctor for healing his emotional wounds. C'rizz's death had a big impact on both the Doctor and Charley.
Fitz Kreiner (Matt di Angelo)
Fitz was a man of German and British descent who met the Eighth Doctor in 1963 during his (the Doctor's) travels with the second version of Sam Jones. Following the death of his mother, Fitz joined the Doctor and Sam in the TARDIS. Fitz had a few travels with the Doctor and Sam and remained with the Doctor even after Sam's second and last parting with the Doctor. While in 1996, three or four distinct iterations of Fitz were brought into existence. Fitz joined the Doctor for several more adventures but eventually became an agent of the Faction Paradox, a group that enjoyed making time paradoxes. A re-remembered version of Fitz traveled to Earth and helped the Doctor during his period of amnesia-induced exile. After a few more adventures that involved Gallifrey, time paradoxes, and the Second War in Heaven, Fitz parted ways with the Doctor to start a relationship with fellow companion Trix.
Compassion (Novel Character)
Compassion was the remembrance of a human woman named Laura Tobin who was part of the Remote, a faction of the Faction Paradox. She joined the Eighth Doctor and Fitz in the TARDIS and, following the TARDIS's temporary destruction during the Second War in Heaven, metamorphosed into a makeshift TARDIS for the Doctor to travel around in. For much of her time acting as the Doctor's TARDIS, the Time Lords pursued her in hopes of using her for breeding stock for a new generation of TARDISes. She eventually took on her original form again for a short time after the Doctor's original TARDIS was recovered, dropped Fitz off in 2000, and ventured off into the universe as a TARDIS alongside Gallifreyan technician, Nivet.
Anji Kapoor (Novel Character)
Anji was a woman from Yorkshire who met the Eighth Doctor at the end of his exile on Earth and joined him and Fitz in the TARDIS. She had a few adventures with the Doctor that stretched from the 18th century, to the Doctor temporarily losing one of his hearts, to alternate timelines, to dealing with a stowaway in the TARDIS named Trix MacMillan. Anji eventually left the Doctor to raise a young, time-sensitive girl named Chloe.
Beatrix "Trix" MacMillan (Comic Character)
Trix was a con-artist who met the Eighth Doctor during his exile on Earth. She stowed away in the TARDIS and wasn't detected until the Doctor was once again traveling and was joined by companions Fitz and Anji. Trix and Anji didn't get along very well but Trix developed a romantic relationship with Fitz. After Trix helped the Doctor and Fitz defeat the Vore, she parted ways with the Doctor to continue a relationship with Fitz.
Isabelle "Izzy" Sinclair (Comic Character)
Izzy met the Eighth Doctor following the return of his memories and his parting with Fitz and Trix. She met the Doctor as he was facing off against an old enemy, the Celestial Toymaker, and joined him in the TARDIS to escape her mundane life. She was a science fiction and film expert but her trusting nature led to some accidents during her travels. After many adventures with the Doctor, Izzy ended up switching bodies with an alien named Destrii, who resembled a humanoid fish. It took a bit of time for Izzy to adjust to her new body and, eventually, she and the Doctor tracked Destrii down and Izzy got her own body back. The strain from the body swapping led to Izzy deciding to return home and make amends with her adoptive parents as well as come to terms with her own personal conflicts (such as admitting that she was a lesbian).
Kroton (Comic Character)
Kroton was a Cyberman who uncharacteristically retained his emotional capacity. He met the Eighth Doctor and companion Izzy following an incident with the Sontarans. His appreciation of beauty is what convinced the Doctor that he was no ordinary Cyberman and he ultimately allowed him to join him and Izzy in the TARDIS. He had a few adventures with the Doctor and Izzy but parted ways with them following a battle with the Master. He later went on to battle and defeat Sato Katsura, a Japanese agent under employment of the Master, and was chosen as the center of the Omniversal Spectrum.
Destrii (Comic Character)
An Oblivioner that resembled a humanoid fish who encountered the Eighth Doctor and companion Izzy on the snake-like spacecraft Ophidius. She started off as an enemy of the Doctor when she swapped bodies with Izzy but was eventually found by him and forced to become his companion in order to find Izzy, who had been taken by Destrii's mother. Their relationship started off rough but it became better following Destrii's and Izzy's return to their own bodies and Izzy's resulting departure. She went on to have a few more adventures with the Doctor and they grew to have an amount of respect for one another. She eventually parted ways with him.
Lucie Miller (Sheridan Smith)
Lucie was a woman from Blackpool who met the Eighth Doctor following a period of him traveling on his own. She was put under a "Time Lord witness protection program" due to seeing something that had apparently been important. She and the Doctor had a rocky start and she initially felt disdain for him. But with time, their relationship became better and it developed from an antagonistic relationship to a close friendship. After several adventures with the Doctor, she parted ways with him temporarily to travel with the Monk. She reunited with the Doctor a little while later and joined him for many more adventures. Lucie eventually met a tragic end when she sacrificed herself to stop the Daleks from invading Earth. Her death left a huge impact on the Eighth Doctor and was one of many the ultimately led to him becoming a much darker and colder person.
Susan Foreman-Campbell (Carole Ann Ford)
Susan reunited with the Doctor when he came to check on her progress. By then, her husband David had passed away, she had a son named Alex who was in his late teens, and she was now a member of the Earth Council. She had an interest in having her son Alex to be educated on Gallifrey but Alex's determination to stay on Earth led to her to throw away this idea. Susan suffered a great loss during the next Dalek invasion with the death of Alex and she was left to deal with her son's death alone on Earth while the Eighth Doctor left to deal with the deaths of Lucie, Alex, and everyone else who had lost their lives to the Daleks.
Alexander "Alex" Campbell (Jake McGann)
The human son of Susan and great-grandson of the Doctor. Both the Doctor and Susan had an interest in taking Alex to Gallifrey to be educated but Alex preferred to stay on Earth. Despite being the son of a Time Lady, most of Alex's DNA was human but, still, the Doctor planned to pass on the TARDIS to Alex if he agreed to travel with him at some point. Alex opted to take a tour of Europe with Lucie. During the next Dalek invasion, Alex lost his life while helping Lucie plant the bomb that would ultimately take her own life and defeat the Daleks. Alex's death hurt Susan greatly and, like Lucie's death, left a huge impact on the Eighth Doctor that led to him becoming much colder and darker. And, as a last little interesting fact, Alex was voiced by Paul McGann's son.
Tamsin Drew (Niky Wardley)
Tamsin was an actress from Dulwich who met the Eighth Doctor while Lucie was traveling with the Monk. She met the Eighth Doctor when he put up an ad for people to audition to be his companion. She lost at first but after the other contenders were revealed to have malicious goals, the Doctor chose Tamsin and took her with him. After a few adventures and a drawn out situation with the Ice Warriors, Tamsin parted ways with the Doctor while accusing him for only looking out for his friends and the Web of Time. She joined the Monk, who took her to find "some old friends who had a score to settle with the Doctor". When the Daleks invaded, Tamsin rejoined the Doctor when she realized that the Monk was involved in the invasion. She, however, met her end at the hands of the Daleks. Along with the deaths of Lucie and Alex, Tamsin's death would haunt the Eighth Doctor and make him a much darker and colder person.
Molly O'Sullivan (Ruth Bradley)
Molly was a World War I nurse who met the Eighth Doctor, who was still being haunted by the deaths of Lucie, Alex, and Tasmin, after he was injured by the Daleks. Molly turned out to be the Daleks' target and the Doctor took Molly with him in the TARDIS. They traveled all around the universe, evading the Daleks at every turn. It was soon revealed that the Daleks were being led by a Time Lord named Kotris, who had done some experimentation of Molly on her second birthday in order to use her to power a Dalek space-time projector. With the help of fellow Time Lord Straxus, the Doctor and Molly defeated Kotris and the Daleks. The Doctor then returned Molly to World War I and returned to traveling alone. Molly was the last major companion of the Eighth Doctor before he eventually made his way into the Time War and ultimately met his end.
And those were the players in the Eighth Doctor's era! And, with this, we come to an end of this look back at "Classic Who". Now let's all sit back and watch as the 50th anniversary draws near. Onwards and upwards to The Day of the Doctor!
So Grace Holloway and Sam Jones were also American? So the Doctor has had three American companions. I've always fantasized about being the Doctor's American companion.
Anywho, Seems that Grace also started the trend of companions who fall in love with the Doctor. It seems also that your stories aren't the first where the Doctor has traveled to alternate universes with companions from there. 
Additional thought. I just found out they found some episodes of the classic Doctor Who that were thought to be lost!
BBC to reveal a number of missing Doctor Who episodes
1405632-I thought Peri sort of had a crush on The Fifth Doctor.
And I think the whole romance thing is a bit overdone in New Who
(Although I do ship Clarctor, kill me now).
And the missing episodes! We'll finally see the original concepts of regeneration!
1406021 Clarctor?! Clara definitely does not see the Doctor that way, no matter how dashingly hansom he is.
1406099-Which is the fun of it.
And my mom thinks Matt Smith is ugly for some reason. I refused to study for my exams until she gave me some ice cream.
Dod you know that the Doctor Who Big Finish Audios were recently confirmed as Canon?
That means that, of all of Eight's companions, only Charley Pollard, C'Rizz, Lucie Miller, Tamsin Drew, and Molly O'Sullivan are Canon.
Bit of a shame, really.
1406558
I ship Eleven/River, Jack/All the Doctors, and Janto, myself.
And while I'm not overly fond of Eleven/Clara, I DO ship Eighth Doctlin (Eighth Doctor/Time Lady!Clara.)
On a related note, since saying Time Lady!Clara is a bit long, I've mentally dubbed her "Oslin".
1750265 -Ah, yes, I ship Yowzah too. I also ship Dromana. And Oslin and Eight is interesting too!
I also ship Five and myself