So the word comes down that Revolution of the Daleks will be the last time out for Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh’s characters. The Tour has a thought about this.
Good. In fact better than good. Good Riddance.
But here’s what we mean by that. We like all of the current companion set, especially Walsh’s Graham. The Tour Honchos have always had a real soft spot for ‘older’ companions insofar as they, if written well, always bring such a different energy and extra perspective to the proceedings. Think of proto-companions like Wilf in The End of Time or Beatrix Lehmann as the delightful Professor Rumford in The Stones of Blood. But like any characters companions, as necessary as they are to the continued evolution, ans success, of Doctor Who, have a shelf life, and it’s always better to leave too early than too late.
Did Amy stay too long? Did Clara overstay? For that matter did Tegan or even Sarah Jane in the classic era? A not-insignificant number of fans would say so, and we would mostly be inclined to agree. Companion changes are the real fulcrum points which shape how Doctors are perceived. It’s the hope of the Tour that one, and only one, companion comes aboard to replace Walsh and Cole. Three is not a magic number when counting companions, and has almost always been thus. The Davison era was burdened with this and now Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor has seen it two (pun intended). One, perhaps even two companions, out of three always get marginalized in the telling, all of which should be telling. A step down to two should bring a necessary re-balancing.
Thank you for your service. Now go (hopefully on your feet).