Best Of Who Awards: Top 5 Greatest Companions

In the first of a big series of awards features, we count down the biggest and best stars to travel with the Doctor...
Every Doctor needs a TARDIS. Every Doctor needs a costume. But most of all, every Doctor, without fail, needs his companion to roam all of time and space with, no matter what their shape or size. The role of the companion has shifted constantly ever since the show's inception in 1963, but as with all of these 'Best Of Who' awards, only a select few can make the best of our best. Today, then, let's countdown the greatest characters ever to join the Time Lord on his travels, looking back through fifty years of Who to discover if the designated driver makes the passenger or vice versa...
5. AMY POND (2010-2012)- Last Autumn, we witnessed the fall of the Ponds at the hands of the Weeping Angels in 1930s New York. What made it such a tragic event to watch? Karen Gillan's Amy Pond had remained the Doctor's most faithful companion for three years of the show, a sassy, infrequently raunchy and opinionated time traveller who wasn't afraid to question her friend's decision, yet ultimately will be remembered as The Girl Who Waited for her Raggedy Man, right until the end. We'll never see Amy again, but somewhere out there, there's a little girl sitting on her suitcase, listening to the tales of the girl she'll grow up to be!
4. CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS (2005)- John Barrowman had an irksomely brief stint on Doctor Who as a core companion in the form of Captain Jack, tagging along with Chris Eccleston's Doctor and Billie Piper's Rose in the TARDIS until he was seemingly slaughtered by the Daleks. Of course, Rose would resurrect Jack forever, sparking the hit spin-off series Torchwood, yet it was debatably in the mother show that the rogue Time Agent proved the most effective character. I doubt we'll see Jack at the 50th Anniversary, but we can look back fondly on his five central Who episodes nevertheless.
3. ZOE HERIOT (1968-1969)- What's great about these awards I'll be running throughout the year is that I'll often mention names of stars or stories that those of you who hooked onto the show in 2005 may not have heard of. Wendy Padbury's Zoe is one such shining example, dazzling fans with her looks and innocent beliefs throughout the Patrick Troughton era's final years. Right from The Wheel In Space, we can tell Zoe will be a smash hit with everyone's favourite Time Lord, and the pair strike up a chemistry that makes their separation in The War Games all the more heartbreaking...
2. DONNA NOBLE (2008)- It's difficult to look back on Donna Noble's time on Who without remembering the sad ultimate fate that awaited the metacrisis-infused companion. All the same, Catherine Tate was a brilliant addition to the roster of the show, challenging the Doctor like never before in locations like Pompeii and the Ood Sphere, and all the while retaining her trademark sense of righteousness and humour in all the best places. Just as the peoples of the galaxy still sing songs of the Doctor-Donna, so too do we remember her eventful year on the show!
1. SARAH-JANE SMITH (1973-1976)- But in the end, my choice for the Greatest Companion we've had on Doctor Who so far (I didn't count Clara Oswin Oswald in the potential list as it's best to see her entire journey through) was an obvious one. Elisabeth Sladen's iconic companion character Sarah-Jane Smith was a staplemate for what the Doctor's closest friend could truly be. While she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, Sarah-Jane remained loyal to the end, and with the launch of The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2006, it was fantastic to see one of Britain's greatest performing assets back in the limelight. Elisabeth's passing was a true tragedy last year, yet we will remember her Sarah-Jane as the story goes on, forever...