Sooooo looks like we really only need the official confirmation of Jennas departure at this point. Lovely, 12 will get a companion that will proudly claim only him as their doc.

Any ideas...? Someone whos already been on the show, or cast someone new.
Still think its going to be Osgood.

It needs to be someone whose personality works with twelve so its nice to watch like sarah and the weird one

True, maybe a Moriarty type,

As a more serious answer, I suspect that it'll all depend on how long Moffat is sticking around for, and indeed whether we're getting full series or not and when.

There's talk of 2016 being a 'Specials' year. I really hope this isn't true, and if it is then not for the reasons suggested. But at any rate, I don't think Moffat will have more than two more years in him. I don't see him having more than a single more series in him. Even if he has, it's high time to shake things up and it'll be an interesting first for NuWho to deal with a Doctor under two showrunners... if Capaldi is still hoping to stay on of course. I don't feel the showrunner can claim ownership over specific Doctor's. With all this in mind, with Moffat closer to leaving than joining, I do wonder whether an all new companion is worth it. A returning character would allow him to focus on the storytelling in his final series, rather than having to flesh out a main character from scratch all over again. A character like Osgood is a prime candidate for that, and I wouldn't mind seeing her brought on board for a series or two. It'd be a bit like how Donna came back, and that sense of familiarity led to a brilliant series (in my opinion of course). I also like to have a bit of overlap between companions, even if its minimal - all the current companions have met each other to a couple of degrees... (Rose met Martha and Donna, appeared alongside Clara sort of. Martha met Rose and Donna. Donna met Rose, Martha, and River. River met Amy, Rory and Clara. Amy and Rory met Clara in the form of Oswin) and Osgood would fit that bill nicely having already met Clara.

If I was to have a bit more fun with the options, and just go for people I'd like to see in a companion role I'm going with the name I've gone with for absolutely ages as I love her - Gillian Anderson. It'd be great to have two older actors lead the show for a while, though she's a good decade younger than Capaldi still. I'd have to accept that she's not Dana Scully and the ginger hair will probably still be out... but I can live with that

Another I would like in the role of companion is Lucy Brown (who played Claudia Brown in Primeval). I also wouldn't mind (in addition to, or instead of the above) a younger male companion as well - as much as I don't like it, Sherlock has proved they can have a show with two male leads and make it accessible. Maybe someone new or someone familiar (the cyber guy from Time Heist wasn't too bad, as the few younger male characters seem to go) ... but definitely a change from 'British young female' which we've had in excess for years now.

I'd like to see an alien companion. Always worked for the classic series.

I think that it is time for a companion who is not from the present-day Earth. Maybe companion from the past. That worked very well with Victorian Clara in Snowmen. It would be nice to see a full-time companion from the past or future.

Agreed! A male from the past, female from the future maybe?

I think that a new dynamic is needed.
We have an older Doctor for the first time in ages, so how about an older companion too? And, so as not to lose the younger viewers, also a younger companion as well.

I'm thinking of maybe a mother and son combination.
Son - some sort of Hollyoaks-type late teens, not too young.
Mum - 40s, but not interested in the Doctor. More like the Donna / Doctor relationship - if she hadn't already played the TARDIS I'd be suggesting Suranne Jones for this. Or could this finally be the time for Julia Sawalha?

I see no reason to mix up the current format too much, but I would like to see a male companion and maybe a larger TARDIS team, rather than just one female companion and their add-on. I was a huge fan of Rory but I'd like to see a male and female companion introduced as equals in the Doctor's life from the off.

Oh and there's no reason to believe that the new companion will only have Capaldi as their Doctor, depending on how long Capaldi and they last, Capaldi's Doctor will be at least two, maybe three years into his spell if we only get specials next year. If the companion lasts two or three years then they'll probably outlast 12.

Someone to play an older Romana would be the perfect foil for 12, plus an adolescent male. Joanna Lumley would be great.

[Edit] On second thoughts that could get a bit too much like River, though I think a more mature woman would be good. The second companion could be Osgood, but I suspect she'd have to lose the fannish aspect pretty quickly.

I think more than anything we need something different from a young girl in her early 20's, five in a row now, it would be nice for some more diversity.
Maybe an alien, maybe someone from the past, someone from the future, any gender is fine. Someone upbeat to off-set the fairly grumpy 12th doctor.

Isnt Clara upbeat enough? lol

Hmm let me re-phrase, someone upbeat AND likable.

May I add, less whiney.

This bit made me laugh. I'm now picturing Joanna Lumley as an adolescent male!

Really? Donna was a young girl in her 20s?

My personal favourite Doctor/companion relationship in New Who was 10 and Donna. Just a couple of mates.

The comedy Catherine brought to the show was superb too. Not just because of the laugh-out-loud moments but because it made the dramatic scenes work even more effectively. So I would love an actor with a comedy background.

I'd love a character who's a bit older too. Donna was older, not looking for romance (or, at least, not with the Doctor) and was just as smart as the Doctor in many ways. She just wanted to go off and travel, and leave her boring life behind her. She was certainly worldly enough to feel confident in what she was bringing to the table too, where as I think some of the younger companions remained in awe of the Doctor.

Karen was only about 22 when she started as Amy and Jenna was 25 or 26. I really would like to see someone a bit older next time. Someone like Sheridan Smith (aged 34) or perhaps Julia Sawalha (aged 47) would be lovely.

In their rush to have a whinge it's almost as if some people aren't paying attention...

There is almost no way while Capaldis the Doctor that they will have any companion too far past 30. Sheridan Smith would probably be the upper limit. Which is fine. I don't mind them changing things around a bit but the last thing we need is another shouty middle aged woman on the Tardis.

Arthur Darvill

Kate Maberly or Ingrid Oliver

Haha well you got me there, but I think the character was supposed to be late 20's/early 30's? So not too much older, allow me to re-phrase, 5 young women in their 20's/30's.

Some casting suggestions:

Females:
Michelle Keegan
Georgia May Foote
Preeya Kalidas
Roxanne Pallett
Dani Harmer
Georgina Campbell
Michelle Ryan back as Lady Christina de Souza

Males:
Neil McDermott
Danny Mac
Richard Madden
Jonathan Bailey (he played Psi in Series 8, Episode 5 - Time Heist)
Russell Tovey
Parry Glasspool
Andrew Hayden Smith back as Jake Simmonds (from Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel & Doomsday)

I think the new companion will be Osgood.

If we go by the age of the actress herself she was in her early 40's by the time of her last appearance in the show, probably closer to mid-30's upwards in-show. It's a relatively big jump compared to the others.


I'm not usually keen on returning characters becoming companions, but I wouldn't mind seeing Psi come back potentially. He, Osgood and Shona from Last Christmas are characters I've really liked from Series 8 I'd happily see get a year.

And as much as I really like both actor and character, I think any chance of Andrew Hayden-Smith coming back has long gone - he was two Doctor's ago now, seven series ago no less.