I cried when Jo left I was about 10 at the time) - I think I was in love

Oh goodness yes, me too. Jo was the first assistant I could remember, and when she went i was absolutely gutted. Not only that, but her departure was, I think the saddest departure ever. And the way the Doctor drove away into the night in Bessie...you could feel his grief and his sense of loss. It was severely emotional stuff.

My memory isn't perfect on this, but didn't Jo leave because she had fallen in love?

If my, all to falible, memory serves, she was engaged to a scientist from The Green Death episode.

How can Jo leaving because she's in love be "the saddest departure ever"?

I think Sarah's leaving was sadder, because she was just dumped on the pavement, all alone.

I agree with you. Sarah's departure was the saddest. She was dumped at the end of "The Hand of Fear" after an argument with the Doctor when she told him she was leaving, not thinking he would let her go. He was then summoned to Gallifrey and told her she had to go.
The picture even freeze framed on her for a few seconds at the end before the credits ran.
All very sad for a 5 year old that wanted to marry her

I think Tegan's departure runs a close second in terms of one of the most sad. I always believed that Tegan was actually in love with The Doctor but couldn't bring herself to tell him and you could see he was genuinely fond of her.

Imagine a bitch fight between Rose and Tegan....the latter would win hands down!

I wouldn't say Jo's leaving was *the* saddest, but it was pretty poignant the way it was done (the bit at the end where the Doctor slips away in full realisation that he won't be noticed - and isn't - reinforcing his loneliness and alien nature.)

Having spent so long with Jamie and Zoe, I thought the way the timelords wiped their memories of the Doctor before returning them to their own times was pretty sad.

I suppose Adric's departure was intended to be sad, but for me it was a huge relief.

Sarah Jane's departure was even more touching for me the second time round, with her "say it this time" speech.

Yes I always liked Tegan, another nice girl and feisty beyond belief.
She would take Rose to the cleaners you are right.

To be honest, Tegan was a little too feisty for my liking - I prefered Nyssa. I wasn't born in the 1800's so I don't mind women having an opinion and speaking their mind but I really don't like women with a huge attitude and who are too gobby - like Teagan was.

Now be honest Jimbo you liked Nyssa when she inadvertently starting shedding her clothes in Terminus.

She had some great one-liners. It's amazing that people still remember her 'broken clock' retort.

I like feisty though compared to the screamers of some companions. They might have the cleavage but they lacked bottle!

How did you guess?

Did you know she's only 5' 1''? I wrote to her and she sent back a signed 'photo with the answers to the questions I had asked.

Just call it a wild stab in the dark Jimbo

I bet you still have that pic! Is it the one with the red background where she is wearing next to nothing?

Me too, that's why I quite enjoyed Tegan as a companion.

Although I can quite understand Davison's doctor getting tired of her - she'd drive me nuts if I spent too long in her company.

I just thought she was a welcome relief from the companions who followed The Doctor around with sad puppy dog eyes asking the same questions week after week and screaming on cue.

Oh, me too - Tegan was a breath of fresh air compared to some of the previous companions. Although when she wasn't being feisty, I did find her a bit 'whiney' at times.

Nah! She just let him know when she wasn't happy and I think challenged his know it all perceptions at times.

Could be!

I also think that part of it was a deliberate ploy on the part of tptb to get the Doctor to occaisionally explain things.

I think Tegan was there to raise the emotional questions rather than the scientific which Nyssa, Adric and Turlough were useful for. Tegan quite often questioned the ethics of the situation and I think tried to make him less distant and removed.

It was very 'crowded' in the tardis at that time.

I never thought having three companions really worked as someone was always left out or was the 'stooge' for that episode.

No, me neither. I don't think that the stories (although sometimes very good) were broad enough to accomodate the number of characters at times, so like you said sometimes one of them was left out.

And it did show in some episodes that one of them was there purely for decoration!

Not Adric though.

er............no! the sight of Adric in his PJ's didn't stir anything for me!