Ranking the Post-’Dr. Who’ Careers of the Recent Companions

By Nadia Chaudhury | Lists | September 30, 2014 |

By Nadia Chaudhury | Lists | September 30, 2014 |

ABC’s Selfie premieres tonight, so I thought it apt to look at the post-Doctor Who careers for our favorite Companions. I’m only sticking to the modern Doctor Who, starting with the Ninth Doctor (a ranked list of ALL the companions would last longer than Selfie will be on the air, probably), and I also left out current companion Jenna Coleman, since there’s no post-Doctor Who for her yet.

4. Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones)
The never-ending Law & Order franchise hopped across the pond and grabbed Agyeman as a prosecutor on the successful U.K. adaptation for three years, until she left to play a glamorous magazine editor in outrageous outfits who mentored Baby Carrie Bradshaw in the canceled Carrie Diaries, which, meh. Science fiction seems to be her best bet, and she’s set to star in Sense8, the upcoming Netflix show created by the Wachowski siblings of Matrix fame, which bodes well for Agyeman.

3. Catherine Tate (Donna Noble)
Tate’s well known for her sketch comedy, like with her own show The Catherine Tate Show, and theater roles, including acting alongside her Doctor, David Tennant, in a London production of Much Ado About Nothing. She also had a stint on the U.S. The Office as Nellie Bertram, who played a part in the greatest episode synopsis of all-time: “Nellie tries to bond with Darryl and he teaches her how to properly eat a taco.” Classic Office. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like Tate’s currently working on anything, but she’s already an established treasured.

2. Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)

Piper was a pop star, pre-Doctor Who (her “Because We Want To” was a #1 hit), but she left music behind to become an actor, and it’s been a good decision. After playing the epic Rose Tyler (still my favorite companion), she went on to star in and produce Secret Diaries of a Call Girl, an at-times great series that ran for four series. Right now, she’s on Showtime’s hella ridiculous Penny Dreadful, camping it up alongside Eva Green.

1. Karen Gillan, Amy Pond
The marketing for Selfie has been impressively terrible, but I can’t begrudge the sitcom too much (and based on reviews, it might actually be pretty OK), because it’ll be the first time many Americans see Gillan not covered in blue alien makeup. I’m, of course, referring to her role in the smash-success Guardians of the Galaxy, where we don’t know for sure if she’s dead or not, so there’s always the chance she’ll return for the sequel. Gillan’s also set to star in In a Valley of Violence, a western along with Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, and Taissa Farmiga, and she had a charming role as a tech expert on Adult Swim’s NTSF:SD:SUV:, so she’s doing very, very well for herself.