As we face the agonising wait until Doctor Who returns to our screens in ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’, now would be a good time to reflect on some of the characters we’ve met so far in Peter Capaldi’s era.

A strong season with a memorable guest cast has the tendency to leave me with an impressively long list of people I desperately wish could somehow be written into more adventures – perhaps joining the TARDIS team themselves – and Season 8 was no exception.

Here are just a few of the folks we would love to see joining the Doctor and Clara on their travels – or perhaps even becoming that titular Magician’s Apprentice…

 

Courtney Woods

This Coal Hill student supposedly demonstrates a “disruptive influence”, but what she also demonstrates is just how much fun it is watching the Twelfth Doctor attempt to interact with a fellow rule-breaker.

Besides, she’s obviously a smart cookie – so much so that she supposedly goes on to become President.

 

Psi and Saibra

Who doesn’t love a good ensemble TARDIS team? This superhuman pair worked brilliantly alongside the Doctor and Clara in ‘Time Heist’, and it leads me to wonder how the Doctor-companion dynamic would change if Twelve had a Fifth Doctor-style entourage.

A TARDIS family of lovable misfits, each with their own unique abilities to contribute sounds like, in the hands of a good writer, a potentially brilliant idea.

 

Kate Stewart

She would never abandon her earthbound duties at UNIT, but Kate Stewart has proved on every occasion to be a delightful foil for the Doctor, whichever face he may be wearing at the time. Kate’s warm and witty, but decidedly serious business played opposite Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and that could make for some interesting conflicts, and the potential for a brilliant partnership.

I’m torn between wishing that she would at the very least have one adventure in space as part of the TARDIS team, and marching down to Cardiff with a basket of muffins and a very well-conceived pitch in hand and demanding that they give Kate her own spin-off show.

 

Rigsy

We’ve already seen him assume the companion role to Clara’s Doctor in ‘Flatline’, but what would the Doctor himself make of Rigsy?

Having already used his artistic skills once to save the day, it would be interesting to see what he may contribute and learn from on further adventures.

 

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