First, let\u2019s get the facts right. It\u2019s been reported that Varada Sethu<\/a> has been cast as the companion in season 15. Great news! Millie Gibson<\/a> has not been \u201cdropped\u201d or \u201caxed\u201d \u2013 actually, the opposite as she\u2019ll still be in season 15, just in a smaller role. But I think this is actually incredibly exciting.<\/p>\n It\u2019s definitely a strange situation, to have only seen our brilliant new companion Ruby Sunday in one episode before it\u2019s revealed when and how she\u2019ll be stepping back (not stepping down \u2013 there\u2019s a big difference). But it certainly doesn\u2019t have to be a bad thing \u2013 in fact, I think this could be a huge storytelling opportunity and a big chance for Doctor Who to evolve its relationship with its companions<\/a>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot we don\u2019t know for sure how Gibson\u2019s storyline on Doctor Who will play out but what we do know actually sounds pretty great to me. Presumably, with Gibson still appearing in season 15, we\u2019ll be able to see how Ruby\u2019s journey continues after her adventures with the Doctor \u2013 and what a rare and wonderful thing that could be.<\/p>\n We as viewers have an intense and complicated relationship with Doctor Who companions. While the Doctor, by invention, is an unknowable being, the companions are the opposite for us \u2013 they\u2019re our eyes and ears. From the time they meet the Doctor and take their first steps into the TARDIS with an inevitable: \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 bigger on the inside?!\u201d, to them eventually leaving their adventures behind, they\u2019re our representative on this strange and wonderful journey.<\/p>\n But, so many times over the years, companions have left the TARDIS and that\u2019s been the very last we\u2019ve ever heard from them. Lest we forget when Susan (Carole Ann Ford), the first ever companion, was literally locked out of the TARDIS<\/a> by her grandfather (nope, I\u2019m still not over it).<\/p>\n Sure, that\u2019s the nature of the show sometimes, but the times we\u2019ve been able to check back in with the companions have been incredible \u2013 from Freema Agyeman\u2019s return as badass Martha Jones in season 4 to Catherine Tate\u2019s incredible Donna Noble starring in the 60th anniversary specials, to Bonnie Langford\u2019s Melanie Bush making her return as a fully fledged companion in season 14 \u2013 and getting to do a lot more than ever before.<\/p>\n Something else we know for sure about Gibson stepping back after one season is that this is nothing really out of the ordinary. It might seem a bit odd and quick to already know about how Gibson\u2019s role will change because of how far in advance the show is filming (the 2025 season is currently in production) but plenty of companions have only stayed as the main companion for one season \u2013 and have absolutely smashed it along the way.<\/p>\n Take Agyeman for example \u2013 she had a ridiculously difficult job in following Billie Piper as Rose Tyler (RTD\u2019s only two-season companion) but quickly proved why she was the right actress for the job. By the end of her season, Agyeman had made Martha a force to be reckoned with and an undeniably important part of the show\u2019s history, well justifying a return for her in season 4.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Tate \u2013 another one-season companion who became so well-loved that she joined David Tennant for three 60th anniversary specials that ushered Doctor Who into a new era. One-season companions are no less important or worth investing in than those who stay for longer. Their stories are just as impactful, just as exciting and stay with us for just as long as those who might have had a two or three-season run.<\/p> Plus, Doctor Who, by design, is all about change \u2013 from the moment William Hartnell regenerated into Patrick Troughton to the spell-binding bi-generation<\/a> late last year. More than any other show in the universe, it relies on new actors coming in and changing things up, and it\u2019s absolutely thrilling.<\/p>\n The casting of the brilliant Varada Sethu does nothing to take away from Gibson\u2019s role or performance. Her casting certainly doesn\u2019t automatically mean Gibson has been \u201cdropped\u201d or \u201caxed\u201d or that the two actresses should be pitted against each other. Surely we can appreciate the work of two wonderful actresses and be excited about seeing them smash it during the same season?<\/p>\n Because, honestly, there\u2019s so much to be excited about right now as a Doctor Who fan.<\/p> ![\"Ncuti](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/460361-a1704ea.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Ncuti")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Varada](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-880325366-Cropped-77e83cb.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Varada")
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