Doctor Who relaunched in 2005 with a new Doctor and a new companion and since then, the series has delighted both new and old fans of the show.
Celebrating its 58th anniversary on November 23rd, the show has had lots of companions in its history and its fair share of memorable moments and emotional departures for the beloved characters.
Whether it was Rose Tyler, Bill Potts or Donna Noble, the new series has featured fan favourites that many viewers hope will make an appearance again in the future.
Daily Star looks at where the companions who have joined the Doctor since the series relaunched in 2005 are now.
Jenna Coleman – Clara Oswald
Jenna Coleman played teacher Clara Oswald opposite both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi's Doctors, before leaving in 2016.
In the same year, she played Queen Victoria in the hit ITV series Victoria and started up a co-star romance with actor Tom Hughes, who played Prince Albert.
The couple had previously met in 2013 while working on series Dancing on the Edge, but at the time, Jenna was dating Bodyguard actor Richard Madden.
They dated for over four years before splitting in 2020, but rumours that the couple are back together have recently been sparked, after Jenna was recently spotted at his £1.75 million townhouse.
She has most recently been seen in the heartwarming Christmas advertisement for health and beauty store Boots, as well as starring in 2021 BBC drama series The Serpent.
Karen Gillan – Amy Pond
Model and actress Karen Gillan rose to fame as Amy Pond alongside Matt Smith's 11th Doctor, and it has been onwards and upwards from there.
She has since achieved new levels of fame alongside Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Jack Black in the Jumanji films, as well as playing Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers films.
Karen is currently starring in the Netflix hit series Gunpowder Milkshake, but despite being one of Hollywood's biggest stars, she admitted in an interview with The Mirror that she is becoming homesick living in Los Angeles.
She said: "I’m so homesick. I keep looking up houses in the highlands area, thinking I’m just going to move back. But then for some reason I can never seem to do it."
Catherine Tate – Donna Noble
Comedy genius Catherine Tate was already a huge star in her own sketchshow, before playing Donna Noble alongside David Tennant's 10th Doctor.
She has since worked with David Tennant again on comedy sketches for programmes including 2020's The Big Night In on BBC and reunited as their Doctor Who characters for a series of Big Finish audio stories.
Catherine told The Sun that her and David have a close friendship, saying: "We're friends, and we've known each other for a long time, so there's a shorthand, like there is with me and David Tennant."
Another television appearance on Comic Relief also led to a brief relationship with Take That star Jason Orange, after Catherine impersonated him during the sketch.
However, she has since become engaged to American screenwriter Jeff Gutheim, who she met after moving to the United States to work on the US version of The Office.
In her private life, she also has one daughter called Erin from her previous relationship with stage manager Twig Clark.
She has also most recently lent her voice to films including Monster Family 2 and the cartoon series Ducktales, where she was reunited once again with former co-star David Tennant, who voices Scrooge McDuck.
Freema Agyeman – Martha Jones
Freema Agyeman played Martha Jones alongside David Tennant's 10th doctor, after Billie Piper left the series.
However speaking as part of OfCom's Diversity in Broadcasting Event as part of National Inclusion Week, Freema said she 'didn't anticipate' the racist abuse she received following her appearance on the show.
She said: "What I didn't anticipate – and maybe I was naive – was the racism from certain sectors of the fanbase.
"There was criticism levelled towards my contribution for other reasons, which I could handle", she said.
'I could rationalise those away. I'm an artist, no one's going to like your work all the time, people are entitled to their opinions, it's all subjective. But the racism… yeah, I couldn't rationalise that."
Since playing Martha, Freema has had a number of leading roles in television programmes including Law and Order: London and Sense8.
She has also received critical acclaim for her role in hit medical tv series New Amsterdam, where she plays Dr Helen Sharpe.
Billie Piper – Rose Tyler
Billie Piper played the first companion of the newly relaunched Doctor Who series, starring alongside Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant's 9th and 10th doctors.
Her character Rose has become a fan favourite, with many hoping that she will return to the series one day.
Billie was already a huge pop star in the nineties before turning her attention to acting, where she has since appeared in programmes including Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Penny Dreadful and I Hate Suzie in 2020.
From 2001-2007 she was married to DJ Chris Evans, before marrying actor Laurence Fox, with who she had two children, from 2007-2016.
Billie is currently in a relationship with partner Johnny Lloyd, and continues to act, as well as write and direct the critically acclaimed film Rare Beasts, which was released earlier this year.
Talking about the film, she told The Guardian: "If you’re writing things, or you’re creating things, as a woman, it’s always suggested that it’s autobiographical."
She added: "But it’s also quite exhausting because it feels like everything you ever do, people are going to go, ‘OK, that’s about you, that’s about your life.’ And it’s not."
Pearl Mackie – Bill
Pearl Mackie played Bill Potts alongside Peter Capaldi's 12th doctor in 2017, after the departure of Jenna Coleman from the show.
She also played the Doctor's first gay companion, telling Digital Spy: "I'm really proud of the way we had a queer black woman, and I think the relationship that a lot of the fans had with her, and a lot of the LGBTQ+ fandom had with her, is amazing, really."
Since starring in Doctor Who, Pearl has had a number of roles in television programmes including Urban Myths, Friday Night Dinner and currently plays DC Jen Rafferty in ITV drama series The Long Call.
Pearl is also listed as filming a new TV series called Tom Jones, but the air date is yet to be confirmed.
Arthur Darvill – Rory Williams
Arthur Darvill starred alongside Karen Gillan as Rory Williams in Doctor Who, opposite Matt Smith's 12th Doctor.
On-screen he played the boyfriend and later husband of Amy Pond, and in real life, he has been married to Ines De Clercq from 2015.
Like his co-star Karen Gillan, the role shot Arthur to fame, appearing in series including The White Queen, Broadchurch and World on Fire.
However, he has a role in a rival superhero universe to Karen's Marvel character, appearing as Rip Hunter in DC series Legends of Tomorrow from 2016-2021.
Matt Lucas – Nardole
Writer, actor and comedian Matt Lucas is one of the many big names to have played a companion, and in 2017, he joined 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi on his adventures with Bill Potts as Nardole.
He rose to fame on shows including Little Britain and Come Fly with Me, alongside fellow comedian David Walliams, and has since starred in Hollywood films including Alice in Wonderland and Paddington.
Matt currently hosts The Great British Bake Off alongside Noel Fielding and has released books including Little Me.
In Little Me, he talked about suffering with an auto-immune condition that has led to him suffering alopecia areata since childhood.
Matt was also married to partner Kevin McGee from 2006-2008.
In an Instagram post in 2019, ten years after Kevin died, Matt shared a photo of him and Kevin, saying: "I loved him more than anyone I’ve ever met, and still do.
"He was so funny and silly and clever and kind and handsome and his smile made my heart soar. We were together for nearly six years and he made me the happiest man on the planet.
"In the end he lost his battle with addiction and depression. I guess some people don’t have the armour for this world. I think of him probably a hundred times a day, every day.
"In truth, I think of little else. I would give anything to see him again and maybe one day I will, but for now I will be grateful for the time we had together and the love we shared. It was like no other."
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