The new era of Doctor Who is quickly approaching. Russel T. Davies, who previously helmed Christopher Eccelston and David Tennant’s time portraying the famous hero, is back in the lead creative role as he attempts to revive the series after a stretch of poor reviews and ratings. After all the excitement surrounding Jodie Whittaker, the first female to lead the show, becoming the new Doctor, her time (through no fault of her own) appears to be going out with a whimper.
This new era is set to begin with David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning before the fourteenth Doctor takes over, although the specifics of the story remain to be seen. However, it's unclear how often Tennant will remain in his former role, as actor Ncuti Gatwa is confirmed to be coming to the show to take on the role of the Fourteenth Doctor. Considering that both a new Doctor and a new showrunner will be coming to the program, viewers can expect to see a lot of change in the show's upcoming seasons. To a certain extent, fans have been curious whether the current companions of Jodie Whittaker will be kept around in this new era.
Interestingly, Whittaker’s time as the Doctor has seen her take a somewhat lesser role (if it can be described as such) compared to some of her predecessors, with the companions given a lot of character work. There have also been several companions, often together in groups, traveling alongside the Doctor. This concept is quite a change from the classic one Time Lord, one human sidekick that Russell T Davies seemed particularly fond of when he was in charge. Steven Moffat also favored this approach, usually having no more than two companions with the Doctor at one time. The eleventh Doctor had Amy Pond and Rory and later on Clara, whereas the Twelfth Doctor had the latter and a few others towards the end of his spell in particular. The concept of a crew of companions was more common in the classic series, but less so in the modern iteration, until the Thirteenth Doctor's time.
All of this is to say that, while companions have always been integral to Doctor Who as a show, they arguably never had as prominent a role as in Jodie Whittaker’s time. As her tenure on the show begins to wind down, it doesn’t exactly feel as if a new era is about to begin — perhaps because fans are more excited about the new era than the current one. Because of that, to a certain extent, it feels as if Whittaker’s chapter has already come to a close. However, when it comes to the companions, their arcs and plot lines remain unresolved.
This suggests that there’s a possibility that at least some of the companions will carry over into the new era. It’s happened before, from Rose being there with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, and Clara with Eleven and Twelve. However, especially because of the generally lukewarm reviews for Whittaker’s episodes, it seems that showrunner Davies might want a clean break from the past few years of the Whoverse. Regardless of reception, it would also be in line with some of the previous regenerations; for example, Matt Smith’s time came with a new logo, theme song, companions, and more. That was done to modernize the show and its look a bit more, while also giving audiences a new starting point if they missed previous seasons.
That type of starting point is another reason that would suggest that the companions will remain with Whittaker and not carry over. Viewership has plummeted massively for the series in the past few years, despite Whittaker doing a great and truly underrated job in the role. Though the scripts are often messy, the English actress saves the stories as best she can. This means that some fans might not be up to date on what’s happening and, therefore, completely unfamiliar with the current sidekicks. That presents a problem for the new era, as it has the potential to once again push away fans if they don’t want to have to piece together stories and characters that they missed. The ultimate goal for the BBC right now appears to be reviving Doctor Who's popularity. This could be more difficult if significant aspects like the companions remain, making the barrier of entry higher for new viewers or those who haven't watched in a while.
It’s unclear if the current companions will return beyond Whittaker’s upcoming final episode, but it would be nice to see them again. The spotlight on the companions, while somewhat hit or miss, is an interesting concept that freshened up the show’s general structure and provided an element of uniqueness for the current outgoing era.