From the very beginning of Doctor Who, the companions (or sometimes referred to as his assistants) of the Gallifreyan Time Lord have played a significant and central role not just within the show itself, but also upon the evolution of the good Doctor himself. His first companions had as much an impact on William Hartnell‘s portrayal of the Doctor, as does the impact of Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) on Matt Smith‘s Eleventh Doctor.

The infographic below, follows the history of the Doctor’s companions – from the early adventures of William Hartnell’s First Doctor, through to the modern era with Matt Smith. There’s a lot of interesting notes along the way, including why some companions seem to have had a much more significant impact on the history of the show overall.

Check out the full infographic here below and click for a larger version.

Continuing from the Doctor Who episode The Rebel Flesh, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) find themselves face-to-face with a “clone” of the Time Lord, a Ganger-Doctor. Meanwhile, Rory (Arthur Darvill) is searching for the mineworker known as Jennifer (Sarah Smart), but may find himself dealing with more than he bargained for, as the Gangers continue to revolt against the humans they were created from.

The battle reaches its peak, and is leading the Doctor and his companions to an unexpected but inescapable conclusion…

During TARDISblend 28, we review the events of The Almost People, the second part of an adventure written by Matthew Graham – and one that leads directly into Steven Moffat‘s mid-season finale. We discuss the major cliffhanger – and incredible spoiler – of the episode, and its implications for the upcoming chapters.

It begins with a knock at the TARDIS door, while still in deep space, and an important message from a long-lost Time Lord friend. The distress signal prompts the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) to literally leave the universe, and leads them to a junkyard asteroid. The matrix and power of the TARDIS is immediately drained, leaving them stranded on this odd world, where they confront a mysterious entity called the House (Michael Sheen). What secrets does the mad bitey woman known as Idris (Suranne Jones) hold for the Doctor?

During TARDISblend 26, we review the events of the long-awaited Neil Gaiman-penned episode, The Doctor’s Wife, an episode that proves to be much of the best Doctor Who has offered in a long time.

The BBC has announced that they will not be filming any more episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, but they will be broadcasting the final episodes that Elisabeth Sladen had filmed for Series 5 later in the year. Sladen passed away from cancer earlier this year, and is sadly missed by Doctor Who fans around the world.

While filming the fourth season in 2010 of The Sarah Jane Adventures, the cast and crew also filmed 6 episodes for Series 5. There was rumor for some time that the BBC might make a final episode to wrap the series in memory of Elisabeth Sladen, however, it has since been decided that no more filming will be done and only the completed episodes will be broadcast.

After their victory against The Silents, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions decide to head off into the seas of the 17th century, where in responding to a distress signal they come face to face with the famous pirate, Captain Henry Avery (Hugh Bonneville). But not all is as it seems – for Avery’s ship is stuck in calm waters, haunted by the curse of a Siren (Lily Cole), who comes to claim those that have been marked with the Black Spot…

During TARDISblend 25, we review the events of Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot, and find ourselves to be somewhat disappointed at the poor editing and pacing of what could have been a very fun episode. From missing pirates to “Kenny from South Park” (Arthur Darvill), we find the saving grace to be elements of the overarching story arc and discuss who the mysterious Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) could possibly be and why only Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) can see her.

We also discuss some in-universe fan debating over the use of the Sonic Screwdriver during this season. Our Classic Doctor Who recommendations this week also tie into ships and/or pirates, and we take a flashback to the Secondary Console Room in the TARDIS during the Tom Baker era. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!