According to the Western Mail, who rang me up to get a fan opinion on who should play the Doctor’s companion. The full article, which looks at the odds being given on different actresses by the bookies, as well as quoting Russell T Davies, can be found at Wales Online.
I spoke to the journalist for a good few minutes, and here’s my bit in the article:
Doctor Who super-fan Caleb Woodbridge, 23, a clerical assistant from Gabalfa, runs his own blog about the cult TV show.
He said: “It’s always an interesting part and it’s a big change for the show as there is a new Doctor and companion at the same time.
“It would make a nice change if they did something slightly different. Maybe someone from a different era.
“I can see why they would choose someone like Lily Allen for the publicity but it’s better if they find new talent. It’s supposed to be an everyday figure who people can relate to, not someone people already see as a celebrity.”
To clarify the last two points, I’d quite like to see a companion from another time in history rather than the present day, and I think that having a celebrity can work against the companion’s role as an audience identification figure, so a less well know actor works better in that respect. That said, both Billie Piper and Catherine Tate were well-known beforehand and were very popular as companions.
The article seems to confuse my blog (which is mine but not just about Doctor Who) and A Podcast of Impossible Things (which is about Doctor Who but not just mine), but that’s a minor quibble! It’s good fun seeing my name and opinions in print, and I’m always happy to chat about Doctor Who to anyone who will listen.