When it comes to the universe of Doctor Who, everyone has their favourites. When meeting a fellow Whovian, the social convention is to ask and discuss all aspects of the show, and in many cases, you will end up defending your Doctor as faithfully as he defends the Earth. Everyone has their favourite enemy, episode, music (if you’re interested, mine are the Master, ‘The Day of the Doctor’, and ‘The Long Song’), and of course, companion.
Being too young to have watched the classic series’ when they were broadcast, my earliest memory of watching Doctor Who was the episode ‘New Earth’, the opening to David Tennant’s first full series as the wonderfully witty Time Lord. At eleven years old, the fast-paced show was like nothing I’d seen before, and the Doctor was simply a hero to everyone watching. As I continued with the intergalactic adventures every Saturday night, it quickly became clear to me that while the Doctor was every bit the enigmatic wonder, his companion Rose Tyler was just as brilliant. 
With her determination, loyalty and “domestic approach”, Rose (played magnificently by Billie Piper) was the perfect mix of intrepid adventurer and girl-next-door, providing the audience with the eyes through which we watch the show. Yes, she could be jealous at times (notably in ‘School Reunion’, which was not particularly helped by Sarah Jane’s equally derisive remarks), but quite simply, that’s what made her real. After all, wouldn’t you be a little displeased if another woman turned up and diverted David Tennant’s attention away from you? Yep, exactly. Me too.
Speaking of Sarah Jane, Ms Piper must have had a difficult task in bringing to life the companion who would reintroduce Doctor Who to Britain. I’d go as far as to say it was just as tough as Christopher Eccleston’s feat, and Rose Tyler has certainly lived up to my expectations. Going back to ‘Rose’ in series 1 after her tearful exit in ‘Doomsday’ (I’ll come back to that later), I can see why the nation took the character to their hearts. She was open and innocent with a brilliantly argumentative streak that was displayed during her scenes with the Doctor on many occasions. Creating a character who would follow in the footsteps of the greats (Sarah Jane Smith, Leela and Ace to name but a few) is an achievement to be applauded, especially when beginning the new series with an episode entitled as the companion’s name.
There is no doubt in my mind that Billie Piper carried the show through the first two series of the revived BBC classic, her very human portrayal keeping the ratings high even after Eccleston’s beloved ninth Doctor departed the TARDIS. Even after leaving herself, the show continued to run on the very idea of Rose. During series three, she was mentioned in no less than six out of thirteen episodes and returned for three full episodes in series four, as well as her image being used by the Moment in ‘The Day of the Doctor’. Surely this, to an extent, shows how much Billie’s character was loved not only by the nation, but the Doctor himself.
A companion/Doctor relationship was somewhat a new concept aboard the TARDIS when Russell T Davies took the show on. However, I am a believer that Rose was a perfect match for the broken Time Lord, picking him back up, sometimes kicking and screaming, when his memories of the Time War threatened to darken his character (look no further than ‘Dalek’ in series one). For the Doctor, Rose was a beacon of hope and love (much like the Olympic flame in ‘Fear Her’) who brought him out of the shade and gave him faith again, which he confirmed himself in ‘The Satan Pit’ – “I believe in her.” For saving our Doctor, we must love Rose Tyler just as much as he did (or does).
The Doctor’s love for Rose was blazingly obvious throughout the series’, culminating in the heart-breaking finale of series two, ‘Doomsday’ (told you I would come back to it). Even if you didn’t like Rose, the last ten minutes or so must have convinced you that the Doctor truly loved her, or at least pulled on your heartstrings a little. If not, then I’m afraid to say you might be part Dalek… which is OK, because it might just mean that you’re an echo of yourself after jumping into the Doctor’s time stream… which is a whole different companion. Sorry, back on track.
As I was saying, that memorable moment when the Doctor says “Rose Tyler” on Bad Wolf Bay is one of the saddest in the show, even beating Tennant’s regeneration and the Ponds’ departure for me. The only consolation I have when bawling my eyes out over the scene is that I know, eventually, Rose will have her very own Doctor.
Finally, I can’t possibly write anything about Rose Tyler without mentioning Bad Wolf. The end of series one perfectly summarises Rose’s character: her stubbornness and determination, shown as she desperately cries for the TARDIS to take her back to the Gamestation; her bravery, opening the heart of the TARDIS and absorbing the time vortex just to save her Doctor; her concern for her friends, displayed as she brings Captain Jack back to life (accidently forever, although we can’t blame her for wanting that. We wouldn’t have Torchwood if it wasn’t for her); her love for the Doctor, and lastly, his love for her.
While it is blatantly clear that Rose, in my opinion, is the best New Who companion to date, this is not to say that I dislike any of the others. In fact, every constant TARDIS traveller since Rose has been equally likeable (the others in my top three are Captain Jack and Donna), but what Rose Tyler brought to Doctor Who was love, compassion, humanity, a little rebelliousness, and ultimately, the Doctor that we hold close to our hearts.
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