Departures: Ian Chesterton & Barbara Wright

I considered a separate entry for each of these companions but they arrived together and left together so it seems fitting I talk about the two of them. Also my blog is falling behind my episodes as I'm up to the Dalek's Masterplan in viewing.

Names: Ian Chesterton & Barbara Wright
Home Planet & Time: Earth - 1963
Occupation: Teachers at Coal Hill School
# of Stories: 16

Ian and Barbara joined the TARDIS crew in An Unearthly Child and outlasted the Doctor's grand daughter...not a bad feat for a pair that spent a good number of episodes demanding to be taken home. It took a few stories for me to warm up to Ian but in the end I quite liked him. He's certainly an heroic companion, which hasn't always been the case with male companions in Who. Think ahead to Adric the child, Turlough the turncoat for example.

Barbara I'm a bit less fond of. It's probably not her fault as she probably didn't want to spend tons of screen time comforting Susan either. She had her moments and I thought she was good in The Romans. After Susan left I started feeling better about Barbara. Still, I never quite got there.

Still it was a good run and they began or were apart of so much of what would go on to be "classic Who" -- for example, the look of awe and disbelief on Ian's face and the "bigger on the inside" stuff jump immediately to mind. Their 16 episodes are matched by few others and among that group are legendary companions like Sarah Jane, Jamie and The Brigadier.

Finally, it is a transformational moment in Who history in my opinion. It is the end of the original TARDIS crew that began way back in An Unearthly Child. Ian and Barbara's connection to Susan were the Doctor's last link to his past life on Gallifrey. He's no longer an exile, he's an adventurer who will become a constant meddler. A wanderer...the man without a home...the lonely god. Let's see if the episodes to come reflect this new Doctor.

Final Thoughts: Another episode or two would have been okay... (Barbara)
Final Thoughts: Another season would have been alright... (Ian)