The information in this section has been extracted and abridged from Doctor Who: The Television Companion (David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker) published by BBC Worldwide Ltd.
The Doctor's Companions
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Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)
"The Web of Fear" to "Battlefield" [Irregular]
Although, strictly speaking, not a real TARDIS companion...
The Doctor first met the Brigadier during his second incarnation, when he was still a Colonel. Soon afterwards the Doctor was exiled to Earth, and became scientific advisor to an organisation set up to counter alien invasion threats (UNIT - United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) whose UK operation was headed by the former Colonel now-promoted Brigadier. Fiercely patriotic, the Brigadier never encountered an alien that he didn't attempt to shoot or blow up. The Brigadier eventually retired from UNIT, and became a teacher, where he crossed paths with the Doctor once again. The Brigadier, now married to Doris, was recalled to service when alien knights invaded Carbury.
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Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin)
"Terror of the Autons" to "Planet of the Spiders" [Irregular] and "The Five Doctors"
Captain Yates - known to the Doctor and Jo as Mike - was the Brigadier's easy-going right hand man. As such he helped to repel a number of alien invasions, and had various encounters with The Master. When Mike was under cover, investigating Global Chemicals, he was hypnotised by the megalomaniac computer, BOSS, and turned against the Doctor. His loyalty was again tested when his idealism made him betray his UNIT colleagues for the scientists planning Operation Golden Age. Later, whilst recovering, he discovered that a Buddhist retreat was being used by giant Metabilis III spiders as an invasion channel, and somewhat redeemed himself.
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Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen)
"The Time Warrior" to "The Hand of Fear" (and "The Five Doctors" and spin-off "K9 and Company - A Girl's Best Friend")
Resourceful Metropolitan journalist Sarah Jane Smith met the Doctor while posing as her virologist aunt, in an attempt to infiltrate UNIT's security. Stowing away in the TARDIS, she quickly found herself in medieval England. Sarah's curiosity, and her feminist views, frequently got her into trouble, but she relished her adventures with the Doctor. She witnessed the Doctor's regeneration into his fourth incarnation, and continued to travel with him until a call from the Time Lord's home planet forced him to return her to Earth. Later the Doctor sent her a present: a robot dog named K9...
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Sergeant [later RSM] Benton (John Levene)
"The Invasion" to "The Android Invasion" [Irregular]
The Doctor first encountered Benton when trying to prevent an invasion by the Cybermen. At that time he was in his second incarnation, and Corporal Benton was under the command of the then Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. Curiously absent when the Yeti invaded, Benton appeared again to help the Brigadier and UNIT's recently-appointed scientific advisor (the Doctor) tackle a series of alien invasion attempts and several encounters with the Master. Loyal and trustworthy, Sergeant Benton was a valuable ally, and usually the first at hand to receive the Brigadier's orders. The Doctor last encountered Benton (now promoted to Regimental Sergeant Major) - and his android duplicate - during the Kraal invasion.
