David Tennant’s Doctor Who Hinted A Classic-Era Companion Was Secretly In Love With The Doctor

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During the original run of Doctor Who (1963-1989), romantic relationships were generally avoided. Although the Doctor sometimes found himself in near-engagements and even had a granddaughter from Gallifrey, the show presented the Doctor as someone who didn’t experience romantic attraction and only formed platonic bonds with his companions.

Everything shifted when Doctor Who came back in 2005. Over the years, the Doctor developed romantic relationships with several companions, including Rose, Martha, River Song, Yaz, and Rogue. The show explains this pattern by suggesting that more recent versions of the Doctor are more open to emotional connections. It wasn’t that older Doctors actively avoided companions they weren’t attracted to; it’s just that the newer Doctors are more emotionally available.

It’s odd, considering the show’s history, that none of the Doctor’s companions ever developed romantic feelings for a Doctor who appeared younger. However, if one episode from the second season of Doctor Who is accurate, at least one companion kept a secret crush.

Doctor Who’s “School Reunion” Reshaped Sarah Jane’s Relationship With The Doctor

The Doctor Who episode “School Reunion” was special because it brought back Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. She famously traveled with the Doctor in his third and fourth versions, before being left back on Earth – though not in Croydon!

Although fans were happy to see Sarah Jane Smith return to Doctor Who, the episode “School Reunion” made some unwelcome changes to her personality. The episode humorously pitted Rose Tyler and Sarah Jane against each other, initially portraying them as jealous rivals both vying for the Doctor’s attention, before ultimately resolving their conflict and establishing a friendship.

The idea seemed right from Rose’s point of view. The show had already hinted at a romantic connection between the Doctor and his companions, and the season two finale was setting up to fulfill that in a way that felt earned. While it made sense for Rose to feel jealous of Sarah Jane, it didn’t feel right that Sarah Jane would feel the same way.

Why Doctor Who’s “School Reunion” Got Sarah Jane Wrong

Sarah Jane and the Doctor always shared a strong friendship, and it’s this connection that made Sarah Jane the most beloved companion of the original Doctor Who series. Adding a romantic element to their history changes something that fans held very dear.

It was pretty clear what “School Reunion” wanted to show about Sarah Jane’s feelings. She was clearly angry with Rose, but didn’t seem to blame Mickey at all. Her teasing focused specifically on how Rose looked.

Other characters also playfully hinted at a romantic connection between the Doctor and Sarah Jane. Mickey jokingly teased the Time Lord, calling it “the wife and the ex – every man’s worst nightmare,” and Rose related it to a fight she once had with a friend over a boy.

Sarah Jane wasn’t worried about the Doctor having a new friend, but rather what this new friend was like. This was mostly played for laughs, as the Doctor and Sarah Jane quickly fell back into their old dynamic when they were alone together. The previous companion described the Doctor as being her “life,” and she was having trouble adjusting, but she meant she’d lost a close friend and a meaningful purpose, not that a romantic relationship had ended.

Interestingly, in “The Five Doctors,” Sarah Jane Smith and the Fifth Doctor’s companion, Tegan Jovanka, quickly became friends, with no sign of rivalry between them. It’s remarkable that this positive interaction between two female companions from a 1983 episode feels more progressive than what happened in the 2006 episode, “School Reunion,” but that’s exactly what occurred with Doctor Who.

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2026-01-20 17:28