The only companion who arrived in a flying London bus and still somehow made it all about herself.
Character Overview
Lady Christina de Souza (played with scene-stealing sass by Michelle Ryan) crash-landed into the Whoniverse in the 2009 Easter special Planet of the Dead. She’s a literal lady by title, but don’t let the posh accent fool you — she’s also a master thief with a taste for shiny things and a knack for escaping sticky situations. Think Catwoman, but with a fancier surname and fewer cats.
Her meet-cute with the Doctor? She was fleeing after nicking a priceless artifact and hopped onto a double-decker bus… only for said bus to fall through a wormhole into a desert planet. (As one does on a casual Easter Sunday.) Christina, never one to be fazed by the impossible, immediately bonded with the Doctor over quips, danger, and the shared understanding that buses should really stick to London.
Together they faced off against swarms of flying stingray-like aliens that were chewing through planets like crisps. Christina held her own — stealing, improvising, and generally refusing to act like a “sidekick.” When the adventure wrapped, she asked the Doctor to take her along in the TARDIS. His response? A very firm no. Why? Because the Doctor might bend timelines, but apparently drawing the line at glamorous jewel thieves was where he got picky.
Still, Christina didn’t leave empty-handed. UNIT let her escape in her newly refurbished flying bus, proving that even when she loses, she wins. She popped up again in audio dramas, reminding everyone that charisma and kleptomania can carry you surprisingly far in life.