Proof that sometimes the Doctor just accidentally picks up a guy.
Character Overview
Dan Lewis barreled into the Whoniverse in The Halloween Apocalypse (2021), when the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz basically kidnapped him from Liverpool. He wasn’t an archaeologist, a scientist, or even a time-travel enthusiast. Nope — he was just a nice bloke who volunteered at food banks, made terrible dad jokes, and lived in a house that was at least 70% smaller on the inside than it should’ve been.
Dan’s introduction was pure Doctor Who: one moment he’s getting ready for a quiet Halloween, the next he’s abducted by a dog-like alien mercenary named Karvanista who claims he’s Dan’s “assigned protector.” (Yes, apparently the entire human race had been given a designated space-dog buddy — because why not?) From there, Dan was swept into the chaos of the Flux storyline, which was either epic space opera or a fever dream depending on how many cups of tea you needed to follow it.
What set Dan apart was his unfailing decency. He didn’t really have special skills, but he had heart. He was funny, quick to defuse tension with a joke, and stubborn enough to stand up to aliens twice his size. His chemistry with Yaz and the Doctor kept the team dynamic light, even when the Flux tried to unravel the entire universe.
Unfortunately, Dan’s tenure was as short as it was baffling. After Flux, he appeared in just two more specials before bowing out in The Power of the Doctor. His exit was remarkably understated — he decided space was a bit too dangerous after almost getting killed again. Which, frankly, makes him the most relatable companion of all time.
Dan might not have gotten the deep arcs of other companions, but he carved out a niche as the everyday man thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Plus, John Bishop’s natural charm made him instantly likable — even if the scripts never gave him much more than “confused but nice Liverpudlian with a heart of gold.”