It's a fairly well-known assertion on the part of Peter Davison that he quite preferred Nyssa as a sole companion. He, of course, never got his way, largely due to JNT's preference for Tegan. In hindsight, or indeed with knowledge gained from the audios, do you think Davison was right? If the Fifth Doctor could've had only one companion, whom would you have chosen?
On a related note, do you agree or disagree with both JNT and Davison that the TARDIS was "too full" during Davison's first year?
Peter was 'my' Doctor as thatw as when Doctor Who became, for me 'must see' TV for the first time 
I've just started listening to the Big Finish audios and Spare Parts was the first. I thought it was fantastic and felt that the Doctor and Nyssa were a good double act.
I never felt the TARDIS was over crowded in those days, watching the episodes back now I still like the 'full' line up of regulars. If anything I disliked Tegan the most because she was human.
I connect more with Tegan, for some reason. I think that the companion should be the relatable character for the viewer, and she was very relatable for me. I also liked her because she was a bit tough. If there could only be one Davison companion, for me, it would be her.
I also connected far more with Tegan. She seemed more like a real character, and not a prop.
She was always emotionally involved with the situations which they faced. The only emotional connection I ever felt that Nyssa had with anything or anyone was in her last episode and even that didn't seem real to me.
Tegan hurt, and you could see it in her face. Every new death devastated her, every suspicion she had of Turlough, you felt it was real.
And when she got left behind, you saw the disappointment, the feeling of abandonment.
Again, when she was re-found and the final episode with the Daleks... you saw the damage done to her from her travels.
I have a lot of sympathy for Tegan. Never felt any for Nyssa.
-M-
I can't say I agree with Peter Davison here. I prefer Tegan's character as a companion. I found her far more interesting. While I like Sarah Sutton, I can't say I that connected all that much with Nyssa as a character.
As for having multiple companions, I thought it was a welcomed change to the one companion scenario that seemed so prevalent through the much of series (at least since it went to colour). Remember the series initially began with a "full" TARDIS with Susan, Barbara, Ian, and the Doctor...
I enjoy companions interacting with each other and not always having to play off the Doctor constantly.
In recent times, I enjoyed stories that had Adam, Captain Jack, Mickey, (and even Sarah Jane Smith and K9) joining Rose in the role of companions. It gives the opportunity to express their thoughts about their situation and the Doctor that they normally would not be able to do so to the Doctor himself.
Cheers,
Louis
I'm another Tegan fan. I agree that I felt every emotion she felt. She was also spunky and didn't just accept everything the Doctor told her as law. She was a breath of fresh air, and I thought she was hot!
I liked the multiple companion dynamic at the time. The 5th Doctor and Adric or Turlough would have worked. Tegan and Nyssa were great but on their own would have lacked spark, IMO.
I would have liked another 5th Doctor/Peri outing, though 6th Doctor/Peri was a wonderful combination.
I know everyone loved Adric, I prefered the Tardis crew with the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough. The Doctor sure had his hands full for a while.
(Yes, I was being sarcastic about Adric above. LOL)
My sophisticated opinion as a 7-year-old was that Nyssa was smart and pretty and Tegan was short-haired and loud. Adric I didn't remember much except some spider web killed him. 
20 years later I think what a boring kid I was, Tegan is way more entertaining in the Tardis than Nyssa alone would have been!
I would have loved it if we could have had a few stories with just the 5th Doctor and Tegan. I have mixed feelings about the days of the "full Tardis." Often it seemed like one of the companions had to be put out of order (delta wave, sprained ankle) temorarily because the writers couldn't accomodate them all. I've heard Peter Davison also complain that many of his companions really, "Didn't want to be there." Looking back it is kind of funny that Tegan prefered going back to her ordinary life (especially in season 19) as opposed to exploring the universe.
Well, it looks like I'm in the minority, but here goes.
Nyssa is my preferred companion. She was intelligent and determined, showing some serious chutzpah in many episodes, without being overbearing, loud and obnoxious, as Tegan often was.
I do not have a problem with "strong" women or men. I simply believe that there is a way to pull off "strong" that is classy and dignified. Tegan was frequently neither.
Nyssa, on the other hand, was "strong", but maintained a dignified presence that was in keeping with a character of her background, vis-a-vis the daughter of a high ranking government official, and perhaps even a noble.
The other thing about Nyssa was that she got things done, without a need to grandstand, whereas Tegan was mostly mouthy and loud, while contributing very little in terms of intelligent assistance.
I could go on, but I think I've made my point. Tegan was an excellent companion, don't get me wrong, but if my back were against the wall and the chips were down, I'd want Nyssa in my corner.
I think I'd prefer Tegan, though probably not when I was a kid watching it the first time around. I think the best companions are those that question the Doctor, and not in an exposition kinda way. Nyssa seems too obedient, though this is only from watching the DVDs I have of the Peter Davison era.
I would call Nyssa level-headed and sensible, but probably wouldn't go so far as to say she was obedient. I can recall several occasions, for example, when she and Adric acted on their own, against The Doctor's expressed wishes.
Something you will notice is that the companion is almost always OPPOSITE the current Doctor in personality (probably also one of the many reasons why it is usually a young, Earthly, female). Think of Ian, Stephen, and Ben vs. the 1st Doctor. Jamie and Victoria vs. the 2nd. UNIT, Jo, & Sarah vs. the 3rd (and why Liz didn't seem to work out so much). Harry, Leela, & (particularly) Romana 1 vs. the 4th. Peri vs. the 6th. Ace vs. the 7th. (and, God help us, even Mel vs. the 6th AND the 7th) The same can be said about the 5th Doctor vs. Tegan, Turlough, & Kamelion. He was actually TOO much like Nyssa, Adric, & Peri (youth, intelligence, curiousity, vigor, & compassion). It may have been easier for Peter to work with someone that was as agreeable as his Doctor was, but it really wouldn't have created the same dynamic that existed throughout the series. Tegan's antithetical disagreeability & bombastity were a perfect match against the 5th Doctor's amnesty, vulnerablity, & charm. Not to mention Turlough's & Kamelion's (supressed) malevalence & inhumanity. Likewise, they would have all been terrible companions for the 6th Doctor... especially Tegan & Turlough.
Something else to mention is JNT's determination to bring back some of the elements of "Doctor Who's" origins to the 80s. The 5th and 6th Doctors BOTH had characteristics of the 1st (the 6th was almost identical in persona, even if louder and more garrish). The 5th Doctor harken back to the idea of having 3 companions again (like Susan/Vicki, Ian, & Barbara)... as well as reintroducing so many past adversaries (the Master, the Black Guardian, Omega & the Time Lords, the Daleks & Davros, the Cybermen, the Sea Devils & the Silurians).
Nevertheless, if I were the Doctor (any) I would prefer K-9, then Romana (1 or 2), Nyssa, Zoe, Kamelion, Jamie, Leela, Ace, Liz, Sarah Jane, the Brig, Adric, then Rose. The rest can boil their heads. lol You'll notice the list is based on intelligence, resourcefulness, heart, and/or loyalty - and yet Susan is nowhere to be found!
I always thought that Nyssa was the more attractive of the two. I liked Tegan, but she was loud and emotionally all over the place. I think that's why I like that they were both in the Tardis at the same time--they played well off of each other. Nyssa could be more logical and often calmed Tegan down. I enjoyed seeing Tegan in the show because she'd challenge the Doctor and let him know that he wasn't running the show for her. Nyssa, on the other hand, was more dignified and would quietly disagree with the doctor.
As for the TARDIS being "too full," some of my favorite episodes (Earthshock) took place during that era. With characters able to split up and go different ways, it was nice to see characters doing something instead of simply following the Doctor's orders. That's one of the reasons why I really enjoyed Romana: She would sometimes put the Doctor in his place. Something that Nyssa wouldn't typically do (although Tegan would).
I'm another Tegan fan too. Tegan had a wide range of emotions and always seemed to keep the Doctor and the other companions in check.
Nyssa was great when she was focused on a project. But otherwise she was way too serious for my liking. Adric turned into a bumbling, naive little kid and it got annoying after a while. Although I liked his heroic exit.
But once Turlough sided with the Doctor after "Enlightenment," I thought the interaction between the three of them was quite good. Of course once Turlough no longer wanted to kill the Doctor the writers didn't know what to do with him.
I heard Janet Fielding has finally agreed to do some Big Finish Audios. I'd be interested in hearing those.
This may inspire a lot of criticism, but I liked the way in which Peter's Doctor and Perri interracted. I know they only had one story together, but they played off each other well. I always thought Perri played off Peter Davison far better than Colin Baker. I liked Turlough and Tegan, as well. I just found myself affectionate for Perri, and wished she had more stories with Peter.
Davison is flatly wrong. He just wanted the spotlight so throw out the interesting companions for a more traditional one. Tegan started out terribly and grew more awful by FOUR TO DD. She mellowed a bit after KINDA and when Adric died but...she's very loud. Nyssa had potential: a kind of peace planet girl out in the cold harsh universe but they hardly made anything of that: sure she drew a gun in Arc but alone with the Doctor she and he are just the series's most boring couple. She's also a one note character really until some of her more bizarre Big FInish's. Davison had no chemistry with Peri really and that sort of is fixed by BFinish however it's hard to really believe so many Peri 5th Doc stories can fit into that tiny gap between PLANET OF FIRE and CAVES...it's just another alt universe because in CAVES Peri is still the novice she was in PLANET Of FIRE which is impossible if she went through all those BF adventures.
For me, Adric was fine. A truly diverse and intersting real life -ish teenager with some alien qualities. Sure, the writers, mostly Eric Saward just didn't get him at all and didn't really use him well until he was ready to die. The show never had an alien male comp until he came into it and never had a male comp as young as he was nor a male comp that was as intelligent science and math wise as he was. Thus, combined with hidden alien talents that were never used, he might have made a great developing companion and was certainly more interesting than Nyssa, Tegan, Kamelion (awful comp), and Turlough. Which is why Davison felt he had to go.
Tegan could be interesting but mostly she was a negative influence. Instead of...and Davison is right on this point...instead of being interested and amzed by the universe and history, she was mostly whining about wanting to go home. Compare this to Rose or Donna...and DOnna's most like Tegan in a way...and you see what I mean. She was sort of a nag.
So for me, Adric should have lasted for a long, long time, certainly into Colin's "era" and maybe stayed until Ace joined, however, the two of them together might have been interesting, too. Certainly, Adric, if he had lived, would have changed as he matured and grew up...it would have been interesting to see a character grow up wiht the Doctor, something we never really got to see with maybe the exception of SUsan, who was actually 16 when she was seen and maybe 17 when she left.
[QUOTE BY= jeramsey1184]I just found myself affectionate for Perri, and wished she had more stories with Peter.[/QUOTE]
Time for you to delve into the Big Finish archive if you haven't already. Several stories with Doctor #5 and Peri. The Roof of The World stuck in my mind as a pretty good one.
[QUOTE BY= Chase] So for me, Adric should have lasted for a long, long time, certainly into Colin's "era" and maybe stayed until Ace joined, however, the two of them together might have been interesting, too. Certainly, Adric, if he had lived, would have changed as he matured and grew up...it would have been interesting to see a character grow up wiht the Doctor, something we never really got to see with maybe the exception of SUsan, who was actually 16 when she was seen and maybe 17 when she left. [/QUOTE]This is a really interesting point that I've rarely heard expressed. I don't think Matthew Waterhouse was up to portraying the kind of growth you suggest, but I have to say that you see glimmers of truth in the notion of a strong duo in his solo sequences with Tom. I think the character may well have been up to the challenge in a way that the actor probably wasn't.
I loved Tegan and at the time I didnt really connect with Nissa - I was too young to enjoy her last story for the reasons others seemed too 
But thanks to audio (and meeting SS) I have a new found respect and love of Nissa - not too sure about the curent audio choices of new companion but that a diffrent can of worms)
Tegan gave me a healthy and no so healthy love of stroppy women. 
[QUOTE BY= JeffL] I heard Janet Fielding has finally agreed to do some Big Finish Audios. I'd be interested in hearing those.[/QUOTE]
Just one and its not the best of the bunch... i want to say more but its spoilerfific. Mind you it was one of the Few BF's I didnt sell when I got skint
Peter was wrong.
I'm in the Tegan camp. I thought Nyssa was so one-dimensional that she was almost see-through when she turned to the side.
Tegan brought real emotion to the show. I think that if Adric wasn't around, the Doctor and Tegan would have gotten on fine.
Sean.
The Gallifreyan Embassy - Forum
http://gallifreyanembassy.org/portal/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=5612