All 16 of the Doctor’s Love Interests in Doctor Who’s 62-Year History

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Over the 62 years that Doctor Who has been on the air, the Doctor has had 16 significant romantic relationships. While he’s always shown a tendency towards forming close bonds, both romantic and familial, there’s been a noticeable increase in love interests, particularly since the show was brought back in 2005. Some of these relationships have felt organic and enjoyable to watch, but others have been a bit strange or caused debate, often due to the Doctor’s age difference with his partners.

It’s easy to overlook the romantic side of the Doctor in Doctor Who, but there have been quite a few! There are at least 16 confirmed romances in the TV series, and many more across books, audio dramas, and comics. Let’s stick to the main TV show for now, which will be celebrating 62 years in November 2025. Interestingly, most of these romances – 11 of them – have happened since the show returned in 2005. The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) was particularly involved, appearing in almost half of them, though romantic storylines have become less frequent in recent seasons.

16) The Doctor’s Original Family

The original Doctor, played by William Hartnell and first appearing in 1963, journeyed through time and space with three companions: Ian (William Russell), Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), and his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford). Susan’s presence establishes that the Doctor once had a family on his home planet, Gallifrey, implying he had a child who became one of Susan’s parents. Though he clearly loved his family, the Doctor ultimately left Gallifrey and embarked on adventures across the universe with Susan.

15) Cameca

In the 1964 “Doctor Who” story “The Aztecs,” the First Doctor and his friends arrived in the Aztec Empire and met Cameca, an elder who spent much of her time in a peaceful garden. There, a connection developed between her and the Doctor, and he accidentally proposed marriage by sharing cocoa – unaware of the significance of the gesture in Aztec culture. Cameca was the first human woman the Doctor showed romantic interest in, suggesting a charming side to his personality, though this wasn’t explored again for a long time.

14) Sarah Jane Smith

Even though it wasn’t directly shown on the show, there was a strong connection between Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (played by the late Elisabeth Sladen). Sarah Jane saw the Doctor change into his fourth form and continued traveling with him, only leaving the TARDIS when he needed to go back to Gallifrey – a place humans weren’t permitted. When Sarah Jane and the Tenth Doctor met again in the 2006 episode “School Reunion,” she strongly suggested she’d had romantic feelings for the Doctor before he returned her to Earth, making their parting all the more difficult.

13) Romana II

Just like with Sarah Jane Smith, a romantic connection between the Fourth Doctor and Romana II (played by Lalla Ward) was never directly shown in the series. However, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward were actually a couple and later married during their time working on Doctor Who. This real-life relationship created a strong on-screen chemistry and hinted at a romantic connection between their characters. Sadly, they divorced only a year after Baker finished playing the Doctor, a role he held for seven years – making him the longest-running actor in the part.

12) Dr. Grace Holloway

Though Doctor Who originally ended in 1989 during Sylvester McCoy’s time as the Doctor, there was a revival attempt in 1996 with Paul McGann taking on the role of the Eighth Doctor. This version introduced Dr. Grace Holloway, a cardiologist, as his companion and immediate love interest. While the revival wasn’t successful, McGann’s Doctor—charming, romantic, and full of energy—proved popular in audio dramas. Many fans would love to see more of his adventures, and possibly even his romance, brought to life on screen.

11) Rose Tyler

Russell T. Davies brought Doctor Who back to television in 2005. After one season starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, Rose continued her adventures with the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. She fell in love with him, but he resisted a romantic relationship because of their different lifespans – he wouldn’t age, while she would. This heartbreaking situation found a resolution when a unique version of the Doctor realized he could age like a human. This Doctor ultimately chose to stay with Rose on “Pete’s World” in the 2008 episode “Journey’s End,” though the Doctor’s feelings for Rose remained strong.

10) Reinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour

I’ll never forget when the Doctor met Reinette Poisson. He was falling for Rose, but then they landed on this incredible spaceship filled with windows into Reinette’s life, and it was just… captivating. Seeing her grow up, become Madame de Pompadour, and realizing how deeply she loved him… it was a beautiful, heartbreaking story. It spanned centuries, but it was always destined to be tragic. Sophia Myles and David Tennant played it so perfectly, it felt so tender and real, and honestly, it still gets to me whenever I think about it.

9) Martha Jones

After Rose Tyler became stranded on another world, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) joined the Doctor on his travels in the TARDIS and quickly developed feelings for him. However, wanting to avoid repeating past romantic complications, the Doctor only saw Martha as a close friend. This created confusion and heartache for Martha throughout their adventures, but their strong friendship endured. Eventually, Martha accepted that a romantic relationship wouldn’t work and continued to be a valuable ally to the Doctor.

8) Joan Redfern

While traveling with Martha Jones, the Doctor had to conceal his true identity as a Time Lord, using a fob watch to hide it, as they were pursued by the Family of Blood. He disguised himself as a human teacher named John Smith in 1913, with his memories of time travel reduced to dreams, and Martha worked as a maid at the school. As John Smith, the Doctor fell in love with Joan Redfern, a young widow who was a nurse at the school. Ultimately, Joan encouraged him to embrace his identity as the Doctor and fight the Family of Blood, knowing it would end their relationship and any chance of a future together – a sacrifice that deeply affected both of them.

7) Astrid Peth

Following Martha’s departure, the Doctor ended up on the spaceship Titanic, where he quickly connected with a waitress named Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue). He impressed her with the promise of a trip to Earth and his courage while fighting the Heavenly Host, and even invited her to travel with him in the TARDIS after they defeated Max Capricorn (George Costigan). Sadly, Astrid had to make the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Capricorn and save Earth, tragically cutting short their budding romance.

6) Queen Elizabeth I

The 2007 episode of Doctor Who, “The Shakespeare Code,” ended with the Doctor and Martha fleeing 1599 London, pursued by Queen Elizabeth I and her guards. However, the reason for this chase wasn’t revealed until the show’s 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” in 2013. This special explained that the Tenth Doctor had a brief romantic relationship with Queen Elizabeth I (played by Joanna Page) in 1562. He initially believed she was a Zygon, a shape-shifting alien, and when faced with two Elizabeths, he couldn’t determine which one was real. Unknowingly, he created a lifelong enemy in the process.

5) Amy Pond

Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) shared a wonderful romance during Amy’s adventures with the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith). When the Doctor unexpectedly arrived the day before their wedding to take Amy on another journey, she playfully suggested one last night of fun. The Doctor’s discomfort in that moment, in the 2010 episode “Flesh and Stone,” was quite funny and ultimately deepened the strong bond between the Doctor, Amy, and Rory – which was great to watch.

4) Marilyn Monroe

Despite not being Amy Pond, the Eleventh Doctor had a few romantic interests, most famously Marilyn Monroe. In the 2010 Christmas special, “A Christmas Carol,” the Doctor brought Kazran Sardick and his love, Abigail, to Hollywood, where he unexpectedly became engaged to Monroe in 1952. It’s been suggested that they actually married, making the Doctor her second husband – before her more well-known marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, and after James Dougherty.

3) River Song

Things could have been complicated if the Doctor and Amy had gotten romantically involved, because the Doctor’s great love was actually Amy and Rory’s future daughter, Melody Pond, who also went by River Song (played by Alex Kingston). River, a fellow time traveler and archaeologist, was always meant to cross paths with the Doctor, and was even trained to kill him. However, their meetings happened all out of order, and she eventually chose to marry him instead. Interestingly, the very first time the Doctor met River was on the day she would die, making a later encounter with the Twelfth Doctor on Darillium even more meaningful, as he knew her future.

2) Yasmin Khan

Jodie Whittaker was the first woman to play the Doctor on television, and her version of the character traveled with a larger team than many previous Doctors. One of her companions was Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill, and the two developed a very close relationship. Yas stayed with the Doctor longer than any other companion, remaining by her side until right before her regeneration. During this time, they shared romantic feelings for each other, though this wasn’t fully explored. It would have been a significant and positive step forward for representation to see the Doctor in their first same-sex relationship in Doctor Who.

1) Rogue

Beyond a potential romance between the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz, fans are hoping for a connection between Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and the character Rogue (played by Jonathan Groff). They first met while investigating alien shapeshifters in 1813, and their chemistry was immediately apparent. Rogue bravely sacrificed himself to save Ruby Sunday and the Doctor, but asked the Doctor to find him again. With Ncuti Gatwa leaving Doctor Who, a proper resolution to this storyline seems unlikely, but many viewers would love to see Rogue return in some capacity.

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2025-11-18 18:19