Caroline John, who played companion Liz Shaw opposite third Doctor Jon Pertwee, has passed away at the age of 71. The BBC quoted Steven Moffat describing John as:
“not just a sidekick but a scientist in her own right and a match for the universe’s number one know-all. The Doctor’s companions should never be his assistants – they’re the people who keep him on his toes and that’s what Caroline did.”
The BBC also spoke to Doctor Who Magazine assistant editor Peter Ware, who said Liz Shaw was:
“a very different type of companion than any that had come before. For the first time, the doctor had an assistant who was basically an equal and he treated her as an equal. Intelligent, beautiful, her character was a genius and in real life she was intelligent and beautiful too.”
John’s character worked for UNIT and never actually travelled in the TARDIS. More recently, John starred in Silent Witness, Midsomer Murders and in a minor role in Love Actually.
