Victoria Waterfield

Victoria Waterfield is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Deborah Watling. Debuting in 1967's serial The Evil of the Daleks, she is a native of Victorian England. She was a companion of the Second Doctor throughout the show's fifth season, joining him after the death of her father at the hands of the Daleks. She was characterised as timid, and was known for screaming upon encountering monsters, though she also has moments where she is capable of facing danger; additionally, she is characterised as being inquisitive and observant. Victoria was written out of the series in the 1968 serial Fury from the Deep after the actress chose to leave at the end of her contract, though Watling would later reprise the role in various Doctor Who spin-off media.

Due to the departure of companions Ben and Polly from the series, the production team sought to fill the gap with another character. Though initially planning to use a character from the 1967 serial The Faceless Ones, those plans fell through, and the character of Victoria from the subsequent serial, The Evil of the Daleks, was selected to act as a companion instead. Watling was hired due to producer Innes Lloyd being impressed with her work as the titular character in the production Alice. Victoria as a character has been viewed as lacking agency compared to other characters in the series, with critics describing her as being passive and lacking in strong impact.