Petronella Osgood was a character created for the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who. She was a scientist working at UNIT under Kate Lethbridge Stewart and was a fan of the Doctor, having learned everything about them and even altering her clothes as an homage to their past lives. It is reasons like this, along with many others, that demonstrate why she deserves to be a companion.
Osgood had a tough life before her first meeting with the Doctor. She grew up having to deal with a sister who was prettier than her, which left her self-conscious over her appearance on top of her struggle with asthma. Then, “The Day of the Doctor’s” Zygon invasion left her and her new Zygon double with no memory of which one was human and which was Zygon. After this incident, Osgood started to gain some confidence because she now had a twin sister who she could relate to and feel comfortable with. This proved advantageous to her and to the planet, since the existence of two Osgoods became imperative during the second Zygon invasion in Series 9. This event introduced the Osgood Box and made it clear that for the safety of Earth, there must always be two Osgoods to help maintain the Human/Zygon peace treaty.
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As mentioned earlier, Osgood was a fan of the Doctor, having embraced fashion choices from the previous incarnations. In her first appearance, she donned the Fourth Doctor‘s scarf, while her second appearance had her wearing Ten‘s shoes, Eleven‘s bowtie, Nine‘s jacket and finishing it up with question marks on her collar, which were made famous by the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth incarnations. Osgood was in every sense of the word a fan-insert character. She was the physical embodiment of a good majority of Doctor Who fans and was adored for that reason. This makes it even stranger that she has not been an official companion yet.
During her final appearance in “The Zygon Invasion,” the Osgoods were offered a place on the TARDIS but rejected it, feeling that their presence was needed on Earth in order to maintain the peace treaty between both races. While she did enter the TARDIS once, it happened in an audio story titled “Field Trip,” leaving audiences to imagine what it must’ve looked like when Osgood stepped into the blue box. Nevertheless, Osgood deserves to be a companion on screen, whether it’s for a single episode or a full series.
As a fan-insert character, this decision makes a lot of sense, and it’d be amazing for fans of the series to see a version of themselves on the ship. All the other companions have gained a place on the TARDIS by either being in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right place at the right time. They have all had to learn the etiquette of being a time traveler, with some having to deal with a newly regenerated Doctor. Osgood, on the other hand, could be an expert on the TARDIS, having full knowledge of who the Doctor is and how they operate. It would also be a joy to see the Thirteenth incarnation traveling with Osgood, who could enter the TARDIS bright eyed and ready for an adventure.
When new showrunner Chris Chibnall took over the series, he made it clear that he was going to make it his own by focusing on new stories, creatures and characters instead of revisiting the old. However, the 2021 Festive special brought back Captain Jack Harkness, so it is not completely impossible for him to bring back Osgood and have her help the Doctor with a mission or two.
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