Arguably, the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler were a couple – and a clingy one at that. They took trips together, were with each other every waking hour, met the family and, unlike most relationships, saved each other’s lives almost daily. When one was without the other, most probably in peril danger, they missed one another like crazy (Rose, way to play it cool hun). But don’t worry, we’d probably do the same!
However, they weren’t technically in a relationship. During series 1 and 2 of Doctor Who, Rose (played by Billie Piper) had an on-again-off-again relationship with her boyfriend Mickey. Having run away with a strange man to travel the universe, there was some strain on their relationship. It wasn’t until series 2 that her relationship with Mickey dissipated and she was in her second year of travels with the fresh-faced Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant). Their friendship (already rock solid by this point) continued to grow and there was undeniable chemistry (*ahem* New Earth kiss).
Via BBC
Nonetheless, when Doomsday aired, the audience saw their love and how deep their connection was. To send the Daleks and Cybermen away from earth, they each had to hold onto an industrial magnet whilst two levers opened the door to the parallel world or face being pulled in and stuck there themselves. With 3D glasses on (don’t ask- there’s a lot to unpack there) and arms wrapped tightly around the giant magnets the pair held on with all their might whilst millions of Daleks and Cybermen were sent away. All was going to plan until the nearest lever to Rose started to budge, which meant the end of Earth’s rescue. Rose reaches the lever without missing a beat and starts to push it back against the high-speed wind. Inevitably, the wind forces her to release the lever and sends her flying to her death in slow motion. Suddenly Rose’s father transports in and catches her, saving her life by taking her to parallel earth where her mum and Mickey wait in anticipation. Parallel earth’s boundary is closed and there is a heart-wrenching moment when Rose and the Doctor stand on either side of a wall, distraught at losing each other. Earth was saved but the pair were separated forever. Little me was crying my eyes out at this point.
Via BBC
What would later tip me further over the edge was the pair’s farewell speech in Bad Wolf bay (if you know, you know)! The Doctor burns up an entire sun to give Rose a romantic and heartfelt goodbye. What adds a whole new level of sadness is that the Doctor appears via hologram and cannot be touched. Rose manages to say I love you through deep choked breaths and when it’s time for the Doctor to say the words he’d never said, Rose Tyler, I… The hologram runs out of time before he gets to finish his sentence.
So although the pair were never exclusively in a relationship, Rose goes down in history as the one woman that holds his heart.
Watch the Doctor and Rose Tyler say goodbye here:
By Rosie Spurrier
