Alison Cheney

Alison Cheney was a barmaid who travelled with the Doctor.

Biography
She met the Doctor in 2003 when she worked at the pub in the abandoned town of Lannet, Lancashire. The Doctor had just arrived in the TARDIS. Noticing the desertion of Lannet, he came in for a drink. The Shalka had by this time caused a mass exodus of the townsfolk, who did not understand that an alien invasion had taken place but, nevertheless, fled in fear.

Alison was subsequently kidnapped by the Shalka, who modified her body to transmit the Shalka's screams. At the end of the Shalka incident, Alison accepted the Doctor's invitation to become his companion. (WC: Scream of the Shalka)

Other information

 * She had a boyfriend called Joe. (WC: Scream of the Shalka)
 * The Doctor made a joke on whether she was related to Lon Chaney. (WC: Scream of the Shalka)

Behind the scenes
Alison was the first non-Caucasian companion of the Doctor in an official BBC-produced Doctor Who dramatic production. On TV that distinction would be given several years later to Mickey Smith, although the Fourth Doctor had travelled with a black companion (Sharon Davies) in Doctor Who Weekly comics and the Seventh Doctor had Roz Forrester as his companion in the Virgin New Adventures book series.

Actress Sophie Okonedo's career was not hurt by her tangent into the world of Doctor Who; just over a year later, she would become one of the only actors in the franchise's history to be nominated for an Oscar; she was so honoured for her role in the film Hotel Rwanda.