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Craig Owens (born 1983) lived and worked in Colchester, England. In 2010, he rented a room to the Eleventh Doctor. (TV: The Lodger) In April 2011, Craig briefly became the Doctor's companion and helped him defeat the Cybermen. (TV: Closing Time)

With the Doctor's help, Craig was able to confess his feelings to his friend Sophie. She moved in with him and they had a son, Alfie. Craig was valued as a friend so much by the Doctor, that he forwent a literal once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the Alignment of Exodor, on his farewell tour, to clean up the damage he caused to Craig's home on their second adventure.

Biography[]

Before meeting the Doctor[]

Craig shared a flat at 79A Aickman Road with his friend Mark, and worked in a call centre. By 2009, he had met Sophie, to whom he was romantically attracted. He and Sophie became friends and spent Fridays together, usually consisting of "pizza, booze, telly". Craig wanted to confess his feelings, but could never find the courage to tell Sophie.

First adventure with the Doctor[]

When Mark received an inheritance from a previously unknown uncle and moved out, Craig placed an advert for a flatmate in a local shop window. The Doctor turned up on his doorstep later that day, thanks to a helpful note from a future Amy Pond. Since Amy was stuck in the TARDIS with no way to land it on her own and the Doctor knew the trouble was in the upstairs flat of Craig's building, he wanted to live there. Despite thinking the Doctor a bit "weird", Craig agreed to rent the room to him.

Craig's friendship with the Doctor had a rocky start, with Craig becoming jealous of the Doctor's popularity with his football team and his encouraging Sophie to leave London. At one point, Craig became ill from touching dry rot on his ceiling, but was nursed back to health by the Doctor, whom also "covered" for him at work, insulting one of his clients in the process. Craig eventually had enough and ordered the Doctor to leave, but the Doctor convinced him to change his mind by telepathically explaining his predicament. Craig learned about the Doctor's origin on Gallifrey, his earlier incarnations, Amy Pond, his TARDIS, and that the upstairs flat was really a disguised time ship.

When Sophie was lured into the time ship, Craig helped deactivate it with his desire to stay where he was, as the ship needed a pilot who wanted to leave. It was while doing this they he finally admitted his feelings for Sophie. Sophie told him that she loved him too, and the pair kissed.

After their escape from the ship, Craig and Sophie decided to visit Paris and begin a serious relationship. Upon saying goodbye, Craig gave the Doctor his keys to the flat and the Doctor said he would visit them. Having been inside his head, Craig knew the Doctor would never visit them again, but wanted him to keep them as a memento.

After the Doctor left, Craig remembered their time together fondly. He kept a photograph of him on his fridge and spelled out "THE DOCTOR ROCKS" with magnetic letters. (TV: The Lodger)

Return of the Doctor[]

Some time later, Craig and Sophie had moved into a new house (after checking both the top floor and the neighbours) and had a child, Alfie, although they had not wed. He also suffered nightmares about the Doctor's "noticing face", as a side-effect of having the Doctor's memories forced into his head.

Craig was visited by the Doctor again while Sophie was on a short holiday, leaving him to look after Alfie. Despite Craig's insistence that he could handle Alfie alone, the Doctor spent the night helping him, wanting to spend time with Craig as part of his "farewell tour". The next day, Craig found the Doctor working in a local shop, and realised he was investigating something. Craig insisted on helping and together they discovered that Cybermen had been kidnapping people and converting them with power stolen by a Cybermat. Finding the Cybership, Craig was captured and almost converted into a Cyber-Controller, but when Alfie began to cry, the upsurge of emotions allowed him to overcome the conversion. The emotional feedback made the Cybermen and their ship explode. He escaped with the Doctor via a teleport.

Craig learned one of the staff had mistaken himself and the Doctor for a gay couple. Before he could clear up her confusion, the Doctor had left. Craig returned home to find the Doctor used what was left of his farewell tour to clean up his house, which had suffered from an earlier fight with a Cybermat. As a parting gift for the Doctor, Craig gave him a Stetson. When Sophie returned, both were shocked by Alfie's first word: "Doctor". (TV: Closing Time)

At some point, Craig was taken to the Black Archive by UNIT to have his record as a companion of the Doctor taken. His memories of the visit were subsequently erased and he was sent on his way. (TVThe Day of the Doctor)

Personality[]

The Eleventh Doctor stated that Craig possessed a strong will, and he was able to resist the Cybermen's upgrading process, albeit only because he heard his son crying. (TV: Closing Time)

He was initially nervous about revealing his feelings for Sophie, but during his first meeting with the Doctor they admitted their feelings for each other. (TV: The Lodger) The pair moved in together, and had a son, Alfie. They didn't marry, however, as they regarded marriage as "just a bit of paper". Despite the difficulties of being a father, Craig loved his son very much. (TV: Closing Time)

Craig was uncomfortable about the Doctor's presence during their first meeting, considering him to be a laugh but also weird, and was jealous about the Doctor's superior football abilities and Sophie's apparent interest in him. However, after the Doctor allowed him to see inside his head using his telepathic abilities, Craig, although initially shocked, grew to trust and respect him. (TV: The Lodger) During their second meeting, Craig was much more comfortable around the Doctor, considering him to be a friend and trusting him enough to bring his son on their mission to stop the Cybermen since he believed that the Doctor would keep them both safe. One of the staff members in a shop thought that the Doctor and Craig were a gay couple because they got along so well. (TV: Closing Time)

Like the Doctor, Craig sometimes used the word "Geronimo". (TV: The Lodger)

External links[]

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