Meet Stephanie, aka the German Companion

​The Doctor Who fandon is just as big as the world of Star Trek. And when it comes to Comic Con, there's always a chance you can run into someone who dressed as the 10th, 11th or the 12th Doctor.  But of course the creativity doesn't stop there as you can see people dressing up as the Tardis or the Master itself. If it comes to cosplay I won't be able to think about anyone else than the Stephanie, aka the German Companion. I've had the honor to get a special interview with her where you can find out more about her love for Doctor Who.

Hello Stephanie, it's really good to have you here. Please tell us what is your first memory about Doctor Who?

I grew up in Germany (and that's where I live) and Doctor Who was never a big thing here. I know that the 7th Doctor’s adventures were aired in the late 80's but I can’t really remember watching them. But I do remember that I've found a very interesting book in the city library (must have been around 1993). It was called “Doktor Who und das Komplott der Daleks”. I read it in one go and I returned the next day to look if there were any more of those books. But sadly, it was the only Doctor Who book in the whole library. Years later that incident came back to my mind when I watched the 1st Doctor story “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”, the plot seemed so familiar to me.

​Since when you consider yourself fan of the show?

In 1989/90 the 7th Doctor’s episodes were broadcast. But I don’t think I’ve watched all of the episodes back then, maybe a few. But I definitely watched the special “The Five Doctors” in 1995 and found it utterly confusing. The adventures of Doctors 1-5 have never been shown in Germany and the Germans were unaware of the concept of regeneration. So who the heck were all those chaps claiming to be the Doctor? I only remember that I recognized Peter Davison, because I loved him in the role of Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small (still do). After that I forgot about the Doctor. Until 2008. That was when Doctor Who returned to the German television screens. But the time slot they’ve chosen was very unlucky: Sundays, early afternoon. So they cancelled Doctor Who after only two series because the audience rating was so poor. But I consider myself as a fan of the show since then. That’s when I started buying Doctor Who DVDs and Doctor Who books. And I started collecting merch (everything imported from the UK). By now I own more than 80 action figures and lots of Doctor Who related stuff.

​What was the first Doctor Who story that you ever seen?

The first Doctor Who story I have ever seen must have been a 7th Doctor’s one. But I can’t really remember (I was 11 back then). But I’ve watched new Who right from the beginning. I remember very well watching “Rose” together with my son (at that time he was 9 and we were both instantly hooked).

What made you do Doctor Who cosplay?

When I first watched the 9th Doctor I thought how awesome it would be to wear his leather jacket and to have a sonic screwdriver. But I never got around to buy any of those… 2013 I started catching up with the classic Who episodes. I started with the 5th Doctor (because of Peter Davison obviously) and soon I felt the desire to wear that cricket outfit myself. It took me quite a while to put it together. This was my first cosplay. And it felt good. It felt like going back to my childhood days when I was pretending to be Indiana Jones. The difference between now and back then is that I now have the money to make (or buy) myself a proper costume and that there’s the wonderful invention of the internet, where I can order anything from anywhere and where I can find lots of inspiration. Fortunately, I’ve learned that there are many like-minded people around. I’m relieved that I’m not the only one who is completely bonkers ;)

​Do you have any favourite character that you cosplayed or you like to cosplay in the future?

​My favorite cosplay so far is the Ainley Master. It was so much fun to play this baddie at the Time Lash Event (that’s the only Doctor Who convention in Germany). I said obey! And they obeyed.

​Everyone showed a mixture of respect and fear (including Colin Baker). The only downer: It was impossible to flirt.

​What would you say is the best and the hardest part of cosplaying?

The best part about cosplaying is being creative. I’m a very creative person. I’ve always loved to draw and to sculpt. Making costumes was something entirely new for me. I’ve learned a lot about sewing, make-up, fake beards and wigs. The hardest part about cosplaying is the ‘play’, I think. It’s quite easy to take some nice cosplay pictures, but when it comes to play the character you need to do your research: study how the character talks, how he/she moves, know the background.

​I find it very hard to stay in character for a long time. Last year I did my first performance on stage and I loved it

​According to your instagram feed you love the classic Who era. What do you think about new WHO? Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, Capaldi...

New Who brought Doctor Who back into my life. Without Eccleston I would have forgotten about the Doctor. I adored the 9th Doctor and I remember how shocked I was when he regenerated. I thought I could never get used to Tennant. But he did his job well and of course it didn’t take long until I loved him too. I went through the same process for Smith’s and Capaldi’s Doctor. The stories in new Who are sometimes a bit complicated. Long story arcs expanding over several episodes make me spend too much time trying to solve a puzzle instead of simply enjoying the show. For me a good Doctor Who story needs a threat (something alien scary) and the Doctor who’s going to fix it somehow. That’s it. Maybe that’s why I love the classic Who stories so much. But I’m still excited to watch every new episode. I think Capaldi is an excellent Doctor. Can’t wait for series 10.

​Any future cosplay plan?

I’m absolutely obsessed with Doctor Who. So I think any future cosplay will be very likely a character from the show. I’m considering to cosplay Tegan (in her air hostess outfit) or a girl from the Happiness Patrol (they’ve got cool guns). A possible non-Who cosplay could be a character from Star Trek. I’ve always been a fan of Star Trek. I’ve watched all classic, TNG and spin off episodes and the movies.

If you could run away with the Tardis, which Doctor you would like to be your guidance and what would you visit?

The 1st Doctor might be a bit too grumpy and frail but I could learn a lot while travelling with him. I could imagine having much fun with the 2nd one, especially if Jamie was joining us too. The 3rd Doctor wouldn’t be such a good choice in my opinion because he can’t leave Earth. Together with the 4th Doctor I could have lots of Jelly Babies, a robot dog, and crazy adventures. The 5th Doctor would make me grin like an idiot all the time, because I have a crush on him (probably I would always get into trouble because I wouldn’t be able to concentrate). The 6th Doctor, despite his tasteless outfit, is a rather cool one and I’d never force him to drink any carrot juice. I can imagine very well joining the 7th Doctor. He’s funny, witty and has his very own charm and I love the way he rolls his r’s. The 8th Doctor is very good-looking and has a wonderful steampunk(ish) Tardis. The 9th Doctor is simply fantastic, funny ears though. The 10th is brilliant but maybe a bit too energetic. The 11th is simply cool and the 12th is Mr. grumpy Scot with impressive attack eyebrows.

But if I really was to choose I’d run away with (oh, I can’t help myself) the 5th Doctor. We’d visit an earth colony on a distant planet in the far future, where humans and some alien races are living peacefully together (well, that’s what it looks like at first sight). I just hope I’ll have a nice death

If you haven't checked out Stephanie's work as a Doctor Who fan, please go to instagram search for the @germancompanion where you can find all the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey cosplay ideas. She built up a fantastic portfolio and a true fan page. I wish her many more fun moments watching and cosplaying the Doctor. :)
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For more information about Staphanie please check out the following links and start following the spacey-wacey adventures with her. Allons-y! :)

www.facebook.com/germancompanion
www.instagram.com/germancompanion/
https://twitter.com/germancompanion
http://germancompanion.deviantart.com/

I would like to extend my thank you for Stephanie aka the German Companion. She took the time to share her enthusiasm about the Doctor Who franchise. I truly wish all the best for her, many more cosplay ideas and all the spacey-wacey adventures to come. :) _\\//