Companions: Katarina

Affiliated with.....First Doctor
Species.............Human
Home planet.........Earth
Home era............Ancient Greece
First appearance....The Myth Makers
Last appearance.....The Daleks' Master Plan
Portrayed by........Adrienne Hill

Katarina is introduced in the serial The Myth Makers, which takes place during the siege of Troy. She is a handmaiden of the prophetess Cassandra, and helps the TARDIS crew survive the events of the siege. When Steven is wounded, she helps him into the TARDIS as Vicki decides to stay behind in Troy with the warrior Troilus.

A sweet, simple young woman who cannot really cope with the concept that the universe has suddenly opened up to her, Katarina believes that she is dead, and that the Doctor is a god transporting her to the next life. She refers to the TARDIS as a "temple", and literally worships the Doctor, referring to him as "Lord" (much to his annoyance) and having absolute faith in him.

During The Daleks' Master Plan, Katarina is taken hostage by the escaped prisoner Kirksen, who demands that the Doctor take him to Kembel, a planet taken over by the Daleks. To prevent the Doctor giving in to Kirksen's demands, she chooses to trigger the controls to the airlock she is being held in, propelling both herself and her captor into the vacuum of space.

Despite her brief tenure on the series, Katarina is significant for being the first of the Doctor's companions to die on-screen. However, she would not be the last. In some of the tie-in fiction, her death (and later that of Adric) is portrayed as weighing heavily on the Doctor's mind.

Adrienne Hill (born 22 July 1937 Plymouth, Devon; died 6 October 1997) was a British actress.

In 1965, she appeared in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who as Katarina, a companion of the Doctor — who at that time was played by William Hartnell. Katarina was one of the few companions to be killed in the series, and her tenure in the show was brief — appearing in only five episodes in two serials: The Myth Makers and The Daleks' Master Plan.

She participated in the 1985 Children in Need program along with other Doctor Who actors, but was not involved with the 1993 Children in Need special Dimensions in Time.