From The Who's Going to Care Dept.: So I was watching one of the old Dr. Who's with this actress, Nicola Bryant, in it not too long ago, for the first time in about 20 years. She and the (6th) Doctor were doing their usual thing of bickering back and forth, and playing it more or less like they meant all the snarkyness and vitriol. And for part of an episode, I was in the kitchen and could just hear the dialog, and it occurred to me: You could leave the dialog exactly as it was, and if they had just played it with a bit of a twinkle in their eye or a faint smile on their lips, it would have been so endearing, instead of so off-putting, as was. It'd be like that couple you know that always pick at each other, but you know there's love and respect underneath, and the sniping and teasing is just how they communicate with each other, almost as if maybe they can't bear how much they like each other. It could have been a very charming, unique relationship for the Doctor and his companion...