The Eighth Doctor‘s timeline is the most open to interpretation given all we know is one TV story and that he is in some ways the bridge to the new TV series from the Classic. To set out the sequence I will use the rule of ‘follow the companion’ (and the wiki entry – update October 2012: deleted). For the odd story when the Doctor appears without a companion I have to assume that they slot between sequences.
This means that from a BF (and now also novels as I read them – characters in italics) point of view the main companions are:
- Alone
- Samantha Jones (blonde) [also a diversion, not recorded to Stacy and Ssard]
- Alone (whilst looking for Sam)
- Samantha Jones (blonde)
- Samson and Gemma Griffin
- Mary Shelley
- ?Back to Samson and Gemma?
- Charley
- Charley and C’rizz
- Charley
- Alone
- Lucie Miller
- Alone
- Tamsin Drew
- Lucie Miller
- Alone
- Molly o’Sullivan
- Molly + Liv Chenka
- Liv Chenka
- Liv Chenka + Helen Sinclair
- Liv Chenka + Helen Sinclair + River Song
- THE TIME WAR.
I ignore the other Company of Friends companions as I don’t have the background in them!
Since writing the above I have been dabbling into the EDA novels and (ignoring canon) will work them in, I have no plans to integrate the various comic strips!
Update August 2012 — Big Finish has introduced a new companion Molly o’Sullivan as mentioned here.
Update June 2014 — and with the release of Dark Eyes 2 we also have Liv Chenka.
Update June 2015 — Doom Coalition brings us Helen Sinclair then later River Song as part of the Big Finish extended scope
Logic
We know he appeared in The Movie (my review here) and then ends up alone. He travels with Gemma and Samson Griffin who I would normally ignore except that Big Finish bind them in the story Terror Firma. Having written that they are now linked back in the Mary Shelley story The Silver Turk.
From wiki Mary Shelley is next (skipping the novel characters) then Charley, post Zagreus we get C’rizz for a while then are left with only Charley again.
Later we get Lucie (the BF publication order being the chronology according to BF). When Lucie leaves there is a patch (for Earthly Child?) where he is alone, then we get the fourth series shuffle of Tamsin then Lucie then nobody.
I should probably drop Susan in here as well.
From the Ninth Doctor we know there is a Time War and out belief is that this is how the Eighth Doctor bows out. This is a ‘Here be Dragons’ part of the chronology which will only ever (or so it seems) be inferred.
Red Rocket Rising 
Don’t forget Samson and Jemma!
LikeLike
Jet – thanks for this. I now realise (from looking it up) that I had overlooked C’rizz. I can include Samson and Jemma by reference even though they are only in one BF production.
These details all help!
LikeLike
Samson & Gemma
Mary
Charley
Charley & C’rizz
Izzy
Destrii
Sam
Sam & Fitz
Fitz & Compassion
Fitz & Anji
Fitz & Trix
Lucie
Tamsin
Molly
LikeLike
I thought Sam was first?
LikeLike
I have no love for The Eight Doctors book. It doesn’t deserve to come directly after the TV movie.
LikeLike
But is that proof?
LikeLike
For logic Chronological sake, it has to be after TGWNW
LikeLike
You’ll have to help my simple brain out.- why is that? Other’s don’t seem to reach that conclusion such as http://www.eyespider.freeserve.co.uk/drwho/pm/list.html
LikeLike
That site’s a poor example. They undermind the 7th Doctor and Ace’s character development by suggesting his gets a personality reboot after Lungbarrow then the audios happen when it’s not remotely the case.
Why, I’m not huge fan of Uncle Terrence’s temper tantrum as it was a terrible way to attract new readers. That and I’m probably in the minority that doesn’t believe the Charley audios occured during the three years (in 8th’s time) between that joke of a book and Vampire Science.
LikeLike
I certainly don’t suggest that the first EDA novel is worth writing home about (though I do know people that like it) I still can’t convince myself as to any particular order to various stands above what I have. I accept that I am no expert and yes people have mixed views on the web and I see that the TARDIS wikia http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:Timeline_-_Eighth_Doctor has a placement more like the one you don’t agree with and some internal logic.
I guess this is one can of worms I should have steered clear of!
LikeLike
It can be easily edited, however…
LikeLike