Janet Fielding: 'The producer made absolutely no bones about why the companions were there: you were told, in words of one syllable, that you were there for the dads.' Photograph: Perou for the Guardian

When I joined Doctor Who as Tegan Jovanka in the early 1980s, I was completely unprepared for what being a companion meant. I watched the show when I was a kid – my dad and brothers liked it – but it was more of a bloke thing. I wasn't prepared for how cult it was, and still is.

Like me, Tegan was Australian: I was the first non-English companion. Tegan was known as the "mouth on legs": she used to rip into the Doctor, so that was a change from the previous companions. But I still found the role quite frustrating. John Nathan-Turner, the producer, made absolutely no bones about why the companions were there: you were told, in words of one syllable, that you were there for the dads. That didn't sit easily with me, because I was, and still am, a feminist. I thought, "Actually, I'm there for the young women to identify with."

But you couldn't fight being eye candy. The producers decided what kind of costume you wore, and Nathan-Turner's taste in clothing was pretty damn woeful. My first costume was an air stewardess uniform. The only outfit I quite liked was a little leather miniskirt and a very simple top. I was never allowed to wear trousers. You try climbing mountains in two-inch heels and a tight skirt: it isn't easy.

I think all the girls [who played companions] wanted to add something extra to the role, but really we were just screamers: the whole point of us was to raise the stakes for the audience. I had a huge problem adjusting to the difference Doctor Who made in my life. With Peter Davison as the Doctor, we climbed from around 5m viewers to 11m or 12m. People would call out my name, or Tegan's name, as I walked down the street. It made me feel quite vulnerable. I'm not sure I really liked it that much.

• Janet wears rollneck, from a selection, by johnsmedley.com, tunic top, £295, by Pleats Please, from fenwick.co.uk. Trousers and boots, Janet's own. Makeup: Victoria Bond at Mandy Coakley Represents using Chanel Le Weekend and A/W 2013. Hair: Ernesto Montenovo at Phamous Artists.

Sarah Sutton: 'By the end, I wasn't wearing very much at all. It did seem a shame. You start off with a strong character, and it all gets lost along the way.' Photograph: Perou for the Guardian

I wasn't a fan of Doctor Who. But, funnily enough, just before I was cast, I'd thought that being in the show could be fun. I wanted to play a modern character of my own age; I'd been doing a lot of period pieces, and I was only 19. The part I was given, Nyssa, might have been an alien, but we were around the same age. The show was in a good place when I joined, too. We'd just taken off in America and we were doing well in the UK.

I joined the show with Tom Baker, but worked mostly with Peter Davison. There was a lot of pressure in the studio, lots of time constraints, but we always seemed to have a laugh. [In one episode] Colin Baker [who went on to play the Doctor after Peter Davidson] had this amazing plumed hat that he named Esmerelda. It looked like the rear end of a chicken. He couldn't fit into the Tardis with it, so he had to put it under his arm the whole time.

Costume-wise, I was lucky. My first costume was my favourite: a rich, regal-looking velvet dress with a skirt made of layers of gauze. Later, I started wearing trousers, but the producer received letters saying, "Where have Sarah's legs gone?" and I was forced back into a skirt. By the end, I wasn't wearing very much at all. It did seem a shame. You start off with a strong character, and it all gets lost along the way.

The show has evolved and become more feminist, which is good. The new "companions", as they're now known (we were "assistants"), are more interesting characters and seem to be able to crack the whip. Even the word "assistant" had certain associations: our role was simply to deviate the Doctor from his purpose of saving the universe in order to save us instead. My daughter once watched the show as a child; at the end, she told me, "Monsters chasing Mummy, Mummy running." That pretty much sums it up.

• Sarah wears top, £385, by Peter Pilotto, from matchesfashion.com. Makeup: Victoria Bond at Mandy Coakley Represents using Chanel Le Weekend and A/W 2013. Hair: Ernesto Montenovo at Phamous Artists.

• This article was edited on 30 September 2013, to clear up confusion between the Bakers, Tom and Colin. Colin Baker appeared in the episode Arc Of Infinity, some time before he himself became the Doctor.

Bonnie Langford: 'For one episode, I had to wrestle a robot in a pool. The water was unheated: they had to crack the ice to get me in.' Photograph: Perou for the Guardian

When I joined Doctor Who as Melanie Bush in 1986, the show was in trouble. Michael Grade had taken over as director of programmes and didn't like it. So our producer, John Nathan-Turner, wanted to give it as much publicity as possible to prevent it from being axed. I brought my own publicity, too, and it wasn't always positive. People seemed to think I'd turn the show into a musical.

There's something farcical about pretending to be scared of monsters that aren't there. I remember having to do 40 takes of one scene. They got so cross with us – but when somebody tells you not to laugh, all you want to do is giggle.

My costumes were crazy. Colin was 10 times taller than me, so for both of us to be in shot I had to wear ridiculously high shoes. I remember running around a quarry in the pouring rain with three-inch heels on. And for another episode, I had to wrestle a robot in a pool. The water was unheated: they had to crack the ice to get me in.

I was never completely happy with my character. I found it strange that Melanie was a computer programmer, but she didn't go near a computer. I did ask if we could give her a bit more flesh on her bones, but that didn't happen. She just spent her time saying, "But Doctor!" and running away from monsters. Later, when I went to conventions, I realised the other companions felt the same.

The role of the companion has developed over the years; I don't think young people today are prepared to accept that women are doormats. It would be great to have a female Doctor. The Queen or Helen Mirren would be good, or Joanna Lumley could bring a bit of Patsy to it. Patsy meets Doctor Who: yes!

• All clothes, Bonnie's own. Makeup: Victoria Bond at Mandy Coakley Represents using Chanel Le Weekend and A/W 2013. Hair: Ernesto Montenovo at Phamous Artists.

Sophie Aldred: 'Sylvester McCoy and I had no idea the show was about to be cancelled. We didn't know we were shooting the final scene: it was business as usual. When I found out, I was gutted.' Photograph: Perou for the Guardian

In my era, we didn't have things like Winnebagos. We got changed in pubs and toilets, and sat around with the crew. They talk about the low budget now, but it's huge compared with ours. I used to wear this big jacket. People said it made me look fat, but little did they know it meant I could sneak in hot-water bottles and extra jumpers when it was freezing.

It's always been very much of its era. In my era it was fabulous, and not at all sexist. I was Ace, Doctor Who's minder, with a baseball bat, beating up Daleks. A Dalek might think it was sexist that I was beating up a female Dalek. Or a male Dalek. Do Daleks have sexes? I don't know. My character would have been furious if I said Doctor Who should always be a man. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I quite like the patriarchal idea of the Doctor as a man.

I've never had weird stuff sent to me by fans. I wonder if that's because Ace was so feisty. If you were about to send something weird to someone who might beat you up with a baseball bat, you might think again.

Sylvester and I had no idea that the show was about to be cancelled. John Nathan-Turner kept all the politics away from the shoot. We didn't know we were shooting the final scene: it was business as usual. When I found out, I was gutted.

When I got the job, I was handed a postcard that said, "Welcome to the family", with three Daleks on the back. I thought, "Ugh, that's a bit cheesy", but in fact it really is a family. I'm very much in touch with many of the ex-companions, including from the new show. We've formed a little email group together, and we're in almost daily contact, so it's like a little club. It's lovely. The Companions' Club.

• Sophie wears top, £425, by 3.1 Phillip Lim, from harrods.com. Leggings, £24, by americanapparel.net. Hair and makeup: Helen Bannon at Mandy Coakley Represents.

Daphne Ashbrook: 'The Doctor has come a long way over the years, and I think it would be an easy change, as far as the storyline goes, to see him regenerated into a female body.' Photograph: Dan Tufts for the Guardian

I was the first companion to kiss the Doctor. I played Grace Holloway to Paul McGann's Doctor in the 1996 TV movie. We shared three kisses, in fact: very sweet and chaste. When I took the part, I'd never even heard of Doctor Who. No one warned me that the kisses would be a big deal. It was only much later, when I read a book about the show, that I found out how negatively the fans had reacted.

We shot the film in Canada, during one of the coldest winters they'd ever had. I was grateful that they didn't put me in miniskirts and heels, as they had with many of the other companions. I wore mainly black, stretchy pants, a purple shirt and a big, warm coat. Paul suffered more than I did: he was very uncomfortable in that wig. But, God love him, the guy never complained.

When I went back and watched a couple of the older Doctor Who episodes, I could see why some people felt the show had been quite sexist. Grace was very different from those earlier companions: she was a professional woman – a heart surgeon – and, apart from those kisses, there wasn't much sexy stuff written into the script. By 1996, the producers had started to take a more modern approach.

The Doctor has come a long way over the years, and I think it would be an easy change, as far as the storyline goes, to see him regenerated into a female body. Everybody I know disagrees with me, but I can see a female Doctor being really cool.

I'll always be grateful for what Doctor Who has given me. I go to quite a few fan conventions. It's lovely to hang out with people you worked with so long ago. And, more than that, it's made me aware of the impact that television can have.

• All clothes, Daphne's own. Hair and makeup: Josephine Wissenberg.