In point of fact, the Doctor just calls them his "friends" most of the time. "Companion" is something fans and reviewers use when talking about the show, and only occasionally appears as a word in the show.
The show is 49 years old and has passed through the hands of multiple writers, directors, actors, and showrunners, many of them blissfully oblivious of the concept of "agency". The current Doctor started off with a young woman as a companion, picked up her boyfriend and travelled with them as a pair, travelled alone with the boyfriend's father briefly, and then [spoiler]. It has been made clear that he values the boyfriend every bit as much as the young woman. The creepiness of "older guy with young woman" has in my opinion been satisfactorily addressed under the current show-runner; it helps that the current Doctor looks very young indeed. Your mileage may vary.
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The show is 49 years old and has passed through the hands of multiple writers, directors, actors, and showrunners, many of them blissfully oblivious of the concept of "agency". The current Doctor started off with a young woman as a companion, picked up her boyfriend and travelled with them as a pair, travelled alone with the boyfriend's father briefly, and then [spoiler]. It has been made clear that he values the boyfriend every bit as much as the young woman. The creepiness of "older guy with young woman" has in my opinion been satisfactorily addressed under the current show-runner; it helps that the current Doctor looks very young indeed. Your mileage may vary.