Doctor Who is bringing back 1980s companion Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford), and here’s everything you need to know about Mel before her on-screen return. The BBC announced Bonnie Langford’s return while filming continues on Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Fifteenth Doctor, to the delight of Doctor Who fans on social media. While it may seem a surprising choice to bring back this short-lived companion from one of Doctor Who‘s more troubled eras, it’s confirmation that Russell T Davies’ new era will be fully embracing all eras of the show as it carves out an exciting new future.
A well-known child star on stage and screen, Bonnie Langford was cast alongside Colin Baker by executive producer John Nathan-Turner in 1986. The characterization of Mel was poorly fleshed out – for story purposes – but this ultimately sabotaged her in the eyes of fans who were still recovering from Doctor Who almost getting canceled a year earlier. Mel was written out of Doctor Who a year later during Sylvester McCoy’s first season, making way for the Seventh Doctor’s companion Ace (Sophie Aldred). Here’s Bonnie Langford’s Doctor Who story as Mel from 1986 to her surprise return in 2023.
Mel’s Travels With The Sixth Doctor Explained
In “The Trial of a Time Lord”, Mel was introduced as a future companion that the Sixth Doctor hadn’t met yet. During the trial, the Doctor’s defense relied on an adventure from his own future, in which he and Mel uncovered a murderous scheme aboard a luxury star liner involving the Vervoids – a race of humanoid plants who rose up against their human masters. It was an unorthodox introduction for a Doctor Who companion, but Mel was essentially a forerunner for Clara Oswald, who also first appeared in the thick of the action, aiding the Doctor’s escape from the “Asylum of the Daleks”.
However, Mel is unique because her first meeting with the Doctor has never been depicted on screen. After the Doctor and Mel’s Vervoid adventure ended, she was summoned to give evidence in the Doctor’s defense. The Sixth Doctor who was in the court chambers was still to meet Mel in his own timeline. At the end of “The Trial of a Time Lord”, the Sixth Doctor and Mel departed in the TARDIS so that she could be returned to her correct place in time, setting up Mel’s “first” Doctor Who adventure in the following series.
Unfortunately, Colin Baker was fired from Doctor Who which meant that a new Doctor would be required for the next series. The responsibility to introduce Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor to the audience then fell to Bonnie Langford, as the only character to carry over from the previous series. This meant that the first meeting between the Sixth Doctor and Mel was never filmed, or even written for the screen. In the years that have followed, alternative accounts have been written in tie-in novels and audio dramas. Perhaps Mel’s return opposite Ncuti Gatwa will shed more light on this missing moment from Doctor Who canon.
Why Mel Left Doctor Who
Bonnie Langford decided to leave Doctor Who in 1987, believing that there was nothing more she could add to the character. More likely, it was because there hadn’t been much character to begin with. Mel was a computer programmer who rarely got any programming to do, and was all-too frequently relied upon to scream at whichever horrific alien of the week she faced. This felt like a retrograde step in the late 1980s, which is presumably why she was replaced by Sophie Aldred’s contemporary companion Ace, who was very much designed to capture the late 80s zeitgeist.
It was no slight on Bonnie Langford as a performer, who gave some fantastic performances in the role of Mel, particularly in the serials “Paradise Towers” and “Delta and the Bannermen”. Sadly, Mel’s exit was as incongruous as her entrance, as she decided to leave the TARDIS with intergalactic scoundrel Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby). Interestingly, Mel’s exit scene with the Doctor was the same exchange that was provided to Sylvester McCoy and other Seventh Doctor hopefuls in their audition for Doctor Who.
What Happened To Mel After Doctor Who
After leaving the TARDIS, Mel was next seen in a playful reveal trailer for the Blu-ray release of Doctor Who season 24 written by Chris Chibnall-era writer Pete McTighe. It revealed that, after years of traveling with intergalactic hustler Glitz, Mel was the host of her own Shark Tank show called 24 Carat, in which she offered budding entrepreneurs business partnerships. As this is a playful throwaway gag it’s possible that all of this will be ignored in Mel’s Doctor Who return. However, Sophie Aldred season 26 trailer, which revealed she was the head of a global charity informed how the character was portrayed in “The Power of the Doctor”.
Ace and Mel were reunited at the end of “The Power of the Doctor” at Doctor Who‘s companion support group. She’d clearly found her way back to Earth after years of traveling with Glitz and hosting intergalactic business shows. As Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) was also in attendance, it’s possible that Mel has now been recruited by UNIT. As surprising as it may be that Melanie Bush is returning to the show, it’s clear that there’s so much untapped potential in her story from both before and after she met the Doctor, creating exciting possibilities for her role in Doctor Who season 14.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
