Summary
ClassicDoctor Whostar Bonnie Langford looks back on her appearances across multiple generations of the series and breaks down how working with multiple Doctors has affected Mel Bush. The star made her debut alongside Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor in 1986, remaining onboard the TARDIS into Sylvester McCoy’s era as the Seventh Doctor. After a brief cameo in 2022’s “The Power of the Doctor,” Langford returned alongside David Tennant’s Fourteen and Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteen in theDoctor Who60th anniversary special.
Ahead of herDoctor Whoseason 14 return, Langford opened up toScreen Rantabout her multi-generational role in the series. The star explained that Mel has grown used to the Time Lord’s ever-changing appearance after aiding the Doctor in four separate incarnations and through two regenerations. Check out Langford’s response below:
It’s strange because as an actor you’re used to people being recast. You’re used to having a different type, but this is very much, it’s sort of like, yes, a new person undertaking a role, but they’ve still got the core of that character, but dressed up in a very different guise. There was a time at first when I was thinking, I wonder how Mel feels about this because it’s not her Doctor.
She’s got to get used to this person who has different qualities that she didn’t expect that weren’t with her original first couple of Doctors, but also we’re in a different era, we’re in a different generation, and I think she embraces it. She loves the fact that at the heart, literally two hearts of this person, she knows that they are very special. She is very mindful of that, but at the same time, she loves discovering the different qualities that each person brings.
How Mel’s Relationship With The Doctor Evolved
Mel has one of the more complex Doctor and companion relationships seen throughoutDoctor Who’s classic era. Her first on-screen meeting with the Doctor was a muddled experience, as the Time Lord’s meddling meant that she met him before she actually boarded the TARDIS. While she would eventually be taken home by the younger Six so she could reunite with him at the proper date, she was also left to aid the Doctor during his chaotic regeneration into his seventh incarnation.
Doctor Who’s Returning Companion Explained: Everything You Need To Know About Mel
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Despite facing so many unusual experiences early on in her tenure onboard the TARDIS, Mel’s classicDoctor Whodeparture would be one of the more positive farewells, leaving on her own space-faring adventures with Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby). With Glitz’s passing, Mel found her way back to Earth eventually, connecting with other former companions and even taking up a job with UNIT. Through this, Mel would be reunited with the Fourteenth Doctor, aiding him and the Fifteenth Doctor in their battle againstthe Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris)before remaining friends with the newly bigenerated Fourteen.
As the sole returning classic companion in Gatwa’s new era so far, Mel bridges the gap betweenDoctor Whoseason 14and the classic seasons. As such, Mel is a welcome acknowledgment of the show’s long history, representing its first run and potentially leading to new viewers gaining interest in seeing her original travels for themselves. Furthermore, Langford teasing how Mel’s experience with the Doctor has left her prepared for anything makes her an ideal ally as long-running mysteries are finally uncovered.
Doctor Whoreleases new episodes every Friday simultaneously on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on July 07, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
