This year marks Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, so needless to say that even accounting for the 16 years the anchoring TV show was off the air, the title Time Lord has had a lot of companions journey with them throughout time and space aboard the TARDIS. Among them was Bonne Langford’s Melanie Bush, who spent time with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in the mid-‘80s. Well, good news for those of you who enjoyed Mel’s time on Doctor Who way back when, because it’s been announced she’ll be hanging out with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor.
Given that we’re so far off from Season 14 (there’s still five months to go until we see David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor leading Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary event), naturally no specific details concerning Mel’s return were disclosed. However, showrunner Russell T. Davies said in a statement to BBC that Langford isn’t reprising the role as a cameo,” as we’ll see the actress “right in the thick of the action, battling monsters and chaos and cliffhangers, right at the Doctor’s side, just like the old days.” Here’s what Langford had to say about returning to the Doctor Who fold in her own statement:
I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Melanie Bush back. To be part of the exceptional cast, crew and production team led by the force of nature that is Russell T Davies is a career highlight. I’m so privileged and proud to have been a member of the Doctor Who family since the classic era and to be included in the new generation is phenomenal.
Bonnie Langford, who’s also well known for her extensive stage work and playing Carmel Kazemi on EastEnders, was a regular on Doctor Who from 1986 to 1987, with Mel being paired with Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor, and then spending some time with Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor before heading off on her own adventures, with Sophie Aldred’s Ace taking her place. Langford has vocally reprised Mel in recent years through several Big Finish audio dramas, and her forthcoming onscreen reprisal will be her second time appearing in the modern Doctor Who show. She previously popped up towards the end of Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor, titled “The Power of The Doctor,” as a member of a support group for former companions of The Doctor.
Melanie Bush is the second established Doctor Who character who’s been confirmed for Season 14, the first being Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Stewart, who’s chiefly shared screen time with the Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors, plus the Tenth Doctor and War Doctor during the 50th anniversary special. As far as newcomers go, Millie Gibson will star as new companion Ruby Sunday, and among the notable guest stars who’ve been recruited include Jinkx Monsoon and Jonathan Groff. Ncuti Gatwa’s first episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will air during the “festive period” of 2023, and the eight-episode Season 14 will launch sometime next year.
Although Doctor Who will continue to air on the BBC in the United Kingdom and Ireland, you’ll need a Disney+ subscription to catch upcoming episodes if you’re living stateside or elsewhere in the world. Max subscribers can still stream all the modern Doctor Who seasons released so far, and be sure to look through our 2023 TV schedule to see what’s currently airing or premiering in the next few months.