Bonnie Langford is back as Mel

6 Replies

Hooray! I’m pleased a classic ‘Doctor Who’ companion is returning in Series 14 of the new TV show with Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. I’m looking forward to seeing Bonnie Langford back as Mel. It wasn’t so long ago that she did a cameo appearance at the end of ‘The Power of the Doctor’. 🙂

I saw and chatted to Bonnie last year at the ‘London Comic Con Winter’ in November 2022. Little did I know she would return to play her ‘Doctor Who’ character from the 1980s. 🙂 I hope an explanation will be given on why Mel seemed to be on Earth in ‘The Power of the Doctor’ in her Series 14 return.

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now!

Tim 🙂

6 thoughts on “Bonnie Langford is back as Mel”

  1. scifimike70's avatarscifimike70

    After the companions get-together at the end of The Power Of The Doctor, it was most interesting to wonder which of them might return afterwards. I think that Bonnie as Mel is a good choice. She’s one of the most spirited of companions and she could have had more potential in the classic series (which Big Finish of course made up for). But her chance to reprise Mel on TV should be good and especially with Russell T. Davies at the helm. Thanks, Tim.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Tim Bradley's avatarTim Bradley Post author

      Hi scifimike,

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Mel returning to ‘Doctor Who’ after appearing in ‘The Power of the Doctor’. With Mel returning, it makes sense since RTD wrote for Mel and the Sixth Doctor in ‘Mind of the Hodiac’. I’m hoping Mel in the Big Finish audios will be reflected in her return on TV as opposed to how she was presented in the classic TV series. Hopefully she won’t be screaming so much. 😀

      Thanks for your comments.

      Tim 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  2. A F J Kernow's avatarA F J Kernow

    Hello again, I’ve been writing stories about ‘ole Sixie and Mel since a 2017 entry to the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip competition. I was drawn to this pairing because both were poorly served on television. Bonnie Langford in particular, was given a character outline that might as well have been a piece of blank paper.

    Thank goodness that Big Finish has given both Bonnie and Colin such great stories and character development. For Mel, I think The Juggernauts is terrific and her Seventh Doctor tales Red and Fires of Pompeii showcase her abilities as an actress.

    I’m looking forward to seeing her back onscreen as a very different Melanie Bush we saw all those years ago. But hopefully, still with that effervescent energy and enthusiasm and no screaming. She also features in the Divergent Wordsmiths anniversary anthologies A Sparkle of Doctors.

    The RTD2 era gets more intriguing as time goes on… and by the the way, can you believe Colin Baker is 80 this month and still as enthusiastic about Who as he was way back in the Eighties.

    Best wishes, Tony

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    1. Wolfie's avatarWolfie

      The audios of the two of them together — Colin and Bonnie — long ago led me to believe they could’ve been as iconic as the Third Doctor and Jo. If time had been kinder to their respective tenures.

      I still have ‘The Complete Davros Collection’ on DVD back when the latest tale from him was “Terror Firma” at Big Finish. “The Juggernauts” was, I think, my first introduction to Melanie Bush and it’s a terrific unveiling of who she is as a human being. We get to see her skills as a programmer (huzzah!), her little interactions with the Lethe personnel… even quite a genuine romance, and an act of pure vengeance.

      Another one of my favourite stories, though, has to be “The Seeds of War”. A story that I can only describe as part-travelogue, part-thriller. It’s almost like a Malcolm Hulke story directed by James Cameron (circa ‘Aliens’). As fond as I am of all our Doctors and companions, this story in particular could not have worked without these two.

      For anyone looking for more tales with Six and Mel, keep an eye out on the ‘Divergent Wordsmiths’ website. They feature in the “A Sparkle of Doctors” collection, as already mentioned, the story — “The Time Lord All Tattered and Torn”. Trapped in a diabolical bit of devilry that could only be done with this pairing. A perilous haunted house, packed with lethal dangers, and orchestrated by one of the Doctor’s worst enemies — himself.

      (I also want to give a shout-out to a comic called “Outrage of the Zygons”. Not one of ours, but a rather good crossover between ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Jem and the Holograms’ of all things. It also features the Sixth Doctor and Mel.)

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      1. Tim Bradley's avatarTim Bradley Post author

        Hi Wolfie,

        Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Sixth Doctor and Mel in the Big Finish audios, including ‘The Juggernauts’ and ‘The Seeds of War’. ‘The Juggernauts’ is one of my favourite Big Finish audio stories and I’ve enjoyed ‘The Seeds of War’. I’ve also enjoyed ‘Mind of the Hodiac’ featuring the Sixth Doctor and Mel, which I listened to last year, and it’s rather fitting I heard that story since Russell T. Davies wrote it and he’s bringing Mel back in the TV series. I’m looking forward to Mel’s return in the TV series and I hope to check out more of Mel’s stories by Big Finish. I hope to read ‘The Time Lord All Tattered and Torn’ properly soon, having only had a skim-read of it and have discovered the Valeyard is in it. 😀

        I’m amazed there’s a comic crossover featuring the Sixth Doctor and Mel with ‘Jem and the Hologram’. I’ve not seen the 1980s cartoon show, though I’ve heard things about it through reviews of the critically-panned 2015 film. I’ve had a little look through ‘Outrage of the Zygons’ online and it’s a very interesting-looking comic story compared to the other ‘Doctor Who’ comics I’ve seen and read. Thanks for the shout-out.

        Many thanks for your comments.

        Tim 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Tim Bradley's avatarTim Bradley Post author

      Hi Tony,

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Mel and the Sixth Doctor and how they’ve improved as characters in the Big Finish audios compared to the TV series. ‘The Juggernauts’ is one of my favourite Big Finish audios featuring the Sixth Doctor and Mel and I’ve also enjoyed ‘The One Doctor’, ‘The Wrong Doctors’, ‘Spaceport Fear’ and ‘The Seeds of War’. With the Seventh Doctor and Mel in Big Finish, I’ve enjoyed ‘The Fires of Vulcan’, ‘We Are The Daleks’, ‘The Warehouse’, ‘Terror of the Sontarans’ and her return to Seven and Ace in ‘A Life of Crime’.

      I’m glad you’re looking forward to Bonnie Langford’s return as Mel in the TV series. I hope Mel’s character development will be carried over from the Big Finish audios in Series 14 with Ncuti Gatwa. Admittedly, I’ve not heard all of Mel’s Big Finish audio appearances, but it should be a better interpretation of the character compared to her time in the classic TV series. I’m glad you’ve been able to write for Mel and the Sixth Doctor in ‘A Sparkle of Doctors’ called ‘The Time Lord All Tattered and Torn’. Your story also features the Valeyard.

      I’m amazed Colin Baker is 80 this year. Happy Birthday Colin! 🙂 I’m pleased he’s had plenty of Big Finish audios to play the Sixth Doctor compared to his tenure in the TV series.

      Many thanks for your comments.

      Tim 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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