Bonnie Langford's Dishes on Doctor Who Return

Doctor Who is one of the longest-running and most prolific science fiction series to ever air on television. There have been no fewer than 15 incarnations of the Doctor during this time, but the Doctor's companions have been equally crucial to the success and longevity of the series.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bonnie Langford spoke about when she first took on the role of Mel during Colin Baker's tenure as the Sixth Doctor. Langford recently appeared in the 60th anniversary special The Giggle alongside Neil Patrick Harris, Catherine Tate and David Tennant. The actress reflected on the show's legacy and how much has changed since her first appearance.

“It was a completely different world“Langford explained. “When we did it in the '80s, we rehearsed in a rehearsal room that went down fake corridors, and then we went in and recorded everything in a day, maybe two at most.” It was almost like doing it live , with very few special effects. To move on to this set [a] Helipad. I mean, never in anyone's wildest dreams would they have thought it would be like this Doctor Who Sentence. It was like a Marvel Avengers movie.”

Bonnie Langford plays Mel Bush in the Doctor Who universe

Langford played Mel, the Doctor's sixth (Baker) and seventh (Sylvester McCoy) companions. She first appeared in Doctor Who in 1986 to 1987, but has already returned to the show in the past. In 1993, she reprized the role in a charity crossover Doctor Who And EastEnders, a popular British soap opera. The episode entitled “Dimensions in Time” featured the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson), and Baker and McCoy as the Sixth and Seventh.

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Langford also appeared in 2022's The Power of the Doctor, which marked the end of Jodie Whittaker's historic career as the Thirteenth Doctor. It also saw the return of David Tennant, who had previously portrayed the Tenth Doctor as the Fourteenth Doctor with great success. Their latest return marks the final appearance of David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and his companion Donna Noble. Part of a new generation of companions who act with determination and courage, Noble has become a beloved figure, much like Billie Piper's Rose Tyler.

“When I played Mel in the '80s, I would just run around screaming at monsters and saying, 'Oh, Doctor!'” she explains. “That was at the time when the companions were really just there for a change and in many ways I didn't have that much to do. I felt like I couldn’t find my place at all.”

Now Ncuti Gatwa is making history as the first black doctor and he plays the role in a unique way. “A lot of times the Doctor can be quite strange, but it can be difficult to connect with him because he's so distant,” Langford explained. “Sometimes he was portrayed as a crazy professor or scientist, and you couldn't get to his feelings. Ncuti plays it with great emotion.”

The next season of Doctor Who will be released on May 11, 2024.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Doctor Who

The adventures of the alien adventurer Doctor and his companions from planet Earth in time and space.

Release date

March 26, 2005

Pour

Jodie Whittaker, Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Smith, David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston, Sylvester McCoy, Tom Baker, Paul McGann, Peter Davison

Main genre

Science fiction

Seasons

15

Creator

Sydney Newman

Production company

BBC Studios, BBC Wales, Bad Wolf

Number of episodes

196

network

BBC