The world’s longest-running science-fiction TV series, Doctor Who has naturally changed a lot over the decades. Regeneration is the secret to Doctor Who‘s success, because it allows for the lead to be recast seamlessly, with each regeneration – or “renewal” as the first such event was called – serving as the perfect opportunity for a relaunch. But, in truth, change had been baked into Doctor Who long before the fateful day William Hartnell was replaced by Patrick Troughton; the pattern was set all the way back on December 26, 1964.
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The original TARDIS crew consisted of William Hartnell as the Doctor, Carole Ann Ford as his granddaughter Susan, and Jacqueline Hill and William Russell as schoolteachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. Their adventures began when Ian and Barbara stumbled into the TARDIS while investigating Susan, one of the strangest students they’d ever encountered. Fearing exposure, the Doctor spirited them away through time and space, establishing the status quo for the next few seasons. And then, in 1964, everything changed.
The Doctor Said Goodbye to his First Companion
“The Dalek Invasion of Earth” was undeniably one of the most epic adventures in Doctor Who history, adding further fuel to the fires of “Dalekmania” that were building in Britain in the 1960s. A six-episode saga that ran over the Christmas period, this came to a climax on December 26, 1964. At the end of the episode, the Doctor realized that Susan’s heart was torn between two loves – the burgeoning love she had for a freedom fighter, and her love for her grandfather. Realizing she would never willingly choose to leave him, the Doctor made the decision for her.
Susan would not be the last companion to leave the Doctor for love. But this will always stand out from any other scene in Doctor Who history, because she is no mere companion; she is the Doctor’s family, his granddaughter. The relationship between the Doctor and Susan had already been changing and evolving, with Susan becoming more independent and the Doctor recognizing that she deserved a life of her own. And so he made the choice, double-locking the TARDIS doors and ensuring she could not enter.
The Doctor’s farewell ended with a promise. “One day, I shall come back,” he told his granddaughter. In truth, neither of them expected him to fulfill that promise; the Doctor had yet to learn how to control the TARDIS, meaning he had no ability to guarantee his return. Susan left the TARDIS key on the ground, a symbolic goodbye of her own, indicating that she never expected to see that battered old police box again. The Doctor’s promise was a lie, spoken to bring comfort to them both, but both of them knew it.
Susan Would Return to Doctor Who – But in a Surprising Way
Susan did actually return, in November 1963, but in a very surprising way. Doctor Who‘s second multi-Doctor story, “The Five Doctors,” celebrated the show’s 20th anniversary in style. In this adventure, a villainous Time Lord used a “Time Scoop” to pluck the different incarnations of the Doctor from time and space, bringing them to the Death Zone of Gallifrey – and he added some old friends and allies into the mix to spice things up. It was a smart way to celebrate the anniversary, with Doctor Who bringing back many familiar faces.
Carole Anne Ford returned as an older Susan alongside a recast First Doctor, played by Richard Hurndall because William Hartnell had sadly passed away. The show never really explored Susan’s story, preferring to bring her back and use her in the current tale rather than really reveal what had happened to her over the years. It did at least confirm that she was a proper Time Lord, because she was familiar enough with regeneration to figure out what was going on. But it was hardly the promise fulfilled, and Susan was soon returned to her own time.
Doctor Who Just Missed a Chance to Finish Susan’s Story
Oddly enough, Susan has recently returned in the Ncuti Gatwa era – after a fashion. Susan was liberally teased in Gatwa’s two seasons, and there was even a brief vision of her giving the Doctor advice. But showrunner Russell T. Davies rewrote the end of Doctor Who Season 15, writing Susan out of it in a surreal decision that left the whole arc feeling utterly disjointed. Doctor Who missed its chance to bring back the first companion, much to the fandom’s disappointment.
At this point, it sadly doesn’t look as though the Doctor’s promise will ever be fulfilled. The Gatwa era was obsessed with deep cuts into continuity and lore, and Davies’ successor is unlikely to share that same approach – they’ll surely be aiming to get new viewers, not just to appeal to the core fanbase. Sadly, it’s highly likely that Carole Ann Ford will not get another chance to reprise Susan in the show itself, and that fateful farewell in 1964 will always be tinged with such sorrow.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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