Doctor Who Showrunner May Be Teasing Another Major Character's Return
An important Doctor Who character with an ambiguous fate may return to the series, at least if you take Russell T. Davies' Instagram comment as a tease. The official Doctor Who Instagram account shared the clip of the first farewell between the Doctor and one of his companions, that companion being Susan Forman. Davies replied to the video with the comment, "Whatever happened to her?" That could be nothing, but Davies is returning as Doctor Who's showrunner for the upcoming 60th Anniversary Specials and beyond. With Doctor Who fans hanging on his every word, it's easy to see it as a deliberate tease.
"I think you might be in the best position to give us that answer…," one fan notes, responding to Davies' Instagram comment. Another excited fan says, "Oh gosh I am begging you, please bring back Carol Anne Ford as Susan if she's willing! It would such a beautiful, amazing story."
Who is Susan Forman on Doctor Who?
Carol Ann Ford played Susan Ford, the Doctor's first companion in the earliest Doctor Who episodes. She debuted in the very first serial, "An Unearthly Child," and she remained until the second series serial titled "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." Susan is the Doctor's granddaughter. She fled with him in the TARDIS when he left Gallifrey. In the early episodes of Doctor Who, she attends Coal Academy as a student. Her preternatural gift for math and science attracts the interest of her teachers. They eventually discover that she and her grandfather are aliens, forcing the Doctor to whisk them away in the TARDIS.
Susan's adventures with the Doctor ended when she met and fell in love with Billy Campbell, a resistance fighter from the 22nd century. She tries to remain with the Doctor, but her grandfather recognizes that she's grown up and deserves a life of her own. He locks her out of the TARDIS and has his first tearful farewell with a companion. Ford later returned as Susan in the 20th-anniversary special, "The Five Doctors," and the 30th-anniversary charity short "Dimensions in Time," but neither episode mentions Billy. Her fate became more ambiguous with Davies' 2005 relaunch of Doctor Who. The series first established the Doctor as the last living Time Lord, then revealed that the Time Lords still live in suspended time.
When does Doctor Who return?
Will Davies bring back Ford as Susan? After the BBC Centennial Special brought back two classic companions, it certainly is not unthinkable. Plus, the 60th-anniversary specials already have one beloved companion returning.
Doctor Who returns for its 60th anniversary special in November 2023. It'll air on the BBC and will stream on Disney+ outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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