Bonnie Langford is set to make a guest appearance in Doctor Who, reprising her TV role as companion Mel Bush from the 1980s.
The actress, 58, has been lined up for a cameo in the episodes being planned for 2024 by new showrunner Russell T Davies, alongside incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.
Langford played companion Mel for from 1986-87, working alongside both the sixth Time Lord Colin Baker and the seventh, played by Sylvester McCoy.
She has returned to the role on TV just once, in 1993’s Dimensions in Time, a special charity Doctor Who/ EastEnders mash-up for Children in Need.
The Just William star has returned as Mel in several audio versions of Doctor Who for Big Finish - but has told how she gave two conditions before accepting the role.
Speaking this summer, she explained: "No screaming, and please can we build her character a bit? I was constantly seeking a more substantial role.
Melanie just said, 'But Doctor…’, and screamed.”
Russell T Davies, who was the original reboot producer in 2005, is known to be a fan of Langford. Last year it emerged that, as a 23-year-old, he wrote a script for Baker and assistant Mel which he discovered in his loft during lockdown, and had hoped to resurrect.
Speaking on a podcast, Langford said: “I don't know what it's like or what it's about but he's emailed me and said, 'Would you do it?' I said, 'Yes, absolutely'. It's just so fascinating.”
Since then it was made for audio with Colin Baker and Bonnie earlier this year by Big Finish.
Since then Russell has re-signed as show-runner, taking over from departing boss Chris Chibnall.
It is not clear whether Langford’s return will be linked to this particular story or not.
Fans of the BBC1 sci-fi show have long clamoured for another glimpse of Mel, with one declaring: “As a character Mel would have grown so much since leaving the Doctor. Would be wonderful to see Bonnie return to Doctor Who on TV, she's returned already so often via Big Finish. We need more classic companion returns to see what happened to them.”
Another agreed: “I have really fond memories of watching that season when I was a kid. I know they're not the very ‘best’ episodes of Doctor Who, but I think nostalgia counts for a lot.”
When rumours of her reprising the role surfaced, one fan noted: “She looks better without the perm ,” leaving another to point out that her red curls were all natural.
Mel bowed out of her TV role with the 1987 story Dragonfire. Nearly thirty years on, Langford won awards for her portrayal of Carmel Kazemi in EastEnders for three years from 2015.
Current Doctor Jodie Whittaker will make her exit following her five-year stint in the TARDIS later this month, with a regeneration scene expected at the end.
Sex Education star Ncuti has been unveiled by the BBC as the next Doctor, but it is not yet clear who Whittaker will regenerate into as David Tennant and Catherine Tate are returning for a set of specials to run next year.
They will be joined by other retro favourites including Bernard Cribbins, who returned to film scenes as Wilfred Mott before his death earlier this year.
A BBC spokeswoman declined to comment on Langford’s return.
