Carole Ann Ford, the Doctor’s original companion in Doctor Who, is responding to the demands that she return to the show she helped create. As the seemingly-teenaged companion to the elderly Doctor (William Hartnell) in the early years of the classic series, Ford’s Susan joined the Doctor on his flight from Gallifrey. After arriving on Earth in 1963, she pretended to be a typical human student, before accidentally luring her teachers onto the TARDIS for numerous cross-time adventures.
Decades after her stint on the show, there have been calls for Ford to return to her role as the Doctor’s granddaughter. Since Doctor Who is obsessed with the First Doctor, it feels like a natural direction for the series to take. In an interview with RadioTimes, Ford responded to her supporters, expressed her gratitude, and shared her thoughts on a return. Check out her quote below:
“That’s amazing, I’m absolutely flabbergasted. I’m very honoured! The idea of her, what I was told after I got the part, was she would be the eyes and ears of the young people watching it, that her reaction would be the perceived reactions of them, so therefore they would probably identify with her. She was unique because she was the Doctor’s granddaughter, which gave her a special relationship with him… I’d love to be in it as it is now! I’d love to experience all the money they spend on it now – it’s done like a film! I would adore to be in it now.”
Can Susan Return To Doctor Who?
While it may have seemed impossible in the wake of the Time War, the return of Gallifrey makes Susan’s return more than just possible. In some ways, it actually seems likely. After all, Russel T. Davies, a major supporter of classic Doctor Who is returning as showrunner, and he is hardly the sort to shy from bringing back characters, including Susan, given that he brought Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) back to Doctor Who.
Though Gallifrey has been destroyed or retconned numerous times over the course of the modern Doctor Who era, Susan’s survival has rarely been clarified. Though the Doctor often claims that she is gone, he hasn’t actually taken many opportunities to look for his lost granddaughter. Bringing her back to the show could help close some loose ends.
Of course, it will all depend on the direction that Davies wants to take the show in. Considering that David Tennant is returning to Doctor Who, Davies does appear to be interested in looking at Doctor Who‘s long and storied past. Susan’s return will rely on what the future of Doctor Who looks like, since Ford seems to be on board for a return.
Source: RadioTimes