Doctor Who’s Bonnie Langford reacts to Mel’s unseen and outrageous original description

Bonnie Langford, famous for playing Mel in Doctor Who, has shared her reaction to the surprisingly strange character description she received when she first joined the show.

As a long-time Doctor Who fan, I was thrilled to see Bonnie Langford return! She first joined the show back in 1986 as Mel Bush, a really cool computer programmer. While she left after just one season, it was amazing seeing her pop up again in the more recent episodes with both Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. It’s always great to see classic companions revisit the TARDIS!

In a recent interview with TopMob, Langford shared the story of how she was cast in the series. Legendary producer John Nathan-Turner gave her a two-page character description during their first meeting, and she recently revisited that document after many years.

Reviewing that description now, Langford is embarrassed by some of the details, especially the suggestion that Mel would sing inside the TARDIS – something that never occurred in the series – and that she would nag the Doctor (played by Colin Baker at the time) about his weight.

Langford reads that Melanie is a captivating, intriguing, and sometimes frustrating person. She’s described as having long, flowing red hair, striking blue eyes – unlike Langford’s – and a scattering of freckles, which Langford doesn’t have many of.

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Allons-y!

She was really into the aerobics and healthy eating trends of the time – it was a big Jane Fonda phase for her. Looking back, she’d likely be a vegan today.

She thinks the Doctor is a bit out of shape and could really benefit from some exercise, like the routines Jane Fonda popularized. He argues that traveling across the galaxy and fighting villains is exercise enough! She frequently tries to feed him healthy foods like muesli and raw carrots, which often leads to funny situations.

The report continues, mentioning she has a good sense of humour, which is positive. Apparently, she’s frequently heard singing inside the TARDIS. I’m relieved she didn’t actually have to sing – I would have objected to that!

You know, it’s funny – before I even auditioned for the role of Mel, I hadn’t actually watched any Doctor Who! I really went into that first meeting knowing absolutely nothing about the show. I was totally unprepared, to be honest!

I really enjoyed the experience and had fun with it. However, if I were to do it again today, I’d probably approach it a little differently.

I didn’t realize how significant it would be. It was also interesting because the actors who played supporting roles were usually just starting out, especially on television. So, it was different to have a co-star who was already well-known.

The show was really struggling at that time, but John loved it and was working hard to save it. I think he hired me because I was getting a lot of media attention, and he hoped that publicity would help the show.

I’ve watched her work a lot, and she’s always been incredibly dedicated. She’s told me she has her own thoughts about how things went, especially since she’s had to review it so many times. But what really shines through is her commitment – she always gave 100%, even when it pushed her outside her comfort zone. It’s something I truly admire about her.

I never imagined I’d still be a Doctor Who fan after all this time. It’s a show that just keeps bringing joy, even now.

2025-11-09 11:34

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