“It Was Fan Power”: Doctor Who Star Reveals How They Returned Decades Later To The Sci-Fi Series

As one original Doctor Who legend returns to the series and opens up about how fandom led to her return to the screen. As Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra continued their long journey home to modern Earth, the pair visit an all-star musical event in Doctor Who season 15, episode 6 “The Interstellar Song Contest”. However, when a young and reckless revolutionary catches the pair off-guard and ejects the Time Lord into space, the Doctor is met by visions of one of his oldest and dearest companions to keep him going against the dire odds.

As the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan Foreman, makes her surprising return, Carole Ann Ford opens up to Doctor Who Unleashed via GamesRadar+) about how she returned to the series. For Ford, she believes fan power led to her coming back, as a meeting with showrunner Russell T Davies during the 60th-anniversary celebrations led to her being cast in his new era. Check out Ford’s full response below:

Well, I think it was fan power. I think fans have been saying, ‘Where is she? What’s happening to her? Are we going to see her again?’ Russell and I hadn’t met, and we had both been hoping to meet. We went to a party – it was the screening of [60th Anniversary Special] ‘Star Beast’. So, we met there and it was big screams and hugs… While we were hugging, Russell said to me, ‘Would you like to come back?’ And I said of course I’d like to come back!”

What Susan’s Return May Mean For Doctor Who Season 15’s Finale

Susan Could Be A Beacon Of Hope For The Doctor In Trying Times

While the return of Susan was a ruse in Doctor Who season 14, his adventures with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) did leave the Time Lord wondering whether he should reconnect with his granddaughter. Ultimately, his time with Joy (Nicola Coughlan) was the final piece that led to him opening up to allowing people into his life once more. However, his immediate mission to bring Belinda home took precedence, and the possibility of Earth being destroyed in 2025 would nullify the future he left Susan in.

However, while it is currently unknown how Susan reconnected with the Doctor’s mind in “The Interstellar Song Contest”, it is possible that this link could provide the Doctor with the hope to go on. Her presence may have simply been a vision that ushered him into action, but Susan also possessed latent telepathic abilities, which means Susan’s appearance could be a message from the future to guide him towards the Doctor’s battle with the Rani (Archie Panjabi). As such, Susan and the Doctor may be due a long-awaited reunion.

Our Thoughts On Susan’s Doctor Who Return

Ford’s Appearance Could Mark The Fulfillment Of A 61-Year-Old Promise

Susan is arguably one of the Doctor’s most important companions to this day. As one of the few members of the Doctor’s family to ever be depicted on screen, she was the first companion to leave the TARDIS as the First Doctor (William Hartnell) left Susan on post-Dalek invasion Earth to live her own life, with the promise that he will return. As such, many fans are hopeful that Doctor Who season 15 will finally mark this promise being fulfilled on screen.