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Original Doctor Who star ponders ’emotional’ return

Original Doctor Who star ponders ’emotional’ return

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A recent photo of Carole Ann Ford smiling at a BBC event marking the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2023
Carole Ann Ford is the last surviving original cast member of Doctor Who

The last surviving cast member from the very first Doctor Who series said she would like to return to the show as the 60th anniversary of her final appearance approaches.

Carole Ann Ford, from Ilford, played Susan, granddaughter of the Doctor played by William Hartnell when the BBC show started in 1963. The character has been frequently mentioned in the recent series with Ncuti Gatwa.

During an appearance at Luton Comic Con, the actress said she wanted to return although she admitted it “would be very emotional.. very emotional”.

“I don’t know if I could survive the excitement actually, it would be intense beyond all intensity,” she said.

Actress Carol Ann Ford Who Played Companion Susan In Doctor, 56% OFF
Actress Carol Ann Ford Who Played Companion Susan In Doctor Who

The 84-year-old is the last member of the original cast following the death of William Russell in June.

She said: “It’s not just returning, it would bring back all the memories of William Russell and Jackie and Bill [William Hartnell] and various other people who aren’t with us anymore.

“I might be a little bit overcome and start blubbing.

“I keep being reminded I’m the last one standing and it’s not something I’m happy to hear.”

Sixties City - Doctor Who
Carole Anne Ford (Middle) with Jacqueline Hill (left) and William Russell (right) as the original TARDIS team.

She appeared as the granddaughter of the original Doctor, played by William Hartnell, but was left behind after a showdown with the Daleks set in Bedfordshire and broadcast on 26 December 1964.

At the time, the Doctor promised to return for her, but despite an appearance in the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors, a story that would address the reunion between the characters is yet to take place.

“He said he’d come back and get me and never did. I’d give him a good telling off if I saw him again,” she said.

“I understand their dilemma, how difficult it must be to write for me. It has been 60 years since I was first in it.

“I’ve met Russell [T Davies] a few times and I absolutely adore him. He is the man that would be the boss man to say yes or no – so hopefully it’s going to be yes.”

Last year the character returned to screens in a newly colourised version of the 1963 episode, The Daleks, which was broadcast on BBC Four to mark the show’s 60th anniversary.

The actress encouraged fans to be vocal in their support of her return if there was any chance of her returning.

In an interview on BBC Three Counties Radio, she hinted that she had had “one or two” conversations about returning in the past.

“I’ve had many conversations about going back, maybe not with the right people, I don’t know,” she added.

When it was suggested her character could be recast, she joked: “They better not, I’d burn the studio down.”

Doctor Who stars pay tribute to Patrick Troughton at plaque unveiling

Doctor Who stars pay tribute to Patrick Troughton at plaque unveiling

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Image - Patrick Troughton.jpg | Dr Who Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia
Patrick Troughton as The Doctor.

Legends of classic Doctor Who gathered to pay tribute to Patrick Troughton as a plaque was unveiled in his honour at his former school.

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society, the show’s longest-running fan club, collaborated with Mill Hill School in London to place the plaque at the school’s Patrick Troughton Theatre.

Sylvester McCoy, who played the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred, who played Ace, and Frazer Hines, who played Jamie McCrimmon, were among those pictured in attendance to celebrate the actor, best known as the Second Doctor.

Carole Ann Ford (Susan), actors Hugh Frasers and Michael Jayston, and director Graeme Harper were also among those attending, alongside Troughton’s children Joanna and Michael.

McCoy shared a picture of himself with the plaque, tweeting: “Respect.”

Aldred shared a snap of herself and McCoy, referencing the show’s legacy and writing on Instagram: “Very lovely event celebrating Patrick Troughton, who I sadly never met, but to whom I owe this long career in Dr Who: Without his genius as Doctor no. 2, we wouldn’t still be going!”

Troughton took over from William Hartnell as the Doctor in 1966, leaving the series in 1969. He went on to reprise the role several times.

It’s said that Hartnell approved of the choice, saying: “There’s only one man in England who can take over, and that’s Patrick Troughton.”

The actor died in 1987 at the age of 67. Many of his episodes still remain missing from the BBC Archives.

PULL TO OPEN: 1962–1963

PULL TO OPEN: 1962–1963

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Pull To Open: 1962–1963: The Inside Story of How the BBC Created and Launched Doctor Who

PULL TO OPEN: 1962–1963: THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW THE BBC CREATED AND LAUNCHED DOCTOR WHO

‘Fresh and compelling… As definitive an account of those early years as I have read’ Toby Hadoke

When Doctor Who began on Saturday November 23 1963, few could have guessed that it marked the start of perhaps the most extraordinary story in the history of BBC television drama. But there had already been another story, equally extraordinary yet unseen, leading up to the transmission of that opening episode – the creation of the series itself.

Pull to Open explores the behind-the-scenes saga of Doctor Who in 1963, when a chain of events at the BBC brought together a disparate group to launch what would become one of British TV’s best-loved and most successful programmes. It’s the story of why these events happened; the BBC creative culture into which Doctor Who was born; how television drama was made in the early 1960s; and an insight into the people who started this epic journey.

Drawing from the BBC’s written archives and new interviews with some of those who were there, including Doctor Who’s first director Waris Hussein and original co-star Carole Ann Ford, Pull to Open is a detailed and comprehensive account of the programme’s path to the screen. Immerse yourself in the world of BBC Television in 1963 and discover how a series which was almost cancelled before a single episode was shown survived to cement its place in the popular culture of a nation.

Foreword by Toby Hadoke

Paul Hayes was born and raised in West Sussex, and now lives in Norwich. A writer and broadcaster, he has contributed feature articles to the likes of Doctor Who Magazine, BBC Online, The Stage and the Eastern Daily Press. For the BBC he has produced and presented a variety of radio documentaries, on subjects including The Beatles, motor racing, broadcasting history, politics, film, football and – of course! – Doctor Who, a programme which he has loved for as long as he can remember.

Paperback: 424 pages in black and white

THIS IS A PRE-ORDER: RELEASE DATE – JULY 24 2023

pull to open

Carole Ann Ford stars in new Doctor Who spin-off, Susan’s War

Carole Ann Ford stars in new Doctor Who spin-off, Susan’s War

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The Doctor’s first ever companion, his granddaughter Susan Foreman, takes on a new, heroic role in her very own series from Big Finish Productions, in association with BBC Studios.

Carole Ann Ford reprises the role she first created for television way back in 1963 in Susan’s War, a four-part full-cast audio drama due for release in April 2020.

Gallifrey needs every Time Lord to fight the Time War. A summons has been issued across the universe to its prodigals. Whatever their skills, the war effort can use them. 

Susan’s call-up papers have arrived, and, unlike her grandfather, she is willing to join her people’s battle and finally return home. 

Because Susan knows the Daleks, and she will do her duty… 

Susan’s War is now available to pre-order as a collector’s edition box set (priced at £24.99), or on download (at £19.99)

Also joining Susan in this conflict are her old friend, Ian Chesterton (played once again by original series actor William Russell) and the Doctor himself… but probably not the one she was expecting.

Actor Carole Ann Ford said: “It’s a very complex, interesting and fascinating piece of work which goes backwards and forwards in time in a way we’ve never actually done before in Doctor Who. We’re finding all sorts of extraordinary ways to chase after time machines, and the different phases in Time Lords’ lives are being investigated.

“Also, it’s Susan when she’s pushed on a few years. She has different attitudes to things and expects different behaviour from people that she’s with. So this is marvellous. She’s a much stronger person, and I really like that.  ”

Producer David Richardson added: “The Time War is a mighty battle on many fronts, and we are telling that huge story on many fronts too. This is Susan’s story – drafted into the war, an agent of the Time Lords and reunited with her past, firstly with Ian Chesterton, and then later with her grandfather in his Eighth incarnation.

“How lucky was I to spend recording days with legends like Carole Ann Ford, William Russell and Paul McGann, such key figures from the classic series thrown into this compelling era of new series Doctor Who? And with them are Veklin (Beth Chalmers) and Rasmus (Damian Lynch) – two characters whose story arcs spread through a myriad of releases, and help tie together our intricate Time War range.”

Susan’s War will contain four electrifying stories:

Sphere of Influence by Eddie Robson
The Uncertain Shore by Simon Guerrier
Assets of War by Lou Morgan
The Shoreditch Intervention by Alan Barnes

More story details will be revealed nearer the release date.

The four-disc box set of Susan’s War is now available to pre-order in collector’s edition CD format (priced at £24.99), or on download (at £19.99).