My Hopes for Susan’s Return to Doctor Who [Spoiler Free!]

I near had a panic attack screaming to my partner "it's Susan it's Susan!" 🤣

Like many too young to see Doctor Who from the start, I first saw the Doctor's "One day I shall return" clip at the start of The Five Doctors. This gave no context that it had anything to do with Susan, and there was no exploration of her feelings of abandonment within The Five Doctors.

Regardless, many of us first saw Susan in The Five Doctors, as an adult, so that's how we think of Carole Ann Ford/Susan first.

Honestly, it kind of doesn't matter to me how Susan is written into the Fifteenth Doctor's story. Just the fact that the Doctor is FINALLY coming back to find her is enough for me. I was so hyped when she popped on screen

NO SPOILER! Just appreciation: not people playing Candy Crush on an iPad in the background 😆

But seriously, that was a perfect summary of how I think a lot of fans of the 60s Doctor Who companions feel. Susan deserves a story, not a few lines and maybe a scream. I think that these shorter seasons and anniversary episodes lend themselves very poorly to companion returns because there's too much going on already (as you said).

Around the time of The Five Doctors - script editor Eric Saward wrote a short story for the Radio Times where he said that Susan wasn't actually the Doctor's granddaughter. Bull to that!
In The Five Doctors, the story isn't about characters, it's about familiar faces popping up to wave at the audience. Davison and Ann Ford tried to create an unspoken connection when the 5th Doctor and Susan meet.

I fully expect them to make Susan evil or something. I hadn't seen her return in the rumours for this season.

Big Finish has put Susan through the wringer since the Doctor left her on Earth. I love all of her audio stories, but I sincerely doubt they'll be acknowledged.

All of the above! Susan deserves a HUGE spotlight either in the last two episodes, or in a special. She was the first, the original companion, and giving her Rose Noble's treatment would be insulting to her legacy and importance.
I also kinda hope the next episodes will NOT retcon Big Finish audio stories, cause I genuinely love the stories she's been part of. Susan's participation in the Last Great Time War, reuniting with Ian, with the 8th Doctor and later with the War Doctor was insanely interesting.

However long we like to think it's been, I am reminded that she was nearer my age the last time we saw her. And I can't help wondering if there's something to all that. Russell does seem to be scouring the EU at the moment. The real mystery is who she is - because there's been no shortage of speculation. If she's his real granddaughter - and he is the source of regeneration - then we have some potential for a tragic plot-line. We have seen our hero go bad this episode and we know there is some likelihood a version of him could go bad in the future. What would prompt that? And didn't William Hartnell once suggest a story in which The Doctor had an evil son?

I really don't want them to retcon her adventures with The 8th Doctor.

Edit: Her losing her son was so heartbreaking, losing that weight would suck.

She even actively fought the Time War.

The problem with this is that it's obviously nostalgia bait. The current era of the show has poor writing, story and narrative, so the writers have to come up with something to keep the fans tuned in... (Just look at the viewing figures) In case the fanbase wants to retcon this era, the producers are making it difficult to do so by doubling down and tying everything in by bringing back a core character we haven't seen on screen for many decades. This is not a thought provoking and creative decision. This is taking a beloved Doctor Who character, and using them simply because they can.

Love Susan. Been hoping for a return since the return of Sarah Jane in "School Reunion", but it's a sad to see her in her extreme dosage. They waited too long to honor her.

I just wanted to post to say how much I love watching your videos on Doctor Who. They are all simply amazing!

Thank you, Josh. I once wrote a fan fiction story with a regenerated Susan.

At this point we do not want any beloved past characters returning to the current show because it is not how we wish to remember them. It's only nostalgia bait that's subverted, so best their legacy be left untarnished. They won't be to blame for the show's pitiful demise.

The dream scenario would be ending this finale, once the Rani has been dealt with, the Doctor comes back to Susan and we get some time of them reconciling not too dissimilar to how Starlord's reunion with his grandpa was handled in Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Then, in addition to this, this scene segues into a Christmas special of both of them, The Husbands of River Song but for Susan.

Josh failed to mention, as he probably isnt aware of it, that Carole Ann Ford appeared in a Terrance Dicks written direct to video movie, that alsso starred Sophie Aldred, called Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans. However, as otherwise the BBC would have sued, she or Sophie didn't play their DW characters as Terrence only had the rights to use the Sontarans and the Rutans as he got permission to use them from the estate of Robert Holmes.

One thing I still love about 2025 Susan. Her earring matches Hartnell's ring.

I get the feeling that Caroline Ford's return is going to end up being short-lived and Susan will be regenerated or even buy generated

I think series 3 will have the dr looking for Susan as she says “find me!”

I haven’t gotten around to watching the latest episode of Doctor Who yet… You cannot claim “Spoiler Free” and have a thumbnail like this on the video. This is the THIRD video that has spoiled this for me with their title and thumbnail alone. So thanks for that… 🙄

My feelings exactly, I'm a little fatigued with all the returning characters of late but this is tailor made for me

My first introduction to early Who was through the old Target novelisations and I remember actually tearing up reading the passage about Susan being left behind by the Doctor in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Awh.

Susan has got to be back. in unleashed she was wearing a new costume and people pointed out usually the actors on there wear their costumes rather than random clothes

The story with 8 & Susan is actually one of my all time favourites. Not the Earthly Child, but the story it builds to with Lucie Miller and the second Dalek invasion of Earth. Peak Doctor Who for me, and having that retconned will make me really sad.

What if Susan is Belinda's mother/grandmother.....

I really hope Susan asks after Ian and Barbara, and we get a sweet moment when the doctor assures her that they (eventually) got home safe - and proceeded to settle down with eachother, no less!

My random guess is that she is part 3 of the unholy trinity (with the boring guy getting the Master Tooth), and the Rani’s big plan is restoring Gallifrey. Susan will be going along assuming that grandfather can fix the plan so it doesn’t require destroying Earth.

Was hasn't Susan regenerated by now?

Another good vid Josh (thank you !!). I'm with you on the Susan return scenario. She needs to be given the red carpet treatment as she is the only original character from day one of the show who is still with us. Thumbs up !!

"No spoilers!"
Proceeds to spoil Dalek Invasion of Earth for those who haven't seen it.

I really hope they don't ignore her Big Finish stuff. They don't have to reference it directly, just don't contradict it. Not only did Susan reunite with the Eighth Doctor, but it was revealed that she had a half-human son, making the Doctor a great-grandfather. The adventures with Susan, Alex, and the Eighth Doctor's companion Lucie were some of the greatest works Big Finish have ever produced. Since Lucie was canonised by Night of the Doctor, it would be extra irritating if Susan's role in Lucie's adventures was ignored. There's also the fact that Susan has an ongoing series depicting her involvement in the Time War.

Unfortunately though, this is RTD, so we'll probably be told that this is the first time Susan has seen the Doctor since he kicked her out.

Hope she partakes in the season finale.
-JMM

Carole Ann-Ford is too mature for Ncuti’s/RTD’s cheesy humour. Gonna feel out of place.

Agree with MikeyMcDoable... Susan should've returned for the 50th anniversary or for Twice Upon a Time. Having her return now feels like an act of desperation from RTD and it's too little, too late.

I have no hope.

She just can't act, she was a teenage actress, her last appearance was as wooden as a violin 😂

About Bl**dy Time !!!

I didn't enjoy the return

I really like the idea of Susan returning in the Christmas special rather than in the finale. The lower stakes of a Christmas special (with the exception of regeneration stories) would give the character and her reunion with the Doctor the breathing room she deserves.

Poppy might be Susan biological great granddaughter via alex if got woman pregnant before he was killed?

Susan original departure makes most sense if the Doctor and Susan are what they appeared to be at the time - future humans from a colony world. It doesn't really make sense for the Doctor to leave her behind with David otherwise.

The Five Doctors wisely avoided addressing this and I think the show would be better off not going there. Whether RTD has felt the need to come up with an explanation remains to be seen.

I don't like it, but the audios with Susan will be retconned, whether we like it or not.
BBC doesn't really like (and apparently isn't even allowed) to reference stuff that costs money, and Moffat had to literally fight his way in to get "The Night of the Doctor" greenlit. And, as much as I think it is unfair, audiodramas are still a very niche thing and the majority of the viewers won't be able to enjoy them, sadly.
I'm very sure her very emotional and actually heartbreaking reunion with the Doctor in audios will be retconned. Will I be pissed? Yes. But this is the reality where we live, sadly(

I'm worried that Susan and the Rani will be wasted like Sutekh was.

If he is gonna redcon the Bigfinish stuff then it needs to be better and well ..... those Time War Box Sets with her where realy good.

I'm sneaking into the comments with my spoiler blinkers on just to say: completely agree. Susan's return is well overdue and I want that fleshed out, meaty drama that we really need when she reunites with the Doctor. He basically dumped her and never went back, there needs to be some consequence to that, in terms of their characters meeting.
Took the words right out my mouth regarding her needing an episode centred around it, not just a bit part. Here's hoping that she gets the Sarah Jane treatment rather than the Mel one.
NB not that it isn't great to see Mel again and she's had a couple of nice moments with the Doctor, but it hasn't really gone beyond just meeting an old friend in the street on your way to the shops.

Personally I think doctor who is to far gone to bring back the doctor’s granddaughter

I'm thinking that she will return and at some point, soon after, she will regenerate into another actress. If that did happen it would be interesting to see her as a companion to the doctor for a few seasons.

Something that I think could be interesting is if at the end of the current story arc, Susan were to regenerate so that the character can return in the future. Not necessarily as a full-time companion, but just as someone that pops up every now and again for a story or two. Think something like River Song, or Captain Jack, or the Paternoster gang. There’s so much you could do with that narratively

Spoiler free if you’ve seen the latest episode! I’m a busy guy, I still haven’t seen it yet! And you launch right in with a HUGE spoiler! Spoiler free my ass!

I don't care about your feelings.