Melanie Bush

Melanie Jane Bush, also known as Mel, was a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctor.

Biography []

Meeting the Sixth Doctor[]

At some point, Mel met the Sixth Doctor and began travelling with him. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids)

Early adventures[]

Mel and the Doctor received an unsigned mayday call sent from the Hyperion III by Hallett and went to investigate, soon becoming aware of a series of murders. Doland attempted to have her ejected from the ship with the laundry when she asked him about the Vervoid pods in the hydroponics centre, but the Doctor saved her and the Vervoids were killed. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids)

Taken out of time[]

Mel was captured by the Master and sent through time to Space Station Zenobia with Sabalom Glitz.

Mel spoke in defence of a younger version of the Doctor at his trial and watched his adventure in the Matrix from the trial room with Inquisitor Darkel, stealing the Keeper's key to go in and save him when he seemed willing to sacrifice himself. Upon learning that the Valeyard intended to assassinate those in the trial room, she returned to evacuate the Time Lords and later left with the Doctor, intending to get him back to drinking carrot juice and doing exercise. (TV: The Ultimate Foe)

The new Doctor[]

Whilst the Rani took the Seventh Doctor from the TARDIS, Mel was left behind and, upon waking, was caught in one of the Rani's traps from which she was saved by Ikona. She was reunited with the Doctor, whom she did not recognise and did not believe was him until he mentioned carrot juice and other memories. With Mel's help, the Doctor overcame his amnesia and they thwarted the Rani, liberating the Lakertyans. Assured by the new Doctor that he would grow on her, they left for adventures new. (TV: Time and the Rani)

While visiting Paradise Towers, Mel became separated from the Doctor and, heading for the swimming pool where they had agreed to rendezvous, she was saved from Tabby and Tilda by Pex, who joined her as her guide and sacrificed himself to kill Kroagnon. Mel was declared by Fire Escape to be a Kang on account of having destroyed a Cleaner and the Doctor was made an honorary one. (TV: Paradise Towers)

After they landed at G715, Mel and the Doctor ended up going to Shangri-La and helped Delta. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

Departure[]

Mel and the Doctor were reunited with Sabalom Glitz on Svartos, where they also met Ace. Following Kane's death, Mel decided to leave the Doctor and suggested that he invite Ace to join him. She chose to continue travelling the universe with Glitz aboard the Nosferatu. (TV: Dragonfire)

Legacy[]

As he regenerated, the Seventh Doctor imagined Mel calling his name. (TV: Alixion)

Personality[]

Mel had a perky personality. She greeted most situations with a warm smile and good humour. She was an optimist who generally believed the best of people's natures, although she tempered this optimism with a realism and scepticism borne of her scientific education. Her cheeriness could cool quite quickly if she detected a threat to herself, the Doctor or her friends. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids) In 1959, she tried to befriend Delta, and could see that she was distressed. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

Mel sometimes found it difficult to cope with the mundane. She displayed reluctance at the sight of the rather ordinary Shangri-La holiday camp in Wales in 1959. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

Mel prided herself on her innate honesty, (TV: The Ultimate Foe)

Mel's reaction to fear was variable. She sometimes met danger with a loud scream. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids, Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers) She was also possessed of an almost steely resolve. She might have cowered in fear upon first meeting the Vervoids and the Tetraps, but she composed herself quickly afterwards. On other occasions, she displayed little fear at all. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids, Time and the Rani) She showed a relatively even temperament when defeating the Valeyard (TV: The Ultimate Foe) facing down the Bannermen. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

Mel was a health enthusiast and a vegetarian, often encouraging the slightly portly Sixth Doctor to exercise more. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids)

Relationship with the Doctor[]

Mel often spurred the Doctor to adventure, as when she insisted they stay on the Hyperion III to explore, against the Sixth Doctor's judgement, (TV: Terror of the Vervoids)

Skills[]

Mel possessed an eidetic memory. (TV: Terror of the Vervoids, The Ultimate Foe)

Mel Bush proved able with martial arts. (TV: Time and the Rani)

Physical Appearance[]

Mel was four foot ten and had curly red hair and brown eyes.

Other Information[]

Miscellaneous[]

Mel is the first British companion since Sarah Jane Smith departed.

Behind the Scenes[]

Mel's last name is never spoken in any televised appearance and the closing credits in her original appearances identify her only by her first name. Her surname is, however, regularly used in novels.
According to his book The Companions, John Nathan-Turner planned to begin Season 24 with a storyline explaining how the Sixth Doctor met Mel. This story was never produced due to Colin Baker's removal from the role.
Mel was the only character in the original series to be depicted on television as having an asynchronous relationship with the Doctor,
Mel also appeared in the gag-comic strip How Much For Just The Planet? .
She and Susan remain the only televised companions without a televised story on how they met the Doctor.
There were plans for her to stay on for Season 25, but Bonnie Langford decided to leave the series, feeling there wasn't much more to be done with her character. So, the ending of Dragonfire was amended to have her leave with Sabalom Glitz while Ace went off with the Doctor.
Her character being a fitness fanatic was inspired by the workout craze of the late 1980s, which had been popularised by celebrities such as Jane Fonda.
John Nathan-Turner's main stipulation for her character was that she have red hair, hence why Bonnie Langford was cast.
Her last name was inspired by Shepherd's Bush.

Melanie Bush

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