Finally, Doctor Who Is Fulfilling A Promise The Doctor Made 61 Years Ago

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Warning: MASSIVE Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 6, "The Interstellar Song Contest."Carole Ann Ford's return as Susan in Susan's cameo in "The Interstellar Song Contest" is her first Doctor Who episode not to also include the First Doctor, who left her behind in 1964.

Originally starring opposite her onscreen grandfather, William Hartnell's First Doctor, Susan appeared in over 50 episodes of the show before Ford's departure. She returned in 1983's "The Five Doctors" to celebrate Doctor Who's 20th anniversary, but hasn't been seen since. Her addition to Doctor Who season 15's cast is the first inarguably canon appearance since 1983. Although Ford has reprised her role in audio adventures, and Susan has returned in other forms of Doctor Who media, such as novels, these all hold a more nebulous place in the show's established continuity. Now, the franchise finally has her back for real.

Doctor Who Season 15, Episode 6 Directly Sets Up The Doctor Returning To Susan

The First Doctor promised to return to Susan after locking the TARDIS doors

"The Interstellar Song Contest" does feature the return of Carole Ann Ford as she reprises her role as the Doctor's granddaughter, but the character of Susan is never physically in the episode. Instead, she appears in visions that only Ncuti Gatwa's version of the Time Lord can see or hear. Although the exact reason she's reaching out isn't revealed within the episode, it's clear that she's trying to summon Fifteen to her for help. This is a compelling development in its own right, but also promises to tie up a 61-year-old Doctor Who loose end.

In an emotional monologue to his granddaughter from the locked blue box, the First Doctor acknowledges that his granddaughter is outgrowing him.

After helping to save 22nd-century London from a Dalek invasion in a 1964 Doctor Who story, Hartnell's Doctor seals the TARDIS doors and intentionally leaves Susan behind. In an emotional monologue to his granddaughter from the locked blue box, the First Doctor acknowledges that his granddaughter is outgrowing him, and that she deserves to live a normal life with the man she has fallen in love with during the adventure. However, he tells her their parting is not a final farewell, and that he will return to her one day. Sadly, this never happened - until now.

Why The Doctor Never Reunited With Susan

Doctor Who's main character waited far too long to return to his granddaughter

Susan has been referenced in Doctor Who since Ford left the show, but surprisingly few times, especially considering her importance to the franchise's inception and formative years. That said, she received a substantial namedrop in Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord." Set primarily in 1963 London, the 2024 episode teases the possibility that Fifteen will go and visit his younger self and his granddaughter, as the two had parked the TARDIS in a junkyard within the city during that period in their lives. This doesn't happen, but it does teach new viewers about Susan's existence.

THE DOCTOR: "I parked the TARDIS in a junkyard and I lived there with my granddaughter, Susan."

RUBY: [Speechless]

THE DOCTOR: "You okay?"

RUBY: "Your what?"

THE DOCTOR: "My granddaughter."

RUBY: "Susan?"

THE DOCTOR: "We could go and have a look. But, you know, timelines..."

- Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord."

During the exchange with Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday, the Doctor's companion asks where Susan is now - meaning the present day. Fifteen its he doesn't know, but speculates that his granddaughter is dead at the hands of the Master (Sacha Dhawan) and the villain's Time Lord genocide he carried out during the era of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor. Fifteen has every reason to believe his theory is correct, but he doesn't know for certain whether his granddaughter survived the event that killed all the other Time Lords.

It would presumably be very easy for the Doctor to locate Susan if he really wanted to.

Therefore, this presents the very reasonable assumption that the Doctor has consciously chosen not to make good on his promise to return to Susan after all this time so many different faces. It would presumably be very easy for the Doctor to locate Susan if he really wanted to. However, the time he spent away from his granddaughter started to grow and grow in line with his obsessive need to save people throughout space and time. At a certain point, it became too uncomfortable for him to go back to Susan, because so long had ed without them interacting.

Doctor Who season 14's finale made it seem like the Susan reference in "The Devil's Chord" was a red herring, but I'm so glad it turned out to be relevant after all.

If Susan hadn't been the one to break the radio silence between them in "The Interstellar Song Contest," it's possible she would have been waiting forever for her grandfather to come back to her. Of course, the Doctor almost never declines a request for aid, so there's no way he will ignore Susan's telepathic means of doing so. Either way, Fifteen will first need to process exactly what he has perceived.

Susan Returned In "The Five Doctors," But It Wasn't A True Reunion

Carole Ann Ford's 1983 Doctor Who comeback kind of doesn't count

"The Five Doctors" did bring Susan back to Doctor Who, but the special's timey-wimey premise meant that it didn't affect the streak of unbroken centuries regarding the Doctor's unfulfilled promise to return to his granddaughter. Carole Ann Ford reprises her original role among the cast of established franchise stars, but plays Susan from a period in her timeline set before the First Doctor left her behind. So, from her point of view, that promise hadn't yet been made. The episode's other Doctors would certainly have ed it, but there is an issue with "The Five Doctors" that impacts this phenomenon.

There's a strong argument to suggest that "The Five Doctors" isn't part of Doctor Who's main canon.

Basically, there's a strong argument to suggest that "The Five Doctors" isn't part of Doctor Who's main canon. Of course, such a concern wasn't quite so prominent back during that era of the franchise, but it's still an important thing to consider in the present day. It's certainly an exciting caper, but the multi-Doctor story has since been implied to have been forgotten by everyone involved. With Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor serving as the show's active leading man at the time, he's the only iteration of the Time Lord within the episode who would technically be able to it.

Ncuti Gatwa smiling as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who with Varada Sethu's Belinda Chandra smiling in the background

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Furthermore, when David Tennant's Tenth Doctor reunites with Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), who was also in "The Five Doctors," the Doctor's former companion recounts the last time they saw one another. In short, Sarah Jane doesn't mention "The Five Doctors," which would have marked their last interaction, if she ed it. If the episode is gone from Sarah Jane's memory, then it is likely to have been wiped from the memory of Carole Ann Ford's Doctor Who character as well.

Doctor Who Season 15's Release Schedule On Disney+
Episode	Title	Release Date (2025)
1	"The Robot Revolution"	April 12
2	"Lux"	April 19
3	"The Well"	April 26
4	"Lucky Day"	May 3
5	"The Story and the Engine"	May 10
6	"The Interstellar Song Contest"	May 17
7	"Wish World"	May 24
8	"The Reality War"	May 31