10 Most Hated Doctor Who Characters
2. Mel Bush
Mel Bush, as played by Bonnie Langford, suffered slightly from how she was introduced to the audience. During Terror of the Vervoids, part of the Trial of a Time Lord serial, she is shown travelling with The Doctor as he stands in court. This was before he had actually met her, making her the first companion to meet the Doctor out of sync.
Though generally warm and affectionate, with a genuine interest in working with the Time Lord to investigate, resolve and improve, her piercing scream became something of an irritation to audiences. Her first serial with the Seventh Doctor, Time and the Rani, does not rank highly in Doctor Who serials, which also contributes her placement here.
Her backstory, such as it was, described her as a computer programmer, though this rarely affected her actions. She was more concerned with getting the Doctor to eat a healthy vegetarian diet and exercise. Both Peri and Ace, her predecessor and successor, were more interesting to the audience and were given greater scope to expand. Thankfully, Langford has returned for the Big Finish audio dramas. Through these, Mel has finally received her debut story with The Doctor, along with greater character development.