Ace, played by Sophie Aldred, was a lady who knew how to fire a rocket propelled grenade. With Ace around, viewers knew the Daleks couldn't win. Ace would beat them to pieces - quite literally, too. After the Classic programme ended in 1989, Ace returned in the Virgin New Adventures range of novels alongside the Seventh Doctor. Her character continued to develop, eventually leaving with her own limited-range time machine and setting up a home with Count Sorin (fulfilling the future hinted at in The Curse of Fenric novelisation). Other media gave her other endings (Ace was killed in the comic strip), for example, but once again the plethora of alternative continuations was merely an indication of how popular the character was. Due to this enduring popularity, Ace was meant to return to TV screens in The Sarah Jane Adventures, however her return was scuppered when Elisabeth Sladen so very sadly passed away. But why can't Ace return in Doctor Who proper? Her character is one of a select few that is well enough remembered for a return to be practical, and fans are naturally curious as to what Ace's story would have been...
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
