Doctor Who: 10 More Characters We Want To See Return

3. Romana

Doctor Who Romana Lalla Ward
BBC Studios

Of all the Doctor’s companions, Romana is arguably the one most deeply connected to Doctor Who mythology. She is also the only one to date to have been played by two different actresses, having regenerated in Destiny of the Daleks. Her place in the show’s history and the fact that she could be played by any actress or indeed actor, make her an ideal choice for a revisit.

Romana had one of the more mysterious entrances, and like Clara was planted on the Doctor, though in her case by the White Guardian. An unwilling traveller at first and highly critical of the Doctor’s cavalier ways, she soon developed a fondness for him as they searched for the pieces of the Key to Time.

When she returned in the body of Princess Astra, as played by Mary Tamm, Romana had begun to model herself on the Doctor, symbolised by their shared fashion sense. So when she was given the opportunity to return to Gallifrey, something she’d have once gladly taken, she turned it down preferring to stay in E-Space.

That was the last we saw of Romana on screen (Dimensions in Time aside), but according to official novels and audio’s she returned to Gallifrey to become High President. Fans hoping to see her back are eager to know what led to her disappearance during the Time War and how a resurrected Rassilon came to assume the Presidency.

Contributor
Contributor

Paul Driscoll is a freelance writer and author across a range of subjects from Cult TV to religion and social policy. He is a passionate Doctor Who fan and January 2017 will see the publication of his first extended study of the series (based on Toby Whithouse's series six episode, The God Complex) in the critically acclaimed Black Archive range by Obverse Books. He is a regular writer for the fan site Doctor Who Worldwide and has contributed several essays to Watching Books' You and Who range. Recently he has branched out into fiction writing, with two short stories in the charity Doctor Who anthology Seasons of War (Chinbeard Books). Paul's work will also feature in the forthcoming Iris Wildthyme collection (A Clockwork Iris, Obverse Books) and Chinbeard Books' collection of drabbles, A Time Lord for Change.