Doctor Who: The Giggle Review - 8 Ups And 4 Downs
10. UP - Mel Is Back!
With all due respect to Bonnie Langford, we aren’t sure Mel was top of anyone’s list of companions to return this year, with many iconic companions still yet to make an appearance in the modern era (Susan, Jamie, Leela, and Romana to name just a few), but we aren’t mad at the continuation of Chibnall’s trend of paying homage to '80s Who.
In fact, Mel is one of the few things in these specials paying tribute to anything other than RTD’s own Series 4, so we’ll take it.
With her limited screen time here, Mel feels much better utilised and organically slotted in than Tegan and Ace’s nostalgia bait last year, and Langford puts in the better performance of the three as well. We enjoyed her short moments with Fourteen, which we assume will be expanded upon when UNIT returns in Fifteen's first season, and we also appreciated her and Donna working together to solve the mystery of the giggle, showcasing her own competence and strengths in a way she was rarely given the chance to during her own era.
We look forward to seeing what RTD does with Mel going forward!