Why Every Classic Companion Left Doctor Who
2. Bonnie Langford - Melanie Bush
Bonnie Langford was a household name when she debuted as Mel in episode nine of The Trial of a Time Lord, but her casting was still controversial. Script editor Eric Saward, for example, was scathing about Langford in a 1986 interview with Starburst magazine.
As we've seen from the RTD2 era, Bonnie Langford is a terrific actor, but Mel's paper-thin characterisation by JN-T did nothing to enamour her to fans or indeed the actress herself. After a full series with Sylvester McCoy, Langford decided the time was right to leave, believing there was nowhere to take the character. Given that JN-T cast her because she was a "screamer", it's hard not to sympathise with Langford's reasons for leaving.