On December 26, 1964, Doctor Who said goodbye to a companion for the first time ever, as one of the series’ most important figures left the TARDIS team. Doctor Who first hit our screens in November 1963, and, 62 years later, has since become the longest-running sci-fi series on TV, and one of the most influential, revolutionary, and culturally significant TV shows in history. The show’s longevity has been allowed by regular cast turnover, with the Doctor’s own regenerative ability enabling new actors to take over the role every few years, and companions leaving and joining the TARDIS team.

61 years ago to the day, Susan Foreman left the TARDIS, becoming the first companion ever to decide against traveling through time and space. Played by Carole Ann Ford (The Day of the Triffids), Susan was introduced as the Doctor’s granddaughter and a fellow renegade Time Lord. Susan traveled with the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and her teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) until 1964’s “The Dalek Invasion of Earth,” in which she chose to remain in London in 2164 with her new love, David (Peter Fraser).

Why Susan Left the TARDIS & How Doctor Who Has Already Fumbled Her Return

Throughout the six-episode “The Dalek Invasion of Earth,” Susan formed a close bond with David, who saves the Doctor and helps them defeat the Daleks. Susan and David quickly fall in love, and he begs her to stay behind and marry him when the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara are preparing to leave. The Doctor gives his blessing and all but throws Susan out the TARDIS, saying that she deserves to live a normal life. This was the first major departure for Doctor Who, while every single subsequent companion has followed a similar path.

Unlike many companions, however, Susan almost made a full return to Doctor Who in 2025. While Susan was initially thought to have fallen victim to the Master’s (Sacha Dhawan) attack against Gallifrey and the Time Lords, though the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) expressed hope he’d see her again. Susan finally returned in “The Interstellar Song Contest” in 2025, where she appeared in a series of visions to the Doctor, encouraging him to find her. She then briefly flashes across his screen in “Wish World,” but we’re still waiting for Ford to properly reprise her role.

In conversation with Cultbox in October 2025, Ford revealed she did indeed return in a scene that was cut after Doctor Who season 15’s ending was changed. “We were watching by newly-embodied grandfather… singing and dancing in a party in a shop opposite where we were… that was unfortunately not to be—for reasons I know and will not disclose.” With Doctor Who returning in 2026, the door is open for Ford to still make her official return, but it’s a shame the teases of her coming back as Susan Foreman weren’t followed through.

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