It would have been great to have seen more of the Sixth Doctor and Mel
Colin has toned down his performance for his final six episodes. The Doctor isn’t as brash, smug and argumentative. He’s almost sweet when complimenting Mel on her good memory. Although she has never been a fan favourite, Bonnie Langford is much better than she is given credit for, too. Mel is innocent and earnest, which makes her less obviously interesting to watch than Turlough or Tegan, and there’s an asexual quality to her characterisation that is unusual for a ‘Doctor Who’ companion. However, she plays Mel as smart, highly perceptive, capable and fiercely loyal to the Doctor. There’s something appealingly puppy-like about her. Although her chemistry with Colin is good, she was even better-suited to Sylvester McCoy’s clown-like Seventh Doctor, sharing his wide-eyed innocence. Nevertheless, it’s intriguing to wonder what a third Colin Baker season, paired with Bonnie Langford as a companion who relishes her time with the Doctor, might have looked like. In the final analysis, Peter Davison was my Doctor when growing up. Colin Baker was always the one who replaced my Doctor. And his short tenure doesn’t give quite enough time to allow the era to find its groove and the audience to take this Doctor to heart. Despite the childhood nostalgia, the Sixth Doctor’s era has grabbed me the least of any to date.
See our roundup of the Fifth Doctor Peter Davison’s era, and join us again when we reach the Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy.
