Melanie Bush

Mel, as she appears in Time and the Rani

**Melanie Jane "Mel" Bush, BSc (Hons)** was a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors.

Although she was present for the Doctor's sixth regeneration, she did not witness it, as she was unconscious at the time. As a result, the presence of a new incarnation of the Doctor confused her and made it hard to adjust to the differences in his appearance and personality.

She had a temporally complex relationship with the Sixth Doctor, as she met him in an order different than he met her. Eventually, however, their timelines synchronised, and she had a more-or-less linear relationship to the Doctor, starting in the later period of his sixth incarnation. Her temporal relationship to the Seventh Doctor was considerably more straightforward and linear.

## Biography

### Adventures with the Sixth Doctor

She helped fight the Vervoids aboard the Hyperion III, from which she was almost ejected, (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*) and, on Oxyveguramosa, was taken by the Master to give testimony at the Doctor's trial. She left Zenobia with a younger version of the Sixth Doctor, who returned her to Oxyveguramosa. (PROSE: *The Ultimate Foe*)

Mel was present during the Doctor's regeneration, although she was unconscious at the time and did not witness it. According to one account, he suffered a fatal head injury whilst Mel was knocked out. (PROSE: *Time and the Rani*)

### Adventures with the Seventh Doctor

Whilst the First Rani took the Seventh Doctor from the TARDIS, Mel was left behind and, upon waking, was caught in one of the Rani's traps from which she was saved by Ikona. She was reunited with the Doctor, whom she did not recognise and did not believe was him until he mentioned carrot juice and other memories. With Mel's help, the Doctor overcame his amnesia and they thwarted the Rani, liberating the Lakertyans. Assured by the new Doctor that he would grow on her, they left for adventures new. (TV: *Time and the Rani*)

In search of a swimming pool, Mel and the Doctor went to Paradise Towers, where she was almost eaten by Rezzies and befriended Pex before he died to kill Kroagnon. (TV: *Paradise Towers*)

After they landed at G715, Mel and the Doctor ended up going to Shangri-La and helped Delta. (TV: *Delta and the Bannermen*)

### Departure from the TARDIS

Mel and the Doctor were reunited with Sabalom Glitz on Svartos, where they also met Ace. Following Kane's death, Mel decided to leave the Doctor and suggested that he invite Ace to join him. She chose to continue travelling the universe with Glitz aboard the *Nosferatu II*, (TV: *Dragonfire*) although, according to one account, she realised that she was not a traveller and needed somewhere that she could belong. (PROSE: *Dragonfire*) She intended to keep Glitz on the straight and narrow, keeping him from involving himself in "dodgy deals". (TV: *Dragonfire*)

### Legacy

Mel was amongst the faces the Doctor remembered whilst fighting against the Abbot in a draining pod. (TV: *Alixion*)

## Psychological Profile

### Personality

Mel had a cheery personality. She greeted most situations with a warm smile and good humour. She was an optimist who generally believed the best of people's natures, although she tempered this optimism with a realism and scepticism borne of her scientific education. Her generally perky personality could cool quite quickly if she detected a threat to herself, the Doctor or any friend. (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*) In 1959, she tried to befriend Delta, and could see that she was distressed. (TV: *Delta and the Bannermen*)

Mel sometimes found it difficult to cope with the mundane. She displayed reluctance at the sight of the rather ordinary Shangri-La holiday camp in Wales in 1959. (TV: *Delta and the Bannermen*)

Mel prided herself on her innate honesty. (TV: *The Ultimate Foe*)

Mel's reaction to fear was variable. She sometimes met danger with a loud scream. (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*, *Time and the Rani*, *Paradise Towers*) She was also possessed of an almost steely resolve. She might have cowered in fear upon first meeting the Vervoids and the Tetraps, but she composed herself quickly afterwards. On other occasions, she displayed little fear at all. (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*, *Time and the Rani*) She showed a relatively even temperament when defeating the Valeyard (TV: *The Ultimate Foe*) and facing down the Bannermen. (TV: *Delta and the Bannerman*)

Mel was a health enthusiast and a vegetarian, often encouraging the slightly portly Sixth Doctor to exercise more. (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*)

### Relationship with the Doctor

In her dealings with the Doctor, Mel was warmly affectionate. The manner of her departure from the Doctor was also gently affectionate. (TV: *Dragonfire*)

However, her proactive lifestyle led her to be bossy to the Doctor. She often spurred the Doctor to adventure, as when she insisted they stay on the *Hyperion III* to explore, against the Sixth Doctor's judgement, (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*)

### Skills

Mel possessed an eidetic memory. (TV: *Terror of the Vervoids*, *The Ultimate Foe*)

## Behind the Scenes

* Mel's last name is never spoken in any televised appearance and the closing credits identify her only by her first name. Her surname is, however, regularly used in novels, audios, and various other stories.
* According to his book *The Companions*, John Nathan-Turner planned to begin Season 24 with a storyline explaining how the Sixth Doctor met Mel. This story was never produced due to Colin Baker's removal from the role.
* Mel was the only character in the original series to be depicted on television as having an asynchronous relationship with the Doctor, unless multi-Doctor stories are taken into account.
* She and Susan remain the only televised companions without a televised story on how they met the Doctor.

## Appearances

### Season 23

* *Terror of the Vervoids*
* *The Ultimate Foe*

### Season 24

* *Time and the Rani*
* *Paradise Towers*
* *Delta and the Bannermen*
* *Dragonfire*