Season 14; Russell T Davies Returns

I never had a problem with Mel (Bonnie), even though she was hired to scream in tune with the show's cliffhanger. It's a shame to hear so much preemptive hatred for a character whose only real offence was to not be given much to do (and testing people's eardrums now and then).

Having seen the occasional person reacting to Classic Who with no prior experience (and unclouded by past politics), quite a few seem to like Mel due to being an optimistic spitfire who doesn't act like a yes-girl.

What they choose to do with her in the present will be much more important. Having said that, I've not been keeping up with the show in years, so I'm not chomping at the bit to see what happens.

Unfortunately, "saved" is arguably too strong a word. While Big Finish is certainly known and popular, not every Whovian consumes it, and the vast majority of response to Mel's return was primarily negative or neutral (given she came and went during one of the least watched periods of the show's entire history, and quite a lot who did see her at the time likely have a negative impression by default). By extension, not everyone has had the pleasure of getting the 'edge softened' via the audio work.

As mentioned, I've noticed quite a few people dipping their toes into Classic Who and enjoying Mel - some even being upset when she leaves at the end of S24. I have never had an issue with Mel - helped by being an old McCoy-era fan - and as usual, Big Finish - not to mention cast appearances on the BoxSets (eg. behind the sofa, interviews and documentaries, etc) certainly help to soften the situation - but sadly, the response still seems primarily neutral (at best), so a lot will depend on how her return is handled.

Regardless, I'm very curious to see what happens next.