When "An Unearthly Child" flickered onto British television screens in November 1963, viewers didn't see a lonely god or a cosmic warrior. They saw a girl. Specifically, a strange, jittery teenager listening to John Smith and the Common Men. She was Susan from Doctor Who, the very first companion and, crucially, the Doctor's granddaughter. She's the reason the whole show exists. If Susan hadn't been attending Coal Hill School, the Doctor might have just kept drifting through the vortex alone.
But then she left. And things got weird.
For decades, fans have wrestled with who she actually is. Is she a Time Lord? Is she even his biological granddaughter? Honestly, the show hasn't always been clear on the specifics. Susan Foreman—the alias she took on Earth—was portrayed by Carole Ann Ford with a mix of alien intelligence and, let's be real, a lot of screaming. She was written as a "typical" teen of the sixties, yet she could explain the fourth dimension while her teachers, Ian and Barbara, looked on in total confusion.
The Mystery of the Doctor’s Family Tree
The biggest question people always ask is about her parents. If Susan is the granddaughter, who is the Doctor’s son or daughter? The show has been famously cagey about this. In the 1960s, the concept of "Time Lords" hadn't even been invented yet. They were just two exiles from another time and another world.
Some expanded media, like the Virgin New Adventures novels or the Lungbarrow storyline, suggest the Doctor "loomed" his family from genetic machines. It’s a bit grim. However, on screen, the Doctor has explicitly mentioned being a father and a grandfather. In the 2006 episode "Fear Her," the Tenth Doctor tells Rose Tyler he was a father once. In "The Doctor’s Daughter," he mentions the loss of his family felt like a physical pain.
So, Susan is real. She isn't a projection or a trick. She is the biological link to the Doctor’s past life on Gallifrey.
Why Carole Ann Ford Left the TARDIS
Carole Ann Ford didn't leave because she hated the show. She left because she was bored. You've gotta feel for her. She was promised a character with telepathic powers and alien intuition. Instead, the writers often turned her into a "damsel in distress" who twisted her ankle every other episode.
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By the time the serial "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" rolled around in 1964, Ford had had enough. Her exit is still one of the most emotional moments in the franchise's history. The Doctor realizes Susan has fallen in love with a resistance fighter named David Campbell. He also realizes she will never leave him voluntarily because she feels a sense of duty. So, he locks the TARDIS doors. He leaves her behind in a ruined, post-apocalyptic London to build a life of her own.
"One day, I shall come back," he promised. "Yes, I shall come back."
He didn't. At least, not for a very long time.
The "Lungbarrow" Problem and Other Theories
There’s a segment of the fandom that thinks Susan isn't actually related to him. This stems from a book called The Dead Tree and other spin-off media that hint she might be "The Other," a co-founder of Time Lord society reincarnated. It’s complicated. Most casual viewers ignore this, and frankly, the modern show seems to as well.
When Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor had a photo of Susan on his desk at St. Luke’s University, it reaffirmed her importance. She isn't some forgotten relic of the black-and-white era. She is the foundation.
- The Telepathy Factor: Susan displayed more psychic ability than almost any other companion.
- The Name: "Susan" was a name she chose for herself. Her Gallifreyan name remains a mystery, though some sources suggest it was Arkytior, which allegedly means "Rose" in High Gallifreyan.
- The Age Gap: While she looked 15, she was actually much older. In "The Sensorites," she talks about her home planet with a wisdom that far exceeds a human teenager.
What Happened After the Dalek Invasion?
What does a Gallifreyan do in 22nd-century London? She builds. She survives.
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We actually get some answers in the Big Finish audio dramas. If you haven't listened to An Earthly Child, you're missing out. It features Carole Ann Ford returning to the role, revealing that Susan had a son named Alex. The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) actually visits her. It’s a bittersweet reunion. They deal with the fallout of the Doctor abandoning her for centuries. It’s raw. It’s human. It’s exactly what the TV show should have done years ago.
Then there’s the Time War. Everything changed then.
The Time War series of audios suggests Susan was recalled to Gallifrey to fight. Imagine that. The girl who used to scream at spiders was now a veteran of the greatest war in history. Some fans believe she died in the war. Others think she’s still out there, hidden by a Chameleon Arch, living a normal life just like the Doctor did in "Human Nature."
The Return of Susan in Modern Doctor Who?
For years, rumors have swirled that Susan would return. When the show brought back the Master, or Sarah Jane Smith, or even the Toymaker, fans immediately asked: "Where is Susan?"
During the 2024 season (Series 14/Season 1) with Ncuti Gatwa, the mystery of "The One Who Waits" and the constant references to the Doctor’s family had everyone on high alert. The Doctor explicitly talks about her. He wonders if she's still alive. He laments the fact that he never went back. This isn't just flavor text; it feels like the show is finally ready to address the "Susan shaped hole" in the Doctor’s heart.
The problem with bringing her back is the weight of expectation. If you recast her, do you lose the magic of Carole Ann Ford? If you use CGI, is it too creepy? Many believe that Susan might have regenerated. If she’s a Time Lord, she could look like anyone. She could be a character we've already met.
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Fact vs. Fiction: Common Misconceptions
People get a lot of things wrong about Susan. No, she wasn't the first person to call the ship the TARDIS; she claims she "coined the acronym," but the Doctor later implies it’s a standard term. No, she didn't die in "The Five Doctors"—that was just a brief return for an anniversary special where she got to hang out with the First Doctor (played by Richard Hurndall) again.
And most importantly: she wasn't just a sidekick. She was the Doctor’s conscience.
The Actionable Legacy of Susan Foreman
If you want to truly understand the depth of Susan from Doctor Who, don't just stick to the TV show. The narrative is too fragmented. You need to look at the "whoniverse" as a whole.
- Watch "An Unearthly Child": See the origin. Ignore the slow pace of 60s TV and focus on the chemistry. The Doctor is much crankier then, and Susan is his only anchor.
- Listen to Big Finish: Specifically The Quinnis and After the Daleks. These stories fill in the gaps of her life on Earth and her travels before the show started.
- Read "A Sarah Jane Adventure": While Susan doesn't appear, Sarah Jane mentions her, and it highlights how the Doctor's companions are a long, unbroken chain of people who were "left behind."
- Track the "Susan Triad" Theories: Without spoiling too much of the recent seasons, look into how the show uses the concept of "family" to drive the Doctor's current motivations.
The Doctor is a man who runs. He runs from his past, his mistakes, and his responsibilities. Leaving Susan was perhaps his greatest mistake, or his greatest act of mercy, depending on how you view it. He gave her a chance at a normal life, but in doing so, he broke his promise.
She remains the most significant character in the show’s history who hasn't had a proper, modern-day television homecoming. Whether she shows up as a regenerated warrior or an old woman living in a quiet flat in London, her presence is felt in every episode. She is the girl who started it all. She is the granddaughter of a madman with a box. And honestly? She’s probably the only person who ever truly understood him.
Next Steps for Fans
To get the full picture of Susan’s journey beyond the screen, your best bet is exploring the Big Finish audio range "Susan's War." It provides the most concrete "modern" context for her character during the Time War and bridges the gap between the classic era and the 2005 revival. Additionally, re-watching "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" with the knowledge of the Doctor's later regenerations adds a profound layer of tragedy to his final speech at the TARDIS doors.