| Mel Bush | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who character | |
 Bonnie Langford as Mel, in a promotional still from Terror of the Vervoids (1986) | |
| First appearance | The Trial of a Time Lord: Terror of the Vervoids (1986) |
| Last appearance | "Empire of Death" (2024) |
| Portrayed by | Bonnie Langford |
| Duration | 1986–1987, 1993, 2022–2024 |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human |
| Affiliation | |
| Home | Earth |
Melanie "Mel" Bush is a fictional character played by Bonnie Langford in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Mel is a computer programmer from the 20th century who is a companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors, first appearing on-screen when the Sixth Doctor showed an adventure with her to the Time Lords in order to prove that he would become a better person in the future. Following this, she is shown accompanying the Doctor as a companion, with no further explanation given as to how she met the Doctor.
Despite initial plans for the character's meeting with the Sixth Doctor to be depicted on-screen, the departure of Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker made this unable to happen. Due to changes in script production, Mel's character was altered to adapt to whatever script she was in, resulting in a lack of a character arc. Langford departed the role of Mel in 1987's Dragonfire; following this, Langford reprised the role of Mel in several audio drama productions produced by Big Finish Productions and made a cameo appearance in the 2022 serial "The Power of the Doctor." Mel went on to appear in a recurring role in following episodes of the series, where the character's backstory and personality were fleshed out in these episodes in greater depth than in her prior appearances.
Mel was unpopular in her original appearances due to appearing as a thinly characterized stereotype to audiences. Aspects of her portrayal have been praised, and further reappearances of the character following her departure from the series have been highlighted for broadening the character's depth.