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With a universe to explore, it can be a LONG wait for Doctor Who to revisit certain faces...
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00:00Although the universe is a vast place, the Doctor seems to bump into the same familiar faces with
00:05alarming regularity, whether it's Captain Jack Harkness or the latest incarnation of the Master.
00:10However, there are other characters who go about their daily lives for decades without ever bumping
00:15into the Doctor. So, with that in mind, I'm Ellie with Who Culture, here with the 10 longest gaps
00:21between Doctor Who character appearances.
00:2410. Joe Grant – 13,639 Days
00:29Third Doctor companion Joe Grant was instantly recognisable to Doctor Who fans in The Power of
00:34the Doctor when actress Katie Manning's laugh could be heard during Graham's speech at the
00:38companion meeting. But of course, this wasn't the first Doctor Who return that Manning had made since
00:43she departed the role in 1973's The Green Death. Joe's departure is one of the most melancholic
00:48exits in all of Doctor Who, and it was only right that she made a return to the show.
00:52The Long Way Round
00:53After Matt Smith's first series, Russell T. Davis wrote what many believed would be his
00:58last script for the Doctor in the Sarah Jane Adventures two-parter Death of the Doctor,
01:02which featured the long-awaited return of Joe. Part 1 aired on 25th October 2010, just over 37
01:09years since Joe got engaged to Professor Clifford Jones in the final episode of The Green Death
01:15on 23rd June 1973. Death of the Doctor also updated fans on the whereabouts of Ace, who missed out on
01:21this
01:21list by a few thousand days, and Ian, but more on him later.
01:25Number 9. The Movellons, 13,721 Days
01:30In one of those crazy rolls of the dice that only an exiting Doctor Who showrunner would attempt,
01:35The Movellons made a brief cameo at the start of Peter Capaldi and Stephen Moffat's final series.
01:41Making one appearance in Terry Nation's unloved final Dalek story, Destiny of the Daleks, the logical
01:47androids were pitched as the Daleks' greatest enemies. Not due to their strength, but due to
01:52the stalemate that was caused by the immovable forces of logic and hatred. They never appeared
01:57again, and probably never would have if it weren't for a mischievous aside from Mark Gatiss.
02:02Reading the script for the pilot, Gatiss observed that the Doctor Bill and Nardole should arrive
02:07during a Dalek skirmish with the Movellons, just for the sheer hell of it. It was a fun reference that
02:12gave fans a laugh without alienating the casual viewer. Destiny of the Daleks concluded on the
02:1822nd of September 1979, leaving an almost 38-year gap before their cameo appearance in the pilot
02:25on the 15th of April 2017.
02:28Number 8. The Sisterhood of Khan, 13,810 Days
02:33Stephen Moffat was the king of the deep-cut Doctor Who reference, and so it was that the
02:38Sisterhood of Khan became recurring characters between 2013 and 2015. Originally appearing in
02:451976's The Brain of Morbius, the Sisterhood were the keepers of the Sacred Flame, which created the
02:51much sought-after elixir of life. The fourth Doctor found time during his busy schedule battling the
02:56resurrected Time Lord villain Morbius to reignite the flagging Sacred Flame. 37 years later, our time,
03:03the eighth Doctor was in serious need of the Sacred Flame's healing properties in 2013's
03:08Night of the Doctor, and it was the elixir of life that triggered his eventual regeneration into
03:13the War Doctor. Sisterhood member Ohila would later arrive on Gallifrey in the Series 9 finale
03:19Hellbent to chastise the Twelfth Doctor for his reckless behaviour. To this day, this is the last
03:24time the Sisterhood has been seen in a televised story.
03:28Number 7. The Zygons, 13,945 Days
03:33The Zygons were David Tennant's favourite villain growing up, so it was a surprise that they never
03:38appeared during his tenure. Brilliantly designed, they were one of Doctor Who's most iconic one-shot
03:44monsters, until they finally returned in 2013. The inclusion of the Zygons in the 50th anniversary
03:50special The Day of the Doctor may have been an added sweetener to get Tennant back on board,
03:54but recent developments suggest that the actor will take any opportunity to slip back into the role.
03:59Between their first appearance in 1975 and their second appearance over 38 years later,
04:04the Zygons featured in comics, audio dramas and novels, and were even mentioned in 2010's
04:10The Pandorica Opens, but were never actually seen. Their ability to shapeshift would have made
04:15them ideal foes for Aliens of London slash World War 3, but for whatever reason we got the Slitheen
04:20instead. Thankfully, there was a much shorter gap between the Zygons' second appearance and their
04:24third, which came in 2015's The Zygon Invasion slash The Zygon Inversion. They're still out there
04:30among us, so hopefully we won't have to wait until Doctor Who's 90th anniversary in 2053 to see them
04:36again. Number 6, Tegan, 14,101 days. I mean, who can blame Tegan for staying away? Her aunt got shrunk
04:45by the Master, her grandfather got kidnapped, and her cousin was almost killed by the renegade Time Lord
04:50Amiga. Worse still, her travelling companion Adric crashed a freighter into prehistoric Earth and
04:55she watched countless humans and Silurians die. It feels like over 38 years is a good amount of
05:00time to deal with that trauma. That's how long it was between Tegan's ghostly apparition in the
05:05Caves of Andrazani's regeneration scene and her return in Jedi Whitaker's final story, The Power of the
05:10Doctor. Joining Tegan was Ace, who was last seen in Doctor Who 29 years ago in Dimensions in Time.
05:16Yes, it counts. So she doesn't qualify for this list. Even if you go with Ace's last regular
05:21appearance in 1989, Survival, she still doesn't quite make the cut. Tegan actress Janet Fielding,
05:27like many of the show stars do, maintained a connection with Doctor Who in her time away.
05:32Interestingly, she served as Paul McGann's agent when he was the 8th Doctor in the 1996 TV movie.
05:39Number 5, The Ice Warriors, 14,232 days.
05:44The Ice Warriors are one of Doctor Who's most fascinating creatures because they're not always
05:49villains. Introduced as such in the 1967 serial of the same name, they later became allies of the
05:55third Doctor before falling back on bad habits, with their last appearance in the classic series
06:00coming in 1974's The Monster of Peladon. This wasn't the original intention, however,
06:05and both the 6th and 7th Doctors were supposed to face the Ice Warriors, until Doctor Who's hiatus
06:10and cancellation sadly intervened. The Martian Warriors didn't even appear in the rogues' gallery
06:15of foes menacing the Doctors and the cast of EastEnders in Dimensions in Time. Criminal!
06:21Therefore, it took almost 40 years for the Ice Warriors to make their return to televised Doctor
06:26Who in 2013's Cold War. Writer Mark Gatiss had always wanted to bring the creatures back,
06:31but was met with resistance by a sceptical Stephen Moffat. Eventually, though, Gatiss got his wish,
06:36and would even bring them back again four years later in 2017's Empress of Mars.
06:42Number 4. The Macra. 14,624 days.
06:47In a display of how confident Russell T. Davis' Doctor Who was in its third series,
06:51it brought back a classic monster that nobody could have predicted, mostly because the monsters
06:56in question were from a 1967 Patrick Troughton serial that has been lost from the archives.
07:01Thankfully, the Macra aren't that hard to realise, they're literally just giant crabs.
07:05Still, it was an incredibly ballsy move by RTD to just throw them in the climax of Gridlock.
07:11For hardcore fans, it was a proper drop-your-bacon-sandwich moment,
07:14and for the less-informed Doctor Who viewers, they were giant menacing crabs, the best of both worlds.
07:19The final episode of The Macra Terror aired on the 1st of April, 1967,
07:23making the gap between appearances just over 40 years by the time Gridlock aired on the 14th of April 2007.
07:30Could the gap between their second and third appearances be even longer, or much shorter?
07:34Well, with RTD back at the helm, all bets are off.
07:37Number 3. Alpha Centauri, 15,751 days.
07:42In another cheeky Hail Mary by Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat, and once again in their final Doctor Who series,
07:49the duo brought back Alpha Centauri, a niche Doctor Who character who hadn't been seen or heard from in decades.
07:55The memorably designed character was once described by director Lenny Main as a giant green dick.
08:00Alpha Centauri appeared as such in the closing moments of Empress of Mars,
08:04and was again voiced by Issan Churchman, reprising the role after 43 years.
08:09Alpha Centauri wasn't a cheap bit of fan service either.
08:12It actually made sense to the context and themes of Gatiss' story.
08:16Airing as Britain made plans to leave the European Union,
08:19it portrays the Great Martian Empire's decision to join the wider galactic community.
08:23The first representative they meet is Alpha Centauri, last seen in 1974's The Monster of Peladon.
08:29Aside from the political parallels, getting a giant green dick back on primetime BBC One
08:34was exactly the sort of mischievous move you'd expect from Moffat and Gatiss.
08:39Number 2. The Great Intelligence, 16,363 days.
08:44In a neat bit of foreshadowing for the return of almost all of the web of fear back to the
08:48archives,
08:49the big bad of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary year was revealed to be The Great Intelligence,
08:54Sun's Yeti.
08:55The Great Intelligence made two memorable appearances during the Patrick Troughton era
08:59as a malevolent, disembodied force able to influence those in its grasp.
09:03The best-loved Great Intelligence story, The Web of Fear,
09:06was top of fan lists of lost stories they wanted to see return,
09:10and they would eventually get their wish in 2013.
09:12Before that exciting day, though, The Great Intelligence made its first appearance in 44 years,
09:17voiced by Sir Ian McKellen in the 2012 Christmas special, The Snowmen.
09:22Hilariously, the 11th Doctor has forgotten all about The Great Intelligence,
09:26given how long it's been since they crossed paths.
09:28This forgetfulness even leads to the Doctor accidentally giving the intelligence the idea
09:33to take over the London Underground in The Web of Fear.
09:36It was another of Stephen Moffat's deep-cut Doctor Who references
09:39that hinted at the exciting 50th anniversary year to come.
09:42Number 1. Ian Chesterton, 20,939 Days
09:47Ian Chesterton almost returned to Doctor Who for its 20th anniversary season in 1983,
09:53but actor William Russell was unavailable.
09:56Aside from a name-check in The Sarah Jane Adventures and The Day of the Doctor,
09:59the former Coal Hill teacher and original Doctor Who companion
10:03hasn't returned to the show since he and his colleague Barbara Wright
10:06arrived in London 1965 at the end of The Chase.
10:10After a hell of a long wait, 57 years,
10:13Ian returned to Doctor Who in the power of the Doctor
10:16as the elder statesman of Graham's companion support group.
10:20Hilariously, he's flummoxed by the idea of the grumpy old man he met in 1963
10:24now being a young woman.
10:26It was the perfect nod to Doctor Who's enduring legacy
10:29and the importance of both William Russell and Jacqueline Hill to the show.
10:33Without Ian and Barbara, we wouldn't have the Doctor
10:36as we've known them in the 57 years since they left the TARDIS,
10:39including Ian's cameo in a Doctor Who episode that celebrated 100 years of the BBC
10:44was doubly brilliant, given that at 97 years of age,
10:48William Russell has been around for almost the same amount of time.
10:51And that concludes our list.
10:53If there's some characters that haven't made a return
10:55that you would love to see back, then do let us know in the comments below.
10:59And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe
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11:05Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there and Instagram as well.
11:09And I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
11:12Don't forget to look for Sean Ferrick as well and Dan the Meigs too.
11:16I've been Ellie with Who culture.
11:17And in the words of River Song herself, goodbye, sweeties.
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