Sophie Aldred: Doctor Who can go on forever

24 October 2022

Sophie Aldred hopes that 'Doctor Who' will always remain on television.

Sophie Aldred

The 60-year-old actress played companion Ace opposite Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy in the sci-fi series from 1987 to 1989, making her the Time Lord's final TARDIS co-traveller before the classic series was taken off air.

Sophie reprised her role as Ace in the BBC centenary special 'The Power of the Doctor' which saw Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker regenerate into a familiar face with Tenth Doctor David Tennant back in the role as the Fourteenth Doctor. Ace was also reunited with the Seventh Doctor, who made a brief appearance.

From being part of the show when it was cancelled, Sophie hopes that it never happens again and it shouldn't because "there will always be a love for 'Doctor Who'".

When asked if the axe could fall again on 'Doctor Who' again, she told BANG Showbiz: “Who knows, it’s very interesting to see. With a cynical hat on you could say it depends on how much money it is making for people.

“I think there will always be a love for 'Doctor Who', obviously it’s going through a transformation period now, we don’t know what is coming up next, but it certainly is in extremely capable hands for the next few years. I would hope that 'Doctor Who' is always around."

Sophie believes the appeal of 'Doctor Who' is the fact the character is a time traveller who can go anywhere in the universe, something which means there are endless ideas for adventures, and the fact that the Doctor can regenerate at the end of each life span.

The actress - who also portrays Ace in the Big Finish audio stories and has reprised her role once again in new adventure 'Torchwood: Death In Venice' - said: "There’s no other superhero who can go anywhere in space and time. It’s an open book, isn’t it. It’s a fantastic format. So I don’t see why it couldn’t go on forever.

“Regeneration was a really clever trick, wasn’t it, after William Hartnell. It was really Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor, who made it live now. If he hadn’t been any good, and if he hadn’t been so brilliant, and if he hadn’t been so popular then they might not have bothered having another regeneration.”