Doctor Who: What Happened To Susan, The Doctor's Granddaughter
How did Susan's story develop after she departed Doctor Who? Played by Carole Ann Ford, Susan Foreman was The Doctor’s first companion, doubling as his granddaughter, and this time-traveling duo escaped their home planet of Gallifrey to settle in London, where Susan was subjected to the unforgiving environment of the British education system.
Unfortunately, their bond wasn't enough to prevent the Doctor locking Susan out of the TARDIS in the closing moments of 1964's "The Dalek Invasion of Earth." Justifying the decision, The Doctor said he knew Susan had fallen in love with human freedom fighter, David Campbell, but would never willingly leave his side. The Doctor realized the time had come for Susan to fly the TARDIS nest (which just so happened to coincide with Ford leaving Doctor Who) and The Doctor promised he would return, which he did... eventually.
From the perspective of the Doctor Who TV series, Susan wasn't heard from again until 1983 20th Anniversary special, "The Five Doctors", which teams up past Doctors alongside an assortment of companions. Although Susan is now 20 years older, it's implied that she hasn't seen her grandfather (any of them) during that time, but seems pleased regardless and there's no sense of resentment over their abrupt separation. The First Doctor and Susan's touching reunion is quickly interrupted by a homicidal Dalek pursuing them, which, working together, they soon get to shoot itself. Unfortunately, Susan is somewhat sidelined for the remainder of the adventure, spending most of her time trapped in the Fifth Doctor’s TARDIS with Turlough. If that wasn’t bad enough, she also manages to fall over while running and twists her ankle. "The Five Doctors" doesn't seriously address Susan's post-TARDIS life or her relationship with The Doctor, and she's soon returned home via the Time Scoop.
Managing to completely forget the existence of his granddaughter once more, The Doctor wouldn't meet Susan again until 2009's appropriately-titled Big Finish audio story, "An Earthly Child." Set 30 years after the Dalek occupation of Earth, the planet is in a sorry state and still recovering from 10 years of Dalek rule. Susan, now a widow, works for the Earth Council, trying to get the planet back on its feet. Susan senses that Earth is sliding back into the dark ages and believes the only way to stop this decline is via extraterrestrial assistance. Susan uses her Time Lord smarts to build a transmitter and secretly communicate with aliens, hoping they can aid Earth’s recovery.
Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor also picks up Susan’s transmission and actually makes time to travel to Earth and meet her. Unlike "The Five Doctors," there’s a palpable tension on this occasion, with Susan quite appalled her grandfather has used up so many regenerations since she met his fifth incarnation. In turn, The Doctor is very surprised to learn he has a great-grandson, Alex Campbell, and is especially shocked Susan could conceive a child with a human. Naturally, the original TARDIS duo are embroiled in another adventure, revealing the inevitable twist that the aliens Susan contacted via transmitter wish to enslave Earth, not help it.
The reunion then took an upturn, as The Doctor invited Susan and Alex on board the TARDIS for Christmas dinner along with current companion, Lucie Miller. This leads straight into the second Dalek invasion of Earth - an epic tale that sees Susan finally tell the Doctor how furious she was after he left her on Earth. However, Susan is happy her grandfather eventually kept his promise, even though it was quite a few lives later. Tragically, the Dalek forces claim the lives of both Alex and Lucie. This unhinges the Doctor, who tries to break the laws of time to save them, but Susan dissuades him, and he invites her to join him once again, providing a voice of reason against his dark impulses. Susan declines, the Doctor leaves, and she is left alone to grieve the loss of her son.
Ironically, Susan then moves into Coal Hill School, now converted into flats. Here, she is contacted by the Time Lords, who wish to recruit her in the Time War against the Daleks. Despite the best efforts of the Eighth Doctor, she agrees to join the fight and is picked up by a TARDIS to be taken to the front lines. This brings Susan’s adventures up to date, with the new Big Finish audio, "Susan’s War," exploring her battles in the Time War.
Doctor Who returns with "Revolution of the Daleks" this Christmas on BBC and BBC America.