Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the Doctor is gearing up to be a big one, with previous companions Tegan and Ace returning to The Power of The Doctor special.
But who are companions Tegan Jovanka and Ace?
When were they in Doctor Who and what have they said about their return?
Here’s everything you need to know about Tegan and Ace’s return to Doctor Who…
Doctor Who: Who is Tegan Jovanka?
Tegan Jovanka, played by Australian actress Janet Fielding, joined the original Doctor Who series back in series 18 in 1981.
She was a companion to the Fourth and Fifth Doctors (Tom Baker and Peter Davison respectively).
We met Tegan as she was about to start her first day as a flight attendant at Heathrow Airport but, instead of getting on a plane, she ended up stumbling into the TARDIS!
She found The Doctor during his regeneration and was taken to the planet of Logopolis – unbeknown to The Doctor and his companion Adric.
In her first episode, she met The Master who tried to murder her aunt Vanessa with the Tissue Compression Eliminator.
Assisting Adric and The Doctor in stopping The Master’s plans, she witnessed The Doctor’s fourth regeneration into the Fifth Doctor.
She helped with his regeneration and joined him in defeating The Master.
Tegan went on to join The Fifth Doctor in his travels.
She starred in all but two episodes with Peter Davison’s Doctor.
Tegan left the Doctor in 1984 in The Resurrection of the Daleks.
Disillusioned by witnessing the violent Dalek civil war, she decided to leave the Doctor and return to Earth.
If you recognise The Master’s name, that’s because the character has recently returned to Doctor Who played by Sacha Dhawan.
As Tegan returns, it looks like The Doctor will need her help in defeating The Master once again.
Who is Ace in Doctor Who?
Actress Sophie Aldred played Ace, a companion to the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy).
Ace joined the 27th series of Classic Doctor Who in 1987.
She teamed up with the Doctor as a reckless and confident teenager, but matured over the course of time that she travelled with the Doctor.
The troubled teen met the Seventh Doctor in the BBC show when she got swept up in a time storm.
She got trapped on Iceworld (a trading colony for space travellers) and got a job as a waitress in Iceworld’s ice cream parlour.
Ace met the Doctor there, and he invited her to join him on the TARDIS.
The teen later learnt that her arrival on Iceworld was not an accident, but a plan by one of the Doctor’s enemies Fenric.
Ace subsequently joined the Doctor as his companion, battling notable villains such as the Daleks, Cybermen and especially important for The Power of the Doctor, The Master.
Ace faced The Master in her final three episodes of Doctor Who. The Master took over the TARDIS and Ace bravely attacked him, by the Doctor held her back and kept her away.
It was never really made clear why Ace left the Doctor.
She starred in the final TV serial Survival and returned to Earth, but found that most of her friends were gone.
Hopefully, The Power of the Doctor will finally give us some answers.
Read more: Who is Ncuti Gatwa? How do you pronounce his name?
What we know about Tegan and Ace’s return in The Power of the Doctor…
Janet Fielding and Sophie Aldred will both reprise their roles as Tegan and Ace respectively.
Janet said about her return: “I didn’t anticipate that it would be anything other than a tiny cameo.
“I just assumed that that’s what it would be. And it wasn’t!”
She teased: “The former companions who are on Earth have managed to get in contact with each other.
“She (Tegan) and Ace know that something is happening and that the activity is likely to be alien.
“And they are investigating…”
Sophie Aldred – aka Ace – recalled getting the job on Doctor Who.
She said: “I’ll never forget where I was.
“I was in the conservatory in my house and I got the call from my agent.
“I put the phone down and burst into tears.
“The call I didn’t realise I’d been waiting for all these years.”
She adds that fans “will not be disappointed” with Ace’s return in Jodie Whittaker‘s final outing as The Doctor.
We can’t wait to discover the role Tegan and Ace play in Ncuti Gatwa‘s first appearance as Doctor Who.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor airs on BBC One on Sunday October 23 at 7:30pm.
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