Bonnie Langford heading back to 'Doctor Who' to play Mel Bush

June 8 (UPI) -- EastEnders actress Bonnie Langford is set to reprise her role of Melanie Bush on the iconic science-fiction series, Doctor Who.

Langford will share the screen with Ncuti Gatwa, who will begin his tenure as the Fifteenth Doctor during the winter holidays.

Langford began playing Mel in 1986.

The character was the companion to the Sixth and Seventh Doctors played by Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy.

She also had a cameo role in Jodie Whittaker's final episode as the Thirteenth Doctor in 2022.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Melanie Bush back," Langford said in a statement Wednesday.

"To be part of the exceptional cast, crew and production team led by the force of nature that is Russell T. Davies is a career highlight. I'm so privileged and proud to have been a member of the Doctor Who family since the classic era and to be included in the new generation is phenomenal."

Davies said her return to the franchise won't just be a cameo.

"Bonnie is right in the thick of the action, battling monsters and chaos and cliffhangers, right at the Doctor's side, just like the old days," he said.

Doctor Who returns in November with three special episodes starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor to coincide with the show's 60th anniversary.