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Doctor Who star teases potential Belinda Chandra return after season 15 exit
The actor shared how she left things with showrunner Russell T Davies.
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Dan Fearon
- David Craig
Published: Saturday, 26 July 2025 at 12:19 pm
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Doctor Who star Varada Sethu has addressed the possibility of returning to the sci-fi drama in the future following her character's abrupt departure at the end of season 15.
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Belinda Chandra (Sethu) had among the shortest tenures of the principal companions in the modern Doctor Who era, with some fans expressing disappointment that she didn't get more time to flourish in the vital role.
In an interview with MTV UK's Chaiming In, Sethu called criticism of Belinda's exit storyline "unfair" and also addressed whether she could return to the TARDIS at any point in the show's future.
"I would love to go back if they'll have me back but it's all wrapped up for now," said Sethu to interviewer Shini Muthukrishnan. "Russell left it as was, 'The door's always open'."
We left Belinda living happily with her young daughter, Poppy, who the Doctor ultimately sacrificed himself to restore from Conrad's deceptive Wish World – so she could conceivably pop up for any additional Earthbound adventures.
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Of course, we don't yet know what the future of Doctor Who looks like, with the BBC yet to clarify the status of its co-production deal with Disney Plus. That said, reports suggest that the show will continue in some form with or without the US-based partner.
Continuing her discussion of the show on Chaiming In, Sethu recalled meeting original Doctor Who companion Carole Ann Ford for an on-camera interview as among her most moving moments during production.
"As I was having this conversation with her, the history of 60 years just came crashing down on me... To a certain extent, you can push it to the back of your mind that you're part of this," she explained.
"But in that moment, talking to the person that did it for the first time, that went through me completely."
You can see the conversation between Sethu and Ford here:
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Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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Authors
David CraigSenior Drama Writer
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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