The newest episode of Doctor Who Season 14, ‘The Devil’s Chord’, makes reference to an old Doctor Who character, but does the Time Lord actually have a granddaughter?
The second episode of Doctor Who Season 14 is a mad one, with discount versions of The Beatles and Cilla Black running around, along with a music-stealing villain. But one thing that might stop viewers dead in their tracks is the Doctor’s mention of a granddaughter.
Even for loyal viewers of Doctor Who, this may not make much sense. Hasn’t the Doctor always been the last of his kind? Well, his reference isn’t completely out of the blue, since the Doctor’s granddaughter has actually been a long-standing part of Who history.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Doctor Who episode reference, with details on who this mysterious granddaughter actually is.
The Doctors’ granddaughter reference in ‘The Devil’s Chord’ explained
In ‘The Devil’s Chord’, the Doctor makes mention of living with his granddaughter in Shoreditch, which is a reference to Susan Foreman, who traveled with the First Doctor as his companion.
For context, the moment comes in Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 2 when the Doctor and Ruby Sunday are standing on the roof of Abbey Road Studios. The Doctor points to the city and says: “I live over there. Shoreditch. I’m there right now.”
He’s referring to the actual year of 1965, where that version of him would have been living in Totter’s Lane with Susan after parking the TARDIS in a junkyard. When a stunned Ruby asks him if he does have a granddaughter, he says: “I did… I have… I will have… Time Lords get a bit complicated.”
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When Ruby asks where Susan is in her time (modern-day London) the Doctor admits he doesn’t know. In all likelihood, the genocide of the Time Lords rolled across time and space, and it’s possible that she would have died, too.
Who is Susan Foreman?
Susan Foreman referred to herself as the Doctor’s granddaughter, though multiple stories across the show, short stories, and accompanying materials have offered slightly different takes on the character.
The general belief regarding Susan Foreman is that she and the Doctor fled their home planet Gallifrey (though a differing tale was told during the Eighth Doctor’s era), which would have made Susan a Gallifreyan, but not a Time Lord. When they landed on Earth, Susan found herself adjusting to human life nicely, and even settled in at a local school.
But her teachers eventually discovered the truth about her, so the Doctor kidnapped them, bringing them along during his and Susan’s adventures for a short while. When Susan eventually fell in love with a freedom fighter named David Campbell, the Doctor realized that he would have to let her go after they saved Earth from a Dalek invasion. (You can watch the moment for yourself below.)
Susan has been mentioned across the years throughout Doctor Who media. In the TV series, she first appeared in Season 1 Episode 1 in 1963, but also made appearances in Season 2, in the 20th and 30th anniversary episodes, and in Season 7. The Twelfth Doctor had a framed picture of Susan on the desk in his office at St Luke’s University, alongside a picture of River Song.
Whether this is an indication that Susan could have a larger part to play in the new era of Who remains to be seen. To make sure you don’t miss a thing, keep an eye on the Doctor Who Season 14 release schedule. You can also make sure you’re up to date with Ruby Sunday, and check out our full ‘The Devil’s Chord’ review.
