Who is Susan Twist’s character in Doctor Who? All the theories
This article contains spoilers for Doctor Who: Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord
After Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary specials and the 2023 Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road, we’ve been left with a fair few mysteries – including why actress Susan Twist keeps cropping up as various different characters.
Plus, now she’s been confirmed to return in season 14 in various different episodes.
Eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed that Twist appeared in two separate Doctor Who episodes in quick succession – in Wild Blue Yonder as Mrs Merridew and she also appeared at a concert in the Church on Ruby Road.
She also appears in new episodes Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord – and will return in next episode Boom, as per a confirmed cast list.
While it’s not out of the ordinary for actors to play different roles in the show, it’s definitely unusual for it to happen this quickly and this much – leading fans to wonder if there’s more to her than meets the eye.
So, who could Susan Twist’s character be? Fans have plenty of theories.
Who is Susan Twist’s character in Doctor Who?
So, first of all Twist cropped up in the opening scenes of Wild Blue Yonder as a maid accompanying Isaac Newton (played by Nathaniel Curtis). She was only seen briefly in the episode but the character was named as Mrs Merridew.
Next, fans noticed Twist at the concert played by Ruby’s band in The Church on Ruby Road. This time she was playing an unnamed character who made a request of the band: “Can you do Gaudete?”
Gaudete, which means ‘Rejoice Ye’ in Latin, is a Christmas carol thought to have been composed in the 16th century. We’re not sure if this will have any bearing in the show’s future but, when it comes to showrunner Russell T Davies, nothing can be overlooked!
Susan Twist as Mrs Merridew in Doctor Who’s Wild Blue Yonder. BBC
It’s also confirmed that Twist will appear in various episodes in season 14.
She appeared again – uncredited – in season 14 episode 1, Space Babies, as one of the humans who abandoned the space station orbiting the planet Pacifico Del Rio.
We see a brief snippet of a recording of Twist as “Comms Officer Gina”, who – like the rest of the crew – is signing off and leave the space babies to their fate.
In season 14 episode 2, The Devil’s Chord, Twist is credited simply as ‘Tea Lady’ – she appears in the canteen of the EMI Recording Studios, charging the Doctor and Ruby half a crown for two cups of tea. When the Doctor efers to the price as “daylight robbery”, the tea lady responds:”“That’s me, Margaret Lockwood, the wicked lady. Now there was a woman – statuesque.”
Susan Twist as the Tea Lady in Doctor Who’s The Devil’s Chord BBC
In the cast list for Boom, Twist is back again – credited as ‘Ambulance’ – and a clip shown on Doctor Who Unleashed makes it appear as though she might be playing some sort of AI.
There’s no further information about her character just yet, but there are certainly theories.
Some fans think Twist’s character will have something to do with Triad Technology, a company name that was spotted on set when season 14 was filming.
Some are convinced they saw the name Susan Triad on a poster of Twist in Russell T Davies’s office during an interview he gave during Imagine… Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me. Could she be a new villain – perhaps a tech mogul?
Twist has also appeared across various different times – could she be another time traveller following the Doctor? Only time will tell.
There are other mysteries that still haven’t been solved from the 60th anniversary episodes and the Christmas special too. Maybe Twist’s character has something to do with Ruby’s birth mother – 0r she’s the Meep’s boss, who was referenced in The Star Beast. Could she have something to do with the woman who picked up the gold tooth that trapped the Master in The Giggle?
Of course, nothing is confirmed yet but there are so many exciting possibilities – fingers crossed we’ll find out more in Gatwa’s first season!
All of Susan Twist’s roles in Doctor Who so far
Mrs Merridew – Wild Blue Yonder
Unnamed character at concert – The Church on Ruby Road
Comms Officer Gina – Space Babies
Tea Lady – The Devil’s Chord
Ambulance – Boom
Who is actress Susan Twist?
Susan Twist has had various roles across TV, radio, and stage. Early in her career, she was known for appearing in various episodes of Brookside, and she’s since appeared in Doctors, In the Flesh, Coronation Street and The Archers.
As for her stage career, she’s appeared in productions like The Three Musketeers, Prize Night, Jack Flash and Taming of the Shrew.
Doctor Who continues on Saturday 18th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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