Early Career and Doctor Who
Langford attended the Arts Educational School and the Italia Conti Academy stage school. Her first stage appearance was at four months, and her first public appearance was at 15 months when she danced in specially-made ballet shoes. She first came to public attention when, aged six years old, she won the talent show Opportunity Knocks. This led to early fame in the television series Just William, the 1974 Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Angela Lansbury, the 1976 film Bugsy Malone, and the 1977 film Wombling Free. During this time, she was appearing as a regular on a children's prime-time show made by Yorkshire Television called Junior Showtime, along with child stars Lena Zavaroni, Neil Reed and Glynn Poole among others.
Between 1986 and 1987, Langford played the role of Mel, companion to both the sixth and seventh Doctors in the classic science fiction series Doctor Who. She returned to the role in 1993 for Dimensions in Time, a special charity Doctor Who/EastEnders crossover episode as part of the BBC's Children in Need. She has continued to reprise the role in several audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions alongside the Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy Doctors (including as an alternative version of Mel with Michael Jayston as the Valeyard in the Doctor Who Unbound play He Jests at Scars...).
Langford was a featured dancer in BBC One's popular light entertainment series The Hot Shoe Show which she co-presented with Wayne Sleep. On 23 October 2005, she performed in Children Will Listen, a 75th birthday tribute to Stephen Sondheim at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Langford is also a panto regular; recent credits include Prince Charming in Cinderella at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (2005/2006); Peter in Peter Pan at the Richmond Theatre in Surrey (2008/2009); and Fairy Fuchsia in Jack & the Beanstalk at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford (2011-2012).
Read more about this topic: Bonnie Langford
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