5 Ways To Get Through The Doctor Who Drought

For the past few years, we've been used to having new Doctor Who around this sort of time. Not this year, though. So what are us poor starved Whovians to do...?

Doctor Who: 10 Greatest Steven Moffat Episodes

Now that Doctor Who is getting a new showrunner in the near future, it's time to look at the best work of the previous incumbents of the job. Last month, it was Russell T Davies' turn. Today, it's the man who has overseen more Doctors than anybody- Steven Moffat...

Doctor Who: 10 Greatest Russell T Davies Episodes

Now that Doctor Who will get a new showrunner in the near future, it's time to look back at the best of the previous incumbents of the job. First up, the man who brought the show back from the dead - Russell T Davies...

Doctor Whos of Christmas Past - Version 2.0

A few years ago I made a handy go-to guide of Doctor Who's Christmas specials. Since then the Doctor has fought living snowmen, met his end on the planet Trenzalore and we've all got a little older. This year the cranky Twelfth Doctor comes TARDIS to sleigh with Santa Claus himself in 'Last Christmas' so it seems a perfect time to treat you all to an updated look at the Doctor Whos of Christmas Past...

The Christmas Invasion

Story: As the Doctor recovers from his recent regeneration, the Earth has to face the threat of the skeletal Sycroax without his help. Will he wake in time to save the world? And, more importantly, what will he be like?
Thoughts: Who's first Christmas special and still one of its best. It ingeniously makes us wait a whole forty minutes for our first proper meeting with this new Doctor  - which allows us to follow Billie Piper's Rose as she has to adjust to the change and fill the Doctor's role herself. With extra kudos for being a proper sci-fi story while also thoroughly Christmassy, this one's a ball!
Christmas Rating: 4 Christmas Puddings!

The Runaway Bride

Story: The Doctor suddenly finds himself with a new companion - mouthy bride-to-be Donna - who somehow ends up in the TARDIS rather than the alter. However, it seems something much bigger is happening this Christmas - something creepy-crawly...
Thoughts: A fun Christmas romp that well fits a day when everyone wants a jolly old time. Looking back now, its interesting to see Catherine Tate as someone quite different from the more rounded Donna from Series Four.
Christmas Rating: 3 Christmas Puddings!

Voyage of the Damned

Story: Taking a trip on an ill-fated starliner called the Titanic, the Doctor - accompanied by ambitious waitress Astrid - has to save the crashed ship's passengers from the deadly Host. With the ship threatening to destroy the Earth, just how many can the Doctor save this Christmas?
Thoughts: Essentially a Doctor Who disaster movie starring Kylie Minogue, 'Voyage' could have gone very wrong but thankfully its great fun. Aside from Kylie, the ensemble casts each get a chunk of the action and you find yourself playing the 'oh, I hope they (don't) die' game.
Christmas Rating: 3 1/2 Christmas Puddings!

The Next Doctor

Story: During a Dickensian Christmas, the Doctor has a shock as he meets - the Doctor!
While coming to terms with his apparent future self, he also has a truck-load of Cybermen aided by the sinister Miss Hartigan. Surely two Doctors combined can stop the Rise of the Cyberking?
Thoughts: A total blast from start to finish, this is Davies' second-best Chrimble special. Initially feeling cheated by the reveal about Jackson Lake, I now have a great liking for David Morrisey's turn as the flamboyant would-be Doctor. Plus, a Victorian Christmas is always welcome.
Christmas Rating: 4 1/2 Christmas Puddings!

The End of Time (Parts One and  Two)

Story: When the end of time itself is predicted, the Doctor is drawn into a battle that encompasses the whole of the human race, his greatest enemy and the return of something he had thought forever lost. This time the Doctor can't win. This is the Doctor's final battle.
Thoughts: As epic in terms of storytelling as Doctor Who has ever been, this is a grand, rather melancholy exit for David Tennant's Doctor that must have the most characters and places ever featured in a single Doctor Who story. On the downside, it's not all that Christmassy.
Christmas Rating: 3 Christmas Puddings!

A Christmas Carol

Story: To save a honeymooning Amy and Rory from crashing into Sardicktown, a Victorianesque world (that has flying fish!), the Doctor must teach the miserly Kazran Sardick the meaning of Christmas and to be a better person. Can the Doctor play the Ghost of Christmas Past well enough to save his best friends - and the heart of Mr Sardick?
Thoughts: My personal favourite Who Christmas special. Its also one of my favourite adaptations of Dickens' novel. Michael Gambon is terrific as Sardick, making the change in his character thoroughly believable, Matt Smith proves himself once again an absolute star while Steven Moffat delivers one of his best ever scripts. Superior Christmas entertainment.
Christmas Rating: 5 Christmas Puddings!

The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe

Story: 1941, Madge Arwell and her children are evacuated to the country for Christmas where they encounter a quirky gentlemen with a blue box that houses another world inside. This winter wonderland is not as harmless as it once seems, however, as acid rain and the menacing Wooden King and Queen demonstrate...
Thoughts: Evoking CS Lewis' perennial children's classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an excellent idea from Moffat for a Who Christmas special - and he certainly pulls it off. Claire Skinner is fab as, I suppose, the stand-in companion while its all a light-hearted runaround with a tender centre (in the form of the loss of Madge's husband). Perfect for Christmas Day!
Christmas Rating: 4 Christmas Puddings!

The Snowmen

Story: On Christmas 1892, living snowmen threaten to take over the world - and even those intrepid investigators, the Paternoster Gang, can't stop them. At least the Doctor is around. Oh, if only he wasn't retired...
Thoughts: Christmas belongs to the Victorians, as this charming adventure with lashings of Henry James and Arthur Conan Doyle (and a huge dollop of Doctor Who nonsense for good measure) confirms. A rare Chrimble special that serves a purpose in the wider series arc - and is all the stronger for it.
Christmas Rating: 4 1/2 Christmas Puddings!

The Time of the Doctor

Story: There is a message being beamed across the stars. The Doctor and his greatest enemies are gathered around a small planet to discover its meaning. The planet is the fabled Trenzalore, where the Doctor shall meet his end, and the message is the oldest question in the universe: 'Doctor Who?'
Thoughts: Much like 'The End of Time' before it, 'Time' has the tough task of providing a satisfying finale for a popular incarnation of the Doctor as well as a cheerful Christmas special - and is even more admirable as it does it in less than half the runtime of its predecessor. Moffat's script gives Number Eleven a fitting end and, as ever, Matt Smith delivers a beautiful performance as the man who stayed for Christmas.
Christmas Rating: 3 1/2 Christmas Pudding!


And there we have it. As a Doctor Who fan I find it rather wonderful that Doctor Who is so wrapped up in the Christmas season that its a constant fixture of festive telly. After filling up on huge dinners, millions gather round their sets to watch a Doctor Who specially tailored for this time of year. And, as this guide shows, they're guaranteed something special.

Next time: This Christmas Doctor Who puts the claws in Santa Claus as the Doctor and Father Christmas team up when terrifying monsters cause havoc in the North Pole. 25th December at 6.15 pm on BBC One.

The Twelve Regenerations Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the web and social media, not a creature was stirring not even on Wikipedia. Apart from me, that is. It's Christmas Eve, which can only mean one thing - its the Doctor Who special tomorrow! As you must already be aware, this final special of the show's 50th anniversary year will see the final hour of Matt Smith, before he regenerates into Peter Capaldi. And so, in fittingly festive decoration, what follows is a look at the Doctor's previous regenerations, which coincidentally happens to be twelve. It's 'The Time of the Doctor' tomorrow but first it's time for a Christmas song...

'On the twelve days of Christmas, a Time Lord gave to me...'

                                                      '...One Wearing Thin...'
In: 'The Tenth Planet' (1966)
Cause: Old age, died in the TARDIS
Verdict: The original regeneration still holds it's own after fifty years. While its sad that the First Doctor doesn't bow out in a blaze of glory, the thrill of it being the very first shines out. See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 4



'...Two's Change of Appearance...'
In: 'The War Games' (1969)
Cause: Exiled to Earth and forced to 'change his appearance'
Verdict: While it is a game-changing moment for Doctor Who - the Doctor's own race is finally revealed and he is exiled to Earth- the regeneration itself is let down by not featuring the change into Pertwee. See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 3

'...Three's Valedictory Victory...' 
In: 'Planet of the Spiders' (1974)
Cause: Radiation poisoning on Metebelis Three
Verdict: A touching, brave swansong for the Third Doctor, and the first Doctor-Death to be thematically resonant within the story; this serial features much Buddhist symbolism, including the idea of reincarnation... 'Here we go again...' See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 4


'...Four's Final Fall...'

In: 'Logopolis' (1981)
Cause: Fall from radio telescope at the Pharos Institute
Verdict: The bombastic and eccentric Fourth Doctor gets a surprisingly low-key downbeat end although Baker's tenure is celebrated with a montage of past villains and companions. See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 3 1/2

'...Five's Significant Sacrifice...'
In: 'Caves of Androzani' (1984)
Cause: Suffered from Spectrox Toxemia on Androzani Minor
Verdict: Sacrificing himself to save his companion, the Fifth Doctor is gifted the perfect death of a Doctor. See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 5

'...Six's Silly Slip...'
In: 'Time of the Rani' (1987)
Cause: Rani's hijack of the TARDIS/Fell from exercise bike/ Colin Baker was sacked
Verdict: Sadly the definite weakest regeneration. At the start of the episode, the evil Time Lady the Rani attacks the TARDIS, entering to find an already-regenerating Doctor, laying prone next to an exercise bike. Colin Baker wasn't even brought back for the scene - incoming Doctor Sylvester McCoy had to wear a wig...
Regeneration-ometer: 1

'...Seven's Risky Resurrection...'
In: 'Doctor Who: The Movie' (1996)
Cause: Botched operation to remove bullet in San Francisco
Verdict: A solid regeneration for the Seventh Doctor that makes use of an interesting Frankenstein's Monster comparison as the Doctor is reanimated from the dead in a morgue.
Regeneration-ometer: 3

'...Eight's Grave Decision...' 
In: 'The Night of the Doctor' (2013)
Cause: Spaceship crash on Karn, guided by the Sisterhood
Verdict: A long-over due finale for the Eighth Doctor was given to us this year, forming an integral part of the ongoing story of Doctor Who in that it details the beginnings of the War Doctor. See here for (no) more.
Regeneration-ometer: 4

'...War's Reborn...'
In: 'The Day of the Doctor' (2013)
Cause: Old age, died in the TARDIS
Verdict: One of the great things about 'The Day of the Doctor' (and there were many) was that it gave us the complete set of regenerations! After realising he was still the Doctor, before he forgot the good he had done, the aging War Doctor accepted his regeneration with dignity. Here's to John Hurt's Doctor! May we see more of him in the future...
Regeneration-ometer: 4

'...Nine's Triumphant Transformation...'
In: 'The Parting of the Ways' (2005)
Cause: Consumed the power of the time vortex
Verdict: Most probably the greatest regeneration, fed by excellent writing and fine performances from Eccleston and Billie Piper as the woman he saves. The Doctor saving his friend and dying with a brave smile on his face. It's how he should always go. See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 5

'...Ten's Cheeky Cheat...'
In: 'The Stolen Earth' (2008)
Cause: Shot by a Dalek
Verdict: Played for shock value by Russell T Davies, this sneaky surprise  made us really think Ten's time was up - until he shot the regenerative energy into a handy nearby mcguffin. See here for more.
Regeneration-ometer: 4

'And the Actual End of Ten...'
In: 'The End of Time' (2010)
Cause: Slow radiation poisoning in Naismith mansion, died in the TARDIS
Verdict: An emotional farewell for one of the most beloved of the Doctor's incarnations. It is simultaneously made by its indulgence and hindered by it. I'm afraid 'I don't want to go' is still a bit too much for this fan. Here's hoping that in the Doctor's next, thirteenth (and surely final) regeneration, he holds himself with a little more decorum.
Regeneration-ometer: 4

As Christmas Eve draws to a close, it's time for Matt Smith's last bow, like all his other selves. The Eleventh Hour is over, the clock is striking Twelve's...

Have a very merry Christmas!

Doctor Who at 50: The Best of the Master

Every hero needs a nemesis. Just as Sherlock Holmes has Professor Moriarty, Superman has Lex Luthor and the teletubbies have those tyrannical speaker things that come out the ground and dictate their lives (I think I remember that right), the Doctor has the Master. Both are Time Lords, higher beings who should not be interfering in the affairs of other worlds yet do so for their own very different reasons; the Doctor seeks knowledge of, and more often than not save, the universe, the Master seeks to control it. For over forty years and across numerous actors, the Doctor and the Master have battled in incidents involving everything from the fate of the entirety of reality to whether or not the Magna Carta will be signed. Whatever the occasion, though, the pair are inseparable and absolutely need the other one to define themselves by. The Master, full of greed, is the perfect antidote to the Doctor, full of compassion, making him one of Doctor Who's most enduring characters. Here are some of his most masterful moments. Go on, or do I have to hypnotise you to read on...

'I am the Master and you will obey me!'

The Master first appeared in 1971's 'Terror of the Autons' against Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor and instantly makes an impression. We find ourselves in a seemingly innocuous circus - and we all know that circuses in fiction are rarely charming, harmless places - when, shock of shocks, a TARDIS arrives in the shape of a horse box and out walks a man in black suit and goatee, and soon hypnotises someone to do his bidding. From the off, the Master is a force to be reckoned with, the brilliant Roger Delgado immediately nailing the brand of suave, understated villainy that his Master is known for. Doctor Who would never be the same again.

Clangers

While you might expect all of the Master's best moments to involve scheming or instigating a great big evil plot, here's a great little gem from 1973's 'The Sea Devils' which illustrates a side to the character rarely seen. Imprisoned in Stangmoor island prison, the Master is watching children's television show, the Clangers, on the television and comments to his jailer Colonel Trenchard that they are 'an interesting extra-terrestrial life-form.' The gullible Trenchard completely missing the joke states that they are just puppets. It's a tiny moment but not only demonstrates that even the Master likes to have a joke now and again but is also the fiendish felon testing Trenchard's mental prowess and how easy it will be for him to bend the man to his will later on. Genius.

Merging with Tremas

Sadly in 1974, Roger Delgado died in a car crash, causing the character to be put on hold for several years. It wasn't until many year's later that he returned as an emaciated figure, thirsty for revenge and a way of rejuvenating himself. In 'The Keeper of Traken' (1981) he finally got just that. After failing to take the Doctor's own body, the desperate Master (Geoffrey Beevers) takes possession of the Doctor's friend Nyssa's father, Tremas (have a read of that name again...) played by Anthony Ainley who would face off against Doctors Four, Five, Six and Seven, plus others retroactively in the 20th anniversary special. Speaking of which...

'A cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about.'

In the star-studded nonsensical birthday party that is 'The Five Doctors', amongst all the stuff about finding the secret of immortality in the fabled Dark Tower on Gallifrey is a scene where the Time Lord council asks the Master - of all people - to rescue the Doctor from the deadly, er, Death Zone. At first it seems an odd choice, but as he delivers the line above you realise that the Master would actually miss his ultimate foe. The Third Doctor once called them best enemies, and here you can see that clearly. It seems a nemesis needs a hero too...


'Or as I've always known him the Doctor...'

1986's 'Trial of a Time Lord' may be a whopping fourteen episodes long but it does at least have the odd absolute cracker of a moment; the best of which involves the appearance of the Master in the penultimate episode. As the Doctor's case isn't going very well at all thanks to the unscrupulous prosecutor, the Valeyard, the Master buts in for no real reason other than just to throw a spanner in the works. Apparently working on the Doctor's side, he reveals that the Valeyard is in fact a villainous future incarnation of the Doctor! This is no doubt a great twist in the story but is also a brilliant moment for the Master as it is just so characteristic of Ainley's portrayal. While Delgado was smooth and urbane, this Master is a trickster and seems to like concocting any diabolical scheme, no matter how harebrained, for the sole aim of making trouble. Just what he's doing here!

'If we fight like animals, we die like animals!' 

The last ever Who story of the original run, 'Survival' is a fabulous piece that sees the Doctor's companion, Ace find out her friends are being taken to a faraway world and are transforming into cheetah people. Also marooned there is the Master, himself becoming more animalistic the longer he stays. At the climax of the story, both enemies are becoming effected by the planet and engage in a savage fight as the world dies around them. Stripped of their intelligence, its fascinating to the see the Doctor and the Master's raw spite for each other come out until the Doctor composes himself enough to get away. Not a bad way to end.

'I always drezzz for the occasion!' 

Except it didn't really end. In 1996 Doctor Who was brought back for one night only in a British/American co-produced TV movie with Paul McGann as the Doctor and Eric Roberts as the Master. At his most vengeful, the Master is again dying and, having trapped the Doctor in his own TARDIS while Earth is beginning to fall apart, is about to take the Doctor's lives for his own. But first, the Master changes into something more fitting for the occasion. This is another one of those scenes that nails the Master; while also being unutterably evil and irrevocably insane, the Master is also very camp. There's something inherently over-the-top about him and this scene is one of the campest across all his lives.


'The Master Reborn'

When the show was rejuvenated it took until 2007's 'Utopia' for the Master to return - but it was well worth the wait. Hiding at the end of the universe, it turns out that kindly old human, Professor Yana, is actually the Master in a disguise that fooled even himself. Taking the Doctor's TARDIS, the dying Master swears that if the Doctor can be 'young and free' than so can he before regenerating into a new body. The last few moments of this episode on first viewing are some of the most exciting of the revived series. Derek Jacobi is superb at turning his performance from bumbling and absent-minded to oozing evil and the first glimpses of John Simm's bundle of murderous energy leave us wanting more. Thankfully, we got that the very next week...


'I refuse...'

Despite ruling over the Earth for a year, while keeping an aged Doctor in a birdcage, 'The Last of the Time Lords' sees the Master defeated and all his efforts undone (let's not get into it here). And as if things aren't bad enough for the poor guy, his wife shoots him. In the Doctor's arms, the Master realises the only way that he can win; by refusing to regenerate and dying. Earlier I mentioned how we had seen how much the Doctor meant to the Master, here we see it the other way around. As the Doctor sobs and cradles his enemy, he is not so much grieving over the loss of the Master per se but more at losing the last remnant of his homeworld other than himself. He was once again alone in the universe.

Redemption...

When the Tenth Doctor's own death knell tolled in 2010's 'The End of Time: Part Two' the Master had to be involved. The Time Lords have returned and, obsessed with survival are planning to bring about the end of time itself (and, yes, that does make sense). Their link to Earth is the Master, the sound of drums in his head, the cause of his life-long madness, is a signal that connects the time-locked Gallifrey to the present-day. While the Doctor is about to be killed by Rassilon, the Time Lord president, the Master intervenes. Full of revenge for what they've done to him, he attacks the Time Lords and disappears with them back into the Time War. After all the years of fighting, the Master and the Doctor act on the same side against a bigger evil. Could his final act be his own sacrifice? Somehow I think he still out there in the Whoniverse somewhere. Up to his old tricks...

Doctor Who at 50: The Best Companions

In a similar style to my Doctor Who's Best Monsters post a few months ago, I've picked my favourite companions. However, to have a range over the whole history of the show, I've chosen the best companion of each Doctor's era. Who is full of great companions of the Doctor on his travels - never 'assistants' and certainly never ever 'sidekicks' - but here are eleven of the best...



First Doctor: Ian Chesterton & Barbara Wright

The Doctor's original companions. The two teachers investigated an 'unearthly' schoolgirl's home to find she lived in a police box - and her grandfather was an alien time traveller! And that's how it all began...
Accompanying the Doctor until they returned to Earth using a stolen Dalek time machine, Ian and Barbara were fiercely brave, loyal and intelligent; perfect companions for the Doctor at any time of the show.

Second Doctor: Jamie McCrimmon

A young Scottish Highlander from the 17th century, Jamie was a companion of Second Doctor on nearly all his adventures. Other  companions - such as hyper-smart Zoe and super-screamer Victoria - came and went but Jamie was forever at the Doctor's side. It was only due to the intervention of the Time Lords themselves that Jamie was forced to leave the TARDIS and returned to his original time and place with his memories of the Doctor wiped. Sad.

Third Doctor: Josephine 'Jo' Grant

The lovable-but-clumsy Jo was hired as the Third Doctor's assistant - all right, in this instance, assistant is correct - when he worked as scientific advisor for UNIT. At first the Doctor disliked her but the two grew to be very close friends. One of the most stirring and understated companion leaving scenes occurred when Jo left the Doctor to marry scientist Clive Jones and travel the world. Recently, Jo returned to meet the Eleventh Doctor in the Sarah Jane Adventures episode 'The Death of the Doctor.'

Fourth Doctor: Sarah Jane Smith

One of Doctor Who's most beloved characters is journalist Sarah Jane, companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors, friend of the Tenth and Eleventh and acquaintance of the First, Second and Fifth. Sarah Jane is the classic template of a companion; young female from Earth with a keen mind who is looking for something more in life. Of course, a big reason for Sarah Jane's enduring popularity is actress Elisabeth Sladen who played the character with a spark that ensured her place in Who fans' hearts.

Fifth Doctor: Vislor Turlough

Sadly, during the Fifth Doctor's era the TARDIS was so jam-packed  with companions characterisation tended to be a bit thin. There was Mouthy Tegan. geeky Adric and, um, yes, Nyssa. However, Turlough has a unique angle as he was an alien fugitive disguised as a human schoolboy tasked to kill the Doctor. Obviously, he didn't and joined the TARDIS crew as a good guy who's enigmatic past was finally revealed in his last appearance.

Sixth Doctor: Perpugilliam 'Peri' Brown

American student Peri (don't ask about her full name) at first joined the Fifth Doctor on the TARDIS. However, shortly after he sacrificed his own life to save hers and regenerated into his arrogant, abrasive Sixth incarnation. Peri was a fine companion thanks to her tenacity and dedication to continue travelling with the Doctor despite his frankly terrible attitude - until the terrible events of the Doctor's corrupt trial at the hands of the Time Lords took place...

Seventh Doctor: Ace

Ace is perhaps the first of the 'modern' Doctor Who companions - a character with a proper character arc who makes the show just as much about them as the Doctor. Ace was a troubled teenager with a love of setting things alight and blowing things up. The Doctor found her on an alien world despite her being from 1980s London - a mystery that was solved in the penultimate story of the classic series. The relationship between the Doctor and Ace - one of mentor and student, father and daughter but also great friends is one of the best the show has produced.

Eighth Doctor: Dr  Grace Holloway

When the Doctor was shot in San Francisco he was operated on by the talented Grace who was confused by his alien physiognomy and, um, killed him. Neverless, when he regenerated the Eighth Doctor took a great liking for Grace - both doctors, they had a  respect for each other although Grace turned down the offer to travel with the Doctor at the end of their adventure. Grace has the esteem of being the first companion to snog the Doctor. Although she wasn't the last...

Ninth Doctor: Rose Tyler

One of the most important people in the Doctor's lives, Rose Tyler helped heal the war wounds of the Ninth Doctor and became the best friend of the Tenth Doctor whom he felt the loss of for the rest of his life after they were separated at the Battle of Canary Wharf. Rose got her happy(ier) ending in the end as a duplicate half-human Doctor now lives with her on a parallel world.

Tenth Doctor: Donna Noble

In her first appearance Donna was a shouty gossip but proved herself as someone better when helping the Doctor defeat the Racnoss, also growing as a person over her travels with the Tenth Doctor. Donna's exit - saving the whole of reality before the Doctor was forced to wipe her mind of their time together, ridding Donna of the confidence in herself that she had gathered - is simply the saddest exit of a Doctor Who companion ever.

Eleventh Doctor: Amy Pond & Rory Williams

For viewers of the current incarnation of Doctor Who, Amy and Rory need no introduction. Unlike nearly every other companion in the show, Amy and Rory had a life e.g. got married, had a child, had jobs while also travelling the universe with the Doctor - albeit most of those things were given a timey-wimey twist. Sure, they may have died several times each and existed in several different universes and alternate timelines (let's not get into that now) but Amy and Rory, at the heart of it, were a couple who managed to remain so despite the terrible things that happened to them. It is perhaps too early to say just yet how Clara rates next to them but she has a hard job to beat the Ponds.

Doctor Who at 50: Cybermen vs Daleks

Last month, in my ongoing series of posts dedicated to celebrating Doctor Who in this its 50th anniversary year, I looked at the best of the lesser known monsters the Doctor has faced over the years. Now, it's the turn of two of the show's most iconic outputs that have struck fear into the hearts of Doctor Who viewers for half a century; the Daleks and the Cybermen. But which is better? There's only one way to find out...


The Daleks

Created by mad scientist Davros, the Daleks are mutants encased in tanks, with all emotions remove apart from one; hate. Their ultimate goal is to rid the universe of everything that isn't a Dalek, and they won't stop until they do...

Everyone knows the Daleks. Their idiosyncratic design, their staccato, grating voices have made the Dalek an icon of British culture, as synonymous in the public's image of the show as the TARDIS and the character of the Doctor himself.

However, the Daleks do have their drawbacks. Because of the viewers' familiarity with them over the years, it could be said they've lost their punch. Who boss-king himself Steven Moffat has said that, after fighting the Doctor '400 times', that the Daleks are 'the most defeatable enemies in the universe.'

As Moffat has also shown, though, after a drastic change to the Daleks' look (resulting in many fans complaining), the Daleks can be taken back to their roots, as in last year's 'Asylum of the Daleks', and  be made scary again. Surely the deadly Daleks, who have plagued the Doctor's life since the show's second ever serial, are better than the Time Lord's other great foe?

 The Cybermen 

Utterly emotionless, the Cybermen are us, but a version of us so dedicated to cheating human frailties that they have augmented themselves to the state that they are human no longer...
Definitely Doctor Who's second best-known monster, the Cybermen have the advantage over the Daleks in that they are far more malleable.

Whereas the Daleks have to stay virtually the same, it is a core feature of the Cybermen that they are re-imagined and redesigned constantly, which makes sense narratively as well as behind the scenes as they are always aim for 'maximum efficiency.'
On the other hand, the Cybermen are perhaps too similar to the Daleks to be superior. Certainly, there has been a trend in recent years, since their triumphant return in 2006, for the Cybermen to be window-dressing in several episodes rather than the stars, such as 'The Pandorica Opens' and 'Closing Time.'

As you are most probably aware, this will hopefully change this year as Neil Gaiman has written an episode prominently featuring the Cybermen for the upcoming series which he promises will scare us. In this, the (again redesigned) Cybermen may shirk off the role of background villain they have had for a while now and take centre stage.
But does that mean they are better than the Daleks?

Well, I can't decide which I think is the greatest so I am leaving the result in your good hands. Now you've read the article, please now have a vote on the poll below to have your say.If you're a Cyber-fan, go delete the competition! On the side of the Daleks? Don't let the other lot exterminate you!
Happy polling!

Who is the best Doctor Who monster?