Top 10 Best One-Time Villains on Doctor Who

[@CouncilofGeeks]

My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3-XppZmfb-ljac My video on the BBC's response to complaints of its reporting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZzLaWSEatGWj7s My short on why I'll continue to put up the note at the front of these: kzbin.infoHpwwzjzFXiE Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGXFpn2Dgs6qmck Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5fNhXpsiLudo7M Shaun’s 3rd video, following him escalating his complaints: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIPRYoiQacubmqc Shaun's 4th video, covering the BBC's response: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXeaeIpth9RnhbM Laura Kate Dale's protest speech outside the BBC offices: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnPNeKGNoNx0oKs

[@PatrickSpelman]

When it comes to Midnight, not only is the plot just phenomenal, but the acting on display by everyone in it is just so brutal and spellbinding. When you consider Lesley Sharp, with those fantastic mystifying eyes she has (everything she's in you can't help but notice them), learning everyone's dialogue, repeating it, then her vocal battle with David Tennant that the entity won, she deserved to win awards for that performance.

[@Warmishcookies]

I called that Midnight would be ranked where it was…but I think the actual villain isn’t the entity but the people (or technically the darkness that we all have within us). It’s about the darker side of the human psyche and how fear can cause irrational behavior in anyone, and especially can happen in groups. It’s why the episode doesn’t have a ‘happy’ resolution. Each of the survivors has to live with the knowledge about that side of themselves.

[@Insightfill]

​@@WarmishcookiesReminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode with the bomb shelter. At the end, you realize "Oh! WE'RE the monsters!"

[@Screact]

And the music

[@BritishBriggsy]

Have you ever watched the BBC series Merlin. Anthony Head plays the King in that and is fantastic!!

[@tmage23]

I completely understand your thing about wanting memorable villains like Finch and the Dream Lord to return but I would point to the example of the Weeping Angels as an example of what can happen when a good villain is de-mystified with multiple appearances.

[@BulbasaurRepresent]

I still think the Weeping Angels were good in their other appearances. As good as in Blink? No, but they were still very good monsters that deserve to come back

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

@@BulbasaurRepresent its also just a good feeling to know the implications of someone returning, its a unique feeling of realization that most series can't provide. Like its more than fanservice, the history a returning villain has gives the narrative a hook that draws in old viewers while intriguing new ones, particularly if they're well handled.

[@pious83]

Everything that makes the Midnight Entity work is why the Weeping Angels should have been a one and done enemy with Blink.

[@booradley8895]

I think seeing them move was a serious miscalculation. The statue of Liberty also was just plain stupid.

[@cryofpaine]

I've come up with a theory. There are two types of antagonists - villains, and monsters. A monster works best the less you see of them. Think Cloverfield, and how scary it was, right up until we actually see it, and then it's like "meh". Because the reality will never measure up to what your imagination comes up with to scare you. A villain works best the more you know about them. Because the more you know, the more familiar they become, and the more striking the things are that aren't familiar. A good villain should feel like they could be someone you know, except for that one thing that makes them the villain. The Midnight creature is a great monster. It works so well because we don't know anything at all about it. But for Finch and the Dream Lord, they fall more into villain territory. Knowing more about them, as long as it's done well, will only make them better. I think the Weeping Angels are great monsters, but they've come precariously close to tipping into too much info, making them less effective as monsters, but not good villains either. That line is a subjective, fuzzy one, and for some, they would say they've crossed it already, which is valid. (The reason I came up with this in the first place was because of how FNAF has handled its antagonist, William Afton. In Security Breach, he has that problem of trying to use him as a monster, but knowing too much about him to make him an effective one.)

[@GiovannaAnnette]

The being that chased Number 12 for.... 4.5 billion years in Heaven Sent definitely makes my list. I agree, though, that the Midnight Entity is terrifying...and I love it!

[@jedisalsohere]

There's a short story by Jonathan Morris that gives some insight into the Veil's character. Essentially, it was imprisoned in the Confession Dial entirely against its will, and was actually a pretty chill person on the whole. Ever wonder who tried to give the Doctor that shovel? Yeah, it was the Veil. It tried to help him get out, because his escape would mean that the Veil would also be free. Over time, it developed a fondness for the Doctor and even started to think of itself as his companion. Whether this adds to or detracts from the episode is up to you.

[@GiovannaAnnette]

@Jed Is Also Here That is such an interesting take on the Veil! (Thank you for reminding me of the name!) It's stuck in there just as much as The Doctor, except it isn't the one who's been dying over and over. It's memories have remained intact even though the rooms reset. I'm going to have to find this story!

[@jedisalsohere]

@@GiovannaAnnette it was published in issue 519 of Doctor Who Magazine, apparently.

[@alim.9801]

​@@jedisalsohere that sounds amazing, I had no idea that story existed!! Thank you so much, I'm gonna go look it up so I can read!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@jeffharris7668]

"Midnight" is a favorite of mine. It's almost got a "12 Angry Men" thing going with just a few characters stuck in a box with a problem. . .

[@Donnagata1409]

Do so love "12 angry men"!!!

[@alim.9801]

Oh that's a great comparison!! 12 Angry Men is an absolute classic, as is Midnight!!

[@PsyrenXY]

That format is called a "bottle episode"

[@bananasaregood8655]

Can we get a worst one-time villains list next? Love the intro, could genuinely be an intro for doctor who

[@pious83]

Would a certain "Master in disguise" villain count?

[@blakehorwill8454]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqO4l5arj9l-bqM

[@HANDO2001]

Where's the Abzorbaloff?!

[@tokublwhovian]

The Dream Lord is my #1, evil versions of the Doctor (Valeyard, Time Lord Victorious, Dream Lord etc.) will always be my favourite.

[@Elwaves2925]

The Dream Lord is my number 1 too. Then again, it is Toby Jones and it might be the best casting Who has ever done.

[@alim.9801]

​@@Elwaves2925 Toby Jones is extremely menacing as the Dream Lord, he's an amazing actor and I agree the casting was impeccable

[@christianwise637]

The Dream Lord is one of, if not my absolute favourite one-off villains in the show, for pretty much the exact same reasons you mentioned. I really wish the writers had found a way to bring him back to face Matt Smith's Doctor at least one more time, I think it's a major missed opportunity that he didn't become that specific Doctor's arch-enemy

[@pious83]

The Family of Blood definitely won me over in their story. But, I agree the Midnight Entity deserves the number one spot. Both were pitch perfect antagonists in their respective stories.

[@abbeywho5730]

Thank you for reminding me what good stories there are! I got chills even when watching these small bits of The House, The Mummy, The Dream Lord etc. Now I'm going to rewatch some episodes! I could add The Flood to this list from The Waters of Mars: one single drop...

[@pattiwicksteed3731]

I'd have included the Minotaur from The God Complex...

[@CouncilofGeeks]

He just missed out on the list.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@CouncilofGeeks not really a one off, we have the horns of Nimon in classic who, and they are AWFULLY similar

[@nicolebee3283]

The way Mr Finch spoke and moved too did invoke the feeling of a headmaster at a school who was lurking waiting for someone to accidentally swear or to have a shirt untucked or something similar.

[@alim.9801]

Definitely!!!

[@gregf9160]

Totally agree about Midnight. It's almost certainly _the_ best single episode of New Who, ever. Apart, perhaps (for different reasons), the original Weeping Angels episode. Doctor Who _should_ be about small, isolated, one-off stories like these.

[@Parker8752]

Ah, the dream lord. "I know who you are." "Of course you don't." "Of course I do. I don't know how you can be here, but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do..."

[@AtomicSim]

I love the Vashta Nerada and really wish they would return in some form, it's not like they were all wiped out, they could come back somewhere

[@ericreese7792]

I suppose the problem they've had with the Vashta Nerada is they're simply TOO deadly for their own good.

[@eshbena]

@@ericreese7792 Agreed. There was no real way to defeat them, aside from massive orbital bombardment that would also destroy the Library itself.

[@fangsabre]

​@@eshbenathey exist on other worlds, not just the library.

[@charllandsberg]

Today was a bad day for me, but this was such a nice palette cleanser and I love your vibes on it all and now I really want to rewatch Doctor Who from the beginning again

[@natsmith303]

Grant as Simeon was in three episodes.

[@andrewpepper3145]

Another reason to love "House", he's the setup for one of my favourite ever lines from Matt Smith. Fear me, I've killed hundreds of time lords! Fear ME, I've killed all of them!

[@DavidProv]

Totally knew you were going with the Midnight entity. I am curious to know though what villains were all in the running and where they'd be placed...or if they'd even get an honorable mention.

[@robo3007]

This would be my Top 10! 10. The Fisher King 9. The Flesh 8. The Monks 7. The Midnight Entity 6. The Clockwork Droids 5. The Family of Blood 4. The Solitract 3. The Beast 2. The Boneless 1. The Empty Child EDIT: Removed the Shakri Cubes because I guess they weren't technically villains.

[@citrinedragonfly]

The RTD era had some amazing one-off villains. I think the only thing I'd change about your ranking is to move Anthony Stewart Head up a place or two. Some of the best Classic one-off villains, IMO: The Fendhal, Helen A, Salamander, and Tobias Vaughn. If I could see the performance as well as hear it, I think Mavic Chen would be up there as well.

[@natsmith303]

There are a couple surviving episodes of Master Plan, at least enough to get a sense of Kevin Stoney's physical performance.

[@pious83]

Tobias Vaughn was great! The Invasion is still peak Cybermen.

[@citrinedragonfly]

@@natsmith303 I've seen them, and I really like them. I just want a little more to really solidify Stoney's performance, especially near the end of the story when the inevitable betrayal happens.

[@natsmith303]

@@citrinedragonfly Okay, fair enough.

[@anthonymorgan5822]

I love the videos like this, where Vera just gets to gush about what they love about Doctor Who.

[@Donnagata1409]

There's so much more I get from Vera's videos about Doctor Who! I'm grateful! Just as I get from the @JessieEarl and @SeanFerrick videos about Star Trek! They enhance my experience so much!

[@alim.9801]

Me too. They're a super seasoned fan and it's so awesome 😌🤘🏻

[@alim.9801]

​@@Donnagata1409 oo I love Jessie!! She makes me want to actually try watching star trek

[@Donnagata1409]

@@alim.9801 You mean you haven't? Don't know what you are missing. Anyway, envious of so much you can look forward to.

[@GarnetHeartIllustrations]

Definitely the Midnight entity. The unknown about it makes the horror so strong

[@godessesque]

for Classic Who my personal favourite is Sutekh from Pyramids of Mars -- whose portrayed by the same man who voiced The Beast!

[@danielbridger7113]

as unpopular as an opinion as mine may be, I LOVE ROBOTS. especially golden, majestic, flying angel robots like the heavenly host! simply seeing these peaceful looking machines finding you during a moment of crisis and making you feel safe, but then they say "information: KILL".

[@R_SENAL]

From the Classic era #1 One time on TV villain, was Suteck, the Destroyer, also voiced by Gabriel Wolf! Other Classic Era one shots in NO particular order: 2 -Celestial Toymaker (soon to be back? he has been in other media but not TV, yet...)! 3- The Krynoid! (from Seeds of Doom) was a great threat! It's been back in 1 audio, but never again on TV. 4- The War Lords (The War Games) Time Lords put them out of business but they were formidable and the Doctor couldn't stop them on his own, the damage they'd done was too great to repair on his own. 5- Tractators! (Frontios) They looked a bit wonky, but the build-up to their reveal was awesome, and Mark (Turlough) really does a masterful job at being scared of them! And the Gravis has amazing powers! 6- Magnus Greel (Talons of Weng-Chiang) & Mr Sin, were both great 1 shot villains too! Been back in audo, but not TV. 7- Fenric (Curse of Fenric) was an awesome villain! 8- Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth (City of Death) was a wonderfully wicked enemy, split across time but still connected. Very imaginative! "The centuries that divide us, shall be undone!" 9-The Great One (Planet of the Spiders), I mean it killed the Doctor and according to the books it took him 10 agonizing years to die, between scenes of the show. That and it was a giant spider, that's just creep AF no matter what! 10- Maybe not the main villain of Kinda (the Mara would be on this list if it hadn't been in 2 stories), but Hindle was a Fantastic Psycho Villain who had "the power of life and death over all of you!" Honorable mentions to : The Anti-matter beast of Zeta Minor (Planet of Evil), The Animus aka: Lloligor (the Web Planet), Light (Ghost Light), The Gods of Ragnarok (Greatest Show in the Galaxy), Xoanon (Face of Evil), Queen Xanxia (the Pirate Planet), The Shadow (the Armageddon Factor), and Salamander (The Enemy of the World).

[@R_SENAL]

I'm always going on about Rutans, and I left off the Rutans... grrr. (Horror of Fang Rock) Also Sharaz Jek (Caves of Androzani) should have got a mention too!

[@julieeverett7442]

@@R_SENAL agreed

[@proquar9173]

So, I kept thinking about The Captain from the Pirate Planet - they work so well together (all three of them). And I need to add The Collector (The Sun Makers) Bless Suteck #1 And the rest for sure in no order

[@adamdavis1648]

Are there other villains besides Mr. Finch and the Dream Lord who you'd like to see again? I remember a while back you did a video about great villains who should never come back. Would you consider doing a video about villains who SHOULD come back but haven't?

[@MrSukram777]

The actor who played Mr. Finch also played Grayvorn (?) the villain in an audio trilogy called Excelis, where three incarnations of the Doctor arrive on the titular planet in different times and meet a warlord called Grayvorn who became immortal in their first encounter. I recommend it. It starts with the 5th Doctor and ends with the 7th.

[@DarthUmbris626]

Excelis Dawns with #5, Excelis Rising with #6, and Excelis Decays with #7. My favorite audio trilogy from Big Finish. 😊

[@alim.9801]

I gotta go look that up, that sounds great!!

[@MrSukram777]

​@@alim.9801 Just being curious, did you check it out? ;)

[@freddiegormack-smith8060]

I think of all the one time villains likely to make a comeback, I think that both the Dream Lord and House have the most potential to return for future series... The Master/Missy could easily use the spores or old Time Lord tech to as a means of setting up some kind of trap for the Doctor and company... Or Jenny Vastra and Strax could uncover it while investigating a spiritualist medium for a halloween episode. That way, you can have a noted character actor can make a one-off appearance for each Doctor (For example, 14's Doctor could be Michael Michael Sheen, 15's Dream-lord could be played by someone like Idris Elba...). Having a Dream-lord return once every regeneration cycle could be a fun way to pique the general audiences' interests whilst also making fans of New-Who satisfied as the series goes on...

[@matthewmcshane399]

I have a theory about the midnight entity...it's made of sound or jsut vibrations. Sound can't be destroyed by the x tonic sun. It could show up as shadow if its vibrating enough to cause a distortion. It could manifest as knocks. If enough strength is pulled it can batter the transport vehicle. It could enter sky since she was screaming. It could then I felt her mind and as the doctor and everyone talked more It could sync up and predict what they said....and if its made of sound.....it is still out there......

[@aspoonfulofbees2762]

Day one of asking you to talk about bbc merlin pretty please thank you, plus you can simp over Anthony Stewart Head more :)))

[@kmsbean]

Krafayis, the Kerblam Man, not sure if Ashildr counts as one-time due to her cameo in Hell Bent, but #2 has got to be the Foretold (Mummy on Orient Express) and #1 is no question Jamie (Empty Child)

[@meganvincent5381]

I'd have to put the empty child at #1 purely because of my personal experience. I watched that episode when I was like 6 or 7 and was like "oooo fun scifi adventure show" and then it veered into fucking horror and I was traumatised as a kid. That was my gateway drug into horror and i love it to this day for scaring me out of nowhere

[@zinnialynn9757]

I was already technically an adult, like 18 or 19 when I watched this one? But I watched it with a friend who lived across the street from me. Despite warnings of it being a two parter, "The Empty Child" was meant to be our last episode of the night. I didn't have a cell phone, so I had to walk down an ally, across a dark street, down another ally, up a rickety staircase and through a dark hallway... to tell my mom I was going back for One More Episode and then walk all the way back to see "The Doctor Dances". ...I lost count of the jumpscares I survived on that walk!

[@travishiltz4750]

Good list. Most of the ones on the list are on my 'they should bring them back' list. Random thoughts: Much as I love the Empty Child, it's not really a creature, more the result of an accident, so bringing it back would feel hugely contrived. For all we know, any Who episode featuring out of control nano bots is an Empty Child sequel. I wouldn't recast the Dreamlord, as one of the things I love about him, is Toby Jones. Most villains tower over you and have a physical presence. He has to look up at you, but is still scary.

[@jamlife919]

If you include classic, Sharaz Jek will win easily

[@R_SENAL]

Damn it, I just made a list and left him off! Crap... oh well I don't want to edit my comment now. 😅 My #1 was Suteck.

[@jamlife919]

@@R_SENAL fair, Jek might not be as much of threat as the other villains, but he’s gets so depth compared to so many other characters in doctor who that he’s one of my favourite characters period.

[@Steve-wo7gt]

My all time favorite one-off villain is Sutekh from Pyramids of Mars. He's the only one that made me feel like Tom Baker's life was threatened.

[@coreymason7017]

I am today years old when I found out Michael sheen was House. 😮

[@JulianDanzerHAL9001]

5:00 I just love that its a villain you defeat by saying "we surrender" and the challenge is figuring that out rather than fighting it

[@BlueSparxLPs]

The Midnight Entity is one of those villains that I really have to separate from the episode itself to appreciate. It's an amazing idea in an episode I struggle to watch because the constant dialogue repetition/overlapping causes me intense sensory overload, meaning I have to force myself to sit through it in order to watch. If they do revisit this concept again, I just hope that it's done in a way that's more digestible because I'd love something like it in an episode that I can actually watch properly.

[@KawaiiKoalaBear]

I think a comic book adaptation of the episode would be less of a sensory overload while still being a good medium for capturing how tense and scary of a situation it was

[@BlueSparxLPs]

@@KawaiiKoalaBear I definitely think a comic book or novelization would work really well, yeah. I never have checked to see if Midnight was novelized.

[@stevetayler9518]

Absolutely agree that the Midnight Entity should be No 1. It’s one of the best Who villains ever, one of the best sci-fi villains period. Yes, it absolutely fits as the nemesis of Tenants Doctor. But with a little tweaking I always imagine this could have been a Twilight Zone episode. It’s got that unknown horror intruding into reality vibe.

[@elizabethchris7830]

Silence in the library, and the intro to River, so perfect.

[@renegarza9]

I LOVE THE NEW INTROOOO!!!!

[@nymphrodellsalavin]

I love the new intro 😍

[@ColzoArt]

Vera, a brilliant list! Thanks for the time & effort you put into these videos. I would like to add an honourable mention to the clockwork droid from the girl in the fireplace - those things freak me out so much! But I would also have to agree with your top two! 🫶

[@jintym2951]

I love this list & completely agree with the top spot. There is a contender I would add, and that is the 'Cyber-Planner' from "Nightmare in Silver". I adore this episode! Matt Smith's Doctor is so gentle, kind & and dorky, which is wonderful. But seeing how analytically cruel he has the potential to be when the Cyber-Planner plays on Clara's fondness for the Doctor was really jarring in the best way. A villain in born out of 49% of the Doctor is pretty scary xx

[@pious83]

The Cyber-Planner isn't a one-off villain though. The look might be different but, they have been a thing in Cyberman stories since The Wheel in Space (1968).

[@zinnialynn9757]

I had the thought when I first started the video, and it was reinforced by you saying you never want the Midnight Entity explained... I'd love to see what your top ten list of one-off Doctor Who Villains you specifically want to see Come Back would look like?

[@CortexNewsService]

Are you my mummy?

[@vintagesoup79]

Sadly I feel Doctor Who has been tainted with Steven Moffitt and Mark Gatiss's decision the vile Frances Barber in the play, The Unfriend.

[@keyblademasterclark]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!! SOOOOOO many people overlook Human Nature/Family of Blood but they are honestly my FAVORITE Tennant episodes and the Family of Blood are soooooo damn creepy!

[@yusaki8064]

I think I am going to suggest 1 more from each Doctor I have watched (Bar 8 because that was just the Master), along with one from the Sarah Jane Adventures and one from Torchwood. From William Hartnell, The Brains of Morphoton from The Keys of Marinus. The way they controlled people was really cool and The Keys of Marinus is the first story in Classic Who that really hooked me. The Aztecs is still my favourite I think but not because of the villains. I probably would have said The Time Meddler but he just came back in The Daleks Master Plan, and that’s as far as I’ve got in Classic Who so far. From Christopher Eccleston, The Reapers, they weren’t terrifying in the way other creatures are, but the concept of them and how they were used was awesome. From David Tennant, The Waters of Mars. That terrified me as a kid. From Matt Smith, The Rebel Flesh. From Peter Capaldi, The Monster Under the Bed from Listen. It has the same air as Midnight. From Jodie Whittaker, okay I lied, I don’t know enough of Jodie Whittaker to find a one off villain I really liked that deserves to be on this list. To me Graham (and to a lesser extent Ryan) was really just the thing that kept me going through 2/3 of her run. From David Tennant again, the Not Things. I mean, so unbelievably creepy. And we haven’t gone far enough into Ncuti Gatwa’s run for me to give an example. From the Sarah Jane adventures, the Totem Pole from The Curse of Clyde Langer. Much like the Midnight Entity, the episode shows the power of people and how scary they can be. The totem pole making everyone around Clyde hate him. To me that is a scary thing. My next choice would be The Pied Piper. Marvellously played by Bradley Walsh. And from Torchwood it has to be the 456. Children of Earth is a fantastic story but it was saw traumatising to watch I doubt I will ever rewatch it. Back in the first two seasons I would say it is The Village People from Countrycide.

[@Insightfill]

The Dream Lord and the Vashta Nerada always got me because of how FEASIBLE they were. My odds of going to an abandoned summer camp for sex with my friends? Zero. (Well, maybe not "zero." ;) ) Going to sleep? Sure! Entering a dark room? Daily! (Freddy from "Nightmare on Elm Street" also worked for me as a teen.)

[@yusaki8064]

Anthony Head is one of my favourite actors. He plays Uther Pendragon in BBC’s Merlin and does it brilliantly. He even plays a comedy role of Hercules Shipwrights in BBC’s Cabin Pressure. He is brilliant. And I firmly believe that without his stupendous acting, Mr Finch wouldn’t be on this list. As good as the Krillitane are.

[@Silverwind87]

They should totally bring back the Krillitanes! Just like the Time Lords, they could change their appearance. That's the perfect plot device!

[@packman2321]

I think the Vashta Nerada would rate higher for me. They still get stuck in my head. Absolutely agree with the Family of Blood though. My brother saw Son of Mine's actor in a shakespeare performance a few years after the episode and we revisted it. Didn't really get Midnight. I think it caught teen me off guard in a way that made it more tedious than scary and I've never really revisited that season. I sometimes wonder if I'd appreciate it more going back now, but I guess the pretentious part of me worried that I'd just not enjoy it again, and my 'sophisticated nerd' cred would be in some ephemeral way damaged. Silly, I know.

[@dhm74]

I’m fascinated by your choice of number one. I just find it so Stagey and bbc cheap. It actually totally left me cold. I get your perspective but I had trouble not being bored when I watched it (all three times so I have tried ) isn’t it funny how we are all so different. I didn’t care what the “entity” was. I just thought it was “trying to be clever” but epically failed writing falling for the repetition of dialogue and mirroring in an attempt to make it sinister when they just ran out of cgi or make up budget to make it a cheap show and so if I wanna go to the theatre to see this kind of thing for a fiver (£5) by an am dram company then I’d have stayed at home. So so the opposite of view. I think this may be a first for us as I think until this point we’ve like always being more or less on the same page 😂❤ but I still love you

[@Maxippo]

I personally think the veil from heaven sent us one of the greatest one time villains

[@Casterborous]

LOVING that new intro

[@MarkWiseTechno]

Omitting The Boneless from Flatline is a serious oversight imo. Sorry, but your boy Zellin has got to get bumped for the 2D alien menace. Best from Classic Who: Sharaz Jek Sutehk The Wyrrn Omega Morbius The Rutan Count Scarlioni/Scaroth

[@jamiestevens3074]

I hope I’m RTD2 we get new original villains that become fan favourites and down the like we beg for them to return.

[@gracerigby361]

Whenever you bring back a villain you always have two choices with what you can do with them,you can either just repeat what you did the first time which can work well but it can also sometimes feel unnecessary,the second option is to expand on the villain and can help to give them more depth which I feel is a better choice. In this case though neither of these options really work,the mystery of these villains is what makes them so compelling and you lose that if you bring them back and just telling the same story again will never feel as effective as it did the first time

[@zemoxian]

Thinking of red balloons 🎈 I’m not quite sure who I’d be more disturbed by. Pennywise or daughter of mine.

[@krose6451]

Ambiguity is the key to making horror and intimidation and a sense of wonder work. I feel like doctor who has suffered alot from trying to give us too much information/too many answers. So many pf the villans on this list work cause we dont know much about them and the not knowing may leave us with questions but it doesnt hurt the story. Thats a hard balance to nail but when its right, its amazing.

[@HeyJay2000]

See the only one I think could Return and not be ruined is The Dream Lord, and yes I think that The Dream Lord should always have a different appearance if the Doctor has a different appearance.

[@markrabinowitz7070]

I know I'm late to the comment party, but the Boneless are a villain that deserve more than just one episode. Impossible to communicate with, and capable of dealing terrible deaths and flattening three-dimensional objects, there's no guarantee that they listened when the Doctor told them, "This plane (of existence) is protected!"

[@rockassassin64]

I've played like a ton of role playing a doctor who game where one of the main mechanics is that talking goes I believe 1st in the battle order So naturally my character was Based around talking her way out of problems gloves and a lot of my characters and games that is their won't 100% agree with you on of the midnight that's at he being the absolute most terrifying thing. I have been in a situation at which might go to strategy Will not work and it is terrifying.

[@meercatt]

Really good list .. however the thing that freaked me out the most was in Breathe on the bed under the blanket. OMG just thinking about that freaks me out to this day. 😳

[@MrMervyn]

I love how well (and with how much insight and even empathy) Midnight does the whole "people as the real monsters" thing while also delivering one of the best villains/monsters of the new era. (Yes, I very much agree with the placement.)

[@roguebritgravy1]

If they ever do a midnight entity Sequel. I hope they do it just as enigmatic and mysterious. maybe even even include other stages like multiple possessions or mind transference. Maybe even a simple 'I know you' to the doctor.

[@tobiasreckinger2212]

One of my favourites is also the thing that listens in "listen". Even though or because we didn't even know if there was anything. (Not counting the audio dramas as canon here)

[@BlackCover95]

What made you reorder #4-1 ?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Shifts in preference over time.

[@Gremlin_Goods]

This video has inspired me to pull out my Tennant, Ecclesten box DVD sets from under the bed to introduce the show to my partner

[@Notadoctorshush]

The Flood from Waters of Mars - personal favourite of mine

[@lynnwallis8654]

What about the Flood? Water becomes sentient and attempts to destroy you? scary!

[@Trikeboy2]

If you didn't have the Midnight entity at number 1 I was going to riot. It is one of the very few times we ever saw the Doctor terrified.

[@Druklet]

Agree with your top pick 100%! Such a perfect, terrifying episode. I really wish the Weeping Angels could be on the list. Again, a perfect episode but their later appearances just took so much away from their impact. With awesome villains like that, I think a simple callback is better, like when Tennant said, 'Are you my mummy?' in the Sontaran 2-parter. We remember the awesomeness, the Doctor remembers, but nothing is ruined.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

Yo, Davies: Bring back Mr Finch!

[@MalzraAirwynn]

Midnight is the one time Dr Who legitimately scared me.

[@TableTopTransformer]

I don't know how you could say the empty child is a villen

[@noelleggett5368]

What? No Absorbaloff?

[@LovelyRuthie]

Great performances equal great villains! Love your top tens - it doesn't matter if you agree with them or not, they're always entertaining.

[@jonathonriddle9922]

I would really like to see the Boneless return.

[@nikolaskvenvolden17]

I feel like the Toclafane deserve a mention :0

[@Emme-Kappa]

My 10 best (not in any particular order because I'm lazy) - Midnight Entity (Series 4) - Vashta Nerada (Series 4) - The Beast (Series 2) - The Empty Child (Series 1) - The Boneless (Series 8) - The Veil (Series 9) - The Flood (David Tennant Specials) - House (Series 6) - The Dreamlord (Series 5) - The Family Of Blood (Series 3)

[@julieeverett7442]

good choices, some of my favourites too

[@andrewgold-qu1bl]

I give the Family of blood 10/10

[@michellegiacalone1079]

"Forget the shooty dog thing." Best line.

[@PsyrenXY]

No love for Flatline?? I would have put the Boneless on here above Zelin or Mr. Finch. Moreover, as much as I love the Empty Child, the nanogenes (a) werent really a villain and (b) actually did show up again in Asylum of the Daleks and Fugitive of the Judoon

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Honestly, I don't get what people love so much about Flatline. Like, it's fine, there's nothing wrong with it. But other than "I'm the man who stops the monster" speech, I don't get what people others are seeing when they call it a hidden gem.

[@jogumby]

Love this video! Makes me want to go back and re-watch these episodes asap. As to classic bad guys, you would be hard pressed to find one better than Sutekh from Pyramids of Mars.

[@sectorzisnumbuhone]

☝☝☝

[@GCAbleism158]

I think the gelth deserve a mention.

[@IsaiahBuchanan175]

how did they beat number 8

[@IwonaKlich]

Oh Yea Anthony Head just casualy channeling his Ripper Mode in Doctor Who :D

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I'm STILL annoyed he never got a "Ripper" spin-off.

[@deimos7737]

¿¿¿Absorbalof???

[@kemmdog4444]

I love the Krynoids return also.

[@akshaytrayner1960]

Great list

[@IceNixie0102]

The Vashta Nerada should be way higher.

[@natsmith303]

I'll take a stab at Classic (knowing full well that most or all of these get revisited in the expanded media, because that's just what it does): Honorable Mention: The Master of the Land of Fiction (this is mostly here because I love the Land as a concept, and it basically just uses the Master as its proxy anyway) from The Mind Robber Honorable Mention: Tekker, Timelash, if only for Paul Darrow feasting on the scenery of an otherwise not-great story 10. Helen A, The Happiness Patrol 9. Koquillion, The Rescue 8. The Captain, The Pirate Planet 7. Salamander, Enemy of the World (unfortunate brownface notwithstanding) 6. BOSS, The Green Death 5. Sharez Jek, The Caves of Androzani 4. Scaroth, City of Death 3. Soldeed, The Horns of Nimon 2. Fenric, The Curse of Fenric 1. Sutekh, Pyramids of Mars

[@alim.9801]

Keep the amazing videos coming Vera!! The algorithm for me is being weird with your videos but I love watching them, you're doing great stuff and I hope you're doing well 🥰🤘🏻

[@AurinneA]

Interesting that so many on this list are Moffat-written villains, even when from the RTD era. (I do always feel that the true best New Who writer is actually the Moffat-RTD combo, where we get the benefit of their different strengths and thus their weaknesses are minimised. Usually.)

[@212mochaman]

Speaks volumes that arguably the 4 greatest nu who episodes have one time villians. Empty Child, Vashta Nerada, Midnight Entity, and whatever that thing in Heaven Sent was. Wish chibnall's era of nothing but one timers was a little... better in that regard

[@bentilley5412]

I agree wholeheartedly with your veiws on the Midnight Entity. Terrifying, fantastic, and i *never* want it explained/expanded/revisited. The only continuation I would be happy with would be The Doctor at some point outright refusing to go back to Midnight, and refusing to explain why. Regarding the Dream Lord: I have no doubt that Toby Jones could (in collaboration with a great writer and director) do the same dark reflection thing with any incarnation of The Doctor, because he's Toby fucking jones (I admit, I am a bit of a Toby Jones fanboy, but come on, you know he could do it - he's goddamned Toby motherfucking Jones). I want this to happen.