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Which villains should bag a role in Doctor Who Series 14?
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00:00David Tennant is back, Catherine Tate is back, and Russell T. Davis is back.
00:04We have no doubt our old slash new showrunner will take the show in a brand new and interesting direction.
00:10But it does seem like RTD loves a bit of nostalgia too.
00:14With that being said, I'm crispy with Who culture, and this is 10 Villains Who Should Return for Russell T. Davis' new series.
00:21Number 10. The Kryllotanes.
00:23The Kryllotanes were a great concept that was wasted in its execution.
00:27Appearing in Series 2's School Reunion, these monsters are, to borrow a phrase from the 11th Doctor, patchwork people.
00:33Able to cherry pick physical features and ability from whichever species they conquer.
00:37But despite all the tantalizing possibilities in that concept, they were depicted as giant bats with almost no interesting abilities.
00:45Hmm, okay.
00:47It's a real shame because again, there were so many interesting routes that could have been taken here.
00:51So just imagine what a riding wizard like RTD could come up with.
00:54Kryllotanes with Weeping Angel and Silence powers, Kryllotanes with Metallic Cyber Shells, Kryllotanes with Pating powers.
01:02Okay, maybe not their last one, but you get the point.
01:04This is basically a free pass to roll two or three iconic baddies into one, and that idea is definitely worth exploring in the future.
01:12Number 9. The Bane.
01:13The Sarah Jane Adventures had lots of memorable baddies that, because of the show's smaller reach, many Who fans haven't spent time with, and the Bane is definitely one of them.
01:22Introduced in the very first episode of this RTD-created spin-off, the Bane attempted to conquer the earth by getting people to buy a drink called Bubble Shock, which would allow the Bane mother to control people's minds.
01:33It's a very silly plot, but they proved popular enough to warrant a return in Series 2, where they were once again stopped by Sarah Jane in the game.
01:40The fact that the Bane were brought back again in the Sarah Jane Adventures could indicate that the makers of the show, including RTD himself, had a soft spot for them.
01:48Plus, this would be a great opportunity to bring back some of the Sarah Jane Adventures crew, especially Luke, who was actually created by the Bane in the first place.
01:55Come on, Russell. Do it.
01:57Do it, mate. You know you want to.
01:58Number 8. The Arkitinians.
02:01Created by School Reunion writer Toby Whithouse, the Arkitinians are a fascinating species first seen in Torchwood, RTD's more adult Doctor Who spin-off.
02:09With the ability to take human form and live for hundreds of years, these ethereal beings can be scarily stealthy when they want to be, but they're also not bad in a scrap either, with super speed, super strength, and a penchant for ripping out people's hearts.
02:21With the Doctor, that's double the pain. Yowza.
02:25We know RTD loves making fun of politicians, so he'd probably enjoy whipping up a story where the Arkitinians infiltrate the government, but he could also go in the opposite direction and visit their home planet, which is mentioned but never seen throughout their time in the Hooniverse.
02:38The Arkitinians appeared in the Sarah Jane Adventures and were name-dropped in the Doctor Who episode before the Flood, so if nothing else, it would be cool if they got to properly complete the trifecta.
02:48Number 7. The Slavine. Speaking of RTD making fun of politicians, it's been a fair old while since everyone's favourite farting aliens, the Slavine family, or indeed the Raxikorakofallopatorian species in general, have been the focus of a Hooniverse story.
03:04They had a brief cameo in The End of Time Part 2, but their last proper Doctor Who adventure was all the way back in Series 1 Boomstown, where Blond, Fell, Foch, Passama, Dace, Lathine, Margaret Blaine for short, was turned into an egg.
03:17This ending left the door open for a follow-up story where we saw what became of Margaret in her second life, but this story never materialised.
03:25It was explored in the comics, and RTD even came close to including Margaret in The Stolen Earth, but on screen, it's a lingering plot thread that would indeed be cool to revisit.
03:33Number 6. The Sycorax. Villains who appear in the Doctor's first story tend to be quite bland, and the Sycorax and the Christmas Invasion are no exception.
03:43They're rather forgettable overall, with the majority of their screen time spent standing around listening to the Doctor talk, rather than doing anything interesting themselves.
03:51Their creature design was fantastic though, and with hints that they were supposed to be a fearsome warrior race, there's some untapped potential here that RTD could definitely exploit in Series 14 and beyond.
04:02Why not reinvent them as ruthless soldiers in the vein of the lone Cyberman?
04:06Have a Sycorax unit come to Earth and absolutely wreck shop, not even stopping to listen to the Doctor when he rambles on about jelly babies or banana daiquiris.
04:14Plot-wise, this could involve the Sycorax seeking revenge for the destruction of their ship in the Christmas Invasion, another storyline that's explored in the comments.
04:21So, there would actually be some substance here to support all that carnage.
04:26Number 5. The Flood.
04:27We often forget how fantastic the Waters of Mars truly is.
04:31It sometimes gets lost in the 2009 run of specials, but it deserves a mention alongside the very best that Doctor Who has to offer.
04:38Terrifying in its simplicity, the Flood is a viral species that can spread its nasty influence through a single drop of water, giving its victims cracked skin around their mouths and causing them to emit infected water.
04:49Even with the Tenth Doctor's help, the crew board Mars' Bowie base one stood no chance, so just imagine the sort of horror the Flood could unleash if it somehow found its way to Earth.
04:59We'd love to see RTD do a Doctor Who zombie movie where the Flood infects a water park, transforming hundreds of visitors into puppets.
05:06The only concern here is that the overexposure could diminish the Flood's scare factor.
05:11But with RTD showing restraint in providing concrete answers about the Midnight Entity, he seems to understand that the true horror lies in the unknown.
05:19Number 4. The Macra.
05:21Though the Macra didn't originate in the RTD era, they first appeared in 1967, he was the last showrunner to use them as a villain.
05:28The crab-like beasts were featured in Series 3's Gridlock, mindlessly stalking the depths of New New York after falling into evolutionary decline.
05:35There wasn't really anything compelling about this depiction, but with former showrunner Chris Chibnall having a knack for reworking classic villains in interesting ways, we'd love to see RTD follow suit.
05:46The Macra were almost wasted in Gridlock because it could have been any random creature lurking in the shadows.
05:50So what could RTD do with them if he puts them front and center?
05:54What happened to them after Gridlock?
05:55Perhaps the Macra have re-evolved above ground, gaining some big brains to match their brawn.
06:00With the bigger budget Doctor Who is set to have, that concept could be done much more easily in future series.
06:06Number 3. The Nightmare Man.
06:08From the Dream Lord to the Eternals, Doctor Who has several villains who thrive on negative thoughts and bad dreams.
06:15These stories are among the most compelling of their representative series, offering a deeper exploration of the Doctor and their companions by literally getting inside their heads.
06:24The RTD era's take on this idea was The Nightmare Man, who appeared in the Sarah Jane Adventures story of the same name.
06:31A psychological threat rather than a physical one, he created nightmares for his victims and fed off the resulting energy, making Earth and its billions of residents quite the playground for him to work with.
06:41Just imagine what RTD could do with an episode like Amy's Choice or Can You Hear Me?
06:45You just know it'd be something truly terrifying.
06:48Number 2. The Ood.
06:50Though the Ood switch between being good guys and bad guys, they're at their best when they're in evil mode, and it's been a long time since we've seen that happen.
06:58Their debut appearance in series 2 saw them portrayed as harmless slaves who were corrupted by the Beast, causing them to turn violent.
07:04Series 4's Planet of the Ood was a similar tale, with the Ood murdering their human overlords thanks to the Ood brain exerting its rather angry influence.
07:12And then there was the Doctor's Wife, where a lone Ood hunted the ponds through the dark, maze-like corridors of the TARDIS.
07:18The Ood were incredibly creepy on all three of those occasions, but it's been a while since we've seen them in full-on villain mode, so it's definitely time for that to happen again.
07:27RTD's previous Ood stories have been thematically rich and highly entertaining, so they're a great monster for him to work with.
07:33His writing has only gotten better and slightly more insightful in years since he left Doctor Who, so a story of an oppressed slave race starting to rebel would be fascinating to see him tackle today.
07:42Number 1 The Autons
07:45Like the Macra, the Autons didn't originate in the RTD era, but that's the last time they were used as the main villains of an episode.
07:52They did disguise themselves as Roman soldiers in the Moffat era story The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang, they weren't the primary foes.
07:59The last outing as primary foes was over 17 years ago in series 1's Rose.
08:04As window shop mannequins come to life, they were quite creepy here, lumbering about the place, mercilessly gunning down innocent humans.
08:11Poor Clive.
08:12We miss you Clive.
08:14R.I.P. Clive.
08:15Along with their disembodied overlord, the Nesting Consciousness, they were defeated by the 9th Doctor.
08:20But we need to remember this is Doctor Who, so defeat or even death are not barriers to a potential return.
08:26With better technology and a bigger budget, RTD could put a terrific modern spin on the Autons.
08:31Their disturbing mannequin form would make them as a great villain in a horror story, but he could also go down the action route, with those sneaky gun hands allowing the Autons to go all shooty shooty when the situation calls for it.
08:43And that is our list, let us know what you think in the comments below and if there are any other villains you would have added.
08:48Don't forget to like, share and subscribe and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram at WhoCulture and you can find myself by searching Crispy Pro on YouTube.
08:56I've been Crispy for WhoCulture and in the words of the 10th Doctor, I mean the 14th Doctor, allons-y!
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