Imagine it’s a dark Saturday night, and a new episode of Doctor Who, written by Steven Moffat, is starting on BBC One. You can probably expect it to be quite scary and give you something to worry about later.
The showrunner who led Doctor Who from 2010 to 2017 has been creating frightening episodes since the very beginning, notably with ‘The Empty Child,’ and is responsible for many of the show’s most memorable and scary villains.
Moffat notes that there’s a surprisingly familiar, even homely, quality to a Doctor Who monster.
When you really think about it, even the most frightening monsters aren’t all that believable when it comes to actual fighting. Take the Weeping Angels, for example – they’re actually quite limited because they can’t move if anyone is looking at them!
That’s a really strange attacking army! They seem crazy, and kids are often frightened by statues – I used to be, especially mannequins. But Robert Holmes already used that idea in a story.
He jokingly calls Davros “the greatest genius in the world,” then questions it. He doesn’t think Davros’s design for the Daleks is actually very good. While it works for a TV monster, he points out several flaws as an engineer, calling it “silly” and questioning the purpose of one of its arms.
It’s surprising the leading scientists on Skaro didn’t notice: Davros showed off the Dalek’s arm a week before revealing the gun. It seems odd they wouldn’t have recognized the significance of that earlier development.
Were people baffled by the suggestion, or did they enthusiastically agree? Like, ‘Yes, brilliant! Let’s replace hands with sink plungers!’ It was a truly inspired idea, Davros – a stroke of genius.
There’s a playful contradiction at the heart of classic Doctor Who monsters – they’re both scary and strangely reminiscent of childhood toys. Kids have a unique connection with the Daleks; they’re frightened by them, yet also drawn to them like beloved playthings. Daleks manage to be both terrifying and, somehow, endearing.
I believe leaning into the slightly strange and whimsical atmosphere often found in children’s stories can be really effective, especially when it’s not frightening. Doctor Who doesn’t rely on graphic violence – we avoid anything truly gruesome. It’s more in the style of a classic, gentle ghost story, and that’s exactly how it should be.
So what about his first Doctor Who monster, the iconic Empty Child?
He remembers the initial concept was set during World War Two. The idea involved a monster, possibly a child, hiding in the bomb craters left by the Blitz, and it was also meant to introduce the character Captain Jack Harkness (played by John Barrowman). But he quickly realized that as soon as a monster appeared, viewers would focus on that instead of the historical setting.
Once you introduce a noisy robot and people stop remembering where it is, that detail doesn’t matter anymore. I realized we should approach designing the monster like they do with Doctor Who – by basing its appearance on the symbols and style of the time period.
I looked at photos of the Blitz, and what really stood out were all the gas masks. They’re incredibly eerie – they look like something from Doctor Who, with those empty, blank eye sockets. That’s honestly all it takes to create a frightening image: just those blank eyes.
I wanted to create a monster inspired by World War Two imagery, and gas masks immediately seemed like the perfect symbol. Russell suggested making the monster a child, and including other children – which was historically accurate, as kids actually lived through the Blitz, and some even stole from homes during air raids. That really did happen; it’s all based on true events.
Doctor Who’s top 10 scariest monsters
10. The Beast
First appearing in the 2006 episodes “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit,” The Beast was a powerful and frightening entity. Some fans have speculated it could be the devil, an ancient god, or even the origin of those myths. Regardless, its ability to control others and the creepy writing associated with it have stayed with viewers long after the episodes aired.
9. Mondasian Cybermen
The classic Doctor Who villains, the cyborgs, reappeared in 2017, and the show finally explained their strange appearance. It turned out they weren’t so much built with machines as surgically altered, and the reveal was genuinely unsettling.
8. Cybermen
A relentless robotic force built from the remains of people, intent on galactic domination? That’s pretty standard fare in Doctor Who – not even among the show’s most memorable villains.
7. The Silence
Okay, let me tell you, these aliens are genuinely unsettling. They’re these pale, grey figures that really stick with you – unless, tragically, you become one of their…experiments. If that happens, you simply won’t remember them. The film leaves you with this lingering, creepy feeling, constantly checking over your shoulder and wondering if you’ve got another one of their marks appearing on your arm. It’s a truly unnerving experience.
6. The Flood
The ‘water zombies’ from this Doctor Who episode are among the most frightening monsters in the show’s recent history, with their constantly flowing water and unsettling, cracked-grin expressions paired with white eyes.
5. Vashta Nerada
In the 2008 Doctor Who episodes ‘Silence in the Library’ and ‘Forest of the Dead,’ writer Steven Moffat introduced the Vashta Nerada – terrifying, living shadows that hunt and devour living creatures. These creatures infested an abandoned library located in space.
4. Gas mask zombies
This Doctor Who villain was truly terrifying: a gas-masked figure who relentlessly called for his mother in a childish voice, and seemed impossible to stop. The fear factor increased when you learned how he spread his condition to others, famously including actor Richard Wilson from ‘One Foot in the Grave’.
3. The Midnight Creature
The creature in “Midnight” doesn’t have a name, but it’s terrifying because it messes with your mind as much as it poses a physical danger. It starts by making subtle sounds on the outside of the ship, then takes over Sky Silvestry (played by Lesley Sharp) and begins copying how other people talk.
Panic quickly sets in among the passengers, causing them to become suspicious and hostile towards each other, even contemplating abandoning the Doctor. Even after the creature is finally ejected from the ship, it leaves significant destruction behind.
2. The Daleks
The Daleks were the first truly frightening monsters on television, and they remain the most iconic. They’ve appeared in more Doctor Who episodes than any other creature and have been endlessly imitated, parodied, and referenced in popular culture.
Even after all this time, Doctor Who still manages to surprise and sometimes scare its viewers! Davros is a brilliantly memorable villain – a testament to strong branding. However, it wasn’t enough to take the top spot this time…
1. The Weeping Angels
As a total movie and TV fanatic, let me tell you, these ‘living statue’ angels are seriously creepy. They tap into this really basic fear – one you didn’t even know you had – because they only move when you’re not looking! It’s that quick, jerky, stop-motion style of attack, happening in the split second between blinks or a flash of light, and usually blasted with a loud sound cue, that makes them truly terrifying to watch. It’s genuinely some of the most unsettling stuff I’ve seen on screen.
Though they’ve made comebacks before, they’ve never been as impactful as their truly frightening debut, and it left a lasting impression on many viewers.
According to Moffat, the scary parts of Doctor Who aren’t just about monsters, but also come from the show being uniquely different from other science fiction programs.
It happens in the familiar places of your home – under the bed, in the closet. That’s where the real fear lives. It doesn’t transport you to distant worlds; it brings the wonder and terror of space right into your living room. Even the grandest adventures, like those in Doctor Who, ultimately feel personal and close to home.
This creature is a significant threat, appearing at a large scale within the world of Doctor Who. Initially, its size was likely due to the show’s limited budget. Now that Doctor Who has more financial freedom – though it’s not lavishly funded – the show’s style should adapt and take advantage of these new possibilities.
There’s something really effective about keeping things relatable and familiar. Monsters feel much scarier when you imagine them being close to home – like they could actually sneak into your living room. That’s the kind of fun, kid-friendly fright that really works, as opposed to something distant and impersonal.
“Kids love ghost stories, not in a disturbing, harrowing way – we leave that to Newsnight.”
Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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2025-10-31 10:37