Doctor Who’s Most Underrated Villains Return In New Spinoff 50 Years After Only TV Appearance

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After more than 50 years, some surprisingly overlooked villains from Doctor Who are making a comeback. Doctor Who is one of the most popular science fiction series ever created, expanding from television into comics, films, books, and audio dramas. These audio stories, particularly those produced by Big Finish in recent years, have given lesser-known characters a chance to shine and continue their adventures.

The newest audio series from Big Finish features Bernice Summerfield, a 26th-century archaeologist who originally appeared in Doctor Who novels in the 1990s. Played by Lisa Bowerman, Benny is now having adventures on her own, most recently in Alex Hewitt’s The Dalek Eternity 2: The Winner’s Tale, released on October 23, 2025. In this story, Benny works to prevent the Daleks from taking over the universe, with help from Starll the Sontaran (Dan Starkey) and Altazar the Draconian (Shai Matheson). This marks the first time the Draconians have appeared since their debut in 1973.

I’m thrilled to announce I’ve written an episode, ‘The Winner’s Tale,’ for the new series The Dalek Eternity! It’s the third episode and will be released between September and December. This series was a fantastic collaboration, and I’m so proud of what the whole team of eight writers has created. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

— Alex Hewitt (@alxhwtt) May 14, 2025

We Last Saw Draconians In 1973’s “Frontier in Space”

In the third story of Doctor Who‘s tenth season, the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and his companion Jo Grant (Katy Manning) found themselves caught between Earth and the Draconians—a powerful, reptilian race with a vast galactic empire. Although a war between humans and the Draconians seemed imminent, it soon became clear the Draconians weren’t the real enemy. They were being used as pawns in a larger scheme by an even greater threat: the Master (Roger Delgado).

The Master was collaborating with the Daleks, aiming to defeat humanity, and starting a war between humans and the Draconians would have helped him achieve this. This six-part story, “Frontier in Space,” originally aired from February 24th to March 31st, 1973, and continued directly into the next episode, “Planet of the Daleks.” Sadly, it was the last time actor Peter Delgado appeared in Doctor Who before his death in June 1973. Because the Draconians weren’t the main villains in “Frontier in Space,” they reappear in The Dalek Eternity 2: The Winner’s Tale as allies of Bernice Summerfield.

Will We See the Draconians in the Live-Action Doctor Who Series Again?

Following the season 15 finale of Doctor Who in May 2025, the show’s future hasn’t been officially announced, but those involved hint it will continue. This raises the possibility of seeing the Draconians return, especially considering the recent resurgence of classic Doctor Who villains. Characters like the Toymaker, Omega, the Rani, the Silurians and Sea Devils, the Master, and the Sontarans have all reappeared recently, making a Draconian comeback quite plausible. Given their importance and powerful empire in the show’s future timelines, it would be great to see these former villains – who later became allies – return after more than 50 years.

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2025-10-23 16:16