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Thelong-running BBCscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who has an extensiveuniverse inhabited by a continuously expanding gallery of creatures andaliens.

The series first aired onBBC in 1963 until its cancellation in 1989,^[1] with atelevision movie aired in 1996 in an unsuccessful attempt to revive the show.^[2] The show was successfully revived in 2005, and continues to air episodes.^[3]

The series stars an extraterrestrial known asthe Doctor, who is capable of gaining a new physical form and personality when mortally injured, in a process known asregeneration.^[4] They travel through time and space^[5] in a machine known as theTARDIS.^[6] In the process, the Doctor often comes into contact with various alien species.^[5] This list only covers alien races and other fictional creatures and not specific characters. Several of these alien races re-appear in one or more of the spin-off seriesThe Sarah Jane Adventures,Torchwood, andClass, but antagonists original to those series do not appear on this list.

The Abzorbaloff is an alien creature seen in "Love & Monsters" (2006), that can absorb any living thing into its body by touch. They are from the planet Clom, the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius, the home planet of theSlitheen family.^[7] An Abzorbalovian disguised itself as "Victor Kennedy" and infiltrated L.I.N.D.A – a group of people trying to track downThe Doctor – although it planned to absorb the Doctor's knowledge. It is killed when Elton Pope, a member of L.I.N.D.A, broke its cane, causing the Earth to absorb it.^[8]

The Abzorbaloff was created by nine-year old William Grantham, who won aBlue Peter contest to have a monster created by a child appear on the show.^[9] Grantham originally envisioned the Abzorbaloff to be much bigger and fueled by rage, being unable to speak, though he was satisfied with the final version seen on screen.^[10] The Abzorbaloff was portrayed on-screen by comedianPeter Kay.^[11]

A short direct sequel to "Love & Monsters", titled"The Genuine Article" was released as part of a tie-in with awatch-along for "Love & Monsters" held during theCOVID-19 pandemic. The video depicts the Abzorbaloff's father attacking theTenth Doctor in an attempt to get revenge for the death of his son. The Abzorbaloff summons an alien known as the "Krakanord" to defeat the Doctor, but it kills the Abzorbaloff due to the Abzorbaloff's mistreatment of it. Grantham returned to direct and animate the short, and also judged the monster design competition that created the Krakanord.^[12]

The Adipose are aliens composed of living fat, featured in the episode "Partners in Crime" (2008). Their breeding world, Adipose 3, was lost, causing them to turn to "Miss Foster" in order to create new Adipose children.^[13] She formulated a drug that would cause human fat to morph byparthenogenesis into Adipose children. The process is generally harmless to the host beyond the loss of body fat; but in emergencies the process can be accelerated, converting the host's entire body, which is fatal to the host and produces ill and weak Adipose children. This is illegal under the laws of the Shadow Proclamation, an inter-galactic law body, and the Adipose abandoned Foster to die in order to hide their crimes, taking the infant Adipose with them.^[14] In the parallel universe created in "Turn Left" (2008), in whichThe Doctor is killed fighting another alien menace prior to encountering the Adipose, the Adipose incident happened in America instead of the United Kingdom, as London was destroyed when the space-faring version of theTitanic crashed intoBuckingham Palace and caused much of the southern United Kingdom to become an irradiated wasteland. Over 60 million Americans were killed in this timeline as a result.^[15]

The Adipose were inspired by aplush toy owned by script writerRussell T Davies,^[16] with their name being based onadipose tissue.^[17] The Adipose were animated in hordes usingStephen Regelous's softwareMASSIVE, with Regelous flying to London to aid with coordinating the crowd shots of Adipose.^[17] Special effects departmentThe Mill created two types of Adipose for filming. Adipose with artificial intelligence, who independently moved, were used for larger crowd shots, as well as "hero" Adipose, which were animated by hand.^[17]

Aggedor is the Sacred Royal Beast of the planet Peladon, first seen inThe Curse of Peladon (1972).^[18] The real creature upon which the legend is based is a large, hairy beast with a single horn. Hunted to near extinction, one Aggedor beast roamed the tunnels below the citadel and, at one stage, was used to judge prisoners who were cast into a pit to face the Judgement of Aggedor. Peladon's High Priest, Hepesh, secretly captured a remaining Aggedor, and used it to attempt to generate superstition about the "curse" of Aggedor in order to stop Peladon from joining the Galactic Federation, an intergalactic alliance of planets. The Aggedor killed Hepesh, and the same Aggedor later returned inThe Monster of Peladon (1974).^[19] In both of Aggedor's appearances, Aggedor is portrayed by actor Nick Hobbs.^[20][21]

In the audio storyThe Bride of Peladon, after the death of the original Aggedor, it was revealed the Aggedor had a child, which remained hidden for many years. TheFifth Doctor mind-controlled this Aggedor to aid them, after which it gave birth to many baby Aggedors.^[22]

The golden-skinned humanoid Axons attempt to take over the Earth by distributing Axonite, actually pieces of a single creature named Axos; they were encountered inThe Claws of Axos (1971). They pose as a friendly family who wished to aid humanity, but are able to shapeshift into monstrous forms in order to aid Axos. The Axons are later trapped in a time loop alongside Axos.^[23] The Axons are portrayed by Bernard Holley, Patricia Gordino, John Hicks, and Debbie Lee London.^[24]

The Axons later re-appeared in the 2010 comic strip "The Golden Ones," published byPanini Publishing. In an attempt by Axos to free itself and resume its feeding followingThe Claws of Axos, it distributes an energy drink as part of branding for the fictional television show "Goruda," causing the children to become Axons. These Axons begin to rampage acrossTokyo until theEleventh Doctor defeats Axos, which causes the children to return to normal.^[25]

The Bandrils are a reptilian species encountered in the serialTimelash (1985). A villain known as the Borad seeks to start a war between them and the people of Karfel. TheSixth Doctor is able to thwart the plot. The Bandril Ambassador that appears in the episode was portrayed by actor Martin Gower.^[26]

The Boneless are a group of creatures that hailed from a two-dimensional universe, seen in "Flatline" (2014). The Boneless harness the energy from theTARDIS, the Doctor's ship, in an attempt to infiltrate the Doctor's universe.Clara Oswald and a community service worker named Rigsy are able to trick the Boneless into restoring the TARDIS, allowing the Doctor to send them back to their home dimension.^[27]

The Boneless later appeared in the comic storyThe Fourth Wall, published byTitan Comics. The Boneless usecomic books to trap readers in their realm. Utilizing a shared mental communication caused by the kidnapped readers' love of comic books, theTwelfth Doctor is able to use the power in the communication to free the readers and send the Boneless back to their home dimension.^[28]

The Carrionites are creatures who hail from "The Dark Times," a time before the universe, and fought against the Time Lords in the past. They appear in "The Shakespeare Code" (2007). Three Carrionites- Bloodtide, Doomfinger, and Lilith- attempt to release their species from a prison using the power of words andwitchcraft. They attempt to manipulateWilliam Shakespeare into writing the key to their escape intoLove's Labour's Won, but theTenth Doctor and Shakespeare were able to reverse the process, sending the Carrionites back into their prison and trapping Lilith, Bloodtide, and Doomfinger into acrystal ball.^[29] They reappeared, this time facing against theSixth Doctor, in the audio dramaThe Carrionite Curse.^[30]

The Catkind are felines in the future that have evolved into humanoids, first seen in "New Earth" (2006). The Catkind have hair-covered bodies, feline facial features and retractable claws.^[31] Their young resemble typical domestic kittens, with humanoid features emerging after ten months.^[32]

In "New Earth", a group of Catkind called theSisters of Plenitude run a hospital near the city of New New York, where they test on human subjects by infecting them with every disease in order to concoct cures for them. The subjects later escape, infecting many in the hospital, including several of the Sisters. The Tenth Doctor later develops a cure for the infected, and the Sisters are arrested.^[31] In "Gridlock" (2007), most of New New York is killed by a plague, leaving the only survivors in the Under City and Motorway. A Cat Person, Thomas Kincade Brannigan, is encountered by the Tenth Doctor, and has a human wife and a litter of kittens. Additionally, a surviving member of the Sisters of Plenitude, Novice Hame, appears, who survived the plague via the protection of theFace of Boe. She aids the Tenth Doctor in opening the Motorway.^[33] Hame was portrayed by actressAnna Hope.^[34] Brannigan has several kitten offspring who appear in "Gridlock," who were portrayed by real-life kittens.^[35]

A short scene, titled"The Secret of Novice Hame" was released as part of a tie-in with awatch-along for "New Earth" held during theCOVID-19 pandemic. The scene features Hame on her deathbed in the far future as she awaits the Doctor's arrival.^[34]

Chameleons are aliens with no features or identities of their own seen inThe Faceless Ones (1967), who can imprint on individual humans and take on their appearance. The Chameleons lost their identities and faces in a massive explosion on their home planet. As a result, their scientists created a device that would allow them to adopt the identities of other beings. In the late 1960s, they ran a fake airline, Chameleon Tours, to kidnap human subjects for that purpose. TheSecond Doctor was able to convince them to seek another solution.^[36] The Chameleons later re-appeared in the spin-off bookShort Trips and Side Steps, appearing in a short story in the book titledFace Value. In the story, the Chameleons began to infiltrate and replace the people of the planet Krennos after their last defeat by the Second Doctor. TheSixth Doctor discovered their plan and put a stop to it.^[37]

Cheetah People are feline humanoids greatly resemblingcheetahs who enjoy hunting humans; the Doctor andthe Master encountered them inSurvival (1989). The Cheetah People were once humanoids resembling humans, but they made bonds with cat-like creatures known asKitlings, which caused the people to mutate into more wild creatures. The Cheetah People frequently fought each other, which weakened their home planet and caused it to slowly reach a breaking point. The Master became stranded on the planet, and slowly began to mutate as well. He attempted to use the Cheetah People to escape, kidnapping several ofAce's friends and mutating them into Cheetah People. TheSeventh Doctor was able to stop the Master, leaving him stranded on the Cheetah People's dying planet.^[38]

The writer ofSurvival, Rona Munro, was disappointed with how the Cheetah People turned out. Her initial outline only had the Cheetah People have cheetah-like eyes and a pigmentation of the skin, but the final version depicted the Cheetah People with heavy masks that obscured the actors' faces, which Munro weakened the emotions the actors were able to convey, and which she believed particularly weakened thelesbian subtext between Ace and one of the Cheetah People.^[39]

Chronovores are glowing white creatures that live outside time; the Doctor encountered one, Kronos, inThe Time Monster (1972).The Master attempted to use Kronos for one of his schemes, infiltrating the lost kingdom ofAtlantis, which worshipped Kronos, in order to revive and control the deity. After Kronos destroyed Atlantis, theThird Doctor was able to free Kronos, thwarting the Master's plans.^[40]

The Chronovores re-appeared in the bookThe Quantum Archangel, in which Kronos sought revenge against the Master and tricked him into cutting off a point in the dimensions known as the Lux Aeterna. This created the Quantum Archangel, which, in order to satisfy the desires of every human on Earth, created seven billion alternate realities. The Chronovores swarmed the planet and began to feed on the Earth, acting like parasites to prolong their meal. Kronos sacrificed itself in order to stop this, freeing the Lux Aeterna and causing the Chronovores to return to their dimension.^[41]

The Chuldur are a race of shape shifting bird-like aliens who appeared in theFifteenth Doctor story "Rogue" (2024). The Chuldur appeared in 1813, where they infiltrated a ball in order to "cosplay" as those from the nineteenth century.^[42] The Fifteenth Doctor is able to trap the Chuldur within a sealing device, which banished them to another dimension, but at the sacrifice of Rogue, a bounty hunter the Doctor had fallen in love with.^[43]

Cryons are a species of alien first seen inAttack of the Cybermen (1985). Cryons appear to be an all female race who cannot exist at temperatures above zero degrees. The Cryons lived onTelos until the Cybermen took control of the planet, and allied with the mercenary Lytton in order to defeat them. The Cryons were later destroyed by an attack by the Cybermen.^[44] Director Matthew Robinson elected to make the Cryons an all-female race, as otherwiseAttack of the Cybermen would have had an all-male cast barring theSixth Doctor's companionPeri Brown. Sarah Berger, Esther Frued, Faith Brown, and Sarah Greene all portrayed various Cryons in the episode.^[45]

Various Cyberman designs from throughout the series, as well as the Cybermat and Cybershade.

The original Cybermen were a race of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planetMondas, first seen inThe Tenth Planet (1966).^[46] As they implanted more and more artificial parts into their bodies as a means of self-preservation, they became coldly logical and calculating, with emotion all but deleted from their minds.^[46] The Cyberman concept was created by Dr.Kit Pedler (the unofficial scientific advisor to the programme) andGerry Davis in 1966, based around the ideas of the ethical issues present in innovations inprosthesis.^[47] The Cybermen were portrayed by tall actors in order to portray the Cybermen's menace, with the actors being over six feet in height. The costumes were hot and bulky, and it was difficult for the actors to see. These initial Cybermen used cloth masks, and had a zombie-like appearance, with flesh-based hands. They additionally had individual names.^[47] The Cybermen were brought back as recurring antagonists in other serials following this, and were an effort by the production team to find replacement antagonists due to the Daleks being planned to be featured in an American television series at the time.^[48] The Cybermen's design would change frequently from episode to episode, and grew more mechanical and bulky in design. Despite their popularity, the Cybermen were not brought back for any episode starringJon Pertwee as theThird Doctor, and only had one appearance alongsideTom Baker as theFourth Doctor. ProducerJohn Nathan-Turner brought the Cybermen back for the serialEarthshock (1982), wanting to feature a returning antagonist but not wanting to use the Daleks. Turner kept the reveal of the Cybermen a secret from the public prior to the airing of the episode,^[49] after which they reprised their role as consistent antagonists until the series' cancellation in 1989.^[47]

In the two-part story "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" of thesecond revived series (2006), the Cybermen originate on a parallel-universe version of Earth, where they were created byJohn Lumic, the head of "Cybus," who was a genius obsessed with immortality. He forcibly 'upgraded' vast numbers of people in the parallel earth before a counter-revolution, initiated by theTenth Doctor, started fighting back.^[50] These Cybermen acted as recurring foes, aiming to "upgrade" other life-forms to be like themselves, but afterSteven Moffat took over as the showrunner ofDoctor Who, the Cybermen from the Doctor's universe became the primary antagonists, though they still used the design of the "Cybus" Cybermen.^[47] The Cybermen were later re-designed for writerNeil Gaiman's serial "Nightmare in Silver" (2013) which used a sleeker design. These Cybermen were constantly upgrading to counter-act any threat, which Gaiman cited as being inspired by the speed of improvement in modern technology and the Cybermen's own penchant to "upgrade" other lifeforms to be like themselves. The original design seen inThe Tenth Planet was later brought back for "World Enough and Time" and "The Doctor Falls" (2017),^[47] while the main Cyberman design was redesigned again for the episode "Ascension of the Cybermen" (2020).

The Cybermen have several variants, such as theCybermat, small cybernetic creatures used by the Cybermen first seen inThe Tomb of the Cybermen^[51] and theCybershades, a sub-species of Cybermen, seen in the 2008 Christmas special, "The Next Doctor".^[52]

A race of humanoids from the planet Dæmos, seen inThe Dæmons (1971). They resemble demons, and inspired the concept of demons in humanity. The Dæmons have great power, and the antagonistthe Master attempts to obtain the power of a Dæmon named Azal. Azal is the last of his kind, and eventually decides to give his power to the Master as he threatens to kill theThird Doctor. The Doctor's companion,Jo Grant, steps in the way in an act of self-sacrifice. This confuses Azal due to its illogical nature, causing his powers to reverse on him, killing him.^[53]

Another Dæmon later appeared in the unofficial 2004 BBV filmDæmos Rising,^[54] which acted as a follow-up toThe Dæmons.^[55] The same Dæmon later appeared in the spin-off novelChild of Time, where it attempted to harness the powers of a woman named Maria. Maria travelled back in time and committed suicide, thwarting its plans and causing it to be killed.^[56]

Various Dalek battle armour designs from throughout the series, including variants such as the Special Weapons Dalek and the Dalek Emperor.

The Daleks are a warmongering, xenophobic race of mutant creatures who live within mobile battle armour first appearing inThe Daleks (1963–64), the secondDoctor Who serial.^[57] The Daleks were created by a scientist namedDavros as a way to survive and win a war between themselves and a species known as the Thals.^[58] They are life-long enemies ofThe Doctor, and he is the only being whom they fear. The Daleks see themselves as the superior lifeforms in the universe, and seek to eliminate all other life for being "impure". The creatures inside of their casings resemble squids, with a single eye, exposed brain and many tentacles.^[57] The Daleks acted as a highly recurring foe duringDoctor Who's classic era, and were among its most popular. During the 1960s, public popularity for the Daleks was high, with this era being referred to as "Dalekmania." DespiteThe Beatles going on-air during the Daleks' second appearance, the return of the Daleks saw a higher viewer count. The Daleks were merchandised heavily during this period and grew wildly popular.^[57] Dalekmania declined following the airing ofThe Daleks' Master Plan, a twelve part serial.^[59] Two movie spin-offs of Dalek serials, starring actorPeter Cushing asthe Doctor, titledDr. Who and the Daleks andDaleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., were adaptations of other Dalek serials and produced at the highlight of Dalekmania.^[60]

The Daleks were created byTerry Nation and designed by theBBC designerRaymond Cusick.^[61] Nation's design inspiration for the Daleks casing came from watching a dance troupe on television, as their long skirts gave the impression that they glided across the stage.^[62] Nation additionally pulled from the cultural memory ofWorld War II and theNazis in designing the Daleks,^[63] and acted as an allegory for the Nazis.^[64] Cusick was only given an hour to work on the design for the Daleks casing, and was inspired by a pepper pot on the table.^[65] The in-human aspects of the design were considered a large part of what made the Daleks a success.^[62]

The Daleks use physical props, which are operated from the inside by actors, who manipulated aspects such as the eyestalks and appendages, and physically moved the props.^[66] For the 2019 episode "Resolution," a fully remote controlled prop was created for the Dalek. Notable Dalek operators includeJohn Scott Martin,^[67]Barnaby Edwards,^[68]Nicholas Pegg,^[69] Jon Davey,^[70] Tony Starr, and Cy Town.^[71] Several variant designs for the Daleks existed throughout the series, including a variant known as the "Special Weapons Dalek."^[72]

The Daleks' voice has a harsh, staccato delivery. ActorsPeter Hawkins andDavid Graham designed the voices for the Daleks and voiced them, with the voices further processed byBrian Hodgson in theBBC Radiophonic Workshop.^[73] Other actors to portray the Daleks includeRoy Skelton^[74] andNicholas Briggs, the latter of whom voices the Daleks in the revived series.^[75] Briggs uses a voice modulator to perform the Daleks, and had previously performed as the Daleks in theBig Finish Productions audio dramas featuring them.^[76]

Upon the airing ofThe Daleks, Nation received large amounts of letters from children who watched the series, inquiring about the Daleks. The popularity of the Daleks ensured the survival ofDoctor Who, which was in danger of being cancelled due to low viewing figures from the prior serial,An Unearthly Child (1963).^[62] The ownership of the Daleks was a co-production between Nation and the BBC, and as a result, Nation received royalties whenever the Daleks appeared inDoctor Who.^[62] The Daleks have been described as British cultural icons,^[62] and a 2008 survey stated that nine out of ten British children were able to identify a Dalek correctly.^[77] The word "Dalek" has entered dictionaries,^[78] including theOxford English Dictionary.^[79]

In the series' revival in 2005, the Daleks were initially not going to appear, with drafts of the scripts not featuring them being made if the development team was unable to use them.^[62] This was due to issues in negotiations with Nation's estate after his death in 1997, with the estate not trusting the BBC with the Daleks and the BBC not offering the same editorial control Nation had once had in the past. The BBC and Nation estate eventually came to an agreement, leading to the return of the Daleks in the episode "Dalek" (2005).^[80]

In the revived series, the Daleks fought the Doctor's species, theTime Lords, in a conflict known as theTime War, which resulted in the destruction of the Daleks and the Time Lords alike, with the Doctor the sole survivor. The Doctor eventually comes into contact with Dalek survivors as the series progresses, and the Daleks are eventually revived in the episode "Victory of the Daleks" (2010).^[81] The Daleks have since gone on to be recurring antagonists in the series.

The Daleks casings were briefly re-designed following "Victory of the Daleks," gaining six roles with multiple colours. WriterMark Gatiss was inspired by the Daleks seen in the 1960s Dalek films, and sought to make them big to make them intimidating. A green Dalek was planned but scrapped.^[82] These Daleks, dubbed the "New Paradigm," were widely controversial with viewers. Their battle armour was re-designed for the episode "Asylum of the Daleks", (2012) but it did not re-appear in subsequent episodes.^[72]

The Dominators are a race of aggressive warlords, first seen inThe Dominators (1968). They attempted to capture the planet Dulkis utilizing their robotic servants theQuarks, but were thwarted by theSecond Doctor.^[83]

The Dominators later appeared in various pieces of spin-off material. The comicQuiet on the Set, released in 2013 byIDW Publishing, depicted theTenth Doctor fighting the Dominators inHollywood, Los Angeles, where they attempted to make a movie that would spreadsubliminal messaging to turn humanity into an ideal labor force for them.^[84] They re-appeared in the novelMutually Assured Domination, published in 2015, where they set up the company Dominex Industries in order to harness nuclear waste to power their fleets, only to be defeated byBrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.^[85] The audio dramaTime in Office later depicted the Dominators attempting to conquer the Doctor's home planet ofGallifrey, though they were thwarted.^[86]

The Draconians (also called Dragons, a derogatory term in their culture) are a humanoid race seen inFrontier in Space (1973). Common interstellar travel and attempts at colonization have brought them into frequent and occasionally hostile contact with humans, leading to a treaty establishing a frontier between the two empires. Antagonistthe Master attempted to trick the two sides into thinking the other broke the treaty in order to provoke galactic war, but after the truth was revealed, the Draconians allied with the humans to combat the Master.^[87]

The Draconians appear in several pieces of spin-off material. The 2020 online short storyThe Simple Things depicted a Draconian attempting to repair a battle cruiser in 1896West Ham with the help of an ironworks company.^[88] The 1998 novelCatastrophea depicted the Draconians being unhappy with human colonization of the planet Catastrophea. They attempted to intervene, but after an uprising by the planet's natives, the Draconians and humans work together to make sure all inhabitants from both sides are able to evacuate the planet, with both choosing to leave the planet alone.^[89] The 2009 comic storyFugitive featured a Draconian delegate, who was arrested alongside theTenth Doctor and delegates from the Ogron and Sontaran species. The Draconian delegate later aided the Tenth Doctor in saving the Shadow Architect, head of the Shadow Proclamation, an intergalactic police body who had arrested them before. The Draconian was freed and later attended peace talks with the other delegates.^[90]

The Drahvin are a group of aggressive female aliens first seen inGalaxy 4 (1965). In the serial, a group of Drahvin were stranded on a planet that was soon to die. They were trapped with the Rills, a physically repulsive race, who offered aid but were rejected. The Drahvin attempted to kill the Rills, but were stopped from doing so by theFirst Doctor, and were killed when the planet was destroyed.^[91]

The Drahvin appeared in the 2010 spin-off audio dramaThe Suffering, which detailed the Drahvin's past. The Drahvin were once ruled by apatriarchal shared mind, with one female Drahvin being able to allow other female Drahvin to enter the mind. The Drahvin was killed, but her shared connection to the female Drahvin let her overthrow the patriarchy and institute amatriarchy. Following her tyrannical rule over the Drahvin, she was deposed and her body was sent into space. In the audio drama, the Drahvin attempted to cause an uprising at asuffragette rally, but was stopped by the First Doctor and his companions.^[92]

Drashigs are huge, aggressive and hungry creatures with caterpillar bodies and dragon heads, seen inCarnival of Monsters (1973). In the serial, the Drashigs were captured inside a "Miniscope," a device which kept various species trapped in miniature versions of their natural environments for entertainment. The Drashigs damage the circuitry of the Miniscope, while a group known as the Tribunal attempts to free them to cause chaos. The Drashigs kill the rogue Tribunal members, and are returned home from the Miniscope at the episode's conclusion.^[93] The Drashigs in this episode utilized puppets, with fox skulls being used for the heads.^[94] The documentaryDestroy All Monsters!, released as part of the 2011 DVD release ofCarnival of Monsters, detailed several aspects of the Drashigs' production. The Drashigs' name was an anagram of "dish rag" due to dish rags being used as an eyeline for the actors when filming scenes in which they encountered Drashigs. The Drashigs' roars were created by reversing the sound of a car tire screeching backwards.^[95]

Drashigs re-appear in spin-off material for the series. The Drashigs, still trapped in the Miniscope followingCarnival of Monsters, re-appeared in the 2019 audio dramaPeepshow, where recurring characterRiver Song encountered them. Due to the lack of food in the Miniscope, she was able to use the Drashigs to kill several antagonist groups in the Miniscope trying to kill her. TheThird Doctor returned the Drashigs to their home at the end of the audio drama.^[96] TheFaction Paradox short-story anthology,The Book of Peace, released in 2018, depicted the Drashigs' creation in the short storyDaring Initiation. The Drashigs in this story were the result of genetic mutation in humans who were exposed to radiation when stranded on an alien planet. Some of these mutated humans' eggs were sent back in time, creating the Drashigs.^[97] The bookThe Eight Doctors, published in 1997, depicted a Drashig being pulled through time via a device known as aTime Scoop. The Drashig was sent to kill theFifth andEighth Doctors, but the pair reversed the Scoop, sending the Drashig to kill the one who initially used the Scoop.^[98] Another audio drama, titledPlanet of the Drashigs, was also released in 2019. TheFourth Doctor encountered them on a planetoid known as "DrashigWorld," a theme park where various species of Drashig are on display. The creator of the park attempted to use it as a ploy to discover what it is like to be a Drashig by connecting to the Drashigs' brain waves. The Drashigs break free, but the Doctor is able to evacuate the survivors before the Drashigs are able to kill everyone.^[99]

The Eknodine are a parasitic life form seen in "Amy's Choice" (2010). In the dream world created by theDream Lord, the Eknodine reside in the bodies of elderly residents inLeadworth. The Eknodine attack theEleventh Doctor,Amy Pond, andRory Williams, killing the latter, before Amy kills both her and the Doctor in the dream world, ending the threat of the Eknodine.^[100]

The Eternals are a race of cosmic beings first introduced inEnlightenment (1983). The Eternals live outside of time, in the realm of eternity. They consider the mortal inhabitants of the universe to be "Ephemerals." The Eternals are powerful enough to manipulate matter, creating objects out of thin air; they also read minds effortlessly through telepathy. They lack imagination and creativity, stating that they were empty and lost without Ephemeral thought to entertain and challenge them.^[101]

InEnlightenment, theFifth Doctor ended up encountering a group of Eternals, who sought to win the "Enlightenment" from the Black and White Guardians in a competition between themselves. The Eternals captured many residents of the universe to participate in the competition, with the Doctor attempting to stop the competition. An Eternal naming themselves Captain Wrack is able to pull ahead in the competition, which involves many spaceships based on boats racing to see who would make it to victory. A rival ship, theBuccaneer, allied with the Doctor to stop Wrack from winning, with the Doctor killing her and her first mate, allowing him to win the race and stop the Eternals from claiming Enlightenment.^[101]

Though the Eternals were referenced in the revived series, they did not re-appear physically until "Can You Hear Me?" (2020),^[102] in which a pair named Zellin and Rakaya appear as the primary antagonists. Rakaya was imprisoned for causing chaos, and Zellin manipulated theThirteenth Doctor so that she would free Rakaya.^[103] The pair wished to siphon nightmares in order to feed on them. The Doctor is able to trick the pair, imprisoning them once again.^[104]

The Fendahl are an alien species seen inImage of the Fendahl (1977).^[105] A race that never exceedsunlucky number13; it is composed of one Golden Core and 12 Fendahleen. The Fendahl arose on the original fifth planet of theSolar System, which they eventually wiped of all other life; so dangerous were they that theTime Lords moved the planet into a time loop. Somehow, though, the Fendahl managed to eject a skull, which passed through space (seriously harming life on Mars as it passed) to land on Earth, where its powers helped shape humanity, a new vessel for the Fendahl. Ages later, that skull was found by scientists, who believed it could grant them power; the attempt unfortunately backfired in the creation of a new Golden Core. The Core began creating Fendahleen, but one person committed suicide, preventing the Fendahl from reaching the quota. TheFourth Doctor blew up the house the Fendahl were in, and later tossed the skull that caused the trouble into a supernova.

Fish People are humanoids fromAtlantis who have been surgically altered to live underwater; they appear inThe Underwater Menace (1967). The Fish People were subsequently convinced to strike against the villainous Professor Zaroff, joining the rebellion against him.^[106]

The Foamasi are an intelligent, bipedal race ofreptiles who appeared inThe Leisure Hive (1980). The Foamasi fought a twenty-minutenuclear war with the Argolins, which resulted in the decimation of their planet, Argolis. Argolis subsequently came under the Foamasi's control. Two saboteurs, hailing from a group known as the "West Lodge" attempted to force the Argolins to sell the Leisure Hive, a location within which the Argolins survived. The saboteurs were thwarted and subsequently arrested by the Foamasi government.^[107] The Foamasi that appeared in the episode was portrayed by actor Andrew Lane.^[108]

The 1998 novelPlacebo Effect depicted another group of Foamasi, known as the Dark Peaks Lodge, attempting to sabotage and gain control of the Foamasi government. The Eighth Doctor was able to reveal the group, causing the Foamasi government to hunt down the Dark Peaks Lodge.^[109]

The Futurekind are a cannibalistic humanoid species that live at theend of the universe, seen in "Utopia" (2007). With sharp teeth and warrior-like markings and piercings over their faces, the Futurekind are tribalistic, and hunt down those they can kill and eat. The Futurekind attempted to kill theTenth Doctor and his companions when they wound up at the end of the universe, and later broke into the last human sanctuary whenThe Master let them in. The Doctor was able to use a vortex manipulator, a device that can allow the wearer to travel through time, to get him and his companions to safety.^[110]

The Flood is a viral entity resembling water found on Mars, appearing in the special "The Waters of Mars" (2009).^[111] The Tenth Doctor speculates that they may have been imprisoned by the Ice Warriors within a glacier. The Mars base Bowie Base One utilizes the glacier for water, but when one of their water filters breaks the Flood begins to infect the personnel, transforming them into a zombie like state that can produce the infectious water, with unusual electrical activity in the brain and blackened teeth. As the Flood overrun the base with the intent of reaching Earth the Doctor decides he must leave, knowing that the base's destruction is a fixed point in time that can't be changed. He soon returns but the base's leader, Adelaide Brooke, activates the base's self destruct feature. Arrogantly breaking the laws of time, the Doctor manages to save the remaining crew not infected by the water and the Flood is destroyed with the base.

The Gelth were blue gaseous life-forms that appeared in "The Unquiet Dead" (2005). The Gelth claimed to have lost their corporeal forms as a result of theLast Great Time War, and possessed human cadavers inVictorian England in order to have hosts, though the cadavers did not last long. The Gelth spoke through a maid named Gwyneth, and asked for Gwyneth to use her abilities to open theCardiff Rift in order to let the Gelth through to possess corpses, which theNinth Doctor believed would allow him to find the Gelth new bodies. However, once the Rift was open, the Gelth revealed their malicious intent and threatened to take Earth by force. Gwyneth sacrificed herself to close the Rift, setting the remaining Gelth ablaze with fire.^[112]

The Graske are a race of diminutive aliens that first appeared in the interactiveDoctor Who mini-episode "Attack of the Graske" (2005).^[113] They infiltrate planets by subtly replacing members of the planet's species with disguised Graske.^[114]

A Graske named Krislok appears inThe Sarah Jane Adventures stories "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" (2007) and "The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith" (2008). Originally a henchman and slave ofthe Trickster, who saved him from death, Krislok later gains his freedom.^[115][116] An unnamed Graske appears inThe Proms mini-episode "Music of the Spheres" (2008).^[117] A similar species known as theGroske appeared inThe Sarah Jane Adventures episode "Death of the Doctor".^[118]

The Graske has been portrayed by actorJimmy Vee.^[119][117]

The Great Intelligence is a creature with no physical form of its own, which first appeared inThe Abominable Snowmen (1967). The Intelligence attempted to construct a physical body during the serial, but was thwarted by theSecond Doctor.^[120] It subsequently returned in the serialThe Web of Fear (1968)^[121][122] but did not re-appear after that until the episode "The Snowmen" (2012).^[123] During theseventh series of the show's 2005 revival, the Intelligence orchestrated events to force the Doctor to the planet of Trenzalore in "The Name of the Doctor" (2013) so that the Intelligence could access the Doctor's time stream and undo all of the Intelligence's past defeats. The Intelligence is thwarted byClara Oswald, who jumps into the Doctor's time stream and splits into copies of herself, with each stopping the Intelligence's interference in the Doctor's timeline.^[124]

(From left to right) The Yeti, Snowmen, and Whisper Men as they appear in the series.

The Intelligence has several servants it uses to aid in its plans. The first are theYeti, who appear inThe Abominable Snowmen andThe Web of Fear. Another Yeti later appeared in "The Five Doctors."^[125] The Yeti were an effort of the production team to find recurring antagonists to replace theDaleks, who at the time were written out of the series.^[48][126] The Snowmen appeared in "The Snowmen," where they were sentient snow that manifested when people thought about them. The Snowmen were defeated alongside the Intelligence.^[127]Spoonheads were introduced in "The Bells of Saint John" (2013), and were robots that could upload people's consciousness via theWi-Fi and store them in adata cloud.^[128] The Whisper Men were servants of the Intelligence who appeared in "The Name of the Doctor" (2013). Their hands can phase through a person's chest and stop their hearts at will. The Whisper Men capture the Doctor's friends thePaternoster Gang, forcing the Doctor to Trenzalore in order to face the Great Intelligence.^[127] Episode writerSteven Moffat added them to the episode due to re-appearances by returning monsters in prior episodes in the same season, wanting to feature an original monster in the finale.^[129]

The Goblins are a group of time-travelling creatures. They are attracted by coincidence and feed on infants as a food source. The Goblins appeared in the 2023 Christmas special "The Church on Ruby Road" where they attempted to capture a baby being fostered by Ruby Sunday's mother, Carla Sunday, and feed it to their King. Ruby and theFifteenth Doctor are able to save the baby, but the Goblins go back in time to steal Ruby when she was a baby. Using special gloves that enhance his strength, the Fifteenth Doctor drags the Goblins' ship into the steeple of a church, impaling their King and saving Ruby.^[130] A scrapped scene in the episode would have had Ruby fight the Goblin King using luck fromscratchcards, but this was scrapped for budgetary reasons.^[131]

One Goblin, named Janis Goblin, sang a song in the episode named "The Goblin Song," which was performed by Christina Rotondo.^[132] The song was composed by series composerMurray Gold and released as a single.^[133]

The Guardians are a pair of powerful entities in charge of keeping balance in the universe, first seen inThe Ribos Operation (1978), where the White Guardian appeared before the Doctor and asked him to re-assembleThe Key to Time, warning them of the Black Guardian who also wished to obtain the Key.^[134] The White Guardian was later revealed to actually be the Black Guardian in disguise, who attempted to trick the Doctor into assembling the Key for him. The Doctor scrambled theTARDIS's piloting abilities, causing the TARDIS's landing sites to be randomized in order to evade the vengeful Black Guardian.^[135] The Black Guardian later appeared in several episodes of the series, where he attempted to manipulateVislor Turlough into killing theFifth Doctor.^[136] Both Guardians later appeared inEnlightenment, where the Guardians offered a crystal of great power to the winner of a race held by Eternals. Turlough threw the crystal at the Black Guardian, causing him to dissipate.^[102][137] The White Guardian was portrayed by actorCyril Luckham,^[138] and briefly byValentine Dyall inThe Armageddon Factor. Dyall portrayed the Black Guardian in the character's later appearances.^[135]

Haemovores appeared in theSeventh Doctor storyThe Curse of Fenric (1989).Vampiric creatures that fed on blood, they were the result of humanevolution in a possible far future, caused by millennia of pollution.^[139] As part of his final game against theDoctor, the entity known asFenric transported the most powerful Haemovore, called the "Ancient One", through time toViking AgeNorthumbria. There it waited, trapped beneath theNorth Sea for centuries, occasionally drawing victims into the water and transforming them into Haemovores.

Soon after the transformation, victims appeared much as they did in life, except for elongated fingernails and a corpse-like pallor. Later they became deformed blue-grey humanoids covered inoctopus-like suckers. The Ancient One was the least human in appearance; in its own time, it was the last living thing on Earth.

DuringWorld War II, Fenric released the Ancient One. Fenric's plan was that the Ancient One was to release the toxin which would pollute the world and thuscreate its own future.

The Haemovores had the ability tohypnotically paralyse their victims so they could feed and drain them of blood. Not all of their victims were turned into Haemovores, although the selection process was never explained. The Haemovores were impervious to most forms of attack, surviving being shot at close range by asubmachine gun at one point. They could be destroyed in the traditional vampire-killing fashion of driving a stake through their chests. They could also be repelled by their victim's faith, which formed a psychic barrier, like the Doctor's faith in his companions, Ace's faith in the Doctor, Captain Sorin's faith in theCommunist Revolution, and the Reverend Wainwright's faith in God; this repelling force can be called into will, the Doctor merely called the names of past companions as a medium.

Ultimately, the Seventh Doctor convinced the Ancient One to turn against Fenric, and it released the toxin within a sealed chamber, destroying itself and Fenric's host. Whether this means that the future the Ancient One came from was averted is not clear, although the Doctor seemed to think so.

Fenric and his Haemovores return in the 2012 Big Finish Productions audio story,Gods and Monsters.

The Hath are aliens that appear in "The Doctor's Daughter" (2008). They appear as tall, roughly humanoid creatures with fish-like heads, who can breathe in air via the employment of apparatus fitted to their faces that incorporates a canister of green liquid.^[140] They are intelligent, emotional creatures – one formed a friendship withMartha Jones, and saved her life at the cost of its own. They seem sentient and while they do not speak a language intelligible to humans, the two races planned to colonize the planet Messaline together. However, they later turned on each other – before their eventual reconciliation, thanks to the Doctor's intervention.

The Headless Monks are a religious order that can be converted from any humanoid species by the removal of the head, who first appeared in "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011). They wear hooded cloaks, giving the impression that they still have a head, however under the hood, the skin is tied into a tight knot where the head has been removed. Despite their name, most people are unaware of this literal description being true, because except under very special circumstances, one incurs a death penalty if they ever remove the hood of a monk. The monks have no detectable life signs, and are endowed with the ability to throw lightning from their hands. They were first mentioned in "The Time of Angels" (2010), but did not appear until "A Good Man Goes To War" in 2011.

The Hoix first appeared in the episode "Love & Monsters", where theTenth Doctor and his companionRose Tyler attempt to stop one, during which they are briefly encountered by the episode's protagonist, Elton Pope.^[7] A Hoix later appears in the seriesTorchwood in the episode "Exit Wounds" (2008). One of the protagonists, Owen, distracts it by feeding itcigarettes stating that it "lives to eat".^[141] One appeared as a member of an Alliance to seal theEleventh Doctor inside of the Pandorica, a specially made prison for the Doctor, in "The Pandorica Opens" (2010).^[142]

Ice Warriors are reptilian humanoids fromMars that first appeared inThe Ice Warriors (1967).^[143] The Ice Warriors wore bulky armour, which protects them from temperature fluctuations and enemy attack. They can additionally attack using sonic weaponry. Ice Warriors can remove their armour.^[144] The Ice Warriors initially intend to find a new world due to Mars being uninhabitable via conquest, but their re-appearances in the serialsThe Curse of Peladon andThe Monster of Peladon portrayed them as having shifted towards peace, though a group in the latter episode had not eschewed violence.^[144][145] The Ice Warriors later re-appeared in the episodes "Cold War"^[146] and "Empress of Mars."^[147] The Ice Warriors followed a code of honor, which they treated very seriously. The Ice Warriors have a leadership ranking, being led by Ice Lords, which wear differently designed armour.^[148] They are additionally led by a Queen,^[147] who was portrayed by actress Adele Lynch.^[144]

Ice Warriors as they appeared in the classic series (left) and revived series (middle) , as well as the design of the Ice Queen, Iraxxa. (right)

FollowingThe Evil of the Daleks, theDoctor Who production team wished to introduce new recurring monsters to replace theDaleks, who were planned to be featured in an American television series at the time.^[48] The Ice Warriors were created by writer Brian Hayles, who penned every episode featuring them in the classic era of the show.^[149] Hayles was inspired by the discovery of a pre-historic mammoth to write the original serial. Hayles initially proposed the Ice Warriors to have cybernetic enhancements, which was scrapped by costume designer Martin Baugh out of concerns that it would be seen as too similar to theCybermen.^[150] They were designed to be able to show more personality than other recurring monsters, such as the Daleks and Cybermen. Baugh additionally gave the Warriors their reptilian appearance when designing them, with two different suits for the Ice Warriors being produced for their debut serial.^[151] Baugh designed the armour out of fibreglass.^[152][153] The armour was later given a redesign for their appearance in "Cold War," though it kept the basic design mostly the same.^[144] Neill Gorton, a creature designer forDoctor Who, chose to make the redesign resemble plating in order to make the Ice Warriors appear "beefier and stronger." Urethane rubber was used for the costume instead of fibreglass like their older costumes.^[146] Gorton sought to improve on the armour due to shortcomings in the older models, with the armour being specially designed aroundSpencer Wilding, who portrayed the Ice Warrior Grand Marshal Skaldak in "Cold War."^[146]

The Ice Warriors proved to be popular, and they were thus brought back in later episodes.^[151][154] Bernard Bresslaw portrayed the Ice Warrior Varga in their debut serial.^[151] Bresslaw voiced Varga with a notable whisper-like to depict the Ice Warriors' reptilian nature,^[153] with the voice believed to have been developed by Bresslaw.^[155] Steve Peters, Tony Harwood, and Sonny Caldinez portray them in the serialThe Seeds of Death.^[154]

The Jagaroth were a highly advanced, warlike alien species encountered by the Fourth Doctor inCity of Death (1979). They were green-skinned, cyclopean humanoids with tendrils on their faces and a single eye on their forehead, and possessed sophisticated technology including holographic disguises and devices that allowed them to appear human.

In the distant past, after fleeing a civil war that all but wiped out their species, their last surviving Jagaroth ship reached primordial Earth, around 400 million years before the 20th century. Discovering it to be largely lifeless the Jagaroth attempted to leave, activating their warp-drive against the advice of their navigator, Scaroth. The ship exploded during takeoff and the resulting energy surge triggered the chemical processes that led to the emergence of life on Earth.

Scaroth survived the explosion but was fragmented into twelve separate versions of himself, scattered through Earth's history. These versions worked in secret to nudge humanity towards the invention of time travel, intending to travel back in time to prevent the explosion and save the Jagaroth.

In 1979 Paris the Fourth Doctor and Romana catch Scaroth trying to sell multiple copies of the Mona Lisa, all painted by Da Vinci at another version of Scaroth's request. Scaroth forces Romana to help him go back in time to stop the explosion but is intercepted by the Doctor, Romana, and a private detective called Duggan. The ship explodes as before, killing the Jagaroth on board and triggering the development of life on Earth. Scaroth is sent back to 1979 where he subsequently dies in an explosion, ending his scheme for good.

The Judoon are a galactic alien police resemblingrhinoceroses, who recur throughout the series.^[156] They first appeared in "Smith and Jones" (2007), where they sought to capture an alien fugitive by transporting an Earth hospital onto theMoon.^[157] They later re-appeared in "The Stolen Earth" (2008) where they aid The Shadow Proclamation, an inter-galactic body of law,^[158][159] and later made cameo appearances in other episodes of the series.^[157] They also appeared in the series 3Sarah Jane Adventures story,Prisoner of the Judoon (2009), where a Judoon captain is in pursuit of an escaped prisoner known as Androvax.^[160]

The Judoon are blunt in their applications of laws, with theTenth Doctor describing the Judoon as "interplanetary thugs" due to their methods. The Judoon use energy weapons to incarcerate prisoners, and can breathe for some time in space due to their powerful lungs.^[157]

The Judoon appeared in theseries 12 episode "Fugitive of the Judoon" (2020), where they attempt to find and arrestThe Fugitive Doctor, who is hiding out inGloucester.^[156] The Judoon captain in the episode is named Pol-Kon-Don, named after theDoctor Who fan Paul Condon, who died a year before the episode released.^[161] The Judoon re-appear in the finale episode "The Timeless Children" (2020) where their "cold case unit" appears and imprisons theThirteenth Doctor at the end of the episode.^[162]

The Doctor's first enemy inhis fourth incarnation. It is the main villain duringRobot.

The Kahler are a highly technologically advanced humanoid species encountered in "A Town Called Mercy" (2012). They have unique patterns on the left side of their faces to reflect their individuality. A Kahler doctor, Kahler-Jex, encountered theEleventh Doctor,Amy Pond andRory Williams in a smallAmerican frontier town known as Mercy, where it became apparent that he was responsible for the creation of a deadly Kahler cyborg, who was now hunting him down to execute Kahler-Jex for his crimes against the Kahler species. The Kahler race were created byToby Whithouse.

A shape-shifting android acquired by theFifth Doctor as a companion at the end of the two-part storyThe King's Demons (1983). Kamelion was weak-willed, allowingThe Master to be able to take control of him on two occasions.

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah oppose the Kraals in the 1975 serialThe Android Invasion, when the creatures attempt to take over the Earth using robot duplicates of key people in UNIT.^[163]

The Kraals reappear in a Big Finish story calledThe Oseidon Adventure, which was released in June 2012 as part of the Fourth Doctor Adventures.

The Krafayis appears in the episode "Vincent and the Doctor" (2010). It appears to be invisible to most people, howeverVincent van Gogh can see it. It is suggested that this is because of his mental illness.

Krargs appear in the unfinished serialShada (1979/1980)^[164] and consequently in its laterBig Finish/BBCi remake. They are artificial crystalline organisms with rudimentary mobility and understanding of simple commands, created and controlled by the main antagonist,Skagra, to aid in his plan to forcefully merge all of the minds in the Universe into a single omnipotent entity.

The Krillitanes are a race who take attributes from other races to change their appearance. In the episode "School Reunion" (2006), theTenth Doctor states that he has encountered them before, but that due to their composite nature, they looked different, hence him not recognizing them.^[165] He also states that they gain their composite nature from consuming other beings.

The Krotons are a crystalline species encountered inThe Krotons (1968–69).^[166]

The Krynoids appeared in theFourth Doctor storyThe Seeds of Doom (1976). They are a highly dangerous, sentient form of plant life which are renowned amongst galactic botanists.^[167] They spread via seed pods which travel in pairs and are violently hurled through space by frequent volcanic eruptions on their unnamed home planet. The pods when opened are attracted to flesh and are able to infect and mingle their DNA with that of the host, taking over their body and slowly transforming them into a Krynoid. The species can also exert a form of telepathic control over other plant life in the surrounding area, making it suddenly dangerous and deadly to animal-kind. In the later stages of development the Krynoid can also control the vocal cords of its victims and can make itself telepathically sympathetic to humans. Fully grown Krynoids are many meters high and can then release hordes of seed pairs for further colonisation.

Two pods arrived on Earth at the South Pole during the prehistoricPleistocene era and remained dormant inAntarctica until discovered at the end of the twentieth century. One of them hatched after being exposed to ultra-violet light, and took control of a nearby human scientist. TheFourth Doctor intervened in the nick of time and ensured the Krynoid was destroyed by a bomb, but the second pod was stolen and taken to the home of millionaire botanist Harrison Chase in England. Chase ensured thegermination of the second pod, which overtook his scientific adviser Arnold Keeler, and transformed its subject over time into a virtually full-sized Krynoid. Unable to destroy the creature by other means, and with the danger of a seed release imminent from the massive plant, the Doctor orchestrated an RAF bombing raid to destroy the creature before it could germinate.

The Krynoid are also featured in theEighth Doctor audio story forBig Finish entitledHothouse, where an environmentalist group uses samples from the original Krynoid to try and create hybrids that can be controlled by the human host and thus control Earth's fauna to cope with the environmental damage, only for their efforts to merely create a rapidly-growing Krynoid before the Doctor sets it on fire.

A Krynoid appears as one of the villains in theEleventh Doctor short story collectionTales of Trenzalore, as one of the creatures attacking Trenzalore during the Doctor's defence of the planet ("The Time of the Doctor", 2013), the Doctor defeating the Krynoid by blasting it with rapidly-freezing water from a specially modified hose and then shattering it with the reverberations of the town bell.

The Macra first appear in theSecond Doctor storyThe Macra Terror (1967). They are an intelligent, giantcrab-like species from an unnamed planet colonised by humanity in the future.^[168] The Macra invade the control center of the colony and seize the levers of power without the colonists – including their Pilot – knowing what had happened. Thereafter the Macra only appear at night, when the humans are in their quarters, observing a curfew. They have strong hypnotic powers which alter human perception. They also have the ability to ensure messages are vocalised through electronic apparatus such as television or sensor speakers. Both these tools are used to keep the human colonists under control, believing they are blissfully happy. This provides a cover for the Macra to use the colonists as miners in a vast gas mine. The gas is deadly to the miners but vital to the Macra, enabling them to move more quickly and rejuvenating their abilities. TheSecond Doctor effects a revolution on the Macra planet and helps engineer an explosion in the control centre, destroying the Macra in charge.

The Macra are also featured in the 2007 episode "Gridlock", becoming the first one-off opponent of the Doctor in the classic series to appear in the revived series, with theZygons reappearing in theEleventh Doctor story, "The Day of the Doctor" (2013). In the episode, some Macra are found to be alive below New New York, a city of New Earth. They live in the thick fog of exhaust gases on the main motorway under the city, tracking the flying cars by their lights and snatching at them when they get too close. TheDoctor says that the species is billions of years old and once developed a small empire as "the scourge of this galaxy", but the Macra beneath New New York must havedevolved into nothing more than beasts.

The Mandrels are furry, scaly bipeds native to the planet Eden, encountered inNightmare of Eden (1979).^[169]

The Marshmen are amphibious humanoids from the planet Alzarius, encountered inFull Circle (1980).^[170]

Mechonoids, also referred to as Mechanoids,^[171] are large, multifaceted, spherical robots created by humans. They first appear in the second season serial,The Chase (1965), being sent to prepare the planet Mechanus for colonisation. While working on the colonisation task, they imprison stranded astronautSteven Taylor. A group of Daleks, pursuing the Doctor and his companions, engaged the Mechanoids in battle, allowing both them and Steven to escape.^[172]

During production the Mechonoids were originally called Mechons, but this was changed so that they would not be confused with a villain named the Mekon from theDan Dare comics. However, there is a reference to "Mechons" in the finished serial, because the name was changed after the pre-recorded Dalek dialogue was taped.^[171] Due to a hope they would be able to match the Daleks in terms of popularity, considerable effort and budget was put into the Mechonoid props,^[171] and they were marketed extensively. Despite this, they were not as successful as the Daleks.^[173] The Mechonoid props were over five feet long, and as a result were considered too cumbersome and hard to move, resulting in the Mechonoids not returning in the television series.^[171]

The Mechonoids appeared in comics published byTV Century 21 from 1965 to 1966, often facing against the Daleks.^[171] They also appear in the 1960s comicThe World That Waits, where they fight the Daleks.^[174] The Mechonoids appear in the audio dramaThe Juggernauts, where several broken Mechonoids are repaired and made into the titular "Juggernauts" by the Daleks' creator,Davros.^[175] They also appear in the audio dramasHouse of Kingdom andQueen of the Mechonoids.^[176][177] The Mechonoids also appear inDaleks!, a 2020 web series published as part of theTime Lord Victorious multimedia crossover story. In the story, the Daleks, on the run from a powerful threat, are forced to ally with the Mechonoids in order to stand a chance against it.^[178]

The Menoptra appeared in theFirst Doctor storyThe Web Planet (1965). They are an intelligent, bipedal insectoid species from the planetVortis.^[179] In appearance, they resemble a cross between giantbutterflies andbees, with each Menoptra possessing four large wings. They have yellow and black stripes around their bodies and appear to be around six feet tall, but do not seem to have typical insect body parts (such asmandibles or an abdomen).

Peaceful and kindly by nature, the Menoptra move in a unique, stylised way and their vocal inflections are stilted. They were very welcoming of theFirst Doctor,Ian,Barbara, andVicki; but showed an animosity towards their fellow insectoids, theZarbi, as well as an abhorrence for theAnimus, a hostile alien intelligence that had taken over the originally passive Zarbi and almost all of Vortis. Once it was clear that theDoctor was willing to help them defeat the Animus, they were only too glad to assist in any way they could.

Mentors are amphibious capitalists who first appear in the serialVengeance on Varos (1985).^[180]

Giant psychic spiders inhabited the planet of Metebelis 3, as seen inPlanet of the Spiders (1974). The Metebelis Spiders were mutated Earth spiders. They are led by The Great One, a massive spider who has a web composed of Metebelis Crystals. TheThird Doctor stole the last one needed during a prior visit to the planet, causing The Great One to go after him in order to complete her web. The Great One eventually completes her web, but the power of the web is too great, and it kills The Great One and all of her spiders, and causes mortal injury to the Third Doctor, causing him to regenerate.^[181] Kismet Delgado voices one of the spiders, while Maureen Morris voices The Great One.^[182]

The Midnight Entity is the projected name^[183] given to a mysterious being encountered by the Doctor in the episode "Midnight" (2008). Apparently inhabiting the planet Midnight, the natural appearance of this organism is not directly known, only being referred to as a shadow. The creature was capable of possessing humans. First unable to move, it repeats what other people say, then begins saying what they are saying at the same time, then is capable of moving and taking over other people. It is seemingly killed when a stewardess throws the person it has possessed, Sky, onto the planet's surface, resulting in both of them being disintegrated by the planet's natural radiation.^[184]

Davies had the idea of the Entity in his head for quite a while prior to its usage in "Midnight". The idea for the entity's usage of mimicry hailed from a conversation between showrunnerRussell T Davies and producerPhil Collinson, in which the two accidentally kept repeating each other's words. Davies realized it could be used in a mocking manner. The concept of communication was also inspired by theStar Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok", with Davies being inspired by the concept of communicating with a creature with an incomprehensible language to such an extent he avoided watching the episode to allow himself to develop the idea independently of it.^[185]

The Entity re-appeared in "The Well" (2025). Set on the planet Midnight hundreds of thousands of years after the episode's events, the Entity apparently escaped from the titular Well, which exists in a mining colony. The entire crew died, leaving only Aliss, the crew's deaf cook. The Entity attached to her, hiding behind her. When a team arrived to investigate what happened on the colony, the Entity kills anyone who walks directly behind Aliss, not wanting to be seen. After a stand-off, the Entity apparently grabs onto the Doctor's companionBelinda Chandra. Shaya, the group's leader, apparently forces the Entity onto her back and jumps back into the Well. Despite this, the episode's ending implies the creature latched onto another soldier.^[186][183]

"The Well" was originally intended to feature theOrishas, Nigerian spirits, as the primary antagonists instead of the Midnight Entity, but it was later converted into a sequel to "Midnight" after the writers felt the script was not treating the Orishas with an appropriate level of respect. Davies felt like the actions in the script aligned with the behaviours of the Midnight Entity in its original appearance, so decided to rework the episode as a direct sequel.^[187] In a brief on-screen appearance,Paul Kasey portrayed the Midnight Entity (credited as "It Has No Name"), and also played the role off-screen to aidRose Ayling-Ellis' performance.^[188][189]

An alien Minotaur was kept in a prison that resembled an Earth hotel in "The God Complex" (2011). The "hotel" had never-ending corridors, and the Minotaur established itself as a God, feeding from the fears of the beings that find them trapped in the hotel. TheEleventh Doctor realised that actually, the Minotaur is feeding on the people's faith that something or someone will save them from their worst fears, and so temporarily encourages hiscompanionAmy Pond to lose her faith in him, which eventually allows the Minotaur to die peacefully in the corridors of the hotel. The Doctor mentions that this alien species of Minotaur are cousins of theNimon.

The Monks are an alien race of shapeshifting humanoids that can choose their appearance at will, first appearing in "Extremis" (2017). On Earth, they chose to resemble human corpses. The Monks study other planets through virtual simulations and take over by having someone in power consent to their rule out of love.

In "Extremis", the simulated version of theTwelfth Doctor eventually realized the truth and emailed a recording of the Monks' simulation to the real Twelfth Doctor through his sonic sunglasses, warning him of the coming invasion.

In "The Pyramid at the End of the World" (2017), the Monks showed the assembled world leaders a future where the Earth would be destroyed in one year by bacteria and offered to protect them as their rulers. The Doctor planned to stop the bacteria by blowing up the laboratory where it was found, but realized he could not escape the explosion due to his blindness. Unwilling to let her friend die,Bill Potts consented to the Monks' rule in return for the Doctor's eyesight, allowing him to escape.

In "The Lie of the Land" (2017), the Monks ruled over Earth for six months and kept the humans control by broadcasting a revised version of the planet's history that included the Monks from the beginning. Bill, the lynchpin through whom the fake history was broadcast, broke her psychic link with the Monks by broadcasting pure memories of her mother, causing the Monks to lose control over humanity and ultimately retreat from Earth.

Monoids are shaggy-haired, one-eyed bipeds who work as servants on a space ark. They were encountered inThe Ark (1966).^[190]

The Movellans, who made their first appearance in theFourth Doctor serialDestiny of the Daleks (1979), are an android species originating from outside the galaxy. They were adversaries of theDaleks.^[191]

Movellans outwardly resemble physically attractive humans of various ethnicities and genders. All Movellan androids wear white, form-fitting uniforms and have silver hair braided in adreadlock style. They are stronger and have more physical endurance than human beings. A major weakness of the Movellan design is an external power pack which each android carries on its belt. This can be removed with comparative ease, causing the android to completely shut down. Once removed the power pack circuitry can be reprogrammed so that the android will obey the orders of another being.

The Movellans are mentioned again inResurrection of the Daleks (1984), where a virus of their invention was central to that story's plot. They also appear in "The Pilot" (2017), where they are seen fighting the Daleks.

Nanogenes are "flocking" nanobots that repair damaged tissue. In the two-part story, "The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances" (2005), Nanogenes inadvertently use a dead child as a template, reproducing the same injuries on anyone they touch. The Nanogenes restore those affected after they are provided with a complete human template.^[192]

The Nestenes are a race of amorphous aliens who can control all forms of plastic, first seen inSpearhead from Space (1970).^[193] Since theLast Great Time War destroyed their food supply planets, the Nestenes have been seeking replacements. The Nestenes can create humanoid plastic creatures calledAutons, which aid the Nestenes in their invasions.

Black Minotaur-like beings with red eyes that go to other planets, posing as Gods, first seen inThe Horns of Nimon (1979–80).^[194] However, they are nothing more than a parasitic race that bleed planets dry before moving on to new ones in a repeating cycle. They are cousins to theMinotaur species that theEleventh Doctor encountered in "The God Complex" (2011). While one posed as a God, it acquired sacrifices to be used as batteries for powering their teleporter. However, the Doctor's arrival prevented more than two extra Nimons from arriving; the rest tried a last-resort plan by blowing up their now resource-deprived planet, killing them all.

The Not-things, sometimes referred to as nobodies, are beings that existed within the emptiness outside the universe, encountered in "Wild Blue Yonder" (2023). Upon reaching the edge of the universe, they heard the sounds of hatred and war and were shaped by it, becoming malicious. They are able to copy other beings with incredible accuracy from their physical appearance to their memories as well while keeping a degree of flexibility allowing them to run faster or twist their bodies in unnatural ways. The Not-things mold copies by tapping into their subject's brain and converting heat in the air into mass to match their outer appearance. They can copy faster when the subject's brain is most active so they constantly scare their subjects, letting adrenaline and fear keep the brain active.

The Ogri appeared in theFourth Doctor storyThe Stones of Blood (1978).^[195]

The Ogri were a species of silicon-based creatures native to Ogros. They looked like large rocks, usually taller than a human but irregular in shape. They were large, slow and heavy, sometimes weighing as much as 3.5 tons, but they could take a lot of damage, both energy-based and physical. When they were awake, they would glow and make a loud rumbling noise. Like other silicon-based lifeforms, they broke down into grit when killed and also left silicon behind when they moved. They fed on various types of proteins which were common on Ogros. When on Earth, the Ogri had to rely on the globulin in blood, which they could absorb by touch. Ogri were not shown to communicate and did not show any signs of intelligence. Ogri had long lifespans, living for thousands of years. Cessair of Diplos took three Ogri from Ogros, which she used for protection and to impress the humans of Earth. These Ogri waited with the Nine Travellers until they were awoken by Cessair or her followers.

Ogrons are mercenaries employed by various parties to "do their dirty work" throughout the universe, first appearing inDay of the Daleks (1972).^[196] They strongly resembleOrcs orUruk-hai fromThe Lord of the Rings, being large humanoids with thick gray skin, protruding brow ridges, and thick, tangled hair. They primarily employ stun weapons, and have been employed by both theDaleks andthe Master on at least one occasion.^[197]

The Ood are an intelligent species first encountered in "The Impossible Planet" (2006).^[198]

The Optera appeared in theFirst Doctor storyThe Web Planet (1965).^[199] Thesecaterpillar-like creatures were onceMenoptra, but they elected to instead burrow under the ground and abandon the world of light and flight above. It is implied that they may have been driven there by the malevolentAnimus.

Plasmavores are shape-changing aliens that live onhaemoglobin, encountered in "Smith and Jones" (2007).^[200] They absorb blood from their victims, which in turn changes their own blood chemistry to that of the victim, allowing them to mimic other species when medically scanned. A Plasmavore was hiding from the Judoon in the Royal Hope Hospital on Earth, disguised as Florence Finnegan.

Mutagenic slime from under the Earth turned humans into savage Primords inInferno (1970).^[201]

The P'ting are small, apparently indestructible creatures encountered in "The Tsuranga Conundrum" (2018). The P'ting are not actively malicious, but have toxic skin and eat large amounts of inorganic material, making them hazardous due to being capable of eating spaceships.^[202] In the episode, the P'ting is let loose aboard theTsuranga. The space station that theTsuranga will dock at will destroy the ship if it detects the P'ting on board, but the Thirteenth Doctor is able to deduce that the P'ting is seeking out energy sources, and feeds it a fail-safe bomb from the ship's power source before jettisoning it into space.^[203] A P'ting later appears in "Revolution of the Daleks" (2021) where one is imprisoned in the same prison as theThirteenth Doctor.^[204] The P'ting also appeared in online gameRoblox as part of a collaboration between the game andDoctor Who.^[205]

The P'ting was created by writerTim Price, who worked in the story room duringseries 11's development. The development team loved the "brilliant and unusual name for the alien."^[206]

Pyroviles are alien creatures encountered in "The Fires of Pompeii" (2008).

Hailing from the planet Pyrovillia, these creatures had bodies made of rock that seemed to contain fire.^[207] Much taller than humans their heads resembled centurion helmets and they could be killed by contact with water. When their home planet vanished they fled and crash landed on earth reducing many of them to dust. They remained dormant beneath Vesuvius for centuries until an earthquake in Pompeii awoke them. They began to plan the conquest of earth using the city's soothsayers to their advantage. By having them inhale the dust of those destroyed in the crash the people of Pompeii began to turn to stone and would eventually become new Pyroviles. The Tenth Doctor learns of their plans to conquer Earth and boil the oceans and finds their lair in the heart of the volcano. But he learns that due to them using the volcano's power they are preventing the infamous eruption. Realizing that it was "Pompeii or the world" the Doctor and Donna reverse the machine triggering Vesuvius' eruption which destroys the Pyrovile.

The Quarks first appeared in theSecond Doctor serialThe Dominators (1969).

These robots were rectangularly shaped, with four arms: one pair folding into the body, the other pair being retractable. On the end of each arm was a solitary claw. The spherical head was divided intooctants; the upper four octants formed thesensory hemisphere, which detected changes in light, heat and motion. At five of the corners of the octants were directional crystal beam transmitters (the sixth corner joined with the robot's neck). They communicated by means of high-pitched frequency, possibly contributing to their tendency to run out of energy quickly, which was their primary weakness.

The Quarks were used on the planet Dulkis by theDominators to enslave and terrorise the indigenous Dulcian population to ensure the drilling of bore holes through the planet's crust. The Dominators planned to use their technology to fire down the holes, forcing the core to erupt, providing a new fuel source for their fleet.

A Quark was also seen in the serialThe War Games.

Quarks are also referred to in theBig Finish Productionsaudio dramaFlip-Flop. In this, they attacked the space yachtPinto, where theSeventh Doctor andMel sought leptonite crystals in order to defeat them. It is not known however, whether the Doctor defeated the Quarks on that occasion. The Quarks were also mentioned, and mocked viciously, in theDoctor Who Unbound audio playExile.

On the BBC website, Captain Jack'sMonster Files entry for the Vespiform mention that they may have been at war with "Quark rebels".^{[citation needed]}

The Quarks were also portrayed by children in their appearances.

The Racnoss appeared in 2006 Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride".

The Racnoss are described by theTenth Doctor as an ancient race of aliens from the Dark Times of the universe. Half-humanoid, half-arachnid in appearance, they were an invasion force who consumed everything on the planets they conquered. Their race was wiped out by the Fledgling Empires, over 4.6 billion years ago.^[208] Although the Time Lords are not specified as being a part of the Empires, the Doctor acknowledges that his people unravelled their power source, Huon particles, and upon hearing the name of the Doctor's planet,Gallifrey, theEmpress claims that they "murdered" the Racnoss. The Doctor andDonna Noble are shown witnessing nearly all of the survivors of the race escape in their ship to where the Earth would laterform, serving in place of aplanetesimal as its core, hibernating for billions of years, with the exception of their Empress. The Doctor notes that because the Huon particles ceased to exist, the surviving Racnoss are stuck in hibernation. The Empress is seen coming to Earth in her ship, the Webstar in this episode, seeking to use the Huon particles which had been recreated by theTorchwood Institute using the water of theRiver Thames as a means of reviving her "children" before feasting on the human population of Earth. The last Racnoss are presumed wiped out when the Doctor drains the waters of the Thames down the shaft leading to their ship; the Empress is killed when her own ship is destroyed by the British Army at the order of "Mr. Saxon".^[209]

The Empress appears briefly in a flashback in "Turn Left" (2008). In the parallel universe created by Donna, she has still been defeated, but the Doctor, without Donna to stop him and ultimately save his life, is shown having drowned; a UNIT soldier speculates that he died "too fast for him toregenerate"; without his protection, the Earth is shown becoming adystopia over the next few years.^[210]

The Racnoss also appear in theDoctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters audioEmpire of the Racnoss, which sees theFifth Doctor being drawn into the war against the Racnoss in the distant past when a call for help during the war is picked up by a long-dormant program in the TARDIS, resulting in the Doctor being caught up in a political struggle between the Empress of the Racnoss and her traitorous old consort and her replacement consort.

The Raston Warrior Robot was found in the Death Zone onGallifrey; capable of moving faster than lightning and taking out a troop of Cybermen in seconds. Due to their extreme movement speed, they are only visible when remaining stationary. To pair with this, its targeting systems are primarily based on detecting movement.

Physically, the robot is very lithe, moving around to scan its environment for targets, and jumping around almost like a ballet dancer when attacking. Its face is smooth with no visible eyes. According to theEighth Doctor Adventures novelThe Eight Doctors byTerrance Dicks, the robots were built by an ancient race, older than the Time Lords, who were ultimately destroyed by their own weapons. However, the novelAlien Bodies byLawrence Miles claims this was false advertising on the part of their manufacturers. It uses atomic radiation as a power source, drawing it from the atmosphere, and locks onto electrical impulses in the brain of its victim, but can become confused if it meets two beings with the same brain pattern.

A Raston Warrior Robot appears in thePast Doctor AdventureWorld Game, also by Dicks, and in the gameDestiny of the Doctors.

Russell T Davies, in the March 2008 issue ofDoctor Who Magazine, expressed interest in bringing the Raston Warrior Robot back in the new series ofDoctor Who, citing the battle between the Robot and the Cybermen in "The Five Doctors" as one of the finest in the show's history. This has thus far not transpired.

The Raxacoricofallapatorians first appeared in the Ninth Doctor episode "Aliens of London" (2005). They are native to the fictional planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius and may be grouped by extended family names which are sometimes used to refer to their species generically.^[211] They hatch from eggs and are composed of living calcium. Capital punishment is practised on the homeworld, which involves immersion of convicted criminals in acid that slowly dissolves them while still alive, which spectators then drink as a soup.

TheSlitheen family are a ruthless criminal sect motivated by profit. After being convicted for their crimes on Raxacoricofallapatorius, they are exiled and threatened with execution if they returned.

The Blathereen family are sworn enemies of the Slitheen and infiltrate the prison on the planet Justicia.^[212] A pair of Blathereen appear inThe Gift (The Sarah Jane Adventures). This pair are created by the marriage of a member of both Slitheen and Blathereen families, and attempt to trickSarah Jane Smith into accepting a gift of the Raxacoricofallapatorian plant Rakweed, which begins to poison the Earth with deadly spores. The Slitheen-Blathereen have no interest in the Blathereen's law-abiding ways, and instead turn to the Slitheen's greed and need to make profit. After indulging on Rakweed, which is highly sensitive to sound,Mr Smith sounds an alarm which ultimately led to the Slitheen-Blathereen exploding.

Reapers appeared in theNinth Doctor episode "Father's Day" (2005). Although not named on screen, they were referred to as "Reapers" in the publicity material for the episode. The Reapers are parasitic creatures that feed on damage to the timeline, such asparadoxes. WhenRose Tyler went to save her father,Pete Tyler from being killed prior to a friend's wedding, it caused a paradox that released the Reapers. The Reapers disable the Doctor'sTARDIS and begin to kill and feast on the people nearby, including theNinth Doctor. The damage is undone when Pete kills himself by letting himself be run over by the car, allowing the timeline to go back to its proper state and banishing the Reapers.^[213]

Despite attempts by the production team to keep the episode low-budget, writerPaul Cornell sought to include Reapers in the episode, encouraged by BBC Head of DramaJane Tranter in order to include more monsters into the series.^[214] The Reapers were initially designed as "men in cowls," based on theGrim Reaper. Though the design was changed, the scythe of the Grim Reaper persisted in their tails, which bore a resemblance to scythes. Due to the creation of theCGI being created later than scheduled, the production team had only two to three weeks to finish all of the VFX shots using the Reapers.^[215] The episode ended up being higher-budget than expected due to the inclusion of the Reapers.^[214]

In the comic storyFour Doctors, a fight breaks out between theTenth Doctor,Eleventh Doctor, andTwelfth Doctor, with the former two questioning the identity of the Twelfth. The three end up touching, creating a paradox that summoned the Reapers. The three Doctors are able to use their connection to each other to re-activate their TARDIS, which had been shut down by the Reapers, and de-materialize the TARDIS, forcing the Reapers to either leave the ship or be killed, dispelling their threat.^[216]

The Doctor encounters a Rill inGalaxy 4 (1965). While their appearance was ugly to human eyes, the Rill was quite friendly.^[217]

The Roboforms, also referred to asPilot Fish by theTenth Doctor, were scavengers often used by other species for their own means. They were shown allied with theSycorax and theRacnoss, as well as thePandorica Alliance., helping to seal theEleventh Doctor in the Pandorica. TheEmpress of the Racnoss herself had an armed guard of Roboforms, which the Tenth Doctor infiltrated and knocked out.

They are shown to sometimes disguise themselves in Santa Claus outfits to avoid suspicion. Their weaponry was also disguised as conventional Earth items, such asflamethrowers in the guise oftubas andChristmas Trees capable of spinning fast enough to slice people apart. They are also shown to be capable of detectingRegeneration energy. Without disguises, Roboforms naturally have golden bullet shaped heads with two indentations on either side where a human's eyes would be.

An alien species who have been at war with theSontarans for millennia, the Rutans first appeared on screen inHorror of Fang Rock (1977), although they were mentioned in the Sontaran storyThe Time Warrior in 1974. They appear asjellyfish-like glowing green spheres.^[218] Like theZygons, Rutans can shapeshift at will. They are also vulnerable to certain sound frequencies. A Rutan appeared in "Horror of Fang Rock", where it attempted to invade the planet as a strategic outpost in their war with the Sontarans. The Rutans have since appeared in a variety of spin-off media, including books, audio dramas, and video games.

InThe Robots of Death (1977), three types of slave robots were created by a distant human society are shown. These robots were originally built to perform menial tasks. In at least one instance, these robots took to raising a human child, Taren Capel. He eventually learned to reprogram the robots to kill humans, and attempted to stage a robot revolution.

The three classes of robots were:

• D-class, colloquially known as Dums; were incapable of speech and merely followed orders.
• V-class or Vocs were capable of verbal response and performing slightly more complex tasks, but ultimately no more intelligent than the D-class.
• SV-class, or Supervocs were capable of reason and decision-making, and were used to coordinate and direct the other robots. Supervocs have also been shown to be utilised in detective work.

These robots made appearances in:

• The Robots of Death, aFourth Doctor serial withLeela, written byChris Boucher
• Corpse Marker, aFourth Doctor novel with Leela written by Chris Boucher
• Kaldor City: Occam's Razor, a Kaldor City audio play, written byAlan Stevens andJim Smith
• Kaldor City: Death's Head, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Chris Boucher
• Kaldor City: Hidden Persuaders, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Jim Smith
• Kaldor City: Taren Capel, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Alan Stevens
• Kaldor City: Checkmate, a Kaldor City audio play, written by Alan Stevens
• Kaldor City: Storm Mine, a Kaldor City audio play, written byDaniel O'Mahony
• Robophobia, aSeventh Doctor audio play, written byNicholas Briggs

Saturnyn are vampiric, lobster-like aliens that battled theEleventh Doctor in 16th-centuryVenice in "The Vampires of Venice" (2010). Their appearance is fear-inducing due to many sharp protrusions and fangs. They were able to breathe underwater and had vampire-like qualities such as a vulnerability to sunlight, no reflections and a thirst for human blood. However, these are easily explainable; as "fish from space", they are used to living in the dark depths; anyone's mind cannot deal with conflicting information of a perception filter and a Saturnyn's true reflection; Rosanna and Francesco drank the blood of the girls attending the school so they could replace it with their own. Their leader,Signora Rosanna Calvierri used a perception filter to appear as a human woman, who started a school for girls; it was a guise for seeking victims to be transformed into mates for Francesco's brothers. They planned to flood Venice in an attempt to continue their civilization since their own planet Saturnyne was destroyed by cracks in the universe. When the Doctor foiled their plan, Rosanna committed suicide by allowing her brood todevour her. However, when the Doctor rewrote time in "The Big Bang" (2010) by preventing the cracks' existence, it is highly likely Saturnyne was not destroyed by the cracks and the Calvierri family did not end.

The Doctor, at least in his eleventh incarnation, considered his adventure battling the Saturnyns to be memorable. In "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011), he said his adventures were "running about, sexy, fish vampires, and blowing up stuff", and even asked Melody Pond if Amy told her about the "Vampires in Venice" during "Let's Kill Hitler" (2011).

Sea Devils are turtle-like humanoids who first appeared inThe Sea Devils (1972).^[219] They lived in Earth's oceans millions of years before humans evolved. They believed that a small planet would crash into Earth, which instead became Earth's moon. Like theSilurians, they went into hibernation and wanted to take the planet back from humans when they awoke.

Sensorites are an alien species encountered inThe Sensorites (1964).^[220]

The Silence first appeared in "The Impossible Astronaut" (2011). Self-proclaimed "Sentinels of History",the Silence are genetically engineered members of the Papal Mainframe under the Academy of the Question. As they were originally created as confessional priests, Silents cannot be remembered unless they are being looked at, or if someone is wearing an eyedrive. In "The Time of the Doctor" (2013), withThe Doctor's enemies converging on Trenzalore, the Papal Mainframe underwent a faith conversion into the Church of the Silence whose main belief is that "Silence will fall" to keep the Doctor from answering the oldest question in the universe "Doctor Who?" to avert a war caused by the Time Lords' return. However, a group of Silents under a splinter chapel led by Madam Kovarian wanted to completely avoid the Siege of Trenzalore by eliminating the Doctor: their attempts range from destroying reality in Series 5, which caused the events at Trenzalore, and usingMelody Pond in an attempt to murder the Doctor in Series 6. The Silents still loyal to the Papal Mainframe remain and joined forces with the Doctor to fight back all the villains converging on Trenzalore.

Silurians are a reptilian humanoid species first seen inThe Silurians (1970).^[221]

The Siren appeared in "The Curse of the Black Spot" (2011). The Siren is a virtual doctor that was aboard a spaceship of an unknown alien race that crashed in a dimension parallel to the ocean the shipFancy was sailing on in 1699. Thanks to "protein circuitry", she could appear before a species in a form that would be alluring to them for cooperation. To sedate her patients, the Siren could sing a beautiful vocal song. However, being nothing more than a program, the Siren had very little reasoning skills. The Siren turned red with demonic-looking face when faced with resistance and germs. When the ship she was doctor to crashed in a spatial rift where theFancy had been becalmed (and the crew dead from a human disease), she impulsively started to take the injured of the ship, even if it was for a simple cut, showing a great lack of intelligence. Were it not for the Doctor's arrival, the Siren would eventually have reached shore and started trying to process anyone who was ill. Captain Henry Avery, Toby Avery and the crew of theFancy took over the ship to give her someone to look after, and to see the universe.

The Sisterhood of Karn first appeared inThe Brain of Morbius (1976). They are a female religion situated on the planet Karn in charge of the Elixir of Eternal Life, made from the Eternal Flame.^[222] The Elixir has remarkable healing properties, such as aiding Time Lords undergoing difficult regenerations; the Fourth Doctor was given some after brain damage in a mental duel with Morbius.^[223] Other potions that the Sisterhood brew can allow Time Lords to choose what their next incarnation will be like; they range from age, weight, strength, emotion, sex and mindset. Seeing the person he had been for all his regenerations wasn't suited to combat the terror of the Time War, theEighth Doctor choose a potion that would turn him into aWarrior.

They first appeared in the episodeThe Brain of Morbius, where they had grown paranoid as a result of a past betrayal byMorbius. Since then, they had been using their mental powers to crash ships onto the planet's surface. The Eternal Flame became clogged by soot one year prior to the events of the episode, and the Sisterhood had been trying to fix it to no avail. The Doctor solves the problem, and the Sisterhood later aid him in stopping the revived Morbius. They later reappear in the 2013 mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor," where they revive a mortally woundedEighth Doctor, and help him regenerate intohis next incarnation. They make further appearances in "The Magician's Apprentice" and "Hell Bent." The Sisterhood further appears in several pieces of Doctor spin-off media, including the audio dramasZagreus,Sisters of the Flame, andVengeance of Morbius.

The Slyther is a monster that serves theDaleks, seen inThe Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964), guarding the Dalek mines inBedfordshire.^[224] After the Slyther attacked a small group of humans, killing Ashton,Ian hit it with a rock, causing it to fall down a pit to its death.

A Sontaran first appeared as the antagonist in the Third Doctor serialThe Time Warrior (1973–74).^[225] Commander Kaagh appears in Series 2 in the story "The Last Sontaran" after the destruction of his battle fleet as well as the death of the other Sontarans on board in theDoctor Who two-parter episodes "The Sontaran Strategem" and "The Poison Sky" (2008). He returns in "Enemy of the Bane", where he sides up with Mrs Wormwood, the recurring Bane. In the end, he sacrifices himself to foil her plans of the destruction of Earth. He makes a small appearance in "The Pandorica Opens" (2010). The Sontarans remain slightly miffed that they weren't allowed to fight in the Time War.

As seen with Strax, Sontarans can't tell the difference between men and women ("Two genders is a bit further than [they] can count"), and think polite terms such as Miss or Mister are military ranks.

The Spiridons featured in the serialPlanet of the Daleks (1973). They are the dominant species of sentient humanoids on planet Spiridon in the Ninth System.^[226] They have developed a form of invisibility, capable of generating "anti-reflecting light waves". They become visible after death, having pale skin and a gaunt appearance. They wear heavy purple fur cloaks at night to protect themselves from the harsh nights of Spiridon.The Doctor returns to Spiridon in spin-off audio adventuresReturn of the Daleks andBrotherhood of the Daleks.

The Stenza are a warrior race who possess sub-zero body temperatures, first seen in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" (2018). As physical contact with any part of them can cause death from sub-zero burns, Stenza require the use of specialised suits to be able to interact safely with other lifeforms. The Stenza maintain two traditions amongst their people – a ritualistic hunt to earn the right of leadership, in which a Stenza hunts a randomly selected quarry without the use of weapons or any form of aid; and collecting a tooth from a kill to later apply to their face. The Stenza are noted for conductingethnic cleansing on planets they conquer, as revealed in "The Ghost Monument", using the conquered populace to create weapons for their use.

The Swarm was seen in "Planet of the Dead" (2009). Also known by the Unified Intelligence-Taskforce (UNIT) as Stingrays, they are flyingmanta ray-like creatures, with metal exoskeletons that allow them to travel from planet to planet via wormholes.^[227] They consume everything on a planet, turning it into desert; and then swarm over the planet's surface, generating a wormhole which allows them to travel to the next planet.

The Stingrays are apparently arthropods, as they are exothermic, and possess an exoskeleton composed of metal that has been ingested then exuded to the exoskeleton. They are voracious feeders, eating both organic and inorganic materials ranging from flesh and bone to plant matter to metals and plastic. They also produce vast numbers of young and grow from birth to adult in under a year, as shown when theTenth Doctor shows a year-old clip of San Helios before its Stingray infestation.

They travel to other planets throughwormholes created in the fabric of Spacetime by circling a planet faster and faster, and as each swarm can contain billions of giant stingrays, they rip a hole in space. Their wormholes can transport the whole swarm an infinite distance through space.

The Sycorax first appeared in the debutTenth Doctor story "The Christmas Invasion" (2005).^[228]

The Sycorax appear to be skinless humanoids wearing mantles of bone, usually keeping their features concealed under helmets. They are proficient in the use of weapons like swords and whips, the latter which can deliver an energy discharge that disintegrates the flesh of its target. Their language is called Sycoraxic. The Sycorax also appear to have technology that is either disguised or treated as magic, referring to "curses" and the Doctor's regenerative abilities as "witchcraft". The Sycorax leader referred to an "armada" that they could use to take Earth by force if their blood control plan failed. They also appear to have a martial society, with traditions of honourable combat, yet they have no qualms about killing prisoners.

InThe Doctor Who Files books, the name of the Sycorax homeworld is given as "Sycorax". It is unclear if this is another name for the Fire Trap. Furthermore, after the destruction of the Fire Trap, the Sycorax spread further through the galaxy, and like humans are one of three species that continually survive and adapt, even unto the End of the Universe.^[229]

The nameSycorax is used inWilliam Shakespeare's playThe Tempest. Shakespeare's Sycorax has died before the play begins; she is described as a witch who was the mother of the beastCaliban. The Shakespearean name is referenced in the third series episode "The Shakespeare Code" when the Doctor finds a horse's skull in The Globe's prop cupboard. He comments that it "Reminds [him] too much of the Sycorax". Shakespeare remarks he likes the sound of the word, obviously then going on to use it inThe Tempest.

The Sycorax also make a brief appearance in "The Pandorica Opens" (2010) as part of The Alliance formed to trap the Doctor. Later, in "The Name of the Doctor" (2013), the Great Intelligence mentions them as one of those that left the Doctor blood-soaked. A Sycorax appears as a prisoner alongside the Doctor in "Revolution of the Daleks" (2021).

In issue #1 of the IDW published Doctor Who comic book, a Sycorax is collecting near-extinct species to use with shape-shifters for expensive hunts. The Sycorax race also make a return in theTenth Doctor comic strip "The Widow's Curse", inDoctor Who Magazine #395. The DWM comic story is the first appearance of female Sycorax, who seem to operate separately from the males.

In the audio seriesClassic Doctors, New Monsters, theSeventh Doctor faces the Sycorax in the audio "Harvest of the Sycorax", where he has to stop their efforts to take control of a space station that contains blood samples taken from virtually the entire human race of the far future.

Taran Beasts are the furry species seen inThe Androids of Tara (1978).^[230]

The Tenza are an alien species that has their young raised by other species, seen in the episode "Night Terrors" (2011). Put simply, "a Tenza's sole function is to fit in." They adapt perfectly to what their foster parents want, such as "George" becoming the son Claire was unable to give birth to. Tenzas have powerful psychic abilities such being able to create monsters with just their imagination, as well as mentally creating massive perception filters that alter their foster parents' memories.

The Terileptils appeared in theFifth Doctor serialThe Visitation (1982). They are areptilian humanoid species.^[231] They cannot survive long without breathing soliton gas, which is highly combustible when combined with oxygen. As an advanced society, they enjoy a heightened appreciation of both aesthetics and warfare and have been known to employ bejewelledandroids. Criminal punishment in Terileptil society includes life imprisonment working in tinclavic mines on the planet Raaga, often with substandard medical care.

In 1666, a group of Terileptil prison escapees hidden near London attempted to use a genetically enhanced version of theBlack Plague to destroy humanity. The destruction of their lab in Pudding Lane caused theGreat Fire of London.

TheTeselecta, first shown in "Let's Kill Hitler", is a robot with the ability to change its appearance. It is commanded by humans shrunk by a miniaturisation ray and kept at that size by a compression field. Teselecta are sent through time by an organisation called The Justice Department, with the job of removing people the department judges deserving of punishment from their time period. They are grabbed just prior to their death in order to be tortured.

In "Let's Kill Hitler",Amy Pond andRory Williams are trapped within a Teselecta and chased by its robotic "immune system".^[232] Wrist-bands worn by the crew serve as reverseantibodies, preventing the "immune system" from attacking them, and anybody not wearing one with proper identification status is incinerated. Later in the episode, the crew of the Teselecta is evacuated by what appears to be a transmat beam.

The Teselecta reappear in theSeries 6 finale "The Wedding of River Song". In the episode, theEleventh Doctor is shown being killed at Lake Silencio,Utah, however, it is later revealed that he hid with hisTARDIS inside of a Teselecta, which takes his form, making it appear as though he had been killed.

The Tetraps are abat-like race from the planet Tetrapyriarbus, seen in theSeventh Doctor's debut story,Time and the Rani (1987). A pack of Tetraps was employed bythe Rani to help defend her Giant Brain.^[233] The Rani armed a pack of Tetraps for this purpose and used them as general henchmen to terrorise the nativeLakertyans.^[234]

Tetraps have four eyes, one on each side of their head, giving them all-round vision, and put this to good use in stalking fugitives. Like bats, they sleep by hanging upside-down in a cavern. They feed off a dark red-coloured sludge that the Lakertyan leader releases down a chute into a trough.

Tetraps possess limited intelligence, but they soon realise that the Rani's plans would have them all killed on Lakertya. This is confirmed when their leader, Urak, hears of her plans and she later leaves him to guard over her laboratory rather than take him with her in herTARDIS, thus condemning him to death. Urak and the enraged Tetraps capture the Rani in her ship and take her back to their home planet, to force her to help solve their natural resource shortages.

The Thals are a race of peaceful, blond humanoids first seen inThe Daleks (1963–64) who, together withthe Daleks, are natives of the planetSkaro.^[235] Once a warlike species, a nuclear conflict with the Daleks, which nearly wiped out all life on their home planet, led them to develop a pacifist, agrarian society.

The Tharil are a humanoid race of lion-like creatures seen inWarriors' Gate (1981). Hailing from E-Space, their world is connected to a gateway between E-space and N-space.^[236] They are time-sensitive and are able to use their powers to traverse the universe. Thanks to this, they were able to enslave many people. However, their empire crumbled when the slaves rebelled, building robots that were able to overcome the Tharils. The tables were turned and the Tharils became the slaves, forcefully used by their captors to navigate through time and space. One Tharil brings the Fourth Doctor and his companions to the gate. When the Doctor learns of their history, he agrees they have suffered enough for their crimes, and helps free the Tharils on the slavers' ship. As the Doctor and Adric leave, Romana and K9 remain behind, to help the Tharils free slaves on other planets.

The Time Beetle^[237] first appeared in "Turn Left" (2008). It is a member of the Trickster's Brigade, a group of aliens that servethe Trickster.^[238] The Time Beetle, similar to the Trickster himself, feeds on time energy and can cause a victim to change a decision they made in the past, thereby altering history. The change in history is usually very minor, affecting only the person the beetle attaches to, and the universe usually "compensates" for the discrepancy.

When the beetle attaches to Donna in "Turn Left", instead of compensating it creates a "great big parallel world" where Donna never meets the Doctor, resulting in disaster for Earth. The Doctor, Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, and Torchwood staffIanto Jones andGwen Cooper are all killed, the city of London is completely destroyed when theTitanic crashes into Buckingham Palace, CaptainJack Harkness is taken to the Sontaran homeworld, and millions of people die from threats the Doctor would have otherwise prevented. Donna travels back in time to make her make the original decision that leads to her meeting the Doctor, killing the Beetle. According to both the Doctor and Donna, this universe ceased to exist.

The Time Lords are a race of humanoid aliens to whichthe Doctor, among other characters, belongs.^[239] Time Lords have the ability toregenerate when mortally wounded. This process creates for them an entirely new body and results in major changes in personality, but retains the Time Lord's memories and identity. It is suggested inThe Power of the Daleks (1966) that some detectable feature is retained, as theDaleks are immediately able to recognize theSecond Doctor, even though he has just regenerated. During "The Time of the Doctor" (2013), it was confirmed by theEleventh Doctor that a Time-Lord, naturally, is only allowed 12 regenerations, resulting in 13 different incarnations. In the same episode, the Doctor savesClara's life by sending her home to her own time, but in protest she clings to theTARDIS through the Time Vortex on its return. Upon arriving 300 years later, she finds a visibly aged Doctor, proving that Time Lords experience natural physical changes during each lifespan between regenerations. In the episode "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011), it is suggested this ability evolved due to the Time Lord race's long-term exposure to the untempered schism.

The episodeChapter Three: Once, Upon Time (2021) reveals how Time Lords were born. When Tecteun, an explorer, came across Gallifrey, She found a child at a monument. She was beneath a portal to where she assumed the child was lost. The episode also reveals that the child was The Doctor, but they erased her mind numerous times, as she couldn’t remember being that child. Tecteun later finds out the child has two hearts and can revive itself by reforming into a different human. She calls the child simply “The Timeless Child”. Tecteun experiments on that child until she figures out how to implement these abilities to herself and others. She gives them the name “Time Lords”, as they now can travel though time and space. She only gives 12 regenerations per Time Lord.

Time Lords exhibit various other superhuman abilities, including certainmental powers, and resistance to otherwise harmful effects such as extreme cold and radiation. They possess a binary vascular system (two hearts), and therefore a faster heart rate, as well as a cooler internal body temperature. The Doctor would later claim that Time Lords came before humans did in "The Beast Below" (2010).

The first Time Lord to appear other than the Doctor and his granddaughterSusan Foreman isthe Monk, in the 1965 serialThe Time Meddler, however his race is not confirmed. The term itself is not used untilThe War Games (1969), when the race as a whole is introduced.

As of the 2005 revival series, the Time Lords are essentially extinct, apart from the Doctor, as they have been destroyed by him duringthe Time War. However, "The Day of the Doctor" (2013) shows that this was a ruse; the Time Lords are still alive in a pocket universe, where all of the Doctors put them to save them from destruction.

Creatures that appeared in "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (2013). They are echoes of the possible future selves that the Doctor, Clara, and Trickey and Gregor Van Baalen would have become from being exposed to the Eye of Harmony too long; they were burnt by it as their cells liquified.

Unlike the other time echoes, they could touch the present world, and killed Bram Van Baalen. They end up trapping their past selves in the Eye of Harmony's room by accident, setting up the existence of the Time Zombies. The Doctor realises how to avert the future, killing all but Clara's echo by knocking them off the rail. However, the Van Baalens couldn't avoid their fate. The Doctor eventually prevents the existence of the zombies by resetting time, preventing the TARDIS from being damaged and salvaged by the Van Baalen Brothers.

The Tivolians appeared in "The God Complex" (2011). They are a cowardly rodent-faced race that live on Tivoli, the most invaded planet in the galaxy. As a result, they have designed their cities to be comfortable for invading armies and their national anthem is "Glory To <Insert Name Here>". They are known for surrendering as soon as possible, and actually enjoy being conquered. As a result of the natives' cowardly attitudes, the planet Tivoli has lasted longer than any of the greater civilizations. They do not assert their own opinions often, just wishing to be ordered around or enslaved, as seen in the case of Gibbis and Albar Prentis. TheTwelfth Doctor says that Tivolians wouldn't say "Boo" to agoose—they'd be more likely to give the goose their car keys and bank account information. Among the list of those who ruled the Tivolians are theFisher King and the "gloriousArcateenians".

The Toclafane are the last remnants of humanity from the year 100 trillion, first seen in "The Sound of Drums" (2007).^[240] Originally intending to travel toUtopia, the last refuge of a dying universe, they find nothing but "the dark and the cold" of space. Losing the last shred of hope they had, they turned on themselves, cannibalising their own bodies to create a new cyborg race. As part of this process they regress into little more than children withshared memories. The name Toclafane is given to them byThe Master, who takes it from theGallifreyan equivalent of thebogeyman.

The Toclafane's cyborg forms possess energy devices capable of killing and disintegrating targets. They are equipped with numerous retractable blades. The first four to be seen also exhibit apparent teleportation or cloaking abilities, not displayed by others of their race. All that remains of their bodies are barely recognisable human faces wired into basketball-sized mechanical spheres.

In "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords" (2007), the Master rescues four Toclafane from the end of the universe prior to an eventualBig Freeze, using them to fake a first contact situation in order to draw the world's leaders into one place for easy capture. He then uses a "paradox machine" to allow the future of the human race to slaughter many in the present, in short bringing the six billion humans that are alive in the year 100 trillion to return in the form of the Toclafane. The paradox machine creates a temporal paradox, allowing them to kill their ancestors without damaging themselves, and thus establish the Master's rule over Earth. After subduing Earth, the Master aims to establish a newTime Lord empire with himself as the leader and the Toclafane as his people and ground troops. This plan is foiled when the paradox machine is destroyed, causing time to rewind and trapping the Toclafane back at the end of the universe. Once the Master loses control of Earth, the false name Toclafane is discarded for a more generic "spheres".

The Toclafane feature on the cover of theNew Series Adventures novel,The Story of Martha, which chronicles Martha Jones's adventures duringThe Year That Never Was.

A sentient star featured in the episode "42" (2007). The crew of a cargo ship uses asun scoop on Torajii to refuel their ship, unaware that it is actually a living organism. Torajii then uses the stolen matter to possess and kill the crew until the fuel is returned. Once the sun scoop is dumped, it allows the ship to fly away.

Tractators are giant insects with incredible power over gravity, seen inFrontios (1984).^[241]

Trakenites are a humanoid species with great intelligence, seen inThe Keeper of Traken (1981). They live on the peaceful planet of Traken, which is part of the Traken Union.^[242] A Keeper is chosen to guard the Source once the life of the current one draws close to ending. Their planet would petrify anything evil that would arrive, until the Keeper's life began waning and thus the petrification would weaken. During "Logopolis" (1981), the Master caused the destruction of the Traken Union and its people by unleashing entropy back into the universe, leaving Nyssa (as far as she or anyone knew) the sole Trakenite in existence.

Humanoid Trees from the Forest of Cheem are seen in "The End of the World (Doctor Who)" (2005). The Ninth Doctor meets Jabe and her attendants, Lute and Coffa, when they attend the viewing of the destruction of Earth on Platform One. They are descended from the rain forests of Earth.^[243]

Trions are a humanoid species first seen inMawdryn Undead (1983). A civil war broke out on the planet, and those on the wrong side were banished to different planets, Turlough ended up on Earth, while the rest of his family ended up on a volcanic planet.^[244] The descendants of the original exiles came to believe the mark of exile meant those who had it were chosen by their god, Mulkur, to lead them. After several years past, the exile was lifted from those banished from the planet, allowing them back home.

Tritovores are humanoid fly creatures that appeared in "Planet of the Dead" (2009).^[227] They trade with other civilisations for their excrement. They communicate with clicks that theTARDIS did not translate because it was not on the same planet as theTenth Doctor and Lady Christina de Souza. The Doctor speaks with them through their own language while they understand The Doctor through a one-way telepathic translating communication device.

Tythonians are enormous creatures seen inThe Creature from the Pit (1979).^[245]

Urbankans are green-skinned humanoids encountered inFour to Doomsday (1982).^[246]

The Usurians from the planet Usurius are a species that abandoned military conquest in favour of economic conquest, encountered inThe Sun Makers (1977). They enslaved humanity after their engineers made Mars suitable for human habitation, humans having depleted the Earth's resources. Once humanity had depleted Mars's resources as well, the Usurians engineered Pluto so that humans could inhabit it. They created six artificial "Suns" around it and installedthe Collector to oversee the collection of taxes from their human workforce. They intended to abandon Pluto and leave humanity to become extinct once the humans had exhausted its resources, there being no economically viable planet to relocate humanity to once more. The humans on Pluto revolted against the Collector and seized control of Pluto. The revolutionaries intended to relocate to Earth as theDoctor assured them it would have regenerated in their absence.

The Usurians have knowledge of theTime Lords, graded as "Grade 3" in their "latest market survey", consideringGallifrey to be of low commercial value. Usurians can adopt ahumanoid form but in their natural state they resembleseaweed. Shock can force them to revert to their natural form. According to the Doctor, Usurians are listed in a "flora and fauna" of the universe written by a Professor Thripthead under poisonous fungi.

Uxarieans are creatures from the planet Uxarieus, seen inColony in Space (1971).^[247]

The Vardans are first encountered inThe Invasion of Time (1978).^[248]

The Varga Plants appeared in theFirst Doctor episode "Mission to the Unknown" and the serialThe Daleks' Master Plan (1965–66). They were created byTerry Nation.^[249]

Varga Plants grew naturally on theDaleks' homeworld,Skaro, and when the Daleks set up a base on the planet Kembel they brought some Varga plants with them to act as sentries in the jungle surrounding their base. They were suited to this as they could move around freely by dragging themselves along with their roots.

Varga plants resemblecacti; they are covered in fur and thorns. Anyone pricked by a Varga thorn will be consumed by the urge to kill, while simultaneously becoming a Varga plant themself. This grisly fate befell astronauts Jeff Garvey and Gordon Lowery, and their commander, Marc Cory, was forced to kill them.

Vashta Nerada (literally: the shadows that melt the flesh) are first encountered in "Silence in the Library" (2008).^[250] They are microscopic swarm creatures which, when present in a high enough concentration, are indistinguishable from shadows, and use this to their advantage in approaching and attacking prey. They are described as the "piranhas of the air", able to strip their victims to the bone in an instant in high enough densities. TheTenth Doctor says that almost every planet in the universe has some, includingEarth, and claims that they can be seen as the specks of dust visible in bright light. He states they are the reason most sentient creatures have an instinctual fear of the dark. On most planets, however, Vashta Nerada exist in relatively low concentrations, feeding primarily oncarrion, with attacks on people being comparatively rare. In the episode "Silence in the Library", an unusually high concentration of Vashta Nerada had completely overrun the 51st-century "Library", resulting in the apparent death of everyone inside at the time.

Vashta Nerada normally live in forested areas, and reproduce by means of microscopic spores which can lie dormant in wood pulp. In the episode "Forest of the Dead", this is revealed to be the reason for their unusual prevalence in The Library, as it is made known that the books and The Library itself was constructed of wood from the Vashta Nerada's native forest feeding grounds. Individually, Vashta Nerada are non-sentient, but if a large enough concentration come together, they can form a group mind of human-level intelligence capable of communication.

The fourth episode ofDoctor Who: The Adventure Games, "Shadows of the Vashta Nerada", features them as the leading villain when a temporal rift draws a swarm of Vashta Nerada to an underwater base that is being visited by theEleventh Doctor andAmy Pond.

The Vashta Nerada appear in the second volume of theBig Finish Productions audioClassic Doctors, New Monsters; "Night of the Vashta Nerada" sees theFourth Doctor visiting a theme park that has unleashed the local Vashta Nerada after the planet's forests were torn down to allow the park to be constructed, and "Day of the Vashta Nerada" pits theEighth Doctor against genetically altered Vashta Nerada that have been created as a new weapon in theTime War.

Vervoids are artificially created plant-based humanoids that appear inTerror of the Vervoids (1986). They were created as slaves to humanity, but began to rebel and attempt to kill all animal lifeforms. TheSixth Doctor is forced to commitgenocide against the Vervoids, which is later used against him when he is put on trial by his species, theTime Lords.^[251] The Vervoids were noted for their design, which was described as appearing to be sexual in nature. The design caused conflict whenDoctor Who season 23 was released onVHS, with one country refusing to release the season withTerror of the Vervoids included due to the design.^[252]

Vespiform are aninsectoid species resembling giantwasps, encountered in "The Unicorn and the Wasp" (2008).^[253] They were bornen masse in hives in the Silfrax Galaxy. Each possesses the ability to morph into other species. It also has the ability to breed with other species, including humans, to produce offspring.

Vespiform have a telepathic connection to objects called firestones, which contains part of their mind. Like Earth's wasps, the Vespiform are vulnerable to water. A Vespiform-human hybrid can live a normal life as a human until a burst of intense emotion awakens its alien biology. When the Vespiform morphs into another species it emits a purple light.

In "The Unicorn and the Wasp", a Vespiform appears and goes on a killing spree in the style ofAgatha Christie's murder mystery books. Eventually it turns out the reason for Vespiform's killings was due to his firestone in the possession of Lady Eddison, who was thinking about Christie's novels. Furthermore, the Vespiform is revealed to be Lady Eddison's illegitimate son: Reverend Golightly. In the end, trying to get the firestone back, the Vespiform dies chasing after the item whenDonna Noble throws it into a lake.

Vogans were encountered inRevenge of the Cybermen (1975). Vogans are the native population of the planet Voga, which was made entirely of gold. The Cybermen sought to destroy Voga, as humans were using Voga's gold to gain an advantage in the Cyber Wars, wars fought against humans and the Cybermen. The Vogans were aided by theFourth Doctor, who helped them defeat the Cybermen.^[254] Two of the Vogans who appeared in the episode Vorus and Magrik, were portrayed by actorsDavid Collings andMichael Wisher, respectively. It is believed that Wisher's performance in the episode led to him being cast as recurring antagonistDavros in the later serialGenesis of the Daleks.^[255]

TheVoord are a race of amphibious humanoids introduced in theFirst Doctor serialThe Keys of Marinus (1964). The Voord are enigmatic, mysterious humanoids in black suits.^[256] The Voord attempted to work with their leader, Yartek, to gain the Keys of Marinus in order to obtain the Conscience of Marinus, which they seek to use for antagonistic purposes. The Voord are thwarted when Yartek takes a fake key, resulting in his death.^[257] The Voord were created byTerry Nation, who had also created the Daleks, with costume designer Daphne Dare creating the visual design for the creatures.^[258] The Voord were part of the original outline for the story, being invaders from another planet immune to the effects of the Conscience of Marinus's effects. The Voord were designed based on the wetsuit used for their costumes, with beetle-like aspects resulting in a "probe" on their helmets. Yartek had a different design from other Voord in order to allow for easier communication of his lines.^[259] The Voord were marketed extensively and were an attempt to recapture the popularity of the Daleks, though these attempts were not as successful as the Daleks.^[259][260]

The Voord received significant expansion to their backstory and history in spin-off media.^[256] The Voord appeared in a series oftrading cards put out by Cadet Sweets with theircandy cigarettes. The cards told a story in which the Voord were defeated by the Daleks.^[261] The Voord would appear in 1965 comicThe Fishmen of Kandalinga, where a surviving group from Marinus attempt to utilise the titular Fishmen as a workforce and food source. They are stopped by the First Doctor.^[256] They later appeared in the audio dramaDomain of the Voord, in which theFirst Doctor and his companions fight against an invading group of Voord on a spaceship known as the Hydra. The drama greatly expands on Voord culture, revealing that the Voord convert others into themselves via the black suits they wear, prolonging lifespan and granting them psychic powers. The later 2015 dramaBeachhead would also elaborate on the Voord's past.^[256] The Voord appear in the 2025 audio dramasThe Voord Alliance, which depicts the characterSusan Foreman allying with a group of Voord to fight the Daleks during the events of the interstellar conflict known as the Time War,^[262] andCoda - The Final Act, which depicts them alongside theFugitive Doctor.^[263] In the comicThe World Shapers, the Voord are revealed to have evolved into Cybermen, with Marinus becoming the Cybermen's home planet of Mondas. The events of the comic strip were later referenced in "The Doctor Falls" (2017), where theTwelfth Doctor refers to Marinus as one of the planets the Cybermen originated from.^[264] The Voord later re-appeared in theTitan Comics stripFour Doctors. It is revealed in the comic that the Voord fought in theTime War, causing the species to evolve into a more powerful, muscular state. An alternate Twelfth Doctor, following his betrayal byClara Oswald in "Dark Water" (2014) allied with these hyper-evolved Voord, who hid themselves in apocket universe to escape the vengeance of the Time Lords, who they feared would remove the hyper-evolved state of their species. TheTenth Doctor ends up being forced to regress the Voord back to their pre-Time War state in order to defeat the alternate Twelfth Doctor.^[216]

A powerful weed took over an off-shore gas rig inFury from the Deep (1968); it had the ability to take over human minds.^[265]

The Weeping Angels first appeared in "Blink" (2007).^[266]

The Wirrn are aninsectoid race that made their debut inThe Ark in Space (1975).^[267]

The Wirrn claim to have originated from Andromeda (whether they meant thegalaxy, theconstellation, or even a planet named "Andromeda" is unclear), but were driven into space by human settlers. They are slightly larger than humans, dark green and wasp-like in appearance, and live mostly in space, although their breeding colonies are terrestrial. Their bodies are a self-contained system, their lungs being able to recycle wastecarbon dioxide and only needing to touch down occasionally on planetary bodies for food andoxygen. The Wirrn's life cycle involves laying their eggs in living hosts; the larvae emerge to consume the host, absorbing its memories and knowledge. A Wirrn larva is a green slug-like creature, varying in size from a few inches to 1 or 2 metres across. It can "infect" another organism through contact with a substance it excretes, mutating them into an adult Wirrn and connecting their consciousness to the hive mind.

In "The Ark in Space", the Wirrn found Space Station Nerva in orbit around an Earth devastated centuries before by solar flares. The survivors had lain insuspended animation waiting for the planet to recover, but had overslept by several millennia. The Wirrn intended to use the sleepers as a food source and claim the empty Earth for their own, as both a means of survival and an act of revenge against the human race for taking their former territories. In the course of their plan, Noah, leader of Nerva, was infected and converted to their kind. However, Noah still retained "more than a vestige of human spirit", probably thanks to the encouragements of the Doctor, and led the Wirrn into Nerva's transport ship even though he knew it was rigged to explode. It did so, ending the Wirrn threat.

The Wirrn have also appeared in theEighth Doctor Adventures novelPlacebo Effect byGary Russell, and in the audio playWirrn: Race Memory, produced byBBV.Big Finish used them in the audio storiesWirrn Dawn with the Eighth Doctor andWirrn Isle with the Sixth. A dead Wirrn appears briefly in the television storyThe Stones of Blood.

The Wrarth Warriors are a police force who appear in "The Star Beast" and the original comic upon which the episode is based. They seek to hunt down and capture the villainousMeep.^[268] At the end of the episode, the Wrarth capture the Meep and take him into custody.^[269] Actor Robert Strange portrayed one of the lead Wrarth, known as Sergeant Zogroth. The Wrarth actors used worestilts in order to depict the Wrarth's height, and worked withDoctor Who creature movement directorPaul Kasey in order to determine the Wrarth's "physicality" in the episode.^[270]

The Xeraphin were an ancient species encountered by theFifth Doctor in the storyTime-Flight (1982). Originating from the planet Xeriphas, they possessed immense psychokinetic and scientific powers. Their planet was destroyed in a war between two other species, with the surviving Xeraphin crash-landing on prehistoric Earth. Due to intense radiation, they merged into a gestalt. The Master arrived on prehistoric Earth shortly after the radiation began to subside. The Master attempted to use the Xeraphin to power his TARDIS, but is thwarted by theFifth Doctor.^[271] The Xeraphin in the episode were portrayed by actors André Winterton and Hugh Hayes.^[272]

The Zarbi appeared inThe Web Planet (1965), and are anant-like insectoid species, with some characteristics associated withbeetles, from the planet Vortis, which were controlled by the power of theAnimus. The Zarbi possessed little intelligence and fell under the Animus's control, becoming the animus's foot-soldiers. They had sentient weapons known asLarvae Guns (or Venom Grubs) which they used to enforce their will. They returned to normal after the defeat of the Animus, and returned to a peaceful existence with the other inhabitants of Vortis.^[273]

The Zarbi were named by the wife of writerBill Strutton. Set and effects designer John Wood used descriptions by Strutton to sketch designs for the Zarbi, with Wood wanting the Zarbi to be realistic whilst also hiding the human element. Four costumes were constructed, with producer Verity Lambert loving the design, though many other crew members were more hesitant about the feasibility of the Zarbi. The outfits were modelled on actorRobert Jewell, and took around thirty minutes to put on.^[274] Jewell,Kevin Manser,John Scott Martin, and Gerald Taylor portrayed the Zarbi on-screen.^[274] A special trailer forThe Web Planet, featured the Zarbi at theBBC Television Centre before being shown to their dressing rooms, was aired prior to the episode's airing, with the trailer being made to take "the curse out of the Zarbi" for younger viewers of the episode.^[274] The Zarbi were planned to re-appear in a brief cameo in the 2024 episode "The Legend of Ruby Sunday," though this was scrapped.^[275]

The Zarbi later re-appeared in several spin-off stories. The comic storyOn the Web Planet, published inTV Comic, depicted theFirst Doctor and his grandchildrenJohn and Gillian discovering that the Zarbi had once again turned against the Menoptera, another species that inhabited Vortis. They later discovered that the Zarbi were actually devices piloted by an alien species known as the Skirkons, who had enslaved the real Zarbi as well as the Menoptera. The First Doctor managed to free all the races and defeated the Skirkons.^[276] A short story published in the Doctor Who Annual 1966, titledThe Lair of Zarbi Supremo, depicted a mutation, which causes a Zarbi to mutate into the Zarbi Supremo. The Supremo takes control of the rest of its kind and turns Vortis into arogue planet, sending it to invade Earth. The First Doctor is able to kill the Supremo and free the Zarbi from their subjugation.^[277] A later comic, published byTitan Comics, titledUnnatural Selection, depicted the re-formation of the Animus, who is sent to theLondon Underground with the help ofAdam Mitchell. The Animus used the Zarbi as its minions once more until the First Doctor's companionIan Chesterton hit the Animus with a train, defeating it. The First Doctor then returned the freed Zarbi home.^[278]

The Zocci are a diminutive race of red spiked aliens. "Voyage of the Damned" (2007) featured a Zocci named Bannakaffalatta, who aids theTenth Doctor in attempting to stop a space-faring version of theTitanic from crashing into the Earth.^[279] In "The End of Time" (2009–10), a species related to the Zocci, except green and more human-like in size, known as theVinvocci, appeared. A pair of them attempted to take a Vinvocci medical device away from a human, named Joshua Naismith, who attempted to re-program the device to make his daughter immortal. They later aided the Tenth Doctor in stoppingthe Master after he used the device to turn every human on Earth into a copy of himself.^[280] ActorJimmy Vee portrayed Bannakaffalatta.^[281]

A race of intelligentcacti from the planet Zolfa-Thura. Meglos, from theepisode of the same name, is the last surviving member of the species. Meglos used the naturalshapeshifting abilities of his species to obtain an item known as the Dodecahedron, which contained immense power. He planned to use the Dodecahedron to destroy the neighboring planet of Tigella, but is thwarted by theFourth Doctor, who instead rerouted the Dodecahedron to destroy Meglos and Zolfa-Thura.^[282] Meglos was planned to re-appear in "The Lodger," (2010) but this was scrapped due to his similar appearance to the Vinvocci, who had appeared recently at that point in the series.^[283] A version of the Fourth Doctor, based on his appearance when Meglos shapeshifts into him, was featured in theMadame Tussauds waxwork museum in the early 1980s alongside a waxwork model of the Fourth Doctor.^[284]

The Zygons are shape-shifting aliens first encountered inTerror of the Zygons (1975). In the episode, the Zygon home world had been destroyed, and they attempted to conquer the Earth in order to claim it as their new home world.^[285][286] They later re-appeared in the fiftieth anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor," (2013)^[287] where they attempted to conquer the planet once more.^[288] It is implied that their home planet was destroyed in theTime War.^[289] The Zygons and humans negotiate a treaty, leading to Zygons living among humans on Earth. In "The Zygon Invasion" and "The Zygon Inversion," (2015) a splinter group of Zygons is unhappy with having to hide away among humans, and attempt to change the status quo so they can live in their natural forms.^[288] TheTwelfth Doctor is able to negotiate with the splinter group's leader, Bonnie, and come to a peaceful solution.^[290] The Zygons inTerror of the Zygons were portrayed by Keith Ashley and Ronald Gough,^[291] while the Zygons in "Day of the Doctor" were portrayed by Aidan Cook andPaul Kasey, withNicholas Briggs providing their voice.^[292]

The Zygons appear in comic story "Skywatch-7," which depicted aUNIT team encountering a single Zygon at a remote base.^[293] TheEighth Doctor encountered the Zygons in thespin-off novelThe Bodysnatchers byMark Morris, where the Zygons' home plant was destroyed by an arachnid alien race called the Xaranti. The Doctor was able to defeat the invading Zygons by poisoning their milk supply.^[294] The Zygons appear again in theNew Series Adventures novelSting of the Zygons byStephen Cole, which depicts the Zygons attempting to set up a royal funeral in order to shapeshift into various royals. They are stopped by theTenth Doctor andMartha Jones.^[295] They later appeared in several Big Finish audio dramas, includingThe Zygon Who Fell to Earth,^[296]Death in Blackpool,^[297] andZygon Hunt.^[298] They also appear in theBBV Productions audio dramasHomeland,^[299]Absolution,^[300] andThe Barnacled Baby.^[301] An unofficial erotic spin-off film produced byBBV Productions, known asZygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough, was produced in 2005.^[2][302]

The Zygons were conceived by writerRobert Banks Stewart, and designed byJames Acheson as part of a collaboration with John Friedlander. Then directorDouglas Camfield also influenced the final appearance. They were designed to resemble "oversized embryos."^[303] The Zygons were initially planned to be able to "sting" their victims, akin tojellyfish, but this concept was not elaborated on in the episode and hard to notice in the final story.^[304]Tenth andFourteenth Doctor actorDavid Tennant has stated that the Zygons are his favourite villains in the series.^[305] A new species of parasitic wasp, first described in 2019, was namedChoeras zygon in reference to the Zygons.^[306]

The Zygons inTerror of the Zygons additionally brought with them a creature known as theSkarasen, which had resided inLoch Ness for so long that it had become known as theLoch Ness Monster.^[307] The Zygons fed on the milk it produced, which is why they brought it with them.^[304] The Skarasen was filmed using a puppet hung by wires,^[285] with other scenes depicting the Skarasen being filmed in stop motion.^[304]