10 Classic Doctor Who Enemies Who Need To Return

The classic era of Doctor Who lasted for 26 years and 155 stories, offering fans an incredible array of adventures in time and space. Of course, besides The Doctor and his companions, one of the most important parts of these stories were the enemies they faced. Some of those enemies became household names, like the Daleks and The Master, while others were relegated to mere footnotes in the history of the show.

Since Doctor Who's revival in 2005, the various production teams have been slowly working their way through reintroducing the show's most iconic baddies. From Daleks and Autons in 2005, up to the Sea-Devils in 2022 (and who could forget the Macra in Gridlock?). However, there are still a lot of classic monsters and villains that deserve a return appearance, or could perhaps do with a modern upgrade. And with the show's 60th anniversary coming up and a new production team on the horizon, now is the perfect time to start thinking about who could make a return.

So out of the plethora of classic villains yet to be utilised, who could make the cut? From Axons to Zarbi and everything in between, there are a lot of options.

This Second Doctor enemy is arguably one of the most powerful foes the Doctor's ever faced. It's pretty crazy then that the character hasn't made a single TV appearance since their introduction. For those unfamiliar with 1969's The Mind Robber, it features the Doctor and his companions, Jamie and Zoe, becoming stuck in the Land of Fiction.

As the name suggests, this is a world populated by fictional characters and is ruled by a Master (not THE Master, mind you). The Master in that story was a human writer from 1926 who had been unwillingly forced into the role by a sentient computer known as the Master Brain.

The genius thing about this concept is that literally anyone can be put in the role of the Master of the Land, as long as they have a strong imagination. As with Time Lord characters, the possibilities are limitless.

Speaking of possibilities, there is so much that can be done with the Land of Fiction as a concept. Just imagine the crazy stories that could be told there, utilising modern effects and storytelling, especially if the production team can get some licenses to use a few pop-culture icons.

The Land of Fiction has appeared in other media, such novels and audios, with the Doctor's companion Zoe even briefly becoming the Mistress of the Land. However, it's high time for this fantasy realm and its Master to make a return to our screens. Its potential is quite literally only limited by a writer's imagination.