10 Worst Doctor Who Villains

Mark Gatiss comes across as a bit of a hit-and-miss writer. Sometimes his stories are good. And other times they're not. When it comes to The Idiot's Lantern it just becomes complicated. There's a great story to be told at the heart of this script, and the whole subplot with the Connolly family is actually pretty decent. The journey of Eddie being this stern, self-absorbed bully is something of a treat, especially when the Tenth Doctor puts him in his place, and gives his family the courage to eventually show him the door.

Then you get to the Wire and things become rather clumsy in its execution. The whole premise of something existing in the television is actually chilling, and an idea one would expect from Gatiss, given his love for horror-esque elements. Even the imagery of people having their faces removed is so unsettling. But the Wire herself is just a cringe-worthy villain, especially when she just screams she's hungry over and over again.

It's annoying, because the Wire is a despicable creature, who's only interest is rebuilding her original form, but the way the actress portrays the role makes that bitter element just come across as cartoonish. In many ways, the Wire acts more like a whiny child who constantly demands for ice cream until it gets one. Not really something you want for your main villain. Yeah, this one is frustrating because the Wire had such promise with its concept and threat level, but the execution completely lets this one down.