The Slitheen are definitely one of the less fondly remembered aspects of Series 1; appearing in the overtly political two-parter Aliens Of London and World War Three, and its underrated sequel Boom Town. The Slitheen were partly let down by dodgy effects and prosthetics, but the real killer was the plot point of the gas exchange. A side effect of the compression technology that enables them to squeeze themselves into human skins. Which essentially amounts to a series of fart jokes. But after Series 1, the BBC appear to have learned their lesson as there havent been any Slitheen stories in nine years, and they have since become the primary monster for The Sarah Jane Adventures. A series where they fit in a lot better. Surprisingly though, it was only after their migration to The Sarah Jane Adventures that the Slitheen started to grow up, with the Series 1 finale The Lost Boy dispensing with their need to use the skins of only fat people and the subsequent fart gags, and the direct implication that a twelve year-old boy was skinned for use as a disguise. They still kept the ridiculously long names though. To make the Slitheen credible villains again, the BBC would simply need to take the progress made by The Sarah Jane Adventures and run with it. No more fart jokes and the possibility of any character (even children) being a Slitheen in disguise to up the tension. The general design of the Slitheen doesnt really help since the bug-eyed baby faces aren't really that frightening but they can still be used well. Especially because the broad concept of the Slitheen has a lot going for it. A criminal family out to make money regardless of who gets hurt or killed is a much more innovative idea than a standard alien invasion. They also have the potential to be pretty unnerving with their tradition of hunting intelligent beings, and practice of killing people to use their skin as a disguise. The Slitheen can be redeemed slightly. It just needs some careful writing. Though perhaps not while Peter Capaldi is the Doctor since theyd conflict with the darker tone too much.
JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.
