Speaking strictly about its Series 7 incarnation, the Great Intelligence is practically the poster child of wasted potential. Despite originally making only two appearances, the Great Intelligence is a popular monster among some Classic Who fans so bringing it back was not as big a gamble as Steven Moffat could have made. And the return of such a popular if sparsely seen villain was only bolstered by the excellent casting of Ian McKellen and Richard E. Grant. But when it came to properly using the Great Intelligence as a main series villain, his return wasnt so much a big bang as it was a wet fart. Although Richard E. Grants performance was great, the Great Intelligence is completely wasted. It was only revealed to actually be the Great Intelligence at the very end of The Snowmen, as a cameo at the end of The Bells Of St John, and only makes a full appearance as the Great Intelligence in The Name Of The Doctor. An episode that ends with its suicide. The problem is that, in New Who, the Intelligence has always played second fiddle to Clara, the Impossible Girl story arc, and the reveal of the War Doctor. Its used as a plot device to drive her story rather than being a fully developed villain in its own right as in The Abominable Snowmen and The Web Of Fear. So if the Great Intelligence does return, it needs to be as a fully fledged villain rather than a minor piece of another story arc. Because it has no body and is pure information; the ways it can be incorporated into different stories are practically limitless, giving it a lot of potential as a frequently recurring character and a main series villain. It just needs to be in episodes that are actually a Great Intelligence story rather than a Clara story.
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.
