Doctor Who: 10 Best NuWho Villains That Only Appeared Once

4. The Clockwork Droids

Episode: The Girl in the Fireplace These guys aren't that bad, I mean all they want is to cut the brain out of an 18th-century French aristocrat who happens to be the King of France's mistress. Is that really so much to ask? All jokes aside, this was the episode where we saw David Tennant become The Doctor. Sure The Christmas Invasion and the episodes that preceded this were all right, but The Girl in the Fireplace was the one that sent him on the path to becoming everyone's favourite Doctor. And for that he's partially indebted to the clockwork automatons he went up against. By the time the end credits roll around, you cant help but feel a little bit sorry for the Droids €“ they're not evil by nature, just made evil by circumstance. They were just doing their jobs, and doing their jobs meant repairing the ship by any means necessary. Even if that means involved supplementing human body parts for the ship's missing parts. The design for The Clockwork Droids at first seems comical rather then frightening, with the wigs and the masks and the fabulous costumes, but if I met someone dressed like that in a darkened alleyway, my first reaction wouldn't be to run away screaming into the night. But once you suss the subtle androids ticks, the uncanny clock sounds and the darkened hollow eyes, you get something that's not just frightening but memorable. I can only imagine the terror of the surviving crew members as they were stalked and eventually caught by the Droids. Oh, and lastly, to all those other villains these guys know when they're beaten.