Doctor Who: 10 Great Villains Who Were Badly Wasted

4. The Sontarans

For many, Strax is the worst thing to happen to Doctor Who; for others, he's the unexpected consolation of the Sontaran revival. The Series 4 two-parter that re-introduced the psychotic potato dwarves was a huge disappointment, with this classic monster only being used for the Doctor to throw heightist punchlines at; since then, they've only appeared in cameos, usually for comedy value. The Sontarans are no longer the fearsome threat that they were in the '80s; whilst the Daleks, the Cybermen and even the Ice Warriors have both been given makeovers and specific episodes to "make them scary again", no one's really bothered with the Sontarans. They might not be all that different from other war-obsessed, all-conquering aliens, but for anyone who grew up with them, it's sad that they've been reduced to being the butt of any sci-fi joke a writer wants to make. Fans have been talking about an episode where Strax chooses between his people and Vastra; now that could redeem the Sontarans.