Doctor Who: 10 Greatest Things The 50th Anniversary Year Gave Us

9. Classic Monsters

Doctor Who wouldn't be half as successful today if it wasn't for the many memorable monsters the Doctor has faced over the years so it was fitting that this years series reintroduced a trio of classic foes into the show to terrify a new generation.

The Ice Warriors, noble Martian soldiers, perennially encountered the Second and Third Doctors throughout the 60s and 70s - unusually for a monster, they were sometimes good - yet hadn't appeared in the series for 39 years prior to 2013's 'Cold War'. The Great Intelligence, who first returned in 2012's 'The Snowmen' voiced by Sir Ian McKellen, made a further, more prominent, appearance this year in 'The Name of the Doctor' when, now played by Richard E Grant, it was revealed as the main villain behind the Doctor and Clara's adventures, leading them to the Doctor's grave on Trenzalore so that it could extract its revenge. However, it was the Zygons that were the most hotly-anticipated monster returning this year. Only featuring in the original series' run once in 1975's 'Terror of the Zygons', they have been a fan-favourite ever since. Finally, in 'The Day of the Doctor', they made their grand re-entrance as they once again planned to take over the world. Apart from being a welcome reprisal of a much-loved monster, this was also a dream come true for David Tennant who had been campaigning to get the Zygons back in the show for years. These weren't the only surprise returns from the classic series that materialized this year, though...