Doctor Who Symbolism: What 10 Famous Villains Really Mean

2. Daleks Are Nazis (Or Else They're George W Bush)

The most famous and nightmare-inducing villains in Doctor Who history have perhaps had their reputations tarnished a little by overuse (and because the returning series felt the need to explain how they got up and down stairs), but the mention of their name still inspires even the Time Lord himself to at least consider retreating to behind the sofa. Which makes sense, because the Daleks are based on one of the greatest evils in history. Daleks are an unfeeling, authoritarian race dedicated to conquest and complete conformity. To do that they want to exterminate all those they think to be impure. Who does that remind you of? The creator of the iconic Who villains, Terry Nation, says they were directly inspired by the Nazis and the fear caused by German bombings. When Russell T Davies brought the show back in 2005, he was obviously going to resurrect the Daleks too. True to form, he used the bad guys as another political mouth piece: one media scholar has compared their appearance in the episodes "Dalek," "Bad Wolf," and "The Parting of the Ways" to George W Bush's America. Truly terrifying.