2. Dont Squander Your Villains
I previously talked about choosing a good villain. But even if its the best villain in the shows history, if it does not do the story justice or vice versa, it will not work. Although I admit to squeeing my ears off when the Daleks returned in The Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, in hindsight forcing this classic foe in with its rival Cybermen simply devalued the Cybermens position, which they didnt recover from for quite a while. In my opinion, the return of the Daleks should have come behind a less prominent villain, and then led into a whole new story arc. Similarly, Closing Time featured the Cybermen terrorising the basement of a shopping centre, in the background of the Doctors relationship with Craig and his newborn. I know many Cyberfans (can that be a thing?) were a little disappointed at the lack of dignity afforded to their favourite big bads. Alternatively, Doctor Who used to be a serial offender for repeatedly returning enemies from the brink of unnecessary extinction. How many times have the Daleks been wiped from the face of the universe, only to return in full force a year later? Also, the shooting of the Master in Last of the Time Lords has always been very bitter for me, considering the Doctors prior promise to keep him in the TARDIS. Can you imagine if theyd run with that? The Master chained up in the base of the TARDIS like Hannibal Lecter, always plotting some devious new scheme that we could only anticipate with bated breath? It was a case of a really good potential plotline being ruled out for an extra emotional punch. This really leads into my final point.