Doctor Who: 10 More Characters We Want To See Return

Rather unfairly, Pip and Jane Baker’s creation, like the Eighth Doctor, has become something of a running joke in fandom as a character expected to make a return. Whenever a mysterious female character is introduced, you can bet that someone will post on a Doctor Who forum that she must be the Rani (it happened in the case of Madam Kovarian, Tasha Lem, and even River Song).

The fact that Steven Moffat asserted that he would never bring back the Rani, because it wouldn’t resonate with anyone but the more knowledgeable fan, doesn’t seem to have put an end to the tongue-in-cheek and the deadly serious theories.

Poor Rani – even Steven Moffat seems to be against her. The fact that the obscure 1960s villain The Great Intelligence was brought back under his watch means that there has to be more behind his dismissal of the character. He even joined in on the joke by tricking budding set reporters into thinking that Missy was a Random Access Neural Interface (Rani).

The late great Kate O’Mara played the Eighties' Time Lord renegade in two episodes, including one of the worst Doctor Who stories of all time. But as an idea she was brilliant and O’Mara’s performances cannot be faulted, despite the decidedly ropey material. As a Time Lord the character could theoretically return with a new face, although everyone would think it was a joke.