Doctor Who: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Weeping Angels

Ever wondered why they always pick on humans?

Doctor Who Weeping Angels
BBC

When you think about how many monsters are created for each new series of Doctor Who, you start to realise how difficult it is to make one that leaves a lasting impact on the show - and on pop-culture in general.

The vast majority of villains the Doctor faces are never seen or heard from again, and it's rare that a monster proves popular enough (or brilliant enough) to warrant bringing them back for an encore battle.

In terms of villains created during the modern era of the show, the likes of the Silence, the Judoon, and Lady Cassandra have been brought back for another round, but without question, the biggest bad guy success story of Doctor Who's last fifteen years is the Weeping Angels, who have now cemented themselves alongside the Daleks and the Cybermen as an iconic and all-time great Doctor Who villain.

"Don't blink. Blink and you're dead." Ever since David Tennant's Tenth Doctor uttered those chilling words in Steven Moffat's 2007 episode Blink, the writer's statuesque assassins have become a famous part of the Doctor Who universe, and so, join us as we look at some of the what-ifs, hidden abilities, and behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the fearsome Weeping Angels.

10. An Angel Was Originally The Villain In Heaven Sent

Doctor Who Weeping Angels
BBC Studios

After having one story in the David Tennant era and two stories in the Matt Smith era, the Angels had zero stories while Peter Capaldi was behind the TARDIS controls. In fact, aside from a brief cameo in Hell Bent, they didn't feature in his era whatsoever.

A little disappointing? Sure. But things were almost a lot different.

Heaven Sent is one of the Twelfth Doctor's strongest episodes, and it's very hard to imagine it being executed in any other fashion. The Doctor, trapped in a castle that constantly shifts and changes, all the while being pursued by a slow, yet relentless shadowy figure. It's a wonderfully envisioned story that drips with foreboding, partly due to its simple yet effective villain, The Veil.

However, Moffat's original pitch for Heaven Sent was “the Doctor in a haunted house with Weeping Angels”, and to that end, the episode's baddie was originally going to be a lone Weeping Angel, stalking the Doctor throughout the castle.

Would it have worked? Well, Blink already proved that creepy buildings and Weeping Angels go together quite well, so we don't see why not!

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WhoCulture Channel Manager/Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture. Can confirm that bow ties are cool.