Doctor Who: 10 Worst NuWho Villains

Few characters in pop-culture history have a rogues gallery that's as deep, as varied and as famous as the Doctor's.

Whether it's the iconic Daleks or the high-concept Midnight Entity, the limitless possibilities of the show afford the writers limitless possibilities when designing their villains, and as a result, we've seen some truly cracking ones over the years.

But they can't all be winners.

With NuWho celebrating its 16th birthday next March, Doctors Nine through Thirteen have faced dozens and dozens of villains across the farthest reaches of the universe, and while the vast majority of them worked well within their episodes - from new additions like the Weeping Angels to returning classics like the Ice Warriors - some modern Who monsters have, quite frankly, been absolute pants.

In some cases, the idea itself was solid, but the execution was lacklustre, and in others, the entire concept was rotten to the core. Either way, let's pray that the Doctor never again has to suffer the embarrassment of squaring off against these villains - the Oncoming Storm deserves much more worthy opponents than this lot.

Like a couple of the other entries on this list, the Krillitanes are a weak villain in an otherwise solid episode.

There's lots to love about Series 2's School Reunion, whether it's the friction (and later, the banter) between Sarah Jane Smith and Rose Tyler, Anthony Head's delightfully unsettling performance as Mr. Finch, and even a supporting role for K9. But the Krillitanes just don't hit the mark whatsoever.

The basic idea behind these alien beasties is an intriguing one - they're capable of cherry-picking abilities and physical traits from other species, meaning they can evolve their forms in any way they like. Sounds good on paper, but in the episode, they're just... bats. They look like bats, fly like bats, and even hang upside down like bats.

For a villain that could, in theory, design itself to be as efficient and deadly as possible - while also stealing a host of badass abilities for itself - it's insane to think that this is the best portrayal that writer Toby Whithouse could come up with. Overgrown bats!

It makes for a dull interpretation of a villain that had so much potential, and it doesn't help that they look extremely similar to the Reapers from Series 1, meaning that the Krillitanes feel like a bit of a knock-off in comparison.