Doctor Who: Weeping Angels top poll as monster fans most want to return

And while the Weeping Angels were the top choice, they weren’t the only alien creature fans wanted back in the BBC sci-fi series. Coming second in the poll, regular cyborg baddies the Cybermen, who are rumoured to appear in the upcoming series anyway, were also a popular option (the Daleks, having appeared in 2019 New Year’s special Resolution, were excluded from the poll).

But perhaps more interestingly, very close behind the Cybermen were none other than the Sea Devils, an aquatic spin-off of the reptilian Silurians who haven’t appeared in the series since 1984’s Warriors of the Deep and were the only monsters on the list not to have been adapted for the modern Doctor Who series.

Clearly, an appetite for some older classic monsters still remains, even if it’s Moffat’s modern creations The Weeping Angels who still retain a high place in people’s affections.

So will any or all of these monsters actually appear in the upcoming Doctor Who series? Well, yes and no. Rumour has it the Cybermen will be making a return alongside the already-confirmed Judoon (who were not included in the poll because their presence has been officially announced), so it could be that we’ll see Jodie Whittaker face off with them when Who returns in early 2020.

The Weeping Angels are less likely – they’d need Steven Moffat’s permission, and they’re so linked with his era on the show that the new team might prefer something they can put their own stamp on – but the Sea Devils? If not this year, the BBC should listen up – clearly the fans are desperate to see more of the aquatic villains.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for the poor Macra, or even the Zygons. But maybe fans feel like the crab-like monsters or the shapeshifting aliens have been depicted enough, the stories that already exist sitting comfortably and no need to radically reshift or rethink the characters.

In other words, in the world of Doctor Who it’s time to let Zygons be Zygons. We'll see ourselves out.

Full ranking:

1. The Weeping Angels
2. The Cybermen
3. The Sea Devils
4. The Ood
5. The Silence
6. The Sontarans
7. The Autons
8. The Slitheen
9. The Ice Warriors
10. The Great Intelligence
11. The Silurians
12. The Zygons
13. The Macra

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 in early 2020