New Doctor Who monsters revealed for first time in fresh footage

A few months ago showrunner Chris Chibnall told Radio Times we could expect “all-new monsters” this year and a bit of a rest for classic foes like the Daleks or Cybermen – and in the new footage what we can see of the freshman baddies is pretty fearsome.

First up – these floating, dark ribbon-like monsters, who we can assume will be a part of the series’ second episode given that confirmed guest star Susan Lynch is in shot.

Chibnall teases in the new issue of Radio Times that we need to look out for “Ribbons” in the new series – so could these be the alien threat the Tardis team is set to face in the episode? Or are they some sort of other extraterrestrial force or weapon only used by the heroes’ true enemy?

And they’re not the only otherworldly threat menacing Whittaker’s Doctor. In scenes set in some sort of desert we can see the Time Lord and her crew under laser fire from figures in strange armour. With almost bonnet-like helmets, the gear isn’t a million miles away from the armour of alien characters like the Judoon or even the Sontarans, but with a new twist.

Who these people are, why they have such a murderous urge towards the Tardis team and where they picked up their snazzy suits remains a mystery, but we can’t wait to see them in action again.

And then there’s this unusual-looking creature, (seen retreating off camera to the right) which looks like it’s made from electronic parts with glowing blue eyes, and fizzing with electrical energy.

Now, we’re rather assuming this is some sort of threat – unlike the others we spotted, it doesn’t seem to directly threaten the Doctor in the trailer – but given how much it’s creeping about over the Doctor’s head in a deserted train carriage, we’re guessing it has something to do with the strange goings-on in Sheffield that the Doctor is investigating.

Also, given that Whittaker’s still wearing Peter Capaldi’s costume in this particular shot it seems likely this creature could be the main threat of the series premiere, making its significance – as the first monster Whittaker’s Doctor will come up against – all the more notable.

Oh, and one more monster, who we spot hiding under a table (possibly also a cupboard earlier in the trailer) and scaring Tosin Cole’s Ryan – but given that we never properly see it, we're not quite sure what we're dealing with here. In the cupboard it looks sort of yellow, almost like insect larvae, while under the table it seems to scuttle - so could this be some kind of creepy-crawly gone wrong?

Overall, it looks like a great new rogues' gallery for the Thirteenth Doctor - and while we haven’t completely ruled out the chance that we’ll see a Dalek or two crop up this year as well (surely it must be a bluff, right?), even if they don’t the new generation of baddies looks like it can carry the torch for Doctor Who just as well as Whittaker herself.

Time to pull your sofa away from the wall in preparation…

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 on Sunday 7^th October