Doctor Who special was the “scariest Dalek story ever” say fans

The familiar robotic tones of the Doctor's greatest foe returned on Tuesday to herald the New Year, and the majority of fans were impressed with just how scary the Daleks remain — even when there's only one of them in a homemade makeshift casing...

(Warning: mild spoilers ahead for Doctor Who's New Year's Day special!)

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In the special episode, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, an ancient Dalek is brought back to life by an unwitting pair of archaeologists. Without its iconic metal casing, the squid-like creature is vulnerable, and will utilise whatever — and whoever — it needs to rebuild its armour and, of course, set out to destroy the human race.

Viewers were on the whole suitably impressed with the "terrifying" Dalek, with one fan dubbing it the "scariest incarnation of the Daleks" in the show's history.

"This is the scariest episode of Doctor Who I've seen in a LONG time," Emma Drury tweeted.

"That was the scariest Dalek ever!! Superb," another viewer posted.

The reality of the Dalek's squid-like form also served to creep a number of viewers out. "Tis a fact that the scariest thing about a Dalek has always been what it really is on the inside," David Kidd commented.

"I’ve got to give Chibnall props for making the Daleks the scariest they’ve been in years. The mutant scenes are genuinely some of the most grotesque in all of Doctor Who," Johnny Kilroy posted on Twitter.

Although, of course, if there was one scene that truly shook the nation to its core, it was when the Dalek successfully shuts down Britain's Wi-Fi on New Year's Day...

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 in 2020