The monsters in Doctor Who are legendary for their frightening nature and their rubbery, comical appearance. Whether it is the darkly efficient Master, the menacing Daleks, the fearsome Autons or the chilling Cybermen the baddies were bound to send you scurrying to hide behind the sofa.

When the series was first commissioned, the producers wanted to avoid the typical bug eyed monsters that had been popularised by science fiction. Monsters of all shapes and sizes have appeared through the life of Doctor Who.

The revival of Doctor Who in 2005 introduced us once more to the Autons. These fearsome creatures first appeared in 1970 when Jon Pertwee encountered them. These plastic, life size creatures are controlled by an alien intelligence called the Nestene Consciousness. In both the 1970 and 2005 episodes, the Autons smashed through shop windows and began to rampage the streets, attacking pedestrians.

The Cybermen are another famed adversary, due to make a re-appearance in the 2006 series. The Cybermen are cold, ruthless robots who appear virtually indestructible are hell bent on conquering the galaxy and propagating their species, as most bad guys are. Their one weakness is gold rubbed into their breathing system. Responsible for many a childs nightmares, the Cyberman continued their species through forcibly converting people into Cyberman through a process known as cyber-conversion.

The renegade Time Lord known as the Master is probably the most troublesome of the Doctors many enemies, first appearing in 1971.. An extremely intelligent, cunning and cold person, the Master is obsessed with his quest for power. A master manipulator, he using hypnotism and his ability to prey upon the weak minded to gain control and further his schemes.

Possibly the most famous of the Doctors adversaries are the Daleks, a ruthless, evil race who terrified entire generations of children. These fearsome, menacing machines first appeared in 1963 and were intended by their creator, Terry Nation, to represent the Nazis, their one mission being to exterminate everyone and anything.

The Daleks came from a planet Skaros and were created by a mutant scientist called Davros. Before they donned their robotic vehicles, they were a race called the Kelad. They fought a terrible nuclear war and the few mutated survivors were further mutated by Davros who was determined to destroy his own race. Using genetic engineering he removed all emotion from the mutants and created Dalekinium for their protective robotic vehicle. Fitting them with gun sticks, the Daleks were born and set on their mission to exterminate. How many of us can remember hiding behind the sofa when their Exterminate cry sounded out across the airwaves!

Having been the subject of two movies and appeared in many episodes, the Daleks reappeared in the 2005 series were Christopher Eccleston encountered and defeated them.

Of course, these are just a few of the most well known adversaries the Doctor has faced, there are many more less well known foes. Whether it is Sil, Omega, the Yeti, Ice Warriors, Sea Devils, The Rani or the Sensorites, the enemies of Doctor Who have scared generations of children and entertained their parents.