'Doctor Who's Monster Makeover

With news that the Sontarans are being brought back, Cult Spy looks at the modifications made to the likes of the Daleks, Cybermen, Autons and the Macra - all of whom have appeared in the classic series as well as the new.

The Daleks

The Old: The dastardly pepperpots menaced viewers throughout the 1960s, with help from the atmosphere created by the show being filmed in black and white. Their appearance looked less impressive in colour during the following two decades, which exposed the flimsy and battered nature of the props.

Although they still had the power to scare small kiddies, the Daleks were increasingly lampooned by the media for their sink plungers, egg whisk guns and poor mobility. Just try and watch a Dalek navigate a cobbled road in 1988's 'Rememberance of the Daleks'. Their character had also suffered as time wore on. In the early days they were fiendish, plotting and individual mutant balls of hate within a metal shell. But once Davros entered the fray in 1975 they mostly became servile and followed orders in a robotic fashion. Even the renegade faction were the tools of the Supreme Dalek.

The New: The exterior pepperpot casing was given a more chunky look, giving the Daleks a more imposing screen presence. The new bumper at the bottom, adding more height, was very reminiscent of the Daleks used in the two 1960s Doctor Who movies, as were the larger 'ears' on the dome. The dilating iris at the end of the eye stalk harked back to the origin of the Daleks on television too. The rotating mid-section was a new feature though - and one used to terrific effect in 'Dalek'.

The exterior of the Dalek casing also took on more practical functions. The sink plunger was now more than a toilet-cleaning device, for it was used to suck up the face of a torturer in 'Dalek' and later extract information (and life) from poor Doctor Singh in 'Doomsday'. Their golden balls were now enough to make David Beckham jealous, for they could detach free from the casing and detonate.

As for their individual characters, they were brought back to life in the new series. Witness how the lone Dalek trapped in Van Statten's museum cleverly toys with Rose's emotions to gain what he wants. Also observe how two of the Cult of Skaro in 'Evolution of the Daleks' head off into the sewers for a discreet conspiratorial chat behind Dalek Sec's slimy back.

The Cybermen

The Old: From their first appearance in 1966, the Cybermen have constantly evolved from the initial 'sock on face' look. The visual principle remained the same - a metallic face with black, hollow eye sockets and distinctive 'handle bars' on the side of the helmet. A large external chest unit was present, which in later years was used as a point of weakness by their enemies as death would occur to a Cyberman if any gold got inside. In later years, moon boots and cricket batting gloves - both sprayed silver - were adopted by the giants.

Free from emotion, their voices were always robotic and monotonous, although in later years the Cyberleader did take on an American twang - especially when booming out the word 'excellent!'

The New: Interestingly, the new look of the Cybermen is regressive rather than progressive. Certainly less hi-tech than the 1980s incarnation, this new breed had a distinctive Art Deco look and incorporated the 'tear drop' by the eye not seen since 1975's 'Revenge of the Cybermen'.

It's important to bear in mind that John Lumic's Cybermen were not direct descendants of the monsters in the classic series who hailed from Mondas - for they were created from scratch in a parallel universe.

Vocally, these Cybermen were quite aware of the need for a catchphrase that their predecessors lacked. So suddenly we were bombarded (in a Patrick Troughton era cybervoice) with lines such as "you will be upgraded" and "delete! delete!" These words also served to tap into the contemporary issues of mobile technology, rather like the world's fascination with artificial limbs four decades earlier that inspired the creation of the Cybermen.

The Autons

The Old: The squid-like Nestene Consciousness had the power to control plastic and created an army of 'Autons' out of the stuff. They resembled mannequins which enabled them to quietly infiltrate shops and waxworks around the country. Their polished complexion and faceless features gave them the power to send viewers hurtling behind the sofa, especially when the end of their hands could detach and a gun pop out. They later developed the ability to speak - in a rasping, Dalek-like voice and also liked to hide their true forms beneath human masks.

The New: If it ain't broke - don't fix it. As the look of mannequins has barely changed, the Autons couldn't either when they reappeared in 2005. Their power to scare lies in taking an ordinary, everyday object - the mannequin - and revealing something more sinister. Their guns remained the same, although none of them spoke. The Nestene Consciousness did change, however, as the creature was now a molten vat of plastic rather than something that would make good calamari.

The Macra

The Old: The giant crab-like beings used to have big-bulging eyes that glowed in the dark, alongside impressive pincers. They were the size of a garden shed and not terribly mobile, but were quite devious and used gas in a bid to gain mind control over a colony of humans.

The New: Devolution not evolution! Now lurking at the bottom of New Earth amidst the lovely fumes, the crabs are merely interested in their next meal and have lost their previous intelligence over millions of years. Thanks to some nifty CGI, they have grown in size significantly and have a real spring in their sideways step. Their previously lumbering pincers can now snap away at will.