View source for Silurian and Sea Devil

{{short description|Fictional race from the television series Doctor Who}}
{{Other uses|Silurian (disambiguation)|Sea devil (disambiguation){{!}}Sea devil}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox fictional race
| name               = Silurian and Sea Devil
| image              = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 300
| image_style              = border:none;
| image1                   = Doctor Who 50th Celebration - Silurian (11001186243).jpg
| alt1                     = Refer to caption
| image2                   = Doctor Who 50th Celebration (11278505066).jpg
| alt2                     = Refer to caption
}}
| caption            = The 2010 redesign of the Silurians (left) and a 1984 Sea Devil (right) as seen at a ''Doctor Who'' exhibition
| creator            = [[Malcolm Hulke]]
| series             = [[Doctor Who]]
| type               = * [[List of reptilian humanoids|Reptilian humanoids]]
* Amphibian humanoids (Sea Devils)
| home_world         = [[Earth]]
| first              = * ''[[Doctor Who and the Silurians]]'' (1970) (Silurians)
* ''[[The Sea Devils]]'' (1972) (Sea Devils)
}}

The '''Silurians''' and '''Sea Devils''' are two fictional related ancient species created by [[Malcolm Hulke]] for the long-running British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. The Silurians are a race of scientifically advanced [[reptilian humanoid]]s from [[Human evolution|the dawn of man]] which first appeared in ''Doctor Who'' in Hulke's 1970 serial ''[[Doctor Who and the Silurians]]''. The Sea Devils are similar to the Silurians, but hail from the oceans and are aquatic, having debuted in the serial ''[[The Sea Devils]]'' (1972). Both species then reappeared in the 1984 serial ''[[Warriors of the Deep]]'', which was the final appearance of both races prior to the show's cancellation in 1989. Following the show's revival in 2005, heavily redesigned Silurians were reintroduced to the series in 2010, and have recurred frequently since then. The Sea Devils were reintroduced in 2022, with their designs mostly unchanged.

Working under producer [[Terrance Dicks]], Hulke came up with the idea of the Silurians to accommodate the show's need for more imaginative science fiction storylines during [[Doctor Who (season 7)|a period]] when its title character, [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]], was confined to present-day Earth. The Sea Devils were made out of a desire to bring the Silurian concept back. The further re-appearance of the pair in ''Warriors of the Deep'' was done out of a desire to bring back more antagonists following the series' twentieth anniversary. The species' redesign and re-appearance in the revived era was done to bring out the humanity in the species and allow the actors' performances to shine through, with a desire to update the Silurians to modern-day standards and expand on the concepts introduced in their original serials. Conversely, the Sea Devils' return did its best to stay as loyal to the original design of the creatures as possible.

The Silurians and Sea Devils' concept have been highlighted, though they were considered largely forgotten monsters until the Silurians' return in the revived era. In 2018, the notion of a pre-human intelligent reptilian or amphibious species was explored by the real-life scientists [[Adam Frank]] and [[Gavin Schmidt]], who dubbed the concept the "[[Silurian hypothesis]]". The Sea Devils are set to play a major role in the spin-off series ''[[The War Between the Land and the Sea]]''.

==Appearances==

===Television===
''[[Doctor Who]]'' is a long-running British [[Science fiction on television|science-fiction television]] series that began in 1963. It stars its protagonist, [[The Doctor]], an alien who travels through time and space in a ship known as the [[TARDIS]], as well as their travelling [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companions]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nicol |first=Danny |date=May 1, 2020 |title=''Doctor Who'', Family and National Identity |journal=Entertainment & Sports Law Journal |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=1-11 |via=[[EBSCO Information Services|EBSCO]]}}</ref> When the Doctor dies, they are able to undergo a process known as "[[Regeneration (Doctor Who)|regeneration]]", completely changing the Doctor's appearance and personality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grady |first=Constance |date=2023-12-13 |title=''Doctor Who''{{’}}s big twist betrayed the show’s oldest rule |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/24000340/doctor-who-the-giggle-david-tennant-russell-t-davies |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=[[Vox media|Vox]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Throughout their travels, the Doctor often comes into conflict with various [[List of Doctor Who universe creatures and aliens|alien species]] and antagonists.<ref name=":422">{{Cite book |last=Cardin |first=Matt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PKnIEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Sutekh%22+doctor+who+-wikipedia&pg=PT12 |title=Mummies around the World: An Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion, and Popular Culture |date=2014-11-17 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing USA]] |isbn=979-8-216-12019-3 |pages=89 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Bobby |date=2022-01-24 |title=''Doctor Who'' Villains, Ranked |url=https://www.space.com/doctor-who-villains-ranked-worst-to-best |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=[[Space.com|Space]] |language=en}}</ref>

The Silurians and Sea Devils are a race of reptilian humanoids from the dawn of time. The species was highly technologically advanced, and their computers detected that a planet-like object would collide with Earth. To survive, they put themselves into [[hibernation]], but as the planet-like object, the [[Moon]], never crashed into the Earth, the Silurians' computers never awoke them, leaving them trapped in hibernation.<ref name=":7" />

In their first appearance in ''[[Doctor Who and the Silurians]]'' (1970), a group of Silurians are awakened from hibernation by the energy from a nearby nuclear power research center in [[Derbyshire]]. The [[Third Doctor]] ([[Jon Pertwee]]) initially manages to negotiate an honourable compromise with the colony's leader. Unfortunately, the colony's leader is murdered by a younger Silurian who becomes the new leader, intent on a far more aggressive policy. To that end, the Silurians then attempt to reclaim the planet from humanity by releasing a deadly bacteria and attempting to disperse the [[Van Allen radiation belt]]. Both plans were thwarted by the Doctor. Despite the Doctor's best efforts to broker a peaceful solution, the Silurians are still determined to exterminate humanity, resulting in [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] ([[Nicholas Courtney]]) blowing up their base to stop their plans.<ref>{{cite serial |title=Doctor Who and the Silurians |title-link=Doctor Who and the Silurians |series=Doctor Who |series-link=Doctor Who |first=Malcolm (writer) |last=Hulke |author-link=Malcolm Hulke |first2=Timothy (director) |last2=Combe |author-link2=Timothy Combe |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC1]] |date=31 January – 14 March 1970}}</ref>

In ''[[The Sea Devils]]'' (1972), the Sea Devils, an amphibious variety of Silurians, are awakened from their hibernation by a renegade [[Time Lord]] known as [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] ([[Roger Delgado]]), who persuades them to reclaim the planet from the human race. Despite the Third Doctor's efforts to convince them otherwise, the Sea Devils eventually decide to go to war, forcing the Doctor to destroy their base. It is revealed, however, that there were many colonies still in hibernation around the world.<ref>{{cite serial |title=The Sea Devils |title-link=The Sea Devils |series=Doctor Who |series-link=Doctor Who |first=Malcolm (writer) |last=Hulke |author-link=Malcolm Hulke |first2=Michael (director) |last2=Briant |author-link2=Michael E. Briant |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC1]] |date=26 February – 1 April 1972}}</ref> Both species, together, in "[[Warriors of the Deep]]" (1984), attempt again to reclaim Earth from the humans. Set in the year 2084 during a prolonged "[[Cold war (general term)|cold war]]" between factions of humanity, the pair attempt to fire an undersea base's nuclear weapons, which would cause the humans to destroy each other in retaliation for the initial strike. The [[Fifth Doctor]] ([[Peter Davison]]) attempts to make peace with them, but is unable to, forcing him to flood the base with hexachromite gas to stop them. While he attempts to save the Silurians, he is unable to succeed, leaving all of them dead by the serial's end.

Silurians are reintroduced to the series, following its cancellation and revival, in the 2010 two-part story, "[[The Hungry Earth]]" and "[[Cold Blood (Doctor Who)|Cold Blood]]", in which Silurians are awoken in 2020 by an underground drilling operation. Having misinterpreted the drilling as a deliberate attack, the Silurians take hostages. After a protracted conflict, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] ([[Matt Smith]]) leaves behind Tony Mack ([[Robert Pugh]]) and Nasreen Chaudhry ([[Meera Syal]]) in the Silurian city to act as ambassadors to the human race when they re-awaken in a thousand years.<ref name="the hungry earth">{{Cite episode |title=The Hungry Earth |episode-link=The Hungry Earth |series=Doctor Who |series-link=Doctor Who |first=Chris (writer) |last=Chibnall |author-link=Chris Chibnall |first2=Ashley (director) |last2=Way |author-link2=Ashley Way |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=22 May 2010 |series-no=5 |number=8}}</ref><ref name="Chibnall">{{Cite episode |title=Cold Blood |episode-link=Cold Blood (Doctor Who) |series=Doctor Who |series-link=Doctor Who |first=Chris (writer) |last=Chibnall |author-link=Chris Chibnall |first2=Ashley (director) |last2=Way |author-link2=Ashley Way |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=29 May 2010 |series-no=5 |number=9}}</ref>

Following this appearance, the Silurians make various cameo appearances. Some appear in "[[The Pandorica Opens]]" (2010), as one of the species who arrived to imprison the Doctor in the Pandorica.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=The Pandorica Opens |episode-link=The Pandorica Opens |series=Doctor Who |series-link=Doctor Who |first=Steven (writer) |last=Moffat |author-link=Steven Moffat |first2=Toby (director) |last2=Haynes |author-link2=Toby Haynes |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=19 June 2010 |series-no=5 |number=12}}</ref> A Silurian appears in "[[The Wedding of River Song]]" (2011) in a timeline where all of history is happening at once. A Silurian appears in "[[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]" (2012), where it is revealed they sent Arks into space to search for a new planet to inhabit, but that the Silurians on board were killed prior to the episode's events by a hunter named Solomon ([[David Bradley (English actor)|David Bradley]]) who sought to procure the ship's dinosaur cargo for himself. A Silurian appears in "[[Joy to the World (Doctor Who)|Joy to the World]]" (2024) where one acts as a manager to a hotel that lets visitors stay at places throughout history. The Silurian is killed by the villainous [[Villengard|Villengard Corporation]].

Recurring character [[Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|Madame Vastra]] ([[Neve McIntosh]]) is introduced in "[[A Good Man Goes to War]]" (2011) as a Silurian detective in the Victorian era, who befriended the Doctor after a brief rampage on the London Underground. She lives with her human wife [[Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|Jenny Flint]] ([[Catrin Stewart]]),<ref name="vastra bio">{{cite web |title=Madame Vastra |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/QnrHlN51YSCHfp9YqsRDyq/madame-vastra |work=BBC One – Doctor Who, Series 8 |access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref> and after "A Good Man Goes To War", also employs the [[Sontaran]] [[Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax|Strax]] ([[Dan Starkey (actor)|Dan Starkey]]) as her butler, forming the trio known as the [[Paternoster Gang]]. She re-appears in several subsequent episodes alongside the pair.

The Sea Devils re-appeared in the 2022 special "[[Legend of the Sea Devils]]", a [[Thirteenth Doctor]] ([[Jodie Whittaker]]) story. In the serial, a Sea Devil named Marsissus attempts to reclaim an artefact known as the Keystone, but he and his crew of Sea Devils are killed in an explosion orchestrated by the Thirteenth Doctor. The Sea Devils are expected to return in the upcoming spin-off series ''[[The War Between the Land and the Sea]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-spinoff-disney-bbc-1235959164/|title='Doctor Who' Spinoff Officially Happening at Disney, BBC|last1=Vlessing|first1=Etan|last2=Gajewski|first2=Ryan|date=26 July 2024|accessdate=26 July 2024|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

The Silurians have additionally appeared in various novels,<ref>{{cite book |last=Mortimore |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Mortimore |title=Eternity Weeps |title-link=Eternity Weeps |date=January 1997 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |isbn=978-0-426-20497-8 |series=[[Virgin New Adventures]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Baxter |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Baxter (author) |title=The Wheel of Ice |title-link=The Wheel of Ice |date=August 2012 |publisher=[[BBC Books]] |isbn=978-1849901833}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mortimore |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Mortimore |title=Blood Heat |title-link=Blood Heat |date=October 1993 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |isbn=978-0-426-20399-5 |series=[[Virgin New Adventures]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Russell |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Russell |title=The Scales of Injustice: The Monster Collection Edition |title-link=The Scales of Injustice |date=2014 |publisher=[[BBC Books]] |isbn=978-1-849-90780-4 |series=[[Virgin Missing Adventures]] |pages=256–286 |orig-year=1996}}</ref> comics,<ref>{{Cite comic |date=5–12 March 1980 |title=[[Doctor Who Magazine|Doctor Who Weekly]] |story=Twilight of the Silurians |issue=#21–22 |volume= |publisher=[[Marvel UK]] |location=London |writer=[[Steve Moore (comics)|Moore, Steve]] |artist=[[David Lloyd (comics)|Lloyd, David]] |page= |panel= |id=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite comic |date=August–September 2014 |title=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |story=The Crystal Throne |issue=#475–476 |volume= |publisher=[[Panini Comics|Panini UK Ltd]] |location=Tunbridge Wells |writer=[[Scott Gray (writer)|Gray, Scott]] |artist=[[Mike Collins (comics)|Collins, Mike]] |coartists=[[David Roach (comics)|David A Roach]] |page= |panel= |id=}}</ref> and audio dramas since their debut. Silurian merchandise depicting the original design include busts, different kinds of figurines, and cards.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Ainsworth |first=John |title=Doctor Who: The Complete History: Spearhead from Space - The Silurians - The Ambassadors of Death |date=27 July 2016 |publisher=Hachette Partworks, Panini Publishing }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Ainsworth |first=John |title=Doctor Who: The Complete History: Warriors of the Deep - The Awakening - Frontios |date=30 December 2015 |publisher=Hachette Partworks, Panini Publishing.}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Ainsworth |first=John |title=Doctor Who: The Complete History: The Hungry Earth - Cold Blood - Vincent and the Doctor - The Lodger |date=7 March 2018 |publisher=Hachette Partworks, Panini Publishing.}}</ref> Sea Devil figurines, statues, cards, and other merchandise have been produced throughout the years.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Ainsworth |first=John |title=Doctor Who: The Complete History: The Curse of Peladon - The Sea Devils - The Mutants - The Time Monster |date=11 July 2018 |publisher=Hachette Partworks, Panini Publishing.}}</ref>

==Creation and development==

=== 1970s serials ===
[[File: 1970 Silurian (5923224381).jpg|thumb|left|An original Silurian head, as used in ''Doctor Who and the Silurians''.|294x294px]]
Drawing on the ideas of the [[Bernard Quatermass|Quatermass]] serials, producer [[Peter Bryant]] and producer and script editor [[Derrick Sherwin]] decided that for the series' [[Doctor Who (season 7)|seventh season]], the show's [[protagonist]] [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]] should be restricted to contemporary Earth and work alongside the [[UNIT]] organisation, featured prominently in the [[Doctor Who (season 6)|sixth season]]'s serial ''[[The Invasion (Doctor Who)|The Invasion]]''. Producer [[Barry Letts]] and script editor [[Terrance Dicks]], inheriting this new vision for the series, also wanted their stories for the seventh season to have a serious, deeper subtext. They approached [[Malcolm Hulke]], co-writer of the [[Patrick Troughton]] serials ''[[The Faceless Ones]]'' (1967) and ''[[The War Games]]'' (1969), to write a serial for this new season.<ref name="unit family">{{cite AV media |title=The U.N.I.T Family part one |date=2006 |type=DVD |publisher=[[BBC Worldwide]] |id=BBCDVD3671 |people=[[Nicholas Courtney|Courtney, Nicholas]]; [[Terrance Dicks|Dicks, Terrance]]; [[Caroline John|John, Caroline]]; [[Barry Letts|Letts, Barry]]; [[John Levene|Levene, John]]; [[Derrick Sherwin|Sherwin, Derrick]]; [[Derek Ware (actor)|Ware, Derek]]}}</ref>

Dicks requested a story that took place in caves; Hulke saw limitations with this earthbound format, as he believed there would be two types of stories, one featuring mad scientists and the other alien invasions.<ref name=":3" /> Terrance Dicks claims credit for thinking of the idea of creatures that had been there all along;<ref name="unit family" /> though ''The Complete History'' claims Hulke came up with the idea. The two settled on the name "Silurian", believing it conveyed a "monstrous" nature for the species.<ref name=":3" /> The Silurians' name was a misnomer, as the species was stated to hail from a period that was not the [[Silurian era]].<ref name=":3" /> Though the subsequent serial featuring the Sea Devils attempted to rectify this by suggesting "Eocenes" as an alternative name, this too was inaccurate to the Silurians' time of origin.<ref name=":6" /> Another alternate name suggested for the species was "homo reptilia".<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Farnell |first=Chris |date=2022-04-11 |title=Doctor Who: Sea Devils, Silurians, Madame Vastra Explained |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-sea-devils-silurians-madame-vastra-explained/ |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}}</ref>

The original Silurian costumes were made by visual effects designer James Ward, with the costumes being based on sketches designed by BBC Staff Director [[Timothy Combe]]. Combe suggested the idea for the species to have a third eye.<ref name=":3" /> The costumes were hot to wear. Some of the costumes had lights fitted into the masks, allowing them to flash on and off, while the masks of the Silurians played by important characters having a peg that would move when the actors spoke.<ref name=":3" /> The Silurians in the original serial were portrayed by a variety of actors, with the leader Silurian portrayed by Dave Carter, the young Silurian portrayed by Nigel Johns, and the scientist portrayed by [[Pat Gorman]], with their voices done by [[Peter Halliday]].<ref name=":232">{{Cite web |last=Braxton |first=Mark |date=20 September 2009 |title=Doctor Who and the Silurians ★★★★★ {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/doctor-who-and-the-silurians/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=[[Radio Times]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

While planning stories for ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s [[Doctor Who (season 9)|ninth season]], Dicks and Letts decided to revive the Silurian concept, being impressed with the original concept. They wanted the Silurians to this time originate from the sea. Originally dubbed "Sea Silurians", they were rechristened "Sea Devils" for dramatic effect as Hulke's storyline was edited.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Hello Sailor! – Making The Sea Devils |date=2008 |publisher=[[BBC Worldwide]] |id=BBCDVD2438(B) |people=Cann, David; [[Michael E. Briant|Briant, Michael]]; [[Donald Sumpter|Sumpter, Donald]]; [[Steve Scholes|Scholes, Steve]]; [[Katy Manning|Manning, Katy]]; [[Stuart Fell|Fell, Stuart]]; [[Terrance Dicks|Dicks, Terrance]]; [[Barry Letts|Letts, Barry]]; [[David de Vere|de Vere, David]]; King, Dave; [[Digby Coventry|Coventry, Digby]]}}</ref> The Sea Devils were originally planned to be naked like the Silurians, but director [[Michael E. Briant]] was uncomfortable with the idea, leading to the Sea Devils wearing string vests in the final episode,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Phillips |first=Ivan |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Once_Upon_a_Time_Lord/pbnIDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Dalek%22++Once+Upon+a+Time+Lord:+The+Myths+and+Stories+of+Doctor+Who+-wikipedia&pg=PA234&printsec=frontcover |title=Once Upon a Time Lord: The Myths and Stories of Doctor Who |date=2020-02-20 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-78831-645-3 |language=en}}</ref> which were leftover from another show and hastily applied to the Sea Devils.<ref name=":6" /> The Sea Devils have a turtle-like head, with their heads sculpted by designer John Friedlander.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |date=13 December 2009 |title=The Sea Devils ★★★★★ {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-sea-devils/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=[[Radio Times]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Friedlander gave each head distinctive "webbing" to set them apart from each other, with small slits in the neck being used for the actors to see out of.<ref name=":6" /> The Sea Devils' guns were made with aluminum disks, with flash wool and gunpowder being used for them to simulate being fired, though this meant each Sea Devil could only fire their weapon once per take.<ref name=":6" /> A scene in which Sea Devils emerged from the waves was done by filling the Sea Devil masks with water, as they failed to go underwater otherwise; this led to the actors nearly drowning in the process.<ref name=":6" /> The episode's chief Sea Devil was portrayed by actor Peter Forbes-Robertson.<ref name=":1" />

=== ''Warriors of the Deep'' (1984) ===
[[File:Silurian (2264872621).jpg|thumb|A Silurian as seen in ''Warriors of the Deep'', on display at a ''Doctor Who'' exhibition]]
[[File:Armoured_Sea_Devil_(5481319772).jpg|left|thumb|260x260px|An armoured Sea Devil as seen in ''Warriors of the Deep'', on display at a ''Doctor Who'' exhibition]]
The 1984 season of ''Doctor Who'' followed the series' twentieth anniversary celebrations, and the production team wanted to mine the series' past for further antagonists to bring back. This resulted in the decision to bring the Silurians and Sea Devils back, appearing on-screen together for the first time.<ref name=":4" /> Writer [[Johnny Byrne (writer)|Johnny Byrne]] was told to write serial ''[[Warriors of the Deep]]'' (1984) as a return for both the Silurians and the Sea Devils.<ref name=":40">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Kyle |date=April 6, 2022 |title=What You Need to Know About DOCTOR WHO's Sea Devils |url=https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-who-sea-devils-history-jodie-whittaker-jon-pertwee-peter-davison-silurians/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Nerdist |language=en-US}}</ref> After re-watching the original episodes, Byrne came up with the idea of the Sea Devils being a more militaristic force for the Silurians.<ref name=":4" />

Redesign of the species was primarily done by Judy Pepperdine. The Silurians were redesigned to resemble an updated version of the original Silurian costume, with various departments working together to make the various aspects of the design. The Silurians' third eye was altered to glow when they spoke, while the eyeholes in the masks were redesigned to address actor complaints from the original serial.<ref name=":4" /> The Sea Devils were redesigned, with their string vests replaced by [[samurai]]-styled armor,<ref name=":0" /> which was done to give them more bulk.<ref name=":4" /> The Sea Devils' masks were based on an original mask from their debut serial that was on display at an exhibition. Radio control was added to allow the masks to blink.<ref name=":4" /> The masks for both creatures had major ventilation issues, resulting in the actors needing to be cooled down between takes, as the serial was filmed during a major heat wave. The masks sometimes were not buckled into costume correctly, and the Sea Devil masks would occasionally lean over or obscure actor vision, leading to Sea Devils bumping into each other during filming.<ref name=":4" />

The Silurians had names, with the primary Silurian, Ichtar, being stated to be a Silurian from the original serial; the other two Silurians were named Scibus and Tarpok, with the latter's name being changed from Tanpon during production. Many script changes were made to ensure the continuity made sense between both Silurian serials; a reference to Ichtar discussing the [[Time Lord]]s and the [[TARDIS]] was cut, as Ichtar would not have been able to know this information.<ref name=":4" /> The voices for both the Silurians and the Sea Devils were added in post-production. Actor Norman Comer portrays Ichtar, while Stuart Blake and Vincent Brimble portray Scibus and Tarpok, respectively. Various actors portray the Sea Devils.<ref name=":4" />

=== Revived series ===
[[File: Madame Vastra - Doctor Who Experience Cardiff (10624335753).jpg|thumb|right|An sculpt of Madame Vastra's head, showcasing the modern Silurian design, as displayed at the ''Doctor Who'' Experience in 2013.]]

The return of the Silurians in 2010's "[[The Hungry Earth]]" and "[[Cold Blood (Doctor Who)|Cold Blood]]" was a request by series showrunner [[Steven Moffat]], who asked writer [[Chris Chibnall]] to produce a script involving the species and a drill.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Richard |date=2010-05-26 |title=Doctor Who Cold Blood Interview |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/doctor-who-cold-blood-interview/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=GamesRadar+ |language=en}}</ref> Moffat stated the concept of the Silurians was a "movie franchise idea", and was inspired enough by the idea to want them to return to the series.<ref name="Martin">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Dan |date=2010-05-22 |title=Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth – series 31, episode eight |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/may/22/doctor-who-the-hungry-earth |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Chibnall wrote the species as if audiences were completely unfamiliar with them, believing that a mainstream audience would likely not remember the species from the last time they had appeared on-screen.<ref name=":2" /> Moffat emphasized that they wanted to redesign the Silurians "for 2010".<ref name=":5" /> Chibnall, inspired by the usage of the phrase "homo reptilia", included male and female Silurians, instead of just male Silurians as had happened previously.<ref name=":5" />

[[File:Silurian (11030208396).jpg|thumb|left|Silurians, with their masks on, on display at an exhibition|263x263px]]

When redesigning the Silurians for the revived era of the series, design team Millenium FX assumed the design of the creatures would be an upscale of the original Silurian design from the classic era of the show.<ref name=":0" /> Moffat briefed Chibnall on how he wanted the Silurians to appear, stating that he envisioned the group in the two-parter as a "different branch" of the originals so that this new interpretation did not undermine the original Silurian stories. Chibnall's script stated that the species had to be "beautiful", with Moffat wanting to drop the Silurians' third eye to avoid confusion with antagonist [[Davros]], who also sported one.<ref name=":2" /> The Silurians' voice modulation, present in previous stories, was also dropped.<ref name=":5" /> As Chibnall's script developed, however, designer Neil Gorton found that the humanity within the creatures would need to be better expressed. This resulted in the final humanoid design, which largely used prosthetics and makeup to convey the reptilian features of the species while letting the human actors emote with their own faces. Aspects of the Sea Devils' string vests and samurai armor were incorporated into the Silurians' clothing.<ref name=":0" />

Other aspects of the Silurians' new designs included heat ray devices, which resembled those used by the Sea Devils, a venomous tongue, which Chibnall added so children could imitate the Silurians at the playground, and grey "warrior masks". The masks were created to cut down on prosthetics costs, as prosthetics were more expensive than other monster designs, which often only required a mask or costume. Chibnall additionally enjoyed the masks due to their ability to enhance the existing Silurian design. The Sea Devils were discussed to be brought back, but Chibnall decided against it, believing it would cause too much confusion within the story, and devalue the concept of "mirroring" between the humans and Silurians.<ref name=":2" />

Several female supporting artists were hired to portray the Silurians, with reptilian body language being rehearsed, including motions such as sniffing to communicate, to add character to the Silurians.<ref name=":5" /> Actress [[Neve McIntosh]] portrays Silurian sisters Restac and Alaya in the two parter. Her performance in the episodes led to her return as Silurian [[Madame Vastra]] in subsequent episodes.<ref name=":0" />

The Sea Devils would eventually return in the 2022 episode "[[Legend of the Sea Devils]]". Unlike the Silurians, the Sea Devils retained largely the same design they had in their original appearances.<ref name=":40" /> The design team discussed how much the Sea Devils should resemble the original design, with the final design being the result of much discussion. The Sea Devils were made slightly shorter to account for lead actress [[Jodie Whittaker]] being shorter than former lead [[Jon Pertwee]], who had originally fought them in their debut serial. The Sea Devils also had different costuming, which resembled pirate costumes, though aspects of their original netted clothing was included throughout the design. An original plaster cast from ''Warriors of the Deep'' was used to evaluate measurements of the new design.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fullerton |first=Huw |date=March 23, 2022 |title=Sea Devil design change revealed for next Doctor Who episode {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-sea-devil-design-newsupdate/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> Episode co-writer [[Ella Road]] stated that despite the status of the Sea Devils as returning monsters, she and the rest of the team had "loads of creative freedom" with them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hibbs |first=James |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Doctor Who's next episode had a “mad, accelerated" production {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-sea-devils-production-newsupdate/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> The episode's titular Sea Devil, Marsissus, was portrayed by actor Craige Els, who had previously portrayed [[Karvanista]] in the series. Other Sea Devils were portrayed by various other actors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garrett |first=Olivia |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Doctor Who Legend of the Sea Devils cast {{!}} full character list {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-sea-devils-cast/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Reception ==
In a review for the ''[[Radio Times]]'', writer Mark Braxton stated that the original appearance of the Silurians, though held back by the cumbersome costumes used for the creatures, was effectively used by Hulke, with Braxton stating that "as a species they mirror our own suspicion, hatred and general insecurity."<ref name=":232" /> ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' highlighted how the Silurians were portrayed as "individuals", unlike other monsters in the series, which allowed them to have more interesting characterization and relationships.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Steven |date=2010-06-20 |title=Doctor Who Recap: Season 5, Episode 9, “Cold Blood” |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/doctor-who-season-5-episode-9-cold-blood/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Slant Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The book ''The Doctor's Monsters: Meanings of the Monstrous in Doctor Who'' similarly states that the Silurians were highly memorable antagonists as a result of the fact that the species was not uniform nor evil, despite their physical appearance. It highlighted ''Warriors of the Deep'' for expanding on the original Silurian story by showing that, while violence was not the answer to the human and Silurian conflict, it showed via its mass deaths that violence between both sides would only lead to further violence instead of a viable solution.<ref name="Sleight">{{Cite book |last=Sleight |first=Graham |author-link=Graham Sleight |url= |title=The Doctor's Monsters: Meanings of the Monstrous in Doctor Who |date=30 October 2012 |publisher=[[I B Tauris]] |isbn=978-1848851788 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/doctorsmonstersm0000slei/page/155 155]}}</ref> Susannah Lydon, writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', considered the Silurians to be an example of how [[speculative fiction]] engages with non-scientist audiences, highlighting their existence as part of a concept of "sleek, reptilian humanoids" existing in the [[Mesozoic|Dinosaur era]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lydon |first=Susannah |date=2017-07-12 |title=Doctor Who and the key to deep time |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jul/12/doctor-who-and-the-key-to-deep-time |access-date=2025-04-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

At the time of the Silurians' return to the modern series, the species had been largely forgotten by the general public, which ''The Guardian'' stated was emphasized by the lack of significant marketing or leaks regarding the species' return to the series.<ref name="Martin"/> Their new design initially sparked some controversy among fans of the series, who disliked the sheer difference between the new and old Silurian designs. ''Slant Magazine'' highlighted the new design as helping to avoid the "man in a rubber suit" trope of the original design while bringing out the performance of the actor portraying the Silurian, though felt the new design could have incorporated more "alien" elements like the Silurians' third eye in order to appear less human.<ref name=":31">{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Steven |date=2010-06-13 |title=Doctor Who Recap: Season 5, Episode 8, “The Hungry Earth” |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/doctor-who-season-5-episode-8-the-hungry-earth/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Slant Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The design of the Silurians in the revived series was emphasized by the book ''Once Upon a Time Lord: The Myths and Stories of Doctor Who'' as symbolizing a "revitalization of the established mythology" in a respectful manner, which it felt was further emphasized by Madame Vastra, who acts as one of the series' first on-screen [[lesbian]] characters.<ref name=":0" /> The book ''New Dimensions of Doctor Who: Adventures in Space, Time and Television'' cited the Silurians as an example of the changing idea behind redesigns within the series; whereas prior to the Silurians' return, returning aliens tended to preserve the iconic or recognizable aspects of the species, the Silurians underwent a total redesign to instead emphasize other aspects of their character.<ref name=":142">{{Cite book |last=Mellor |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IhGMDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP5&dq=%22dalek%22+doctor+who&ots=4WstYR92cI&sig=hvfyD3NeR1_qLfc_T9MEIAOo1ts#v=onepage&q=%22dalek%22%20doctor%20who&f=false |title=New Dimensions of Doctor Who: Adventures in Space, Time and Television |last2=Hills |first2=Matt |date=2013-09-03 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85772-286-7 |language=en}}</ref> In contrast, ''The Doctor's Monsters: Meanings of the Monstrous in Doctor Who'' stated that the use of prosthetics removed the alien aspects of the Silurians' designs and made them instead resemble humans with makeup; it felt that this weakened the strength of the Silurians, as it felt the Silurians' monstrous aspects yet human personalities were key aspects of the relationship between them and humans that were lost through the design change.<ref name="Sleight" />

The book ''Who is Who?: The Philosophy of Doctor Who'' discussed the Silurians' relationship with the concept of the philosophical [[Other (philosophy)|Other]], which the book identifies as being the largest barrier between human and Silurian co-habitation in the series. It identifies a scene in "Cold Blood" where the Doctor attempts to broker peace between the two species, an occasion where the Doctor is willing to change history, as the character attempting to defy [[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]]'s idea that two sides seeking recognition will end with either side attempting to enslave or kill the other.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Decker |first=Kevin S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=J7eKDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP7&dq=%22Silurian%22+doctor+who&ots=C2KABdM2Hs&sig=8Hg6F_pfCmDX-bpvxspGXBX-_3Q#v=onepage&q=%22Silurian%22%20doctor%20who&f=false |title=Who is Who?: The Philosophy of Doctor Who |date=2013-09-03 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85772-296-6 |language=en}}</ref> The book ''New Dimensions of Doctor Who: Adventures in Space, Time and Television'' also analyzed the Silurians' role in this episode, analyzing how [[Murray Gold]]'s musical score emphasizes the scenes featuring the Silurians.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Mellor |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IhGMDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP5&dq=%22dalek%22+doctor+who&ots=4WstYR92cI&sig=hvfyD3NeR1_qLfc_T9MEIAOo1ts#v=onepage&q=%22dalek%22%20doctor%20who&f=false |title=New Dimensions of Doctor Who: Adventures in Space, Time and Television |last2=Hills |first2=Matt |date=2013-09-03 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-85772-286-7 |language=en}}</ref>

The Sea Devils have been considered an iconic monster, with their debut serial being stated by ''Radio Times'' as having "gave British kids the shudders during their seaside holidays."<ref name=":1" /> ''The Guardian'' regarded the Sea Devils as being a "design classic".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Dan |date=2013-04-17 |title=The Sea Devils: Doctor Who classic episode #5 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/apr/17/the-sea-devils-doctor-who-classic-episode |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In a review for ''Radio Times,'' reviewer Patrick Mulkern praised the decision to bring back the Sea Devils in "Legend of the Sea Devils", but criticized their use in the episode, believing that they didn't get any proper opportunities to be scary antagonists.<ref name=":39">{{Cite web |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |date=April 17, 2022 |title=Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils ★★ {{!}} Radio Times |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/doctor-who-legend-of-the-sea-devils/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> Chris Allcock, in a review for ''[[Den of Geek]]'', stated that while the use of the old Sea Devil design gave the creatures a sense of weight, the execution of the costumes had "mixed results".<ref name=":38">{{Cite web |last=Allcock |first=Chris |date=2022-04-17 |title=Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils Review |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-legend-of-the-sea-devils-review/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2018, the notion of a pre-human intelligent reptilian or amphibious species was explored by the real-life scientists [[Adam Frank]] and [[Gavin Schmidt]], who dubbed the concept the "[[Silurian hypothesis]]", named after the creatures.<ref name="arxiv">{{Cite journal |last1=Schmidt |first1=Gavin A. |author1-link=Gavin Schmidt |last2=Frank |first2=Adam |author2-link=Adam Frank |year=2019 |title=The Silurian Hypothesis: Would it be possible to detect an industrial civilization in the geological record? |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-astrobiology/article/silurian-hypothesis-would-it-be-possible-to-detect-an-industrial-civilization-in-the-geological-record/77818514AA6907750B8F4339F7C70EC6 |journal=International Journal of Astrobiology |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=142–150 |arxiv=1804.03748 |bibcode=2019IJAsB..18..142S |doi=10.1017/S1473550418000095 |s2cid=55018003}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ferreira |first=Becky |date=2018-04-16 |title=A New Study Suggests There Could Have Been Intelligent Life on Earth Before Humans |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-new-study-suggests-there-could-have-been-intelligent-life-on-earth-before-humans/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Subject bar |portal2=Doctor Who |commons=y }}
{{Doctor Who}}
{{Doctor Who characters|selected=Villains}}
{{Silurian stories}}

[[Category:Doctor Who aliens]]
[[Category:Fictional reptilians]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1970]]
[[Category:Fictional endangered and extinct species]]