Many people today are still religious (although personally, I am not anymore – I am 100% certain now that God does not exist, if there was a God then why was I bullied? Why are innocent Ukrainian and Palestinian children being bombed? And why do things like rape and murder happen? I stopped believing in God altogether when a woman on a dating app told me that she had been raped by 3 different men) and believe in God as well as heaven and hell. But, what about the Devil? There have been countless depictions of the Devil throughout the centuries – a horned being with evil in its heart. The Devil has had a few portrayals in Doctor Who over the years and has proved to be another worthy adversary of the Doctor. Watching Doctor Who in adulthood turned me from being a conservative christian into an atheist liberal. I am the most liberal person ever! Although I am not religious anymore, I respect all religions and I think that everyone should have the right to religious freedom. I have Christian friends (Anglican, Scottish Presbyterian, Evangelical and all other denominations), Catholic friends, Muslim friends, Jewish friends, Hindu friends, Sikh friends, Buddhist friends, Agnostic friends and Atheist friends. Both my parents are Christians, my mum is Scottish Presbyterian (although her views align with the Evangelical Christians in America) and my dad is Anglican. My parents raised me as a Christian and I was baptised and confirmed. However, to reiterate, I no longer believe in God and I am not religious anymore. If there was a god, then why did millions of Evangelical Christians in America (rather ironically) elect Donald Trump to be the US President despite the fact that he is a racist rapist? Religion and race should not play a role in politics. The Church and the state should be separate. Doctor Who has a liberal, atheist agenda. Most of the producers of Doctor Who throughout its history have been atheist liberals and so am I!

The Dæmons

★★★★★

TX: 22/05/1971 – 19/06/1971

Written by Guy Leopold    Directed by Christopher Barry

In this classic Jon Pertwee adventure, the Third Doctor, Jo and U.N.I.T arrive in the sleepy English village of Devil’s End. Strange things are afoot there, there are sinister Morris dancers and the local white witch Olive Hawthorne claims to have seen the Devil. And the village’s new vicar (the Master in disguise) is also up to no good. The Reverend Master summons up Azal beneath the village church. Azal is a devil-like figure that claims to be the last of the Dæmons.

Azal uses his gargoyle henchman Bok to attack UNIT and disrupt the dig at the Devil’s hump just outside the village. After a big stand-off between UNIT and the Master & Bok (involving helicopters, car-chases, shootouts and black magic), the Doctor and Jo finally make it to the church crypt. Azal intends to destroy the Earth, sickened by man’s actions. Azal is about to kill the Doctor, but Jo intervenes – pleading with Azal to sacrifice herself instead. The irrationality of Jo’s act confuses Azal so much that he disappears and the church explodes, after the Doctor and his companions flee to safety.

The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit

★★★★★

TX: 03/06/2006 – 10/06/2006

Written by Matt Jones    Directed by James Strong

In this classic David Tennant adventure, the Tenth Doctor and Rose arrive in the far future on Sanctuary Base 6, a human scientific expedition to a remote planet called Krop Tor. However, the planet is in orbit around a black hole – which is impossible! However, stranger things begin to occur when a dark force begins possessing and killing the crew of the base. The Ood, the slave race entrusted with the maintenance of the site have become possessed by the Beast, a powerful being with god-like abilities that claims to originate from “before time”. There’s Something Kinda Ooood about the Ood!

The Doctor and Ida Scott journey down to the centre of the planet, where they find an ancient civilisation and a deep pit. At the bottom of the pit, the Doctor confronts the Beast – a horned creature in chains that resembles the Devil. Is this the actual one? The Doctor breaks the vases that maintain the Beast’s prison and the planet loses orbit, making the humans’ (and Rose’s) escape rocket spin out of control towards the black hole along with the impossible planet. You will drive and I won’t live! Thankfully, the Doctor recovers the TARDIS and uses it to rescue the surviving crew of the ship and Rose. The Torchwood team in Cardiff earlier had to confront Abaddon, a gigantic devil-like figure that stormed across the city and was reportedly the “son of the great Beast”.