Doctor Who: The Wirrn – what they are and why they need to come back
By James Aggas
One of my favorite monsters in Doctor Who would have to be the Wirrn. We look back at why they’re an effective monster, and why they need to come back.
I’ll be honest – I’ve gone into great detail about why The Ark in Space is so brilliant. Whether it’s the horror of the story, the wonderfully fleshed-out history, or the fact that it’s just a great Doctor Who story, I’ve written a great deal about why it’s one of my favorites.
But there is one more reason why I love it that I haven’t gone into as much detail on: the Wirrn. They might be a one-hit wonder, at least as far as the TV series is concerned. But they’re still one of my favorite Doctor Who monsters.
One thing I love about the Wirrn as a race is their strong element of body horror. When someone is merely touched by them, their body and even memories are slowly consumed, and they gradually change from a human being, to a large grub, to finally something more insectoid.
But it’s not just the body horror that makes them so effective. One of the best descriptions of them was in the Eighth Doctor novel Placebo Effect. At the start of the novel, Gary Russell describes them as being closer to the Borg than the Cybermen are. This sounds like a ridiculous claim, at least initially. But it’s also surprisingly accurate.
The reason the Wirrn are so distinctive is, like the Borg, they have no sense of individuality. When someone is absorbed by the Wirrn, their memories are absorbed into the race memory. So, when one person changes into a Wirrn, the rest of the race share their memories.
Why they need to come back
It’s almost criminal that the only story that the Wirrn have appeared in is The Ark in Space. Especially considering that it’s consistently one of the most popular stories ever made in Classic Who.
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However, the expanded universe has helped the fans out, at least. Along with Placebo Effect, which features both the Wirrn and the Foamasi from The Leisure Hive, Eighth Doctor fans have also been treated to the audio Wirrn Dawn.
The latter is an especially excellent story, mainly because Nicholas Briggs avoids simply copying The Ark in Space. Instead, he focuses on the Wirrn in their war against the humans, as mentioned in their original appearance. It allows us to see a completely different side to them, and works incredibly well as a gritty war story. They’ve most recently featured in the audio series UNIT, and you can expect me to review that very soon.
But all of this highlights one important aspect: that the Wirrn are more than just a one-hit wonder. They’re a fantastic creation in their own right, and deserve to feature once more in the TV series. With the right writer, they could come back as a force to be reckoned with for the Thirteenth Doctor. Regardless of whether it’s horror, war story, or something else entirely, the Wirrn are long overdue a return.
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Do you think that the Wirrn should come back? What kind of story should they return in? Let us know in the comments below.