Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has said that 1980s villain the Rani is unlikely to return to the series.

Kate O'Mara played the evil Time Lady in two serials in the 1980s and later revived the role for the 1993 Children in Need special 'Dimensions in Time'.

A return for the villainous scientist has oft been mentioned in Doctor Who fan circles, but Moffat has now told SFX that he sees no reason to bring back the Rani.

"People always ask me, 'Do you want to bring back the Rani?' No one knows who the Rani is," Moffat quipped.

The writer continued: "They all know who the Master is, they know Daleks, they probably know who Davros is, but they don't know who the Rani is, so there's no point in bringing her back. If there's a line it's probably somewhere there."

Moffat added that bringing back old villains can be effective for Doctor Who, but said he doesn't want to overly rely on the past.

Adrian Rogers BBC

"Even people who don't know the past very well get thrilled by the idea that you've brought something back," he explained. "Everyone got very excited - and by everyone I mean real people - when the Master came back, even though most people could barely remember him."

Moffat concluded: "It has to be self-explanatory, it has to be free-standing, it has to be clear for everybody. If I did the Meddling Monk teaming up with Mavic Chen's daughter and the Krotons then yeah, that's too much, because no one gives a toss."

The series seven opener will see the return of the Daleks, who Matt Smith recently promised are scarier than ever.

Doctor Who returns on September 1 on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US.

Watch a clip from 'Time and the Rani' below:

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