Weeping Angels

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Initially portrayed as independent scavengers acting out of survival in "Blink", later episodes depict the Weeping Angels working in organized roles. Their abilities expanded significantly over time: an image of an Angel can become a new Angel, they can turn other statues into Angels, and they gained the power to kill by touching a victim twice. The episode "Village of the Angels" added telepathic communication, the ability to direct where victims are sent in time, and the capacity to convert other lifeforms into Angels for transport. In the series Flux, they were shown working for an external organization called "the Division," revealing motivations beyond mere survival. A smaller variant known as Cherubs also appeared in later stories.

In Their Own Story

The Weeping Angels first trapped the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones in "Blink" by sending them back in time, intending to use the TARDIS for food until Sally Sparrow stopped them via messages left in the future. They returned in 2010's "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone", where an Angel held aboard the crashed ship Byzantium revived a dormant army in a maze while feeding on a "crack in time." In "The Angels Take Manhattan" (2012), they established a "battery farm" in New York City, creating an endless loop of victims to harvest energy. Although Amy and Rory broke this loop, a lone Angel sent them back permanently, creating a paradox that prevented the Doctor from retrieving them. Later, in Flux, an Angel trapped in Claire's mind betrayed the Thirteenth Doctor to the Division, resulting in the Doctor being turned into an Angel.

Reader's Guide

Created by Steven Moffat, who pitched the concept in 2006 as "statues that come to life when unobserved," the Weeping Angels rely on quantum locking. Production uses freeze frames and actresses to portray them physically, ensuring they appear entirely still in final footage. Their appearances vary from scavengers to members of the Division. They have appeared in major episodes like "Blink", "The Time of Angels", "Flesh and Stone", "The God Complex" (cameo), "The Angels Take Manhattan", "The Time of the Doctor", "Hell Bent", and "Revolution of the Daleks". A planned main antagonist role for the spin-off Class was cancelled. In Flux, they piloted the TARDIS to a village to recapture Claire. They also appear in virtual reality game "Doctor Who: The Edge of Time", the 2021 mobile game "The Lonely Assassins", and the 2022 board game "Don't Blink".

Did You Know?

• Steven Moffat was inspired by a statue of a weeping angel in a graveyard that had mysteriously disappeared when he returned to view it years later.
• The Weeping Angels were originally planned to be the main antagonists of the spin-off series Class, but this never happened due to the show's cancellation.
• A computer hacking tool named "Weeping Angel" was leaked as part of Vault 7, taking its name from these creatures.
• In the episode "Village of the Angels", it is revealed that Weeping Angels can turn other lifeforms into Angels to allow them to be transported.
• The Weeping Angels appear in cameo roles in video games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Lego Dimensions, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.