If you’ve spent any time in the Doctor Who fandom over the last decade, you've definitely heard people talking about the "Lizard Lady." Honestly, it’s a bit of a funny nickname for one of the most sophisticated, badass characters in the show's modern history. We’re talking about Madame Vastra. She’s not just a monster of the week; she’s a Victorian detective, a sword-wielding warrior, and a member of an ancient earth-dwelling race known as the Silurians.
Vastra first appeared during the Matt Smith era, specifically in the 2011 episode "A Good Man Goes to War." Fans went wild. Why? Because she wasn't just another alien trying to blow up London. She lived in London. In the 1880s. With a human wife.
The lizard lady Dr Who fans keep searching for is actually a bridge between the show’s campy past and its more progressive, character-driven present. To understand Vastra, you have to understand the Silurians. They aren't actually from space. They’re "Earthlings" in the truest sense, having ruled the planet millions of years before humans even crawled out of the mud. When Vastra was woken up by workers building the London Underground, she didn't exactly take it well. She went on a bit of a spree. Then the Doctor showed up, calmed her down, and basically gave her a new lease on life as a consulting detective. Think Sherlock Holmes, but with scales and a very long tongue.
The Secret History of the Silurians
It’s easy to get confused about where Vastra comes from if you haven't seen the classic episodes from the 1970s. The Silurians first showed up in the Jon Pertwee era. Back then, they looked a lot more... rubbery. They had three eyes and crests that looked like they were made of spray-painted foam. Fast forward to 2010’s "The Hungry Earth," and the design got a massive glow-up. They became more humanoid, which allowed actors like Neve McIntosh to actually use their faces to emote.
Vastra represents a specific subspecies. Some fans get annoyed by the design change, arguing that the modern "Lizard Lady" looks too human compared to the 1970 version. But the show explains this by suggesting different tribes evolved differently. Vastra belongs to the warrior class. She’s sleek. She’s fast. And yeah, she’s incredibly dangerous.
What’s fascinating is her relationship with humanity. Most Silurians hate us. They see us as "apes" who stole their planet while they were in hibernation. Vastra is different. She chose to integrate. She wears Victorian dresses, carries a veil to hide her face from the "monkeys" on the street, and solves crimes that the Scotland Yard can't handle.
Paternoster Row: The Ultimate Power Trio
You can't talk about the lizard lady without mentioning her "family." Vastra is the leader of the Paternoster Gang. This includes her wife, Jenny Flint, and their Sontaran butler, Strax.
It’s a bizarre setup.
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Jenny is a working-class human woman who was basically disowned by her family for her lifestyle and her choice of partner. Strax is a clone warrior from a race that lives for battle, but he’s been "sentenced" to serve as a nurse and butler as a form of penance. Together, they live at 13 Paternoster Row.
The dynamic works because it subverts every trope. Vastra is the brains and the muscle, Jenny is the undercover specialist, and Strax provides the (often unintentional) comic relief. When the Doctor is in trouble—which, let’s be honest, is always—he calls them. They’ve fought Headless Monks, Great Intelligences, and even helped the Doctor through his regeneration into the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi).
Why Vastra Broke the Mold
When Steven Moffat introduced Vastra and Jenny, it was a pretty big deal for BBC's flagship family show. They were an interracial, interspecies, same-sex couple in the 19th century. That’s a lot of layers. But the show treated it with a surprising amount of normalcy.
- Vastra’s Biology: She has a prehensile tongue that she can use to grab things or, as we saw in "The Snowmen," to deliver a "memory-erasing" toxin through a kiss (though that was a bit of a controversial plot point).
- The Veil: She wears a black lace veil in public. It’s a clever bit of writing. It allows her to walk the streets of London while maintaining the mystery.
- Her Diet: She occasionally mentions wanting to eat her enemies. Or the help. It’s a constant reminder that beneath the refined Victorian lady persona, she is still an apex predator.
Some critics argued that the "Lizard Lady" was just a gimmick. But for a lot of viewers, Vastra became a symbol of belonging. She was an outsider who found a way to be herself in a world that wasn't ready for her.
The Most Iconic Moments
If you want to see Vastra at her best, you have to watch "The Name of the Doctor." She hosts a "dream-space" tea party across time and space. It’s peak Doctor Who. One minute she’s sipping tea, the next she’s waking up to fight off Whisper Men with a katana.
Then there’s "Deep Breath." This was Peter Capaldi’s first full episode. The Doctor is mid-regeneration, completely losing his mind, and Vastra is the one who has to talk sense into Clara Oswald. She delivers a brutal, honest monologue about why the Doctor changes his face and how humans are too judgmental about appearances. It’s one of the best-written scenes in the series because it uses Vastra’s alien perspective to critique human vanity.
Behind the Makeup: Neve McIntosh
The lizard lady Dr Who fans love wouldn't exist without Neve McIntosh. She actually played two other Silurians (sisters Alaya and Restac) before being cast as Vastra. The makeup process is legendary—it takes about three to four hours in the chair every single morning.
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McIntosh has talked extensively in interviews about how she developed Vastra's movements. She wanted her to feel reptilian but elegant. You’ll notice she rarely blinks. She moves her head with a predatory stillness. It’s that attention to detail that makes Vastra feel like a real creature rather than just an actor in a mask.
Is the Lizard Lady Coming Back?
The big question: will we ever see the Paternoster Gang again?
Since the show underwent its most recent soft reboot with the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), the focus has shifted toward new characters and legends. However, the "Whoniverse" is expanding. Big Finish has produced a massive series of audio dramas specifically centered on Vastra, Jenny, and Strax. These stories go deep into their detective work in London, exploring cases the TV show never had the budget or time to touch.
Rumors constantly swirl about a spin-off. Fans have been begging for a "Paternoster Row" series for a decade. While nothing is officially on the 2026 slate yet, the return of Russell T Davies as showrunner means the door is always open for fan-favorite legacy characters.
Addressing the "Fake" History
There’s a bit of misinformation floating around on TikTok and some older forums about Vastra’s origins. Some claim she was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
In the show’s lore, this is actually hinted at!
Vastra mentions that a "famous writer" based his stories on her cases but changed the details to make the lead character a man. It’s a meta-joke. Doctor Who loves to claim its characters influenced real-world history. But let’s be clear: in real life, Conan Doyle was inspired by Dr. Joseph Bell. In the world of the show, though? The lizard lady did it first.
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How to Get Your Vastra Fix
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore of the lizard lady Dr Who, don't just stick to the main episodes.
- Watch the "Prequels": During the Matt Smith era, the BBC released several "mini-episodes" online. "The Battle of Demon’s Run: Two Days Later" shows how Vastra and Jenny first recruited Strax. It’s essential viewing for their backstory.
- Read the Novels: The book Silhouette by Justin Richards is a fantastic Paternoster Gang mystery. It captures Vastra’s voice perfectly.
- Check the Comics: Titan Comics released several arcs featuring the trio. The art style really highlights the Silurian biology in ways the TV budget couldn't always manage.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think Vastra is a "good" version of a Silurian. That's a bit of a simplification. Vastra isn't necessarily "good" in a traditional sense; she’s loyal. She’s still a killer. She still has a very cold, calculated view of the world. She once told Clara that she would "consider" eating her if she didn't stop talking. She was probably joking, but with Vastra, you’re never 100% sure.
That edge is what makes her interesting. She isn't a human in a suit. She's a member of a species that owned the planet for millions of years, and she never lets the "apes" forget it.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you're writing your own fanfic or just trying to win a trivia night, keep these specific Silurian facts in mind. They don't breathe like we do—their respiratory systems are optimized for a much hotter, more oxygen-rich Earth. They are sensitive to cold (which makes the Victorian London setting very difficult for Vastra). And finally, they are incredibly long-lived. Vastra is technically thousands of years older than any human she meets.
To truly appreciate the lizard lady, you have to look past the scales. She’s a character defined by her contradictions: a prehistoric warrior living in a modern world, a cold-blooded killer with a warm heart for her wife, and an alien who understands humanity better than humans understand themselves.
Keep an eye on the official Doctor Who social channels. With the 2026 season looking to bring back more "legacy" elements, a cameo from the Paternoster Row cellar is never off the table. Until then, the audio series and the Matt Smith era box sets are your best bet for seeing the lizard lady in action.