The Silence (individual: Silent) are a religious order[1] in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, represented by humanoids with alien-like physical characteristics.

In creating the Silence shown in "The Impossible Astronaut", Moffat drew inspiration from Edvard Munch's 1893 expressionist painting The Scream as well as the Men in Black.

[5] The Silence shown in "The Impossible Astronaut" are depicted as tall humanoids with bulbous heads and mouthless, bony faces, partly inspired by Edvard Munch's 1893 painting The Scream.

The Silence are physically introduced in the sixth series' two-part premiere "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon" (2011); one Silent observes the death of a future, 1100-year-old Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), in Utah.

The eyepatches worn by Madame Kovarian and others are revealed to be "Eye Drives" – external memory units permitting associates of the Silence to perceive and remember the species.

When the stalemate ends and Trenzalore is plunged into war, the remaining Silence, loyal to the Papal Mainframe, fight alongside the Doctor to protect the planet's inhabitants from invading enemies.

The UNIT anthology Silenced deals with their efforts to undo humankind's post-hypnotic suggestion to kill them so that they can escape Earth, while attempting to cause anarchy through a puppet Prime Minister.

Trying to resolve the gang warfare in "The Silent Priest", the novitiate is forced to kill a local crimelord to protect the Doctor, causing him to quit the Church in disgrace.

By "The Silent City", the former novitiate has become a casino manager who uses his abilities to manipulate the wealthy into deliberately losing massive amounts of money, which are then donated to the poor.

More Silents from the Church manipulate the Seventh Doctor into leading them to their renegade member, who surrenders and allows them to kill him for his interference so they will spare other citizens of Sunset City.

Though he described them as "a standard Moffat psychological trick", he commended it as the "most refined to date" and praised an introductory scene that was reminiscent of the unsettling directorial work of David Lynch.

[9] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote that though the Silence's central gimmick felt similar to previous ones, Moffat "continues to use those same tricks in such clever combinations, and with such technical flair, that I'm not tired of most of them yet.