The Tomb of the Cybermen

"You belong to us. You will be like us."

Writers: Kit Pedler & Gerry Davis

Format: TV

Broadcast: 2nd September - 23rd September 1967

Season: 5.01

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria

Synopsis

The once-feared Cybermen have disappeared from the universe without trace. An expedition from Earth arrives on Telos - homeworld of the Cybermen - to try and discover exactly what has become of the silver giants.

Soon after the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria join the archaeological party, the first mysterious death occurs. With the group now stranded on Telos, it becomes clear that the Cybermen may not be as 'dead' as it was first thought...

Beneath the planet's surface, giant ice-tombs hold the last remains of the Cybermen in a frozen sleep. And someone is working to re-activate them from their slumber...

Verdict 

The Tomb of the Cybermen is an absolute classic. Long regarded as the epitome of what Doctor Who had to offer during its original run during its two decade absence from the BBC archives, it's somewhat difficult to argue with the statement. Like most stories, it's not perfect and there a few elements that prevent it from gaining full marks from myself but it doesn't miss out by much. Since blogging all the TV serials in order from the Patrick Troughton era (after completing the William Hartnell years of course), this story brings me to the first fully complete serial! From The Power of the Daleks up until the nicely referenced The Evil of the Daleks I've had to watch animation or the brilliant Loose Cannon recons to complete these lost stories. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful for these methods of completion but after experiencing a Second Doctor story in its entirety as intended, this story just had that extra touch of gravitas. The arrival of the TARDIS just as the expedition found the entrance to the ice tombs of Telos was fantastic. I loved the idea behind the Cybermen making it so difficult a place to break into. They wanted to have the most intelligent minds for their own use. Cunning to say the least! I thought Victoria did very well in her first serial after joining the TARDIS crew and I loved her disapproval of the shortness of her dress, which easily covered her knees. Typical Victorian era values which I admire. I really enjoyed the expedition characters with Krieg and Kaftan of course standing out due to their evil intentions. The fact they had financed the expedition in the hope of joining forces with the Cybermen was an amusingly bad plan! Surely they knew they couldn't bargain with the Cybermen, right? And their matters weren't helped by the debut of the fantastic Cyber Controller. In the finale of the previous episode we met the Emperor of the Daleks and now here we've met the Controller of the Cybermen. I loved the appearance and the metallic voice was cunningly evil. The scene where the Cybermen break from their tombs at the end of episode 2 seems to go on forever but it's impossible to not love it. After a five century absence from the universe, the Cybermen have awoken. I thought Troughton was once again on top form as the Doctor showing curiosity, intelligence and humour which is a magnificent combination. His pun was hilarious due its awfulness. I loved how he assisted Krieg in opening the hatchdespite  the danger he knew it'd bring. He wanted to know all about the intentions of the remaining Cybermen. The references to The Tenth Planet and The Moonbase were much welcomed and I loved how they provided an explanation for this story's events. The Cybermen were desperate after the destruction of Mondas. The slight change in design was excellent and I just love the appearance of the metal enemies in the early stories. For me, they've never looked better. The introduction of the Cybermats was effective and I loved how innocently mischievous they looked. A great ploy of the Cybermen. The idea of picking up on brain waves is certainly a frightening one! Jamie's shock at the return of the Cyberman was terrific to see and I admired the courage he showed throughout the episodes. His consoling of Victoria, the new girl in town, was also splendid to see. The illustrations of the Cybermen on the walls of entrance were wonderful, a really nice touch. Toberman's character was an intriguing one and I liked how human strength was pitted against that of the Cybermen's. The failed negotiations between Krieg and the Controller were good and set up a very good climax. The Doctor's simple persuasion in the part-converted Toberman to see what evil the Cybermen were up to was great! He soon turned on his converters and literally destroyed the Controller in an epic throw! This story was full of brutality, brilliance and basics and that's what makes it so effective. It was quite surprising how many of the expedition crew were killed but I think that just adds to the horror factor of the Cybermen. The electrocution scene at the climax was a sad way to end things for Toberman and the Controller once and for all. The Doctor permanently locked them in their tombs. It seems in the last two outings he's ridded the universe of both Daleks and Cybermen! But that can't last long, can it? Overall, an excellent story. 

Rating: 9/10