The Isos Network

"We were a thriving colony... then the Cybermen came."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: January 2016
Series: The Early Adventures 2.04

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are leaving Earth after having successfully defeated a Cyberman invasion... The Cyber-fleet is still exploding... But something is escaping through the mass of vaporising debris.

In hot pursuit, the Doctor and his friends find themselves drawn to a mysterious planet where strange beasts slither through the streets of a deserted city... And an old enemy lurks beneath the surface.

As a force of heavily armed aliens arrive, a battle to save the entire galaxy from invasion begins.

Verdict

The Isos Network was an excellent audio adventure and a wonderful trip to the early adventures of Doctor Who. The range really does deliver on its name and I must say that the feel and atmosphere of the Patrick Troughton era was captured on audio very well indeed. This really was a proper Classic era story and it definitely would have fitted in with the Second Doctor stories that we saw on television. I love the idea of it being a sequel to The Invasion but not only that, it takes place just a few days after that terrific story for the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. This trio are simply magnificent together and having Frazier Hines and Wendy Padbury reunited on audio is a real treat. I find it quite incredible that nearly half a century after they appeared on screen together, they are able to recreate a story from that era with such precision and brilliance. Hines was outstanding in this audio with his impression of Patrick Troughton and you really could be forgiven for thinking that the late actor himself appeared in the story because the impersonation really was that good. It really does amaze me how good he is at nailing the mannerisms of the Second Doctor and as listeners it's a real treat for us to be able to listen to a new performed adventure with this incarnation of the Doctor. This story was full of references to previous adventures and that is something I always enjoy. We had numerous references to the serial that this audio is a sequel to but there were also wonderful mentions of The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Web of Fear and even The Tenth Planet with a lovely little description of the First Doctor. That reminded me of Earthshock a bit with the way those Cybermen looked at images of past incarnations of the Doctor. I thought the setting of Isos II was terrific and the description of the planet really was great. It just seemed to fit in so perfectly with the Troughton era which is a big bonus. The Cybermen's arrival at the end of part one was a tremendously typical cliffhanger and when I realised that was what was coming, a big smile appeared on my face. Even though we knew who the enemy was for the story, they still waited until the end of part one to reveal them. How many times has that happened before? I was a big fan of it. I thought the other cliffhangers were very good too, particularly the third part's with the impending doom at the hands of the monorail train. The Cybermen's use for that to create hyperspace travel and return to Earth for conquering was intriguing and it does seem good that they would want to finish their business. The Cyber Controller returning in a Second Doctor story was fantastic and I really liked how Jamie recognised him. Nicholas Briggs did a stellar job with the voices of both the Controller and the Cybermen themselves and I also really liked how there was a Cyber Leader featured in the adventure too. The fact that they had converted the entire population of Isos II was quite a feat for the Cybermen and I liked how they were merely getting started. They still wanted Earth after their first effort had failed. The climax was good and exciting and I thought the sacrifice of Hilsee was very admirable. Would it be the end for the Cybermen? Obviously we know that was not the case but the Doctor knew that too. Overall, a wonderful adventure that fitted into its era incredibly well. So close to full marks!

Rating: 9/10