There’s few Doctor Who stories carry the weight of expectation that Tomb of the Cybermen carries. Thought lost for decades, it was also thought to be an all conquering classic, with the RFW1 of those who watched it on transmission & the quality of the novelisation propelling it ever upwards in the estimations of Fans. At least we had Episode 1 of the similarly lauded Web of Fear, but there was nothing of Tomb bar those memories to suggest it’s greatness. And so it thrived on reputation, until it was unexpectedly returned to the vaults in 1991, and the following year we could see for ourselves just how great it was. Or not, as the case might be: surely it couldn’t be as good as everyone said? The only way must be down?
Well, no. Not really. Sometimes – not often, but sometimes – RFW is actually right. Tomb kicks off the so-called2 “Base Under Siege by Monster of the Week” season, and there’s no getting away from it: that’s exactly what the story does. But it’s not the first, it’s by no means the last – we get these stories even today, what’s the betting Wild Blue Yonder is going to be another one? – so I don’t think that can be a criticism of it. Especially if it’s done well…
And this is done very well. Kit Pedler & Gerry Davis are back together to write the script, Morris Barry is back to direct the Cybermen again, and Debbie Watling joins Frazer Hines & Pat Troughton properly as the companion, Victoria. There are triumphs left, right and centre. Most obvious is the design work of Martin Johnson, who doesn’t just excel at designing the Tombs themselves, but everything else: the control room, the sarcophagus and testing range either side; every set and every scene is a delight to look at.
Davis & Pedler’s script is a belter. The pair who invented the Cybermen come back to do something a little cleverer with them this time; rather than just the same old Pinky & The Brain story of the Cybers wanting to take over the world, here they just want to survive. They’ve went from some stomping menace to a mythological force, with a reputation big enough for the Brotherhood of Logicians to travel across space to meet them. Much like David Whitaker does in Power of the Daleks, David & Pedler put the Cybermen on the back foot, keeping them not quite powerful enough to take over, and so having to be cunning and sly to outsmart the humans. Which doesn’t take much, I’ll admit – I’m guessing the entry exam to the Brotherhood isn’t that hard…
80s Cybermen are my favourite Cybermen because they have a bit of personality. Of course, they shouldn’t really, they should be emotionless clones of each other, but let’s be honest: that’s a bit dull, isn’t it? When David Banks comes along and injects a bit of soul into his Cyber Controller, things become more fun & lively – in the 60s the Cybermen are more just blank faced monsters: while the implacable, relentless army approach does work, you need more than just blunt instruments to keep your plot going. The Tenth Planet works well because the Cybers have that sing-song quality to their voices; in The Invasion we have Tobias Vaughan as an intermediary, but both The Moonbase & The Wheel in Space they are quite generic; terrifying as they march relentlessly towards you through space, but missing something without that central figure to focus the plot on.
Of course before David Banks we had Michael Kilgarriff as the Cyber Controller, both him & the character making their debut here. Kilgarriff doesn’t get the chance to inject as much personality into his controller as Banks does, but he still stands out – literally due to his impressive size & domed costume. But as the Borg Queen of the Cybermen he carries the bulk of the Cybermen side of this plot; he’s the cunning one, tricking and overcoming the humans. And when he stands at the end of Episode 2 and declares “You belong to us…”, well… That’s just one of Doctor Who’s finest cliffhangers right there.
My good friend Simon Hart tells us that Patrick Troughton’s Doctor is elusive, and that’s the perfect description for him here. He’s very much the agent of chaos: all the events that take place here are down to him. He opens the doors, then the rooms, then the Tombs, and just sits back & watches as events unfold, people die, until it’s time to lock up & go home again. It’s a curious set of actions, we’re never quite sure of his motivations or goals, and it adds a dark undercurrent to his clownish exterior. But then he sits and comforts Victoria in a scene that’s all too lacking in Classic Who & would sit much better in the Nu era. In fact this story – and era – is a lot more progressive than it should be: the female characters are dealt with a lot better than the will be come the 70s, with Victoria being given an agency amidst the screams that she sadly loses in a few stories time, and Kaftan leading the humans as much as Klieg. The obvious fly in the ointment is Roy Stewart’s mute, servile Toberman, which unfortunately lends itself to racial stereotyping; Toberman’s deafness that would have explained this muteness in a more sympathetic way not making it from script to screen. There’s also the suggestion that effects designed for small cathode ray tubes don’t stand up when viewed on a 60″ OLed screen today; to which I say if you’re going to let cheap effects in Doctor Who bother you, you’re going to count on one hand the number of Classic Stories you’re going to enjoy. It’s part of the charm, look past it at the story that’s being told here…
But of course this story has one of the best effects sequences ever. As the Tombs defrost, as the kettle drums of Space Adventure sound out, the Cybermen awake and break out the Tombs. It’s tense, it’s thrilling, it’s iconic. It’s worth having the whole serial back just for that scene. It’s watchable over and over again. As is this story, in fact. I’d say it’s one of my comfort blanket Doctor Whos, one I can put on no matter the mood and enjoy, and one that will always leave me with a smile on my face :o)
COMING TOMORROW: “This fellow’s bright green apparently, and dead.…”
Skies Full of Diamonds 