The Cybermen have been upgrading the universe ever since their first appearance in 1966. But if you’ve never seen the metal giants before, where on earth should you begin?
Earthshock
If all you’re looking for is a fast-paced, action-packed Cybermen story, the best place to start might be the 1982 classic ‘Earthshock.’ This came at the tail-end of Peter Davison’s first season and saw the Cybermen burst back onto our screens for the first time in some seven years.
Written by Eric Saward, ‘Earthshock’ was something of a white-knuckle thrill ride and, as was typical with Saward’s writing, featured a high level of violence, with some of the story’s characters being literally melted by the Cybermen’s android slaves.
Moreover, ‘Earthshock’ also marked the second time in the series’ history where one of the Time Lord’s companions actually died. In this story, Adric succeeded in disrupting the Cybermen’s plan, but he was too late to escape from the crashing spaceship, and collided with planet Earth.
The Tenth Planet
‘The Tenth Planet’ may not be the greatest Cybermen story ever written, but it is the very first. So if you’re really looking to delve into the metal giants’ origins, then this is the best place to start.
In ‘The Tenth Planet,’ the Cybermen’s home world of Mondas has drifted back into the solar system, and its cybernetic inhabitants are determined to convert the Earth’s population into cyber form so that all the humans will become like them.
However, the Cybermen in this story are quite different from the ones that viewers would ultimately come to recognise. They’re cloth-faced, and have rather interesting voices, with huge lamps plastered to their heads. They have a typically 60s design, and one that wouldn’t be used again until the 2017 Peter Capaldi story ‘World Enough and Time.’
But ‘The Tenth Planet’ is definitely worth watching, not least because it features the very first regeneration from William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton. Sadly, the final episode of this story is currently missing from the BBC archive, so you will have to watch it in animated form. The regeneration scene itself, though, has thankfully survived owing to its inclusion in an episode of Blue Peter.
World Enough and Time
If you’re going to watch ‘The Tenth Planet,’ you might want to follow it up with 2017’s ‘World Enough and Time,’ along with its second episode ‘The Doctor Falls’ and the 2017 Christmas special ‘Twice Upon a Time,’ all of which follow on from each other. In fact, ‘Twice Upon a Time’ even features some re-mounted scenes from ‘The Tenth Planet,’ including the First Doctor’s regeneration.
But ‘World Enough and Time’ is significant in that it sees the return of the original Mondasian Cybermen, complete with their headlamps and cloth faces. And whilst you may be wondering how they fare in the modern age of high definition, they are incredibly creepy; ‘World Enough and Time’ is a dark episode, and a complicated one, so you’ll have to pay attention.
But it’s also a treat. This adventure sees multiple versions of the Cybermen trying to take over an impossibly large spaceship, along with two versions of the Master and a slowly-regenerating Doctor. It also features the death of an important character, so it’s not for the feint-hearted. Plus, there is the surprise appearance of another Doctor in the closing moments of ‘The Doctor Falls.’ The original, you might say.
Simply put, you certainly won’t be bored with this story, although you might have to brush up on your Who knowledge before you dive in.
Rise of the Cybermen
When Doctor Who returned in 2005, the production team decided to come up with a new origin story for the Cybermen. They wanted to introduce the metal giants to a whole new audience, and they decided the best way to do this was to start from scratch.
They didn’t ignore the series’ canon, though; they simply decided to have the TARDIS land on a parallel Earth, and tell the origin story of an alternate version of the Cybermen. These ones began on Earth, and were the brainchild of the deranged John Lumic, who sought to ‘upgrade’ the human race so that it would be free of physical suffering – as well as the ‘curse’ of emotion.
As such, ‘Rise of the Cybermen’ – along with its second episode, ‘The Age of Steel’ – makes the perfect jumping-on point for someone who knows nothing about the Cybermen. And interestingly, these versions of the metal giants kept appearing in the years that followed. It wasn’t until 2011’s ‘Closing Time’ that the ‘proper’ Cybermen finally returned, their chest-plates devoid of Lumic’s Cybus branding.
Closing Time
‘Closing Time’ might not be a fan favourite, but it’s a great place to jump in if you’re looking for something lighter. It wouldn’t be fair to say that ‘Closing Time’ is a comedy, but it’s certainly light-hearted and more of a casual romp for the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith who, in this episode, is joined by ‘guest companion’ James Corden.
All in all, ‘Closing Time’ is more of a gentle SF adventure that will certainly appeal to the casual viewer who may not know anything about the Cybermen. At the same time, there is plenty in it for the hardcore fan as well. For a start, this episode saw the return of the deadly cybermats – metallic, rodent-like creatures who hadn’t been seen since 1975’s ‘Revenge of the Cybermen,’ plus a guest appearance from the actor Lynda Baron. She was no stranger to Doctor Who, as she had famously sung in the 1966 story ‘The Gunfighters,’ as well as playing a villain opposite Peter Davison’s Doctor in ‘Enlightenment.’
Then of course there are the other companion cameos, which we won’t spoil here. Just bear in mind that these might not mean anything to you if you’re new to the Whoniverse.
So there we are – just a few suggestions to get you started on your discovery of the Cybermen. Where will you begin? And if you’re already a seasoned Doctor Who fan, which story would you recommend for a newcomer? Let us know in the comments below.
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