The Invasion The Tenth Planet |
BBC Attack of the Cybermen |
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| Episodes | 2 45 minutes each |
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| Story No# | 137 | |
| Production Code | 6T | |
| Season | 22 | |
| Dates | Jan. 5, 1985 - Jan. 12, 1985 |
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With Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant.
Written by Paula Moore. Script-edited by Eric Saward. Directed by Matthew Robinson. Produced by John Nathan-Turner. |
| Synopsis: The Cybermen plot interfere with history with a captured time machine with the help of an alien mercenary. |
Attack of the Continuity Men by John Reid 19/8/08
Troops fighting to stay alive in underground caverns. The return of a monster and that monster's planet from 17 years ago. A companion who plays it straight and the monster's leader from a previous story. But enough about Destiny of the Daleks. Attack of the Cybermen contains all those things too.
In Gareth Roberts' article on the Williams years in Licence Denied, he points out that for the show's first 21 years, Doctor Who was made for general audiences. It's also worth noting that in David Darlington's article on the Davison years from the same book that there is continuity spanning from Planet of Fire through to The Twin Dilemma, pointing out that the opposite personalities of the fifth and sixth Doctors are a long-term progression.
Before I've even mentioned a word about the story, it's fair to point out that this story is generally regarded as the turning point in the show's history that the next four years wouldn't recover from. Even gems like Vengeance on Varos and Mark of the Rani couldn't save this season from being regarded as "for fans only". Maybe that's unfair, but it's a story written around gimmicks: the return of Lytton's soldiers form Resurrection of the Daleks, The TARDIS changing appearance, Haley's comet.
There are some great bits about it: Terry Molloy's character investigating Lytton and, as always, Maurice Colbourne's acting. The tunnels from the first episode are great, as is Brian Glover's portrayal as Bates and Stratton try to escape from Telos, and the Cryons are a wonderful idea. But you can't really understand what's happening unless you've seen Tomb of the Cybermen. A claim you couldn't make about Destiny of the Daleks with refards to Genesis of the Daleks.
Eric Saward would go on to have success with Trial of a Time Lord, but this story could have been so much better, if only the end wasn't wrapped up so quickly in a clearly rush-written ending.
A Review by Duncan MacGregor 6/2/10
Season 22 kicked off with the show reverting to its Saturday night slot but with episodes of 45 minutes in length, which had been tried out the previous year with Resurrection of the Daleks. Accused, probably with some justification, of being one of the most continuity-obsessed stories in the history of the show, most of it is actually done okay. Mondas's future history is largely explained in the plot, and largely the rest is to do with themes and imagery rather than actual fanwank.
There are really only two jarring examples of fanwankery in Attack; the list of former companions together with reference to the Terrible Zodin and 76 Totters Yard. The former could just have been lost, and the latter could have been okay but for Big Col's odd, blissful expression when he sees the sign but no further explanation! If it had just been in the background all of us saddos could have spotted it and been happy and the newbies would have been none the wiser. All of the other references and imagery can be passed of as either plot or background exposition, or nods to the past that enable the seasoned fan to recognise them without detraction to the casual viewer. Lytton and his officers were only in the show a few stories ago so they were okay.
I had quite forgotten quite how annoying Peri was in this story. She whines with her dodgy accent and affects her cutesy "aren't I vulnerable" stammer - which she also did in later stories - that makes me want to commit physical harm to her person. Her garish neon pink outfit is even worse than Big Col's! It's all very well showing a bit of cleavage but that top appeared too small, giving her at best a round-shouldered look, poor lass.
Peri and fanwankery apart, the first episode is actually pretty good. Colin is excellent as always; why oh why was his reign so savagely cut short? We have the excellent Lytton character return from Resurrection superbly played by Maurice Colbourne, although it was a shame that his policemen buddies were hardly used at all here, and with nowhere near as much menace as their previous outing. Brian Glover's Griffiths was a cut above the usual henchman #1, with some decent banter between him and Lytton; although sorry Big Ted, there is no way you can imply their relationship as Holmesian! I was sorry to see Griffiths so casually disposed of in episode 2. It's all very well saying that you want to explore what happens when the good guy doesn't make it, but it smacked of lazy plotting to me. The direction from Matthew Robinson (also from Resurrection) in the sewers with the Cybermen was excellent, David Banks giving a decent performance. The model work was pretty good too; I always prefer good model work to CGI, they should use more of it on the new series.
However...
Sadly, it does all fall apart rather in the second episode. Stratton and Bates should have been excised from the story altogether as it may have allowed other plot strands additional time to breath, although the plot itself was pretty horrible. Mondas was destroyed in 1986, which is next year as far as this story is concerned. The Cybermen have captured a time machine and intend to stop this from happening by making Halley's Comet crash into the Earth. Quite how this will stop Mondas from being destroyed isn't actually explained, bearing in mind that this is a sequel of sorts to The Tenth Planet, and Mondas was destroyed pretty much by Earth just being there. In the meantime, on Telos we learn of an indigenous race called the Cryons who originally built the Tombs and are sabotaging the Cybermen, and it is they who have employed Lytton to help them. Even though the success of the Cybermen's plan would see them leave Telos, presumably meaning that the Cryons can emerge from hiding albeit after detonating a big bomb (of course), the Cryons "have accepted their fate" and want to stop them from leaving. So that's all right then.
Other issues include frankly fragile Cybermen who can be shot with bullets and killed with a sonic screwdriver, sorry, lance (I hate, hate HATE the sonic screwdriver), but I'll forgive the heads being knocked off by the (in fairness partially cybertised) Bates. The Cyber Controller had eaten several pies and seemed to be auditioning for a part in a Daft Punk video. The character didn't need to be there, David Bank's Cyberleader would have been fine, let alone the original actor from Tomb. I mean why? It wasn't even his voice in that story so no-one would have been any the wiser anyway! Cheers JNT. The tombs were inferior to those seen in Tomb of the Cybermen, and the Cryons were an interesting idea - male/female dynamic - but ultimately dull.
The violence wasn't gratuitous, not even the infamous hand crushing scene, but it was a little lazy to just have the Doctor shoot the Controller at the end. I don't hold with RTD and his "the man who never would", but rather think of a cleverer way to off the baddies.
And leaving aside the complaints about the Doctor and Lytton never having previously met, when the Doctor thinks he's gotten Lytton all wrong because he's working for the Cryons, he hasn't; Lytton's a bloody mercenary! He just happens to be employed by the same people who happen to be on the Doctor's side this time due to my enemy's enemy etc reasoning is all.
So ultimately then what is the verdict? Seen for the first time, it is okay; some nice set pieces, some decent performances, but with a flabby plot with more holes than my socks and ultimately ineffectual Cybermen that doesn't get any better with repeat viewings.