Review of The Tomb of The Cybermen

By David Parkinson

Writer: Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
Director: Morris Barry
Starring: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling, Roy Stewart, George Pastell,  Michael Kilgarriff

Fans were ecstatic when The Tomb of The Cybermen was rediscovered completely in Hong Kong. They flocked to every HMV or Virgin they could find, and bought it like crazy, only to discover that it wasn't the best. The special effects are next to shite, to be honest.

Basically, the Tardis lands on Telos, the resting place of the Cybermen. But The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria aren't the only humans there. There's also another group of people, on an expedition to find the lost eponymous tomb. They find it by pure luck, and soon the Doctor is dragged along. Troughton is at his best in this serial, playing the Doctor with  pure comedic balance perfectly mixed with a dramatic touch. It shows his full ability as a great actor.
 Anyhow, one of the people die trying to open the doors to the tomb, by means of electrocution. This is just the start of death, and foreshadows the ending. After this little niggle, the group enter and find that the set looks very Cyberman-ish. Well, I saw that, but all that really defines it as Cyberman-ish is the awesome emblem that adorns most of the Tomb.

The serial is also known for introducing the concept of the Cyber Controller and the Cybermats. The mats in this serial differ from those seen in Revenge of THe Cybermen and Closing Time. Basically, here, they're made of tarp and foam. Really obvious foam.

By the end, most of them are dead, Toberman, one of the main character's manservants, is partially converted into a Cyberman, and The Doctor and Jamie are in danger of becoming Cybermen. However, they manage to escape the Tomb, but not without the death of Toberman, closing the Tomb doors but electrocuting himself and the Controller. The Doctor claims that this should be the end of the Cyberman. He obviously doesn't see the Cybermat escape the Tomb......

The problem with the remastering of the story is that the obvious wires and dummies that were used are, well, obvious. Especially the wire used to lift Toberman up above the Controller's head.

You'll love

• Troughton's acting
• The Cybermen

You'll hate

• The special effects
• The persistent human antagonists

You'll laugh at

• The naff special effects

Rating: 3/5