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Patrick Troughton
The Tomb of the Cybermen
Second Doctor Logo


Synopsis


A Cyberman Breaking Free
A Cyberman Breaking Free
 Aided by his two assistants Jamie and Victoria, The Doctor lands the TARDIS on Telos, last resting place of the infamous Cybermen. There he discovers a band of archaeologists on a secret expedition to unearth the reason for his old enemies’ extinction.

 In the underground shadowy depths, they find the icy tomb. A whole army in hibernation. A threat to no one, if the temperature remains low. But if the traitor in their midst gets his way, things could really hot up...

Source: BBC VHS Video


General Information

Season: Five
Production Code: MM
Story Number: 37
Episode Numbers:170 - 173
Number of Episodes: 4
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Working Titles:"The Ice Tombs of Telos" and "The Cybermen Planet"
Production Dates: June - July 1967
Broadcast Started: 02 September 1967
Broadcast Finished: 23 September 1967
Colour Status: B&W
Studio: Ealing Television Film Studios, Lime Grove (Studio D) and BBC Television Centre
Location: Gerrards Cross Sand and Ballast Company (Wapsey's Wood, Buckinghamshire).
Writers:Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler
Director:Morris Barry
Producer:Peter Bryant
Story Editor:Victor Pemberton
Editor:Alan Martin
Production Assistant:Snowy Lidiard-White
Assistant Floor Managers:Catherine Sykes and Sue Willis
Designer:Martin Johnson
Costume Designers:Dorothea Wallace and Sandra Reid
Make-Up Designer:Gillian James
Cameraman:Peter Hamilton
Lighting:Graham Sothcott
Visual Effects:Michealjohn Harris and Peter Day
Incidental Music:From Stock
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Brian Hodgson
Studio Sounds:Brian Hiles
Title Sequence:Bernard Lodge
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Delia Derbyshire
Cybermen Originally Created By: Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Patrick Troughton (The Second Doctor)
Number of Companions: 2The Companions: Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) and Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield) Additional Cast: George Pastell (Eric Klieg), Shirley Cooklin (Kaftan), Roy Stewart (Toberman), Aubrey Richards (Professor Parry), Cyril Shaps (John Viner), Clive Merrison (Jim Callum), George Roubicek (Captain Hopper), Alan Johns (Ted Rogers), Bernard Holley (Peter Haydon), Ray Grover (Crewman), Michael Kilgarriff (Cyberman Controller), Hans de Vries (Cyberman), Tony Harwood (Cyberman), John Hogan (Cyberman), Richard Kerley (Cyberman), Ronald Lee (Cyberman), Charles Pemberton (Cyberman), Kenneth Seeger (Cyberman), Reg Whitehead (Cyberman), Peter Hawkins (Cybermen Voices)Setting: Planet Telos, far future Villains: Cybermats and Cybermen

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
170Episode 102 September 196723'58"6.016mm telerecording
171Episode 209 September 196724'44"6.416mm telerecording
172Episode 316 September 196724'14"7.216mm telerecording
173Episode 423 September 196723'22"7.416mm telerecording

Total Duration 1 Hour 36 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 6.8
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)84.26%  (Position = 8 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2003)761 Points (Position = 10 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)82.79% Lower (Position = 25 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)84.57% Higher (Position = 23 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 2 out of 21


Archives


 All four episodes exist as 16mm telerecordings, having been found in 1991 in Hong Kong



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Notes


The first two Cybermen stories - "The Tenth Planet" and "The Moonbase" - had proved popular with viewers and so as production wrapped on the latter, plans were already afoot for a third story involving the silver giants. Story editor Gerry Davis, who had devised the Cybermen along with Kit Pedler, decided to use this opportunity to explore the background of the Cybermen.

Martin Johnson's set designs have been described as truly excellent, and include some striking bas-relief Cyberman images on the walls of the tomb complex.

As well as featuring the recurring villains the Cybermen - who are seen to be bullet proof, can fire sparks from their fingers, and can control cybernised humans remotely - this story introduces the Cybercontroller and the Cybermats.

Even though The Doctor has a diary with a picture of a Cybermat in it he still seems to be unfamiliar with them.

The Cybermats were controlled by various means - some by wires, some by wind-up clockwork, some by radio control, and some by simply being pushed into the shot. They were also smaller than those seen in subsequent stories.

Shirley Cooklin's character in this story, Kaftan, was written especially for her by Gerry Davis. She was married to Producer Peter Bryant at the time.

Klieg was originally to have been played by Vladek Sheybal and the Cybercontroller by John Wills (who had appeared as a Cyberman in "The Moonbase").

Toberman was originally intended to be deaf and in the original scripts he was to wear a hearing aid (tying in with the fact that he was virtually mute and perhaps with the story's theme of cybernisation), but this idea was dropped at the request of director Morris Barry.

The scene of the Cybermen breaking out of their tombs was filmed entirely in one take. Interestingly the scene where The Cybermen retreat back into their tombs was the same footage used when they came out of their tombs - the film having been reversed.

The Doctor is heard to say that he has 'perfected' the TARDIS, which appears to land like a spaceship.

The Doctor is seen to use an electricity detector. He uses it again in "The Web of Fear".

Klieg mentions 'Whitehead logic' in the first episode - probably referring to Alfred North Whitehead, co-author of 'Principia Mathematica' and one of the fathers of mathematical and computer logic, and maybe a bit of a nod to the actor Reg Whitehead, who had played a Cyberman in all their stories to date.

This story is notable for a very rare reference to The Doctor's family. Being the first story for new companion Victoria Waterfield there is a wonderfully moving scene in which The Doctor comforts her as a means to help her to come to terms with the death of her father by telling her that he can recall his own family, but only when he chooses to.

The iconography of this story, in particular the image of Cybermen breaking through plastic sheeting to escape their tombs, has had an influence on nearly all subsequent Cyberman stories. Likewise, the idea of Cybermen being kept in cold storage has since been a continuing theme.

Episode four's transmission on September 23rd, incited considerable controversy for its violent and disturbing content, particularly the scene in which fluid spurts forth from a Cyberman's innards after it has been attacked by Toberman.

The planet Telos was later revisited in the Sixth Doctor story "Attack of the Cybermen" where he also encounters the Cryons, the original inhabitants of the planet.

Peter Bryant, who had previously been an assistant to Gerry Davis and been newly promoted to Story Editor on the preceding story, was allowed to produce this story in order to prove that he could take over from Innes Lloyd as Producer later on in the season. While Peter Bryant's own assistant, Victor Pemberton acted as Story Editor.

This would be the only story that Victor Pemberton served as Story Editor.

However, on completion of the recording of this story, on the 22nd July 1967 - which brought to an end Doctor Who's fourth recording block. This story was then held over to open Season Five - Innes Lloyd returned to the producer's chair, while Peter Bryant reverted back to the role of Story Editor.

Victor Pemberton’s association with the programme would continue with the television story "Fury From the Deep" a few months later and later "Doctor Who and The Pescatons", which was released as an LP record in 1976. He also novelised both stories for Target Books. Victor Pemberton continued to contribute to various television series, such as Ace of Wands and Timeslip before moving behind the camera, producing Fraggle Rock.

This story was one of many believed to have been lost when all four episodes were lost in the BBC's stock clearance of the 1970s and so all four episodes were reported missing from the BBC Film and Videotape Library following an audit in 1978.

However, film telerecordings of the full story were returned, in January 1992, from RTV in Hong Kong. At the time the discovery of this ‘lost’ classic was considered to be one of the greatest Doctor Who finds of the past 15 years. Until then, only pieces of Patrick Troughton's first two seasons, including precious little of the work of Deborah Watling (who played Victoria), existed at all. Sadly, this story was located mere months after the passing of Cybermen co-creator and author Gerry Davis, who died in late 1991.

To capitalise on this shock discovery the BBC rushed through its release on VHS. Much to fan excitement it was released in May 1992 and included a special introduction from director Morris Barry. This VHS release topped the sales charts in the UK.

This story is currently the earliest complete Second Doctor story, and the only story featuring Deborah Watling, to exist in its entirety.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first story of Season Five (even though it was recorded as part of Season Four but held back).

 The first trip in the TARDIS for new companion Victoria played by Deborah Watling.

 The first appearance of the Cybercontroller.

 The first appearance of the Cybermats.

 The first mention in the show that The Doctor has a family.

 Peter Bryant's first involvement in the show as Producer.

 Victor Pemberton's first involvement in the show as Story Editor.

 The first complete Second Doctor story that is currently held in the BBC archives.


The Lasts (Subject to Future Stories):

 Victor Pemberton's last involvement in the show as Story Editor.

 Gillian James' last involvement in the show as Makeup Artist.

 Sandra Reid's last involvement in the show as Costume Designer.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
The Cybermen's Logo
The Cybermen's Logo

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Telos and The Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield discover that an archaeological team, led by Professor Parry, have uncovered the doors to a lost Cyberman city.

After a member of the archaeological team is electrocuted, when he tries to open the huge doors, and then with the help of Toberman, Kaftan's aide, who is strong enough to pull the huge doors apart, they all enter the chamber beyond and start to explore. They discover in the main chamber a sealed hatchway, apparently leading down, and two rooms. One which they deduce must have been used to revitalise dormant Cybermen, while the other, which contains a large screen, at first is a mystery. They also discover a strange small metallic mouse-like creature that appears to be dead.

Meanwhile the expedition's patron, Eric Klieg, and Professor Parry, in the main chamber, puzzle over the mathematics behind operating the power systems. The Doctor gives Klieg the solution but despite warning him not to activate the machinery Klieg takes no notice allowing power to hum through the complex.

Inside the TARDIS
Inside the TARDIS

In the revitalising room Victoria, finds herself trapped inside a large Cyberman-shaped sarcophagus when the power comes on. She is eventually freed by The Doctor before any harm is done. However, in the other room, Jamie does not realise that he is in a weapon testing facility which, now the power has been restored, has become active and, when a dummy Cyberman appears in front of them, a weapon hidden in the wall fires hitting a member of the archaeological team. The Doctor rushes into the room but is too late to prevent the accident. Meanwhile Victoria, who has followed The Doctor, discovers the inert silver creature, which The Doctor identifies as a Cybermat. As it seems harmless she picks it up off the floor and puts it in her bag.

Back in the main chamber Parry and Klieg carry on using the equations The Doctor gave them in an attempt to discover how to open the hatch. They are successful so allowing the archaeologists to explore below. There they discover the frozen tombs of the Cybermen. As they start to explore they are shocked to hear the hatch above them slam shut. Klieg though seems unconcerned as he plans to open it from a control panel that has been discovered in the tombs. But instead the switches he uses start to defrost the tombs and the Cybermen within begin to stir.

Defrosting Tombs
Defrosting Tombs

Meanwhile up in the main chamber Victoria and Kaftan, who had stayed behind while the others went below, find themselves both in danger. Victoria, who had fallen in a drug induced sleep, wakes to find Klieg pointing a gun at her. At first neither of them spot the Cybermat, that was in Victoria’s bag, slowly come to life and scuttle across the floor. Suddenly, it heads straight for Kaftan and jumps up at her. Shocked by this sudden attack Kaftan drops the gun which Victoria manages to grab and then fire at the creature – killing it. With Kaftan unconscious Victoria tries unsuccessfully to open the hatch. Having no joy she decides to go to the archaeological team’s spaceship to seek help.

Back in the tombs Klieg explains that he is a member of the Brotherhood of Logicians, a group who seek to rule Earth by the rules of logic. He has come to Telos to discover the Cybermen's secrets to help the Brotherhood. While he is explaining this the Cybermen emerge from their tombs and release their Controller. The Cybercontroller tells the humans that they now belong to the Cybermen and will become like them. He reveals that the tombs are an elaborate trap to bring highly intelligent humanoids to Telos to be converted into Cybermen and thus re-build the Cyber race.

Suddenly the hatch above is opened (thanks to Captain Hopper, from the archaeologist’s spaceship, who Victoria managed to seek help from). Captain Hopper descends armed with some smoke bombs. These he sets off confusing the Cybermen and allowing everyone except Klieg and Toberman to escape. Toberman finds himself trapped and is taken away to be converted while Klieg manages to escape via another route to the surface. He finds Kaftan in the weapons testing room and between them they remove the laser gun from the dummy Cyberman and plot to use it to seize control.

Kaftan
Kaftan

Below the Cybercontroller orders the preparation and release of more Cybermats, which are sent through pipes into the chambers above the tombs to attack the archaeologists. The Doctor though is able to fend them off by using an electrified cable to create a magnetic field that disorientates and destroys the creatures. It is then that Klieg enters the main chamber brandishing the laser. He believes that with his new weapon he can negotiate with the Cybermen. Kaftan opens the hatch and Klieg calls for the Cybercontroller – who climbs up, accompanied by a partially converted Toberman who is under the Cybermen’s control.

However, the Cybercontroller’s energy is running low and with most of the Cybermen back in their tombs to conserve power, Klieg uses this to demand the release of Toberman and the Cybermen's help with the conquest of Earth. The Cybercontroller agrees as long as they help him be revitalised. In the revitalising room The Doctor helps the Cybercontroller into the sarcophagus in an attempt to trap it there. But the Cybercontroller still proves to be too strong and manages to break free. In the struggle Kaftan is killed by the Cybercontroller when he picks up the cybergun Kleig has dropped in the confusion.

The death of Kaftan and the urging of The Doctor shakes Toberman out of his controlled state. He struggles with the Cybercontroller and hurls it into a control panel, apparently killing it. The Doctor takes Toberman with him back down into the tombs so that they can re-freeze the remaining Cybermen. However, Klieg follows them down and starts the sequence to re-awaken the Cybermen but suddenly he is attacked by a Cyberman and killed. Toberman grapples with the Cyberman and manages to destroy it so allowing The Doctor to successfully re-freeze the tombs.

The Doctor, when everyone is out, re-electrifies the city doors but the Cybercontroller recovers and tries to prevent the doors from closing. With the help of Toberman, who is stronger, the doors finally shut. But as soon as both doors make contact with each other a powerful electric pulse kills Toberman and apparently the Cybercontroller. With the tombs sealed, and the remaining members of the archaeological team safely aboard their ship, The Doctor and his two companions head back to the TARDIS. No one though notices a lone Cybermat, moving along the ground outside the doors to the city toward Toberman's body.

 
A Cyberman Breaking Free
A Cyberman Breaking Free
Toberman
Toberman
Professor Parry
Professor Parry
The Cybercontroller
The Cybercontroller
 
The TARDIS
The TARDIS
The Doctor
The Doctor
A Cyberman Breaking Free
A Cyberman Breaking Free
Cybermats
Cybermats




Quote of the Story


 'You belong to us. You shall be like us!!!'

Cybercontroller



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
VHS
The Tomb of the CybermenMay 1992BBCV 4772Photo-montageIncludes a special interview by Director Morris Barry, speaking about this story's recovery
Audio
Tape
The Missing Stories - The Tomb of the CybermenJune 1993ZBBC 1343Photo-montageNarrated by Jon Pertwee Edited version Double Cassette
Audio
CD
Music from The Tomb of the CybermenJuly 1997Photo-montageIncludes sound effects and stock music tracks
Video
VHS
The Missing YearsNovember 1998BBCV 6766Photo-montageA 56 minute documentary presented by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) and Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield) Includes a clip from episode 3 Released as part of The Ice Warriors Collection (BBCV 6387)
Video
DVD
The Tomb of the CybermenJanuary 2002BBCDVD 1032Photo-montage
Audio
CD
The Tomb of the CybermenMay 2006Photo-montageNarrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) Unedited CD re-release of the 1993 BBC Radio Collection audio release Double CD Release
Video
DVD
The Tomb of the CybermenNovember 2006BBCDVD 2262Photo-montagePart of "The Cybermen Limited Edition Box Set" Exclusive to Amazon
Video
DVD
The Tomb of the CybermenFebruary 2012BBCDVD 3003Part of the 'Revisitations 3' box set Released along with "The Robots of Death" and "The Three Doctors"
Video
DVD
The Tomb of the CybermenSeptember 2013BBCDVD 3809Photo-montagePart of "The Monster Collection - The Cybermen" boxset
Audio
CD
The 50th Anniversary CollectionDecember 2013Photo-montageOriginal Television Soundtracks
Audio
CD
Classic TV Adventures - Collection OneApril 2017Photo-montagePart of the "Classic TV Adventures Collection One" Box Set Narrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon)
Audio
LP
The Tomb of the CybermenApril 2018Photo-montageLimited Edition Double LP - Narrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon)


In Print

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)PublisherAuthorCover ArtRemarks
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who and the Tomb of the CybermenMay 1978Target No. 66Gerry DavisJeff CumminsISBN: 0-426-11076-5
Script
Script
The Tomb of the CybermenAugust 1989Titan BooksGerry DavisTony ClarkEdited by John McElroy.
ISBN: 1-85286-146-0
Novel
Novel
The Tomb of the CybermenOctober 1992Target No. 66Gerry DavisAlister PearsonVirgin new cover reprint.
ISBN: 0-426-11076-5
CD
CD
Doctor Who and the Tomb of the CybermenMarch 2013Target No. 66Gerry DavisJeff CumminsAudio version of the Target Novel read by Michael Kilgarriff
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time)Issue 37
Doctor Who Monthly - ArchiveIssue 54 (Released: July 1981)
Doctor Who Magazine - NostalgiaIssue 150 (Released: July 1989)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArticleIssue 184 (Released: March 1992)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArchiveIssue 281 (Released: August 1999)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 303 (Released: May 2001)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 411 (Released: August 2009)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 73 (Released: October 2011)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companions

 
Patrick Troughton
The Second Doctor

   

Frazer Hines
Jamie McCrimmon
 
Deborah Watling
Victoria Waterfield
   




On Release

VHS Video Cover
VHS Video Cover

BBC
VIDEO
The Missing Stories Tape Cover
The Missing Stories Tape Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Music CD Cover
Music CD Cover

Satellite
AUDIO
Missing Years VHS Video Cover
Missing Years VHS Video Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   
DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Soundtrack CD Cover
Soundtrack CD Cover

BBC
AUDIO
DVD Box Set
DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Revisitations 3 DVD Cover
Revisitations 3 DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   
The Monster Collection - The Cybermen Cover
The Monster Collection - The Cybermen Cover

BBC
VIDEO
The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover
The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Classic TV Adventures Collection One CD Cover
Classic TV Adventures Collection One CD Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Original Television Soundtrack LP Cover
Original Television Soundtrack LP Cover

Demon Records
AUDIO
   



In Print

Original Target Book Cover
Original Target Book Cover

Target
NOVEL
Titan Script Book Cover
Titan Script Book Cover

Titan
SCRIPT
Reprinted Virgin Book Cover
Reprinted Virgin Book Cover

Virgin
NOVEL
Target Audio CD Cover
Target Audio CD Cover

BBC
CD
   



Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 37
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 37

CMS
Doctor Who Monthly - Archive: Issue 54
Doctor Who Monthly - Archive: Issue 54

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Nostalgia: Issue 150
Doctor Who Magazine - Nostalgia: Issue 150

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 184
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 184

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 281
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 281

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 303
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 303

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 411
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 411

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 73
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 73

GE Fabbri
   


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