Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen

Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen
by Morris Barry

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DVD Reviews of Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen

DVD Review: One of the strongest Cybermen - and Troughton - episodes!
Summary: 5 Stars

Ten years ago, I remember when word first leaked out about the discovery of more Patrick Troughton episodes. "Tomb" was considered a treasure, but if you held out for the DVD instead of buying it then, it was well worth the wait. This story has been lovingly restored, looking beautiful and not muddy, as the 1993 VHS release did.

And what a story - opened up tremendously by the restoration. The stop animation of the Tomb manages to be suitably creepy thirty-odd years later, and there's great acting all around, from Troughton to the supporting cast. The spaceship crew is a team of overeager Americans, which is the first time I'd ever seen "colonists", so to speak, on "Doctor Who". The creature Cybermats are also introduced, which are darling and just a bit menacing - although they didn't manage to storm the UK, and become as popular with children as the Daleks had. (My older brother had his own toy Daleks in the mid 1960s - too bad none of them made it into his adulthood.)

The extras on the DVD are also stellar, namely a short with background music, featuring snippets from lost story "Evil of the Daleks," and a fascinating convention discussion with the surviving cast and crew. Comments from Deborah Watling (Victoria) are particularly interesting - she was one of the companions least seen, as most of her episodes had been destroyed. Watling, nicknamed "Leatherlungs" by Troughton and costar Fraser Hines (Jamie), because of all the screaming she did throughout the serial, turns out to be an loyal and fairly smart companion, not the dainty dips*** she had been previously remembered as.
A wonderful scene between her and Troughton show the world-weariness of the renegade Doctor, and how both he and Victoria miss their home and families. Hines, as always, retains his roguish charm both in the story and in the documentary.

Only two teeny drawbacks. One, the Cybermen costumes aren't quite as scary as in future stories, although the white goop coming from a flailing Cyberman in death throes apparently got the Mrs. Mary Whitehead types very upset. Two, this DVD would be even better if it showcased the fab vocal stylings of Frazer Hines, singing a dippy and jangly guitar-ridden "Who is Doctor Who", a la William Shatner and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".

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