TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Doctor Who - The Tomb Of The Cybermen [1967]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £6.22 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Tomb of the Cybermen brought the Doctor, Patrick Troughton, into conflict with his silver cyborg nemeses for a third time, following The Tenth Planet (1966) and The Moonbase (1967). The Doctor, Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) join an archaeological expedition on the planet Telos, where they encounter deathtraps, betrayal and a waiting army of frozen Cybermen. Scripted by Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis, who would later write Doomwatch (1970-72), many of the essentials of the plot anticipate James Cameron's blockbusting Aliens (1986): the barren planet with abandoned city, the tense wait for a rescue ship, the human traitors, the implacable, more powerful enemy. Unfortunately for a story so centred on logic the characters display a worrying lack of sense; the supposedly highly logical villains assume the Cybermen will just do what they tell them, and the Doctor locks the chief human traitor in a room without first checking it for ray guns! There's also an astonishingly crass racial stereotype with the one black character, Toberman (Roy Stewart) being a muscle-bound, slave-like henchman. Flaws aside this is a superior Doctor Who adventure and a thoroughly entertaining piece of classic television.

On the DVD: as ever the BBC have done a fabulous job bringing Doctor Who to DVD, with fully restored sound and picture making Tomb Of The Cybermen the best it has ever looked. A short feature on the disc notes there have been over 16,000 repairs to the image, and includes comparison footage with the unrestored prints. The black and white 4:3 picture is as good as low-budget 1960's television is ever going to look and the mono sound is excellent. The commentary by Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling is a little stilted and takes time to get going--often they just don't know what to say--but contains some interesting trivia for serious fans. Rather more information comes from the detailed production background subtitles, and from a 28-minute convention style panel filmed in 1992 with Hines, Watling and many of the production crew. Also included is 8 mm footage from the end of the previous story, the long lost Evil of the Daleks (1967), 3 minutes of alternative main title tests, a photo gallery, a short introduction by director Morris Barry and a two-minute clip from Late Night Line-up (1967) with Joan Bakewell profiling the BBC Visual Effects department, including unique footage of the Cybermats in colour.--Gary S Dalkin


I saw this the first time around
Review date: 2008-07-12 Rating: 6 out of 10

Good for nostalgia freaks, and Patrick Troughton always was a fine doctor. People who criticise the current Dr. Who should watch this, it is full of plot holes, wobbly sets and such, but it's definitely good Dr. Who.

It's very cheesy, and more than a bit clunky, and the suits of the cybermen have plastic childrens balls on them painted silvery. It's only black and white too, that's all there was at the time probably, but it will jar if you're used to Dr. Who in colour.

I thought the cybermats were eyeless, from my fading memory, but they were eyed here, and they also came in at least two sizes which I didn't remember either.

Accessories

Similar Products

Reviews


First older Who...
Review date: 2008-06-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

Ok, so this was the first time I stepped out of my Doctor Who comfort zone: first old-OLD episode, first Black and White episode, first non-Tom Baker episode.

I loved it.

Yes the costumes are crap and sometimes the Cyber-voices are hard to understand but that's enough to look over.

Patrick Troughton is extremely watchable and makes you think that an older Doctor might still work in the current series.
The Companions Jamie and Victoria are both very watchable.

It's also interesting to see the Cybermen used in a very low-key way. They do not, for example, come across the Doctor as they try to destroy the universe. They are simply there to make for an excellent story, and show you don't have to be BIG to be scary.

All in all, it's a must watch.

What a show
Review date: 2008-02-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

What really annoys me is people who view this story and say things like: 'It's not as good as it's supposed to be.' No doubt they would say the same thing about Power of the Daleks if it turned up. You know, you really have to place this yarn in the context of when it was made. Of course the effects aren't Star Wars, they didn't have the technology back then! But the mood, the setting and the characters make this great. It was never going to live up to the hype, wasn't possible... But it remains a classic example of sixties Dr Who at its best, and more power to it.

"Curse of the Cyborg's Tomb"
Review date: 2008-02-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

This story once had such a reputation as a legendary lost story that anyone who was old enough to convincingly claim to have seen it was treated with respect. In 1992 it turned up and went to video and as for living up to a reputation, it does better than most.
It's an irresistable idea mixing Cybermen with old mummy films and Horror and SF gel together well, as the Doctor joins archaeologists investigating the remains of the Cybermen.
There's a clear Tutankhamen feel as they break into the cyber tombs and 2 people are quickly dispatched by traps. naturally we have villains who revive the Cybermen for their onw reasons and they are good villains too. It's a very original take on Cybermen to have them as the revived dead, here instead of wanting to mummify a lost love to have her live forever they want to make humans into Cybermen.
No Cybermen appear until the end of part 2, but then they always worked best with only a little time onscreen and not too much dialogue. Part of their menace lies in building up to them. When they do appear as the ice melts and they climb down from theirt tombs, it's a wonderful moment! Only the numbers of cybermen would improve if the idea was revisited now.
The supporting cast are all good particularly George Pastel & Shirley Cooklin. The regulars are on good form too, the loyal Jamie and Victoria trying to be braver than she really is. The Doctor is quite dark here, as this is all really his fault. he helped them open the tombs and made the Cybermen's revival possible. Patrick Troughton offers a complex and mysterious Doctor, as capable of using people as shwoing compassion to Victoria-witness their chat about the meaning of their lives.

At the time it was slated for violence but looks tamer now. it still pacjks a punch and despite some dating is still highly enjoyable. It shows its age the most in some unsuccessful effects and so on. There is a dummy Cybermen suit that we are clearly meant to think is a live one but no one bulked it up enough to convince. there is a very vsible kirby wire in a fight scene and a dummy replaces the Controller in a fight, is very obviously static and its head virtually comes off when it is thrown.

For all that, a classic story that we are lucky to be able to see.

There is a funny and enjoyable commentary with companions Frazer Hines and Debbie Watling, it just takes a little while to get going.

We have Tombwatch, panels filmed from a screening of the story in 1992, which feature most of the cast plus director, producer and script editor. All are on good form and full of fun stories.

Special footage recreates the climax of Evil of the Daleks and there is a vintage effects feature from a show called Late Night Line Up.

We also get some test footage for the Troughton Title sequence (an easter egg is alleged to have a story title free version of the used 1, but I've never found it).

I als found an easter egg (fiddle about by "Audio Options") of an Abominable Snowmen trailer oin audio.

a good package for a lovely old story, perfect for someone interested in more than the current version or who loved the new Cybermen!

Troughton IS the Doctor
Review date: 2007-07-19 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Doctor along with Jamie and at the time a brand new companion Victoria, join an archaeological expedition on the planet Telos that has apparently stumbled across what they believe to be a lost and abandoned Cyberman city. But the place isn't as dead as first thought and while the expedition leader has only discovery and research in mind there are some amongst the party who have far more malign intensions.

This once lost Doctor Who classic is an enjoyable reminder of what the television series used to be without the frantic rush and silly over-the-top hype that the modern version seems to get. It has it's obvious flaws but 'The Tomb Of The Cybermen' still manages to tell a pretty good four part story. The cast work well together and Patrick Troughton is as always truly superb as Doctor Who number two. He manages to convey intelligence like all the other Doctor's, but also gives the viewer a real sense of the characters vulnerability. Please keep in mind that this story was made in the late sixties and though not deliberately meant to be offensive it is definitely not pc.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Patrick Troughton
Deborah Watling
Frazer Hines

Creators:
Patrick Troughton (Primary Contributor)
Frazer Hines (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

EAN: 5014503103224
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2002-01-14
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1975-09-29
Language: English (Original Language)

Add to Cart

Accessories:

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional