Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 180: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode Four

Dear diary,

It seems strange, standing at this end of the story and looking back, that I ever considered it may not hold up. I’d worried that having found a fondness for other stories which I’d never really considered before, The Tomb of the Cybermen - ostensibly my ‘favourite’ Doctor Who tale - and suddenly find it underwhelming. Almost ten years of it being my favourite could be washed away in these four days.

What’s actually happened is quite the opposite – I’ve completely rediscovered my love for the story as though seeing it again for the very first time. It possibly helps that this is the first time since The War Machines, way back at the end of Season Three, that I’ve actually had a full story to watch. It could help that I’m already looking more favourably on this one than some of the stories I’ve never seen but haven’t heard great things about. Or it could be that, quite simply, The Tomb of the Cybermen is one of the all-time greats. Certainly, I’ve met a number of people over the years who have either cited it as their favourite, too, or at least considered that it’s a good contender for a favourite story to have.

Right the way through, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by just how much I’ve been loving this one – by the time Episode One had finished, any worries I had were gone, and I was left just enjoying things. Each episode has given me something new to love, and the fourth is no exception to this – I’d always thought of Toberman’s partial-conversion into Cyberman as having no real merit, but it works really well and is key to the story. His fight with the Cybercontroller here is much better than any of the fights in the last episode, and the final shot of him, staring down against the Controller as they each push on opposite sides of the door is fantastic. Are they just planning to leave the body there, though? I realise it must be a pretty long trip back to Earth, but surely they must be able to take him home? At least throw a sheet over the corpse or something!

I’ve focussed so much in this story on the developing relationship between the Doctor and Victoria (though it feels like they’ve been travelling for a while now. The About Time series speculates that there could be unseen adventures between her entrance to the TARDIS in Episode One and the arrival on Telos – and there’s plenty in the story which I think can support that), but I’ve barely mentioned Jamie’s role in events.

It’s far from being a secret that I love the pairing of the Doctor and his Highland friend, and there’s so much of a spark between them in this story that I can’t let it pass without mention. The ‘hand holding’ in Episode One is always singled out for praise, but brilliant as it is, there’s a number of other moments in The Tomb of the Cybermen that I think showcase the pair better. Episode Three sees the Doctor making a pun about the Cybermat’s metal brains being overloaded (‘You could say they’ve had a total metal breakdown’) and Jamie's reaction to his terrible pun. Today we get Jamie tying the door of the revitaliser machine, before the Cybercontroller breaks through the door (‘Jamie, remind me to give you a lesson in tying knots sometimes…’), and his realisation of what’s happened to Toberman: the boy is learning from his travels.

Something that often gets talked about in this story is the death of a Cyberman here, where the chest unit bubbles as foam rises up and overflows. It’s cited as an example of Doctor Who going too far and being too violent, and I can almost see that. It’s certainly more horrific than we might usually get at this time. For me, though, what made it scary was the way the Cyberman grabs at his chest throughout, almost as though trying to force his circuitry back inside. That’s the really gruesome part, but it works. Equally, there’s a scene where Jamie fires a gun point blank into a Cyberman’s face as it climbs from the hatch. Smoke comes pouring out of the mouth as it stumbles back down into the tomb. It’s a striking image.

For a long, long time, The Tomb of the Cybermen was the fabled ‘Holy Grail’ of missing Doctor Who tales, and the general consensus is that when it showed up in 1992, it wasn’t as good as everyone hoped it might be. For me, though, it’s damn near perfect, and I’m pleased to say that it’s still coming out top for me.

I’m hoping that it might be a good sign – I’ve been slightly dreading Season Five. It’s mostly missing, and it relies heavily on the Base-Under-Siege and Monster-of-the-Week formats, I’d been fearing that I might find it repetitive. Hopefully, though, if things continue to live up to the quality of The Tomb of the Cybermen, we could be on to a real winner…

a 

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 179: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode Three

Dear diary,

Simply because The Tomb of the Cybermen was my first exposure to the creatures, I’ve always thought of these as being the ‘default’ model. It’s this design that I think of when people talk about Cybermen, and the style of speaking here is the one I most readily associate with them, too. It’s pleasing, then, to be enjoying them so much again now. There’s something about the voices especially that really is creepier than we’ve had before (as much as I loved the ones in The Tenth Planet), and it helps that some of their dialogue is so blunt.

Yesterday’s episode ends with the Cybercontroller telling the archaeological party ‘You belong to us. You will be like us’, and there’s a moment here when Jamie tells a Cyberman that he’s a human – he’s not the same as them, and the reply is simply ‘You will be’. The idea of being converted into a Cyberman has been present ever since their first appearance, but this is the first time it’s really being played as a threat. In The Tenth Planet, it’s almost an offer, but here it’s a terrifying experience, and something that you really don’t want to happen. In promoting Nightmare in Silver, Neil Gaiman commented that he’d been watching the 1960s stories and wanted to make the Cybermen scary again – it’s hard not to see what he means about the terror.

This episode, perhaps more than any we’ve had for a while, relies on a number of big special effects. I remember back during The Ark, I commented that the effects were just being dropped in easily, wheres before they’d have been the showpiece for the entire 25 minutes. Here, they’re just part of the routine, and the programme thinks nothing of showing the effect of a Cyber-gun against a wall (the awesome power of which lends weight to the cliff-hanger, when the same gun is fired in the Doctor’s direction).

Perhaps the biggest effects surprise for me, though, is the Cybermats. I have to admit, as much as I love The Tomb of the Cybermen, I’ve never been all that fond of the Cybermen’s pets. I’ve seen this story several times over the years, but in mind mind the Cybermats didn’t work and looked rubbish… but they’re great! I’d not remembered that the tails wag, which really helps to sell the effect, and I was surprised just how similar this version is to the ones who appear in Closing Time - I’d not seen this story since that one aired.

Just because I love the story doesn’t mean I’m completely blind to some of its faults, though. While there’s plenty of great effects in here, and the Cybermen get used in a way that makes them look great (there’s a show of one trying to hold the hatch to their tomb open, and you really get a sense of the strength involved), I’m willing to admit that it doesn’t all work. Just like the previous two episode of this story, I’ve written absolutely loads of notes, but this time around there are several about things that aren’t great.

There’s a fight early on between the archaeologists and the Cybermen which becomes a bit of a muddle, and it’s home to the shot of Toberman being hurled through the air by a Cyberman. It’s a lovely idea, but sadly the kirby wires are just far too visible, which somewhat lessens the effect. Similarly, a later shot of the Cybermen stumbling around in the aftermath of some smoke bombs doesn’t look all that spectacular.

All of that can be forgotten, though, because this episode is home to one of my favourite scenes in all of Doctor Who, when the Doctor and Victoria share a conversation in the dead of night, as everyone sleeps huddled in corners of the tomb’s lobby. I think it’s fair to say that I’ve not been all that impressed with Victoria so far on the whole, but these few minutes, shot in close-ups of Patrick Troughton and Deborah Watling as they just get the chance to act together really sells me on her. It’s a beautiful moment, and another one of those scenes that shows emotion didn’t creep in with the advent of 21st century Doctor Who.

I hate quoting long passages from the episode when I’m writing about them, but the Doctor’s words about remembering his lost family are so emotive, that I just have to post them again here;

Oh yes, I can when I want to. And that's the point, really.
I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The
rest of the time they… they sleep in my mind and I forget. And so will
you. Oh yes, you will. You'll find there's so much else to think about.
To remember. Our lives are different to anybody else's. That's the
exciting thing, that nobody in the universe can do what we're doing.

I’d not be surprised if that’s another one of those moments that really sold me on the idea of Patrick Troughton as being the Doctor – it’s simply wonderful

a 

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 178: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode Two

Dear diary,

I can distinctly recall purchasing The Tomb of the Cybermen on DVD for the very first time. I'd been something of a Doctor Who fan since the autumn of 2003, but only dipping in and out, picking up one or two titles on VHS from the library as and when I felt compelled to. Then, one day in the summer of 2004, in what was then the BBC Shop in Norwich, I purchased my first two Doctor Who DVDs. There was this one, and Resurrection of the Daleks. None of the stories I'd rented had featured either of the programme's top two monsters, so I thought that it would be a pretty good place to start.

And you know what? I loved them. I'm sure I'll talk more about Resurrection next year sometime, when we reach the right placement for the tale, but I can recall just being blown away by Tomb, right from the off.

Looking at this episode today, and viewing it for the first time in the context of all the stories that have gone before it, I don't think it's impossible to see just why this one is so loved by fans. In several ways, it's the perfect representation of the Second Doctor's era, and I think it's fair to say that Troughton is on the absolute top of his game. Everything his Doctor does so well is showcased in these 24 minutes, from letting slip that he knows more than people realise ('Your colleague has very strong hands,' he tells Kaftan, shortly after they discover that the fuel pumps on the rocket have been tampered with. He continues: 'Enough to do a great deal of damage if let loose in the wrong place…'), to subtly controlling the room (switching levers to make sure that the hatch to the tomb will open), and making quips when the bad guys get it wrong.

There's something about his look here, too - the way his hair sits, and the way his costume looks underneath his recently-added cape - that just screams 'Second Doctor' to me. The Tomb of the Cybermen was recorded at the very end of Doctor Who's fourth production block, and it's clear that by this stage, both Troughton and the programme makers have settled on exactly what this new version of the character should be. Placed in the surroundings of such a fantastic story, it's no wonder that I took the Second Doctor to heart and made him my favourite.

That said, you do have to wonder why the Doctor does some of the things that he does in this story. During The Evil of the Daleks, I mentioned that we were seeing the first real attempts of the Doctor to manipulate the people around him (the First Doctor did this too, especially in the early days, but this is the first time we see him doing it with just the right word or action here or there, as opposed to actively misleading people into doing what he wants, as we see in stories like The Daleks), and he seems to be doing the same kind of thing here… but then almost instantly wishing that he hadn't.

In yesterday's episode, he discovers that the Cybermen are buried somewhere inside this cliff-face, and that the archaeological team can't get the door open… so he shows them how to get in. They then can't figure out how to get the machinery working… so he gives them the answer, before adding that they really shouldn't. Today, he helps them open the hatch, before spending plenty of time talking about it being a bad idea, and hoping that nothing will go wrong. Is he just a bit confused? Maybe it's the low temperatures?

It's good to see Victoria being given a bit more of a personality here, too. There's a moment early on when the Cybermen's gun trap fires and she lets out a little scream, but after that she's a much more assertive person than we've seen before. When the professor advises the women to stay behind, she actively tells him that she's coming along wether he likes it or not, and she's not afraid to step in and deal with Kaftan once the Doctor has highlighted her as a threat, even going as far as to hold the woman at gunpoint. This is much more like it, and I think I can go along with a version of Victoria that behaves more like this.

Elsewhere, I feel as though I need to praise the set design a little bit more today. The design of the tombs is simply stunning, and one of my favourite sets from Doctor Who's long history. You should have heard my cry of joy when the design cropped up again for Nightmare in Silver a couple of months ago. Everything about the tomb itself, especially the scale - which I think is best captured by an on-set photograph of director Morris Barry stood in front of the construction - is simply gorgeous, and I love it.

Back in 2005, with the programme back on TV and my friends suddenly deciding to take an interest, they asked to watch one of the old ones so they could see what it was like. Of course I plumped for showing them this! It’s my favourite story. Having sat through half the first episode with one friend complaining about the lack of colour (I shouldn't have been surprised - a few years earlier he'd walked out of a cinema screening of Van Helsing, because the first few minutes are black and white) and the other about the slow pace, I skipped ahead to show them the final few scenes of this episode, with the Cybermen being unfrozen from their winter sleep.

And they couldn't stop laughing. They thought it was hilarious. I was mortified - one of my favourite moments of Doctor Who and my friends couldn't stop talking about how rubbish it looked. I've always secretly thought that they were wrong (I say secretly, I tell them they're wrong, every time I visit home), but you know what? Watching it again now in the context of all these other episodes? I know they're wrong! Because it does look bloody fantastic!

The ice 'melting' from the tomb, the blurry shapes moving around inside before splitting open the casing and climbing down the ladders at the sides… it is a great moment, and it's an example of the show pulling off an effect pretty well. I'll admit, I don't like the way they start to break out of the tomb, and then are instantly frozen again (complete with a thick layer of ice - get your money's worth from the visual effects department) only to re-emerge, but everything else here is great. There's not all that many Cybermen, but when they're swarming around the cave it looks like masses of them. It's a great bit of directing from Barry.

Although, I will concede that the About Time book for this era is right - it would seem that the Cybercontroller has spent the last five centuries squatting in a cupboard. Ah.

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 177: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode One

Dear diary,

This is it! This is the big one! For the best part of the last decade, I've always cited The Tomb of the Cybermen as being my absolute favourite TV Doctor Who story. I credit this serial with making the Cybermen my favourite monsters, and Patrick Troughton my favourite Doctor. It's almost the template I have in mind for what Doctor Who is supposed to be. The bad thing about all this is that I've been dreading hitting it in The 50 Year Diary. It's always been my favourite when I'm comparing it to odd stories here and there, but how's it going to stand up in context? What am I going to make of it, now that I've discovered other gems like The War Machines and The Macra Terror? Essentially, is The Tomb of the Cybermen going to turn out to be really a little bit rubbish?

Thankfully, the answer to that question is no. Of course it's not going to all fall apart now that I've watched 160-something other episodes that immediately preceded it. The Tomb of the Cybermen is my favourite story for a reason, and it's holding its own very nicely here. You'll forgive me if I'm a little more forgiving of the story than I might otherwise be, but there's not an awful lot that needs to be overlooked - the full-body versions of the Cyberman image don't look half as good as the head-and-shoulders version that we're all far more familiar with, it's true, and it seems silly that there's a table and chairs waiting handily in the lobby to their tomb, yes. But you know what? Everything else here is fantastic, so I don't care!

I think it's probably telling that I've written more notes about this episode than I think I have about any other in the marathon so far. I usually get about six episodes on a single sheet of paper, but I've used a side and a half for this one. There's just so much that I wanted to note down, and so much that I could talk about that it felt silly not to. It probably helps that this is the first full Troughton story that I'll be able to watch (indeed, it's the only full Troughton story from his first two seasons in the role), which means that there's little visual things I can pick up on more than I've been able to lately.

So where to start? The introduction of a new companion has often been used as a way to reintroduce the concept of Doctor Who to an audience who may be joining for the first time, and it's strange to note that this is the first time that the re-establishment happens in the first story of the season - we pan into the image of the Police Box, and then cut to inside (the first time we've seen it since The Moonbase, which feels like an absolute age ago), where the Doctor explains that it's his home, and has been for some time. Victoria is then introduced to the concept of time travel, and the idea that they can travel anywhere in time and space. The aspect of not being able to control where they go gets glossed over on this occasion, though Jamie does ask the Doctor for a smooth landing.

It's another one of those moments that shows how much the Doctor and Jamie have become best friends since they first met, and even aside from the argument they had during the last story, they really are becoming inseparable. There's little wonder that they travel together until someone else forces them apart - I imagine the pair would still be out there somewhere if they could be. Troughton and Hines simply bounce from each other, from the way the hold hands (and then quickly stop) as they enter the tomb, to the Doctor's tease that the Highlander's skirt is a bit short. It makes this phase of the programme so much fun, and I really can't get enough of the pair.

Victoria, it has to be said, still isn't really giving me much to love, though. Deborah Watling is doing a good job, and again it has to be said how beautiful she looks as she stands in the TARDIS at the beginning, but the character is a bit of a generic Doctor Who girl. She wanders into the Cybermen's 'revitalising' machine, where the bad guy locks her in, and then she's flustered when she gets out. There's a moan to the Doctor about wanting to just leave, and a constant feeling of unease. I get that it's her very first TARDIS trip, but this is the side of the character we saw plenty of in The Evil of the Daleks, and the fact that I can't remember much about what else she does in my favourite story probably speaks absolute volumes.

Although I've only got tele-snaps to compare it to for the most part of the last season, this story seems to be set on a far vaster scale than I'm used to from the series. I seem to find myself saying this a lot every time we get to a surviving episode (it was true of The War Machines, and The Faceless Ones, and the tele-snaps for The Smugglers made it look pretty large scale, too), but we really are on a new level here. There's a shot early on as we look down past Toberman's legs to the rest of the archeological expedition below, and it makes the place look so grand that it almost throws you. It does have to be said that I'm not sure it always works as an alien world (there's another shot which makes it look like a group of people inappropriately dressed for a day that the beach), but it sets the story apart and really gives the start of the new season a glossy feel.

I could just go on and on about this episode and all the things that are right with it, but I'd start to bore you before too long, and there's another three episodes to fill with praise yet, so I think I'll call it a day here. Suffice to say that my favourite story hasn't let me down, and I'm tremendously pleased by that.

AudioGO have sent DWO the cover and details for the forthcoming Doctor Who CD release of Doctor Who And The Tomb Of The Cybermen.

Product Synopsis: 

The Cybermen – silver, indestructible monsters whose only goal is power – seem to have disappeared from their planet, Telos. When a party of archaeologists, joined by the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria, land on the Cybermen’s barren, deserted planet, they uncover what appears to be their tomb. 

But once inside it becomes clear that the Cybermen are not dead, and some in the group of archaeologists desperately want to re-activate these monsters! How can the Doctor defeat these ruthless, power-seeking humans and the Cybermen? 

Michael Kilgarriff, who played the Cyber Controller in the original BBC TV serial, reads Gerry Davis’ complete and unabridged novelisation, first published by Target Books in 1978.

+  Doctor Who And The Tomb Of The Cybermen is released on 7th March 2013, priced £13.25 (CD) / £10.99 (Download).

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com!

+  Check Out the DWO Release Guide entry for this product! 

[Source: AudioGO]

Manufacturer: BBC DVD / 2|Entertain

Written By: Kit Pedler, Gerry Davis, Bob Baker, Dave Martin & Chris Boucher

RRP: £35.75

Release Date: 13th February 2012

Reviewed By: Dale Who for Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 2nd February 2012

The Tomb of the Cybermen: Special Edition

Disc One:

Looking pin-sharp and sounding rich and vibrant on this two-disc BBC / 2|entertain release, as part of the Revisitations Box 3 set, Patrick Troughton's incarnation of The Doctor lands the TARDIS on Telos. He and his companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and new arrival Victoria (Deborah Watling) run into an archaeological expedition and a lot of deep frozen, large silver chaps with handles on their heads with an arsenal of Cyberguns and robotic pets. However, even when the dreaded Cybermen start to awaken there's more danger to come, when the Cyber Controller arrives on the scene. Can the Doctor and his friends overcome the Telosian menaces and the hostile intentions of Kaftan and Klieg? Or will the Cyber Controller have his way and be able to put a converted Time Lord into his deep freeze Tomb?

Special Features:

Commentary 1 - Deborah Watling and Frazer Hines give a gentle, calm and yet engrossing and enthralling voice-over to the story. It's all very calm and understated, and the two stars are entertaining, informative and give a unique perspective on the story. Simply lovely, and from the original release of this story.

Commentary 2 - The new commentary for this disc features Toby Hadoke in the captain's chair, with Victor Pemberton (Script Editor) and Bernard Holley (Peter Haydon) for episode one only, and then replaces them with Shirley Cooklin (Kaftan), Deborah Watling (Victoria) and Frazer Hines (Jamie) to discuss the story, behind the scenes, Cybermat chases and short skirts. A great new addition to the story, and filled with fun, laughter and insights into the production of The Tomb of the Cybermen.  

Morris Barry Introduction - Morris Barry (Director) talks about the trials of casting Cyber Controllers with no lines and explicit foam effects that upset the bosses. A short piece to camera that does exactly what it says on the tin, set in the middle of a Cyber head display.

Title Sequence Tests - Another 'does exactly what it says on the tin' piece. This time, test logos, howl-around sequences and photos of Patrick Troughton being messed around with to produce the second glorious opening to the world's longest running science fiction series. Simple (relatively!), but oh-so-effective, and set to the full original theme tune. Who needs CGI, hmm?

Late Night Line Up - The BBC2 magazine show takes a brief look a look at the visual effects department's output. With a very young Joan Bakewell looking at "children's science fiction" show Doctor Who - as opposed to "adult" science fiction and horror. Featuring Cyber Controllers and Cybermats, and a very familiar looking fly that was later repainted for The Green Death! Head of department Jack Kine shows us around in a short but fun piece.

The Final End - The Daleks manage to get a look-in here too, as the model and FX shots of the epic battle at the climax of The Evil of the Daleks get another airing. Featuring a lot of Louis Marx "Tricky Action" toy Daleks milling around, and some full size Dalek props - and the Emperor Dalek - meeting a large amount of explosives, and losing convincingly. Set to the original soundtrack taken from the story. Another short, fun piece taken from the original DVD release.

Info Text - Production notes, facts, figures and trivia along with actor biographies and behind the scenes snippets stream on-screen whilst the drama plays, and adds more fun to the story.  

Coming Soon Trailer - Not Hyde Park. Leela. Horda. Lots of men wearing very little indeed, and a mad computer called Xoanon. The next release is The Face of Evil, starring Tom Baker's Doctor and introducing Louise Jameson as the 'savage' Leela. Jelly babies and janis thorns not included.

Easter Egg - A little hidden gem hiding behind an emerald green Doctor Who logo on one of the menus that's guaranteed to raise a smile. Short but very, very sweet. 

As always. there's the usual Radio Times PDFs, and an extensive Photo Gallery of publicity and behind the scenes shots on the disc as well; with Subtitles and Audio Navigation for those who may want or need it.

But wait!! That's JUST disc one - and while that alone would be a top notch release with the amount crammed onto the DVD, there's a whole second disc to contend with!

Disc Two:

The Lost Giants - The making of Tomb is explored in this retrospective, with clips, and talking heads galore including Shirley Cooklin and Victor Pemberton. A fascinating look at where the story's origins lie, the direction and energy from Morris Barry, his methods of conducting people and much more. Covered in this half hour featurette are the production crew, the casting on the story, the evolution and the look of the 'Tomb' Cybermen and why the imagery has endured so well.

The backdrops used in the interviews - animated CGI from Rob Semenoff - are terribly clever and well done, with the Cyber energising room and the main control chamber being recreated very faithfully and cleverly... and then they start moving and doing little unexpected things that make you stop and stare.

This look back at how the Tomb was created and put together is both enterrtaining and informative, and a great new extra for this story.

The Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb - A look at the story's parallels with Egyptology and King Tut's tomb being discovered. It's very telling at just how close The Tomb of the Cybermen and the Tomb of King Tut are, design wise. Cybermats are scarab beetles, and of course the mummies (who would star in their own right much later on with the Pyramids of Mars) are the Cybermen. And then there's George Pastell who stars in the Hammer Horror Mummy films.

An interesting look at the origins of the story, curses of Pharoahs that may or may not exist, and where the Cybermen fit in, presented by two Egyptology experts who are engaging and affable.

Cybermen Extended Edition - With an opening shot that looks like it was taken straight out of the BBC's Sherlock, that then morphs into The Invasion's Cyber invasion in London. Matthew Sweet writes, narrates and presents this look at how the Cybermen evolved from humans to Cyber form in both Classic and New Who.  

Some very nice CGI work and what looks like the predecssor to Mister Smith from The Sarah Jane Adventures, help demonstrate the process graphically, which really [and possibly inadvertently] look like they could be taken from the old 1970s BBC version of The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

Utilising clips from The Tenth Planet right through to the Pandorica's Cybermen and all inbetween, this should be a fun and interesting look at the Cybermen.. but there's a weak link here, and sadly, it's presenter Sweet himself and his supposedly clever and witty script. It's not great it has to be said. His narration is somewhat condescending and too self indulgent, and takes away from the true greatness and horror of these metallic giants. It pokes fun at, instead of being suitably reverential to Doctor Who's second most-memorable baddies. Perhaps if someone Cyber converted the presenter it would be rather more entertaining. Can't fault the clips, the graphics or the history, but the sardonic tone really lets this piece down.

As always. there's the usual Radio Times PDFs, and an extensive Photo Gallery of publicity and behind the scenes shots on the disc as well; with Subtitles and Audio Navigation for those who may want or need it.

The Tomb of the Cybermen: Special Edition is great, with excellent restoration and some amazing extras to back up the release. The story is strong and all but one of the extras are perfectly pitched and set out; it's just a real shame that the one piece that should have been the jewel in it's crown is let down by ridiculing rather than lauding these iconic men of steel, and as it's the last item on the disc, it may leave a slightly bitter taste to what is otherwise a perfect release.

The Three Doctors: Special Edition

Disc One:

Something large and sinister is hunting The Doctor whilst threatening Gallifrey and the rest of the Universe in this two-disc release as part of the Revisitatons Box 3 set from the BBC / 2|entertain stable. With Gallifrey unable to assist the Time Lord, they organise a time stream merger so the Time Lord can help himself...several times over. Can three Doctors overcome the greatest threat they've ever faced?

Special Features:

Commentary - Oh, this one will tug at the heart strings as well and amusing and entertaining. Two dearly departed voices and one very much alive and kicking voice; Barry Letts, Nicholas Courtney and the ever fun Katy Manning discuss locations, trivia and filming of the story. It's light, fun, and not afraid to point out the somewhat less successful aspects of the production...like the Gel Guards movement. Thoroughly entertaining and informative, and a great remembrance for both Barry and Nick. Makes you very grateful Katy's still around, with that infectious laugh of hers!

Pebble Mill At One - Bernard Wilkie is the guest on this BBC lunchtime magazine show to talk about props, monsters and costumes, and brings with him a Death to the Daleks-style Dalek, a Cyberman, Spiridons, Gel Guards, a Draconian and various other rubber uglies from that era. An oft screened piece that shows the level of work that goes into the monsters, and showcases them rather well.

Blue Peter - Peter Purves (one Steven Taylor from the Hartnell era) introduces Jon Pertwee and his Whomobile in this 1973 edition of the children's show. Once Pertwee's been and gone in that insane car, there's a retrospective look back at ten years of Doctor Who with the previous Doctors, companions, monsters, and gadgets. Now infamous in Who fandom, as this was supposedly when The Tenth Planet episode four was lost, having been loaned to the Blue Peter office for use in clips.

BSB Highlights - 31 Who - The long since defunct Galaxy Channel of BSB (shortly after this it was taken over by the Murdoch empire) did a weekend-long marathon of Doctor Who, and here's the section relating to The Three Doctors. There's nothing new here, really, old facts recycled, and a taped interview with Jon Pertwee. Bob Baker and Dave Martin are there with their most famous creation, K-9, although it's not the original prop - it's the same one that's now in the Doctor Who Experience. They briefly discuss writing The Three Doctors, and the late John Nathan-Turner fills us in on the details. 31 Who's linking material has really not dated well...

The Five Faces Of Doctor Who Trailer - Fraud!  It's four faces and a team-up story!! The BBC2 season of repeats is plugged, almost to death, with this insanely overlong and boring trail. Running at around five minutes, the trail seems to pick the oddest moments to use as showcases for the stories themselves, and by the time it's gotten back to The Krotons you're losing the will to live.

BBC1 trailer - Unusual trailer in that it uses the Delaware version of the Doctor Who theme as the background music. A brief trailer for Episode One of The Three Doctors (at 5:45pm, after The Basil Brush Show at 5:15pm!).

40th Anniversary Promo Trail - Oh joy, another trailer. And in this case an entirely pointless one. Over-long, competely self-indulgent tosh made to advertise the DW40 video releases in 2003. Set to a rather badly edited version of Orbital's Doctor Who tribute (which, when not cut up and mucked around with, is a great piece). Frankly dreadful.

Into Text - More trivia and factoids, biographies and interesting tidbits served up onscreen during the story.

As always. there's the usual Radio Times PDFs, with Subtitles and Audio Navigation for those who may want or need it.

Disc Two:

Happy Birthday to Who - A 25 minute, new retrospctive of the anniversary adventure that reunited Doctors One, Two and Three. Terrance Dicks and the late, great Barry Letts discuss the problems faced with getting William Hartnell's performance, and what happen when the Doctor that was a stickler for lines and cues met the Doctor that liked things a little more free and flexible. Entertaining and despite the obvious negative elements that need to be addressed in the show, it never dwells or lets itself get too maudlin. 

Was Doctor Who Rubbish? - [sarcasm] Yes, of course it was. That's why we're buying the DVDs and still watching it almost fifty years later [/sarcasm]. Possibly the single most pointless extra ever to materialise on a Doctor Who DVD. In one of the worst cases witnessed of preaching to the converted, some fans of the show defend it against the criticism it has faced over the years relating to bad monsters, bad acting and wobbly sets; whilst shooting itself in the foot by running the footage of The Myrka from Warriors of the Deep being spectacularly awful. Doctor Who is not awful, but this lamentable fifteen minute list of 'things that don't suck about Doctor Who' (if you'll pardon the modern vernacular) most definitely is rubbish. Really, really rubbish.

Girls, Girls, Girls - the 1970s - And from the worst extra ever to one of the absolute best. The 1970s episode of this occasional series (started elsewhere on another DVD with the 1980s edition) has the scientist, the spy and the savage sitting together to discuss feminism, outfits, casting and Doctors. Caroline John (Liz Shaw), Katy Manning (Jo Grant) and Louise Jameson (Leela) provide a quality discussion that's always fun and light-hearted but clever, insightful and raises some valid points about not just Doctor Who, but acting in general. As with the 1980s edition, the simple format is magical in it's results, and shows that those lovely ladies who tagged along with The Doctor are far, far more than just a pretty woman to keep the Dads watching after Grandstand. Easily the best extra of the release. Nothing short of outstanding.

Photo Gallery - It's big, it's pretty, and it's been shunted to disc two this time. The promos, publicity and private shots of the tenth anniversary story. Plenty of shots of the Time Lords, those wonderfully daft Gel Guards, and the Doctors. Set to lots of lovely sound effects that will set your teeth on edge.

As always. there's the usual Radio Times PDFs, with Subtitles and Audio Navigation for those who may want or need it.

The Three Doctors works well as a story, however there's not as much that's new to watch on this release. Whilst it has one of the very best extras available, it also has one of the very worst, and you'll need to be a real trailer afficionado to work your way through some parts of this re-release. Honestly, however, it would be worth getting even if it was simply the story, the commentary and the 'Girls, Girls, Girls' segment. Less impressive than the other two stories in this set, but still a good release, rather than a great one.

The Robots Of Death: Special Edition

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) arrive on a Sandminer - a trundling behemoth of a vehicle designed to extract minerals from the surface of any given planet. However, something sinister is going on inside the miner, and the human crew are being killed one at a time, whilst their robot cohabitants carry on calmly with their duties of extracting minerals and being reprogrammed by an on-board traitor. This single disc release from the BBC / 2|Entertain, forms part of the Revisitations Box 3 set, with a raft of new and fun extras guaranteed to delight anyone (providing they're not a Voc).

Special Features:

Commentary 1 - Philip Hinchcliffe (Producer) and Chris Boucher (Writer) provide quite a serious voice-over track for this tale, taken from the original release of this DVD. Not much larking around in this commentary, it's all very calm and professional; however...

Commentary 2 - Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Pamela Salem (Toos) and Michael Briant (Director) have a lot more fun in the second commentary; newly recorded for this special edition re-release. There's laughs and love a-plenty, and the warmth for the story shows through easily. Entertaining and slightly less informative than the first commentary, but it doesn't matter due to the wonderful atmosphere created, you can help but get lost in the mood. It's also evident that the cast hold Michael Briant in high esteem, from their recollections here and elsewhre on the disc.

The Sandmine Murders - A new retrospective of The Robots of Death, using many clips - very nicely framed on the TARDIS scanner of the time, with Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Philip Hinchcliffe and a whole slew of other faces queue up to discuss the ups and downs of filming. The story's roots in Agatha Christie are also explored, as well as how the Sandminer came about.

There's an evident amount of affection for this story from all involved, both at the time and retrospectively. Costumes and set design, robot manufacturing and how to mollycoddle difficult leading men all come up in the course of this half hour featurette, but it's all kept very light and happy and holds the attention very well indeed.

Robophobia - Toby Hadoke presents a ridiculously funny look at the robot, as he puts it, "more specifically the Doctor Who variety". Unlike the attempts at humour on The Tomb of the Cybermen DVD, which came across as snide, this is a fun and affectionate look at the robot menaces in Doctor Who - mentioning, of course, the goodies too (who's a good dog?) as a balance. It's only a short piece at ten minutes or so, but it proves that some extras can be insanely funny when done properly, and Toby Hadoke pitches this one perfectly.

Hadoke's reverential yet very precisely silly humour is bang on target, and you get to see why it is that Hadoke's Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf is such an ongoing favourite wth fans, cast and crew alike; for Toby has a great line in comedy and an obvious love for the subject matter.  

Studio Sound - A short, interesting comparison of the sound as recorded in studio, with the original voice of SV7 as recorded on set from the actor inside the mask. The level in sound quality between the segment and the finished product is remarkable, as is the reduction in the background noise and things like doors shutting noisily before the sound effects are added. A very short piece at around two minutes, but it gives a rare insight into just how much work goes into making the most mundane everyday noises sound clear and crisp for television.

Model Shots - Unused model footage from The Robots of Death, including mute footage of the Sandminer in various views and zooms. The footage, being vintage itself, isn't of the best quality any more, but it's interesting to see various planetary views and shots of the mining vessel we didn't get to see on-screen. It's also very apparent that someone liked to be very liberal and generous with the dry ice machine...although as it creeps and rolls forward in one scene it's eerily reminiscent of the 1980 movie version of James Herbert's The Fog! There's around five or six minutes of this silent timecoded footage to sit through, but it's not too painful to endure.

Studio Floor Plan - A weird one, this. The studio floor plan that tells you what was where (for example the TARDIS control room set) and then lets you zoom into it for a closer look. Certainly something never done on these DVDs before, but really not that enthralling unless you're heavily into your sets and placing of consoles. An interesting curio however, and yet more information to the wealth already on the DVD.

Continuity - The 1970s BBC1 globe with voice over announces the start of a new four part adventure (this one!) and a caption slide as used for Season Fourteen of the show. Entertaining in showing the technology the spinning globe employed at the time in vivid blue and yellow. Short and wonderfully dated.

Photo Library - The usual range of publicity and behind the scenes stills from the story, shedding some light and some new angles on what was a very clever and novel design for the interiors of the Sandminer and the crew living quarters, and the robots themselves.  Nicely presented as always.

With the usual Radio Times PDFs and Audio Navigation and Subtitles for those who may need them, this repackaged and re-released DVD works really well on its own but as part of the Revisitations Box 3 set, slots very nicely into a growing range of exceptionally well-covered Doctor Who stories.

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com!

2|Entertain have sent DWO the cover and details for the Doctor Who DVD release of the Revisitations Box 3.

The Tomb Of The Cybermen: Special Edition

Featuring: Patrick Troughton as The 2nd Doctor

For centuries, the disappearance of the Cybermen from the universe has been a mystery. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on Telos - once the Cyber home world - just as an Earth expedition uncovers the entrance to a long-lost control centre filled with baffling technology.

Special Features:

•  Morris Barry Introduction - The director's introduction from the 1993 VHS release.

•  Title Sequence - Tests and build-up elements for the Patrick Troughton title sequence.

•  Late Night Line-Up - behind the scenes at the BBC Visual Effects department to interview Jack Kine.

•  The Final End - The Evil of the Daleks is mostly missing from the BBC archives. A small taste of the climactic battle...

•  Abominable Snowmen Audio Trailer

•  Coming Soon Trailer

•  Production Subtitles

•  The Lost Giants - Cast and crew look back on the making of the story.

•  The Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb - Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr Debbie Challis examine the ancient Egyptian origins to the story.

•  Cybermen - Extended Edition - A history of the Cybermen.

•  The Magic of VidFIRE - A look at the technology behind the VidFIRE process.

•  Sky Ray Advert - 1960's Doctor Who themed promo for Walls Sky Ray ice lolly.

•  Photo Gallery

•  Radio Times Listings

The Three Doctors: Special Edition

Featuring: Jon Pertwee as The 3rd Doctor

The Time Lords are in crisis. A powerful force is draining their energy into a mysterious Black Hole - and they must recruit the Doctor to save them. But one Doctor isn't enough for this mission...

Special Features:

•  Commentary

•  Happy Birthday To Who - A brand-new look at the making of this anniversary story.

•  Was Doctor Who Rubbish? - Raising a defence against criticism of the classic series.

•  Girls, Girls, Girls - The 1970s Katy Manning, Caroline John (Liz Shaw) and Louise Jameson (Leela) on being a 1970s Doctor Who girl.

•  Pebble Mill At One - Archival interview with the second Doctor Patrick Troughton and visual effects wizard Bernard Wilkie.

•  Blue Peter Jon Pertwee introduces the Whomobile.

•  BSB Highlights Cast and crew discuss The Three Doctors

•  The Five Faces Of Doctor Who - The full trailer for the 1981 repeat season which included The Three Doctors.

•  BBC1 Trailer

•  40th Anniversary Trailer

•  Radio Times listings

•  Production Subtitles

•  Photo Gallery

•  Coming Soon Trailer

•  Digitally remastered picture and sound

The Robots Of Death: Special Edition

Featuring: Tom Baker as The 4th Doctor

The TARDIS, carrying the Doctor and his new companion Leela, arrives aboard a huge sandminer on a deserted world. The small human crew rely almost entirely on robots to carry out their every task and whim while they mine the planet's rich minerals.

Special Features:

•  Commentary 1 - Original release commentary.

•  Commentary 2 - New commentary with actors Tom Baker (the Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela) and Pamela Salem (Toos), and director Michael E Briant.

•  The Sandmine Murders - Cast and crew look back at the making of the story.

•  Robophobia - Toby Hadoke takes a humorous look at the history of robots.

•  Studio Sound - Example of a studio scene before the robot voice effects were added.

•  Model Shots Black and white time-coded recording of the original model insert film.

•  Studio Floor Plan - Interactive view of the studio layout via the original floor plan drawings.

•  Continuity - Off-air continuity for the first episode's original transmission plus mute continuity slide.

•  Radio Times listings

•  Programme subtitles

•  Production information subtitles

•  Photo gallery

•  Coming soon trailer

•  Digitally remastered picture and sound quality

+  Revisitations Box 3 is released on 13th February 2012, priced £35.75.

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com.

+  Rent the Revisitations box set at LOVEFiLM today, LOVEFiLM have a fantastic range of Doctor Who DVDs in stock now!

[Source: 2|Entertain]