The time of the third Doctor had just passed, and the time of the fourth had just arrived. At the end of he previous season Jon Pertwee had just regenerated into Tom Baker, and the new Era began. It was the first season of the latest Doctor, and all of the great things in the Tom Baker era were still to come. At this point the writers were still figuring out who this new Doctor was, and the facets of his personality. His bohemian attitude, and all of his eccentricities were still being figured out. It was still in this time, the first season, that this serial takes place. This serial, “Revenge of the Cybermen,” follows on a continual story arc that had run from the end of the serial that began the season, “Robot,” and runs until the serial “Terror of the Zygons.” It also follows the classic serial that is infinitely important to the series, “Genesis of the Daleks,” as it tells the creation of Daleks.
Now you can own Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen on DVD!
In “Revenge of the Cybermen” our intrepid heroes, The Doctor and his two Companions Sara Jane and Harry, find themselves traveling through time without the TARDIS, lost, after carrying out a secret mission for The Doctor’s people, the Time Lords. Assuming that they will find the TARDIS when they arrive at their unknown destination, Nerva Beacon, they instead find what seems to be a plague infecting the crew. It is at this point, with a little investigation, that our Heroes find they have ended up in the final battle in a war between mankind and the Cybermen.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary:
-The stories and interesting facts about the production of the serial, as told by actors Elisabeth Sladen, David Collings, and producer Phillip Hinchcliffe.
– “Checks, Lies, and Videotape“: This is a half hour documentary about collecting Doctor Who episodes before the time of official BBC releases on videocassette and DVD.
– “The Tin Man, and the Witch”: The half hour making-of documentary.
– Location Report: An archival interview with Tom Baker, and pictures of the on location shoot at Wookey Hole.
– Photo Gallery: It’s a four-minute video gallery of photos from the production and the episode.
– PDF Materials: The BBC gives the fans a downloadable document to download from the DVD to their computer. This is the Radio Times listings for the episode.
Overall:
“Revenge of the Cybermen” is one of the classic Cybermen episodes from the run of the original series of Doctor Who. (The serial is still during the fourth Doctor’s first season with this his character is still being figured out – not quite sure what you’re trying to say here…re-read!), and as such, the story is not as strong as anything from his second season onward to “Logopolis” where he regenerates into the fifth Doctor. This was also the season’s serial where they had to cut down the budget to keep the series profitable. This led to reusing the set of the space station from “The Ark in Space,” and a much lower effects-budget than usual, leaving the effects lacking and sometimes laughable. The serial is still a fun watch nonetheless, and because it is one of the early Tom Baker episodes as well as a Cybermen episode, this is one for the fans of Doctor Who to own. Now, I wouldn’t introduce anyone to the series with this serial, but longtime fans will enjoy seeing what it has to offer.
ComicsOnline gives Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen 4 cybermats out of 5.
Get your copy of Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen on DVD at Amazon.
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