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Doctor Who: The Tomb Of The Cybermen
01/11/2006 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
DVD Region 2. Pub: BBC BBCDVD 1032. 1 DVD 4 episodes 95 minutes plus extras. Price: £19.99 although can be got for less than £ 7.00 if you know where to look (UK). stars: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling. Buy Doctor Who: The Tomb Of The Cybermen in the USA - or Buy Doctor Who: The Tomb Of The Cybermen in the UK  check out website: www.bbcshop.com
'The Tomb Of The Cyberman' has a varied history since its release in 1967. A very popular four-part episode, it was believed lost when parts of the BBC archive was wiped until a copy appeared in 1992 and was promptly released on video. It was eagerly bought by both fans old and new cos I was amongst the older ones, remembering it from my youth. The DVD version here has been through a digital polishing, as demonstrated on this disk, and has become a very clear and defined version. It has lost none of its magic over the years showing that well-written stories stand the length of time.
The Doctor and his companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield, arrive on Telos - probably the only time we ever see anything of the homeworld - to join an archaeological expedition from Earth seeking out what happened to the Cybermen. Getting through various traps, the Doctor eventually has half the expedition realising they aren't all there for the same reason when three of the party turn on them and release the Cybermen from their icy tomb.
Although the summary is very brief, it does little justice to the content. A shorter story than usual but it avoids some of the padding other stories had. This is also the second Cybermen story with the original one mostly lost. If you want to compare these Cybermen with the 2006 version then this is a good one to pick up. I have to confess that in an open comparison, the 1967 version scares me a lot more than the new ones mostly because these still look remotely human. The new version is far too robotic. It's also interesting to note that the sentence, 'Resistance Is Futile', came from this story and not twenty years down the line from another set of cyborgs in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'.
There is also a lot of extras with interviews with the crew and cast recorded 14 years ago as well as a more up-to-date audio commentary from Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling today and an examination of the special effects. An odd effect of the audio commentary was pointing out various details of the special effects and spotting the strings on a couple of the cybermats. When you watch the story properly you don't tend to pay that much attention to such details because if you're really engrossed you're paying attention to the story itself.
Its very interesting that there was an outrage at the BBC for showing the graphic death of a Cyberman yet nothing for the various deaths of humans including two electrocutions, one blaster hit and two by bullet wounds. Quite a high body count for Doctor Who.
Of the Doctor Who stories released on DVD so far, there haven't been enough Patrick Troughton ones. Buy this one and let's encourage an over late release of 'The War Games'.
Geoff Willmetts
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