Doctor Who (TV Series) The Abominable Snowmen: Episode One (1967) User Reviews

A very good start.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 19 November 2015]

The Doctor is delighted to land The TARDIS in Tibet, he leaves Jamie and Victoria behind, and sets off for Det-Sen.

I love the Abominable snowmen, it's the first time we get to see the wonderful Professor Travers, brilliantly played by Victoria's real life father Jack Watling. They Yeti too were a tremendous creation, it is no wonder they were quickly re-introduced in The Web of Fear.

Victoria was wonderfully sassy in her earlier episodes, she's the one curious and wanting to explore, Jamie being more reserved.

When you look at stills, and production shots, you see how good a job the team did in making this look authentic.

It really is such a shame that it doesn't exist in its entirety, this first episode is such a good indicator as to the sheer quality of this story. It's a fine start, and would only get better. 8/10.

Great Intelligence, great story!

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 30 August 2014]

Review for all 6 episodes:

A story set in 1935 Tibet with Yeti, a strange alien menace and a Buddhist monastery. The Doctor and his companions are all on top form with Troughton and Hines great as usual and Deborah Watling finding her feet. The story is brilliantly written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and it entertains from start to finish.

This adventure has great characterisation with particularly Travers (Jack Watling) and the interesting villain the Great Intelligence. The switching between the kindly voice of the Great Intelligence's possessed host and the evil true voice of the villain works well and the character - which was to return later in the series and again in the new Doctor Who in recent years - is a really good one. Travers who would also return in The Web of Fear is another interesting and fully three dimensional character.

The Yeti, robots controlled by The Great Intelligence, are effective and cleverly devised monsters although they look a bit too cuddly. The versions in the later story The Web of Fear were slightly more sinister looking.

The first episode is a brilliant set up episode with an effective and atmospheric build up, thereafter the story continues as magnificently high quality entertainment. Overall the story is a classic and sets up the even better Web of Fear later in the series.

All 6 Episodes - 10/10

Now, I know why The Snowmen had a similar title to The Abominable Snowmen!

[wetmars · 9/10 · 21 November 2020]

Mysterious forces are at work in 1930s Tibet. The once gentle Yeti have turned savage and besieged a Buddhist monastery. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive expecting a friendly welcome from the abbot, but soon become ensnared in the plans of the extradimensional being known as the Great Intelligence.

Review of all six episodes -

I haven't done a review for a while, haven't I? It was the greatest of the Great Intelligence, a menacing entity, who would appear in later stories like The Web of Fear, The Snowmen, The Bells of Saint John, The Name of the Doctor. I love how they designed the Yeti's, and how they have done with Jamie's and Victoria's clothing, as well as the famous fur coat the Doctor tries on! Which will make an appearance in the Five Doctors.

Highly suspenseful and atmospheric story, well done! Such a shame that there are missing episodes in this one. Interestingly enough, that one of the actors playing the Yeti fell hundreds of feet during filming and was feared dead, but was merely inebriated and fortunately cushioned by the foam rubber inside the custome, impressive! I can relate to the actor of Victoria why she named this as her favorite story, working with your dad can be fun.

9/10.