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

A very high quality, penultimate episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 1 March 2021]

The Doctor reveals that he was at Det-Sen three hundred years ago, where he was given the holy ghanta, it was there that he first encountered Padmasambhava.

There is nothing heavy, or explosive here, it is all so subtle and measured. There's lots of mystery and intrigue still, we're left with lots of unanswered questions, we still don't know what The Great Intelligence is, and why the monks are being forced to leave.

Instead of making a fuss about his previous meeting with Padmasambhava, The Doctor sneaks off to speak to him, how on Earth can he be so old? It's all so detailed and interesting.

The acting has been so impressive here, I have absolutely loved Wolf Morris throughout, that voice was one of the best elements of this story.

Thoroughly enjoyable, 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