Doctor Who (TV Series) The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 2 (1967) User Reviews

"It's cold down here, even with the anoraks..." A Doctor Who classic.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 28 October 2007]

Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 2 starts as Professor Parry (Aubrey Richards) after the death of Haydon (Bernard Holley) decides the expedition should be abandoned, however Captain Hopper (Geoge Roubicek) scupper's his plans when he says the spaceship has been deliberately damaged & will take at least 72 hours to repair. Professor Parry has no choice but to carry on, Eric Klieg (George Pastell) manages to open the hatch inside the main room which leads to the tomb of the Cybermen & the team venture inside while Victoria (Deborah Watling) & Kaftan (Shirley Cooklin) stay up top. While down below Klieg reveals his evil intentions which starts with reviving the long dormant Cybermen...

Episode 2 from season 5 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during September 1967, one of the few surviving complete Patrick Troughton stories this was directed by Morris Barry & is actually a really good story. The script by Kit Pedler & Gerry Davis is coming along nicely, there's been some betrayal & backstabbing although the bad guy's were pretty easy to spot right from the word go, there's been some Cybermen action too & the story is starting to take shape. As a four part story with each episode only 25 minutes in length this has moved along at a good pace, there hasn't been any really noticeable padding which I'm grateful for at least & it's a simple yet effective & very watchable story that has been well told so far. The bit part character's haven't been that great, they have been poorly fleshed out clichés but most of them have already been killed off so that's something. I'm also not sure about a potential future when anoraks are all the rage amongst space travellers!

At the end of this episode we get to see our first glimpse of the Cybermen in action, in The Tomb of the Cybermen the Cybermen themselves are more or less identical to the one seen in their last story the season before in The Moonbase (1967) although this story sees the first appearance of the Cyber Controller who for some reason has no chest unit (which means to my eyes he doesn't look quite as robotic as your average Cyberman) & an effective looking large cranial dome with a large brain partially visible inside. I must admit I do like Cybermen stories & I really like their harsh electronic voices here, they sound so cold & with their rectangular letterbox mouths, blank hollow eyes & smooth featureless yet obviously human inspired heads they are in my opinion the most effective monster to appear in Doctor Who & these 60's versions look really good.

The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 2 is another great episode in a good story, a must for fans of the show & this is one story which I could see appealing to a wider audience.

It's cold in the tombs.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 6 June 2017]

A Cyberman has been witnessed killing Hayden, but The Doctor discovers it was a test model,a decision is made to leave the excavation following the tragedy, but the means of escape have been sabotaged. With no other choice then to stay, the excavation of the tomb begins, as Kaftan and Klieg put their plan into action. The dormant Cybermen are brought to life, it's clear nobody controls them.

I love the whole concept of the Cybermen being frozen in a tomb, waiting for the world to change before they're awakened. The tomb itself is particularly well realised for the time, it looks so impressive. The imagery of the Cybermen breaking out of their internment is pretty iconic. I love the idea of the Brotherhood of Logicians, clear thought had gone into this script.

A very ambitious episode, particularly well realised, enjoyable from beginning to end. 9/10

We will get there eventually

[Glen_Chapman · 7/10 · 23 January 2011]

I didn't rate this episode nearly as highly as the first. In reality it is not much more than a bridging chapter, with a lot of time being used to set up the rest of the storyline. Kaftan and Klieg's motivation is expanded, the ship is disabled, and the secret of the hatch is unraveled. Information that could have been rolled out in 5 minutes if need be.

Once they access the city the chapter really gets its legs again. The expedition finds the Cyber tomb, Kaftan reveals her true motivation to Victoria and finally in the closing minutes, the defrosting Cybermen begin to emerge from their tomb.

Great entertaining adventure, superb start to a superb season.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 28 August 2014]

Review of all 4 episodes:

This story of an archaeological expedition in the future searching for the remnants of the Cybermen is rightly highly praised. It is great TV with thrills, fun and the Doctor on usual good form. Many people herald this as one of the all time top 10 or 20 greatest classic stories in the history of the series and I think that is only a very tiny exaggeration of its quality. It is a truly great 4 part story with only a few small imperfections. Parts 1, 2 and 4 are 10/10 classic episodes, whilst not necessarily absolutely perfect they are deserving of top marks overall. Part 3 has a few scenes that are less impressive but it is still brilliant and I rate Part 3 as 9/10.

The only real flaw in the production is the American characters Captain Hopper and Jim Callum which are cheesily written and woodenly performed. It is mainly the fact there are more scenes involving them in Part 3 that hold it back slightly from top marks. Thankfully they are not in it very much in the rest of the story.

Season 5 of Doctor Who is one of the most popular and highly regarded and I 100 percent agree with that as it is in my top 5 Doctor Who series of all time. In my opinion this story is mostly magical, memorable, exciting and fun but even then it is not quite as good as some of other stories that followed in series 5 like The Abominable Snowmen, The Ice Warriors or The Web of Fear which are even more magical and near perfect.

The ideas of Cybermen in a tomb and them coming out of their 'cocoons' are thrilling ideas and provide some great moments. The Cybermen themselves are marvelous villains although I am in the minority who feel their voices during this period are inferior to the earlier 'sing song' voices used in The Tenth Planet. The Doctor and Jamie are really entertaining throughout the story (although you as always have to suspend disbelief a bit with Jamie at times as he copes with time travel and science slightly too well for his supposedly simple Scottish Highlander character from the past). There is plenty of good dialogue and action and only a few less well executed scenes along the way.

Overall it is excellent and an all time classic but look forward to a few other stories later in Season 5 which I feel are even better!