Attack of the Cybermen

Attack of the Cybermen
by Paula Moore
Originally Broadcasted: January 5th-12th, 1985

Lytton from Resurrection of the Daleks is back and is supposedly planning a diamond heist in the heart of London. Little do his cohorts know that his true plan is to be captured by the Cybermen living in the sewer of London, so he can get to the planet Telos. The Doctor picks up Lytton's distress signal and get drawn into the fight for freedom of both Lytton and the Cyrons...

Attack of the Cybermen was a controversial story when it was first released, mainly for the high level of violence on display in the story. Many main characters are killed off, and The Doctor even wields a gun and kills a few Cybermen himself. A particularly violent scene was when Lytton's hands were crushed until the blood gushed out by the Cybermen (as seen in the photo above). Personally, I think the violence just adds to the believability of the story. It's tragic, and that makes for good drama. This story was the first of Colin Baker's first full season as The Doctor, and so it had to make an impact, as well as try to calm his character down and make him a bit more likable after how erratic he was in The Twin Dilemma, the Sixth Doctor's first story. It was also the first story to utilize the 45 minute episode format, which would only be used for this season, and wouldn't be seen again until Doctor Who returned in 2005. Attack of the Cybermen, and the other stories of Season 22 really benefit from the different format. It sets a much better pace for the episodes, and everything is allowed to unravel more naturally. After a relatively bland roll in Resurrection of the Daleks, Lytton is given a much better roll in this story. You really don't know what his motives are, and when it's revealed that he's actually trying to help the Cyrons (the aboriginal species of the Cybermen's new planet Telos), most in the audience will be very surprised. I know I was the first time I saw it. The Doctor doesn't trust Lytton until its too late, and that's something that very obviously effects him.

Luke's Rating: 8/10