Rise of the Cybermen

The TARDIS all but discharges, in a parallel world like our own, so the Doctor, Rose and Mickey find some time to have a roam (while the TARDIS repowers, phew!). Micky goes his separate way and bumps into his double, while the other two are hired help at a party where there's trouble (although Micky is in a spot of bother too). The Cybermen surround the place and things are looking bad, not just for our three travellers, they're at Rose's mam and dad's (in a parallel world sense at least).

Rise of the Cybermen is the first part of a two part story where the TARDIS takes the Doctor, Rose and Mickey to an alternative Earth where Rose's father Pete is still alive and successful but is working for an evil businessman Lumic who has created a parallel universe version of the Cybermen.

Apparently a section of fans dislike this modern take on the Cybermen but I belong to the section of fans who feel that this redesign is absolutely fine. There were many disappointing Cybermen stories in the classic series and many disappointingly represented versions of Cybermen with dodgy voices, unimpressive design changes and illogical plans. I loved the original Mondasian Cybermen and loved their return at the end of the 12th doctor's era. However, despite the occasional great story which kept Cybermen as one of my favourite monsters there were plenty of Cybermen stories over the 60s, 70s and 80s that could have been a lot better.

These 21st Century alternative reality Cybermen are far better than some of the earlier versions with a design that looks good, works well for a modern audience, good voices and a good level of menace. Some of the scenes make them properly scary and threatening again. Lumic is also a suitably unpleasant villain.

The trip to a parallel Earth adds a great extra element into the plot which makes this a fun and interesting 2 parter. There is great humour, some nice pathos and good excitement.

My rating: 9.5/10.

After a slightly uncertain start to this episode, featuring the long awaited return of the second most iconic Dr. Who monsters, it gets into its stride. The Doctor,Rose and Mickey find themselves in an alternate London, sending both Rose and Mickey on the trail of relatives that have long since died in their reality. Finally, we start to get an idea of what makes Mickey tick as his back story is filled in. Rose's desperation to see her father is a rerun of Father's Day from Series 1 and covers much of the same ground, which gave this episode a score of 9 rather than 10. The Doctor is almost a peripheral figure for most of the episode, but David Tennant makes the most of every line, look and gesture. The villain, Lumic, was a muted character compared to Davros but quite effective. When the Cybermen arrived, their previous risible portrayals in Doctor Who were completely removed from the memory. These are Borg like monsters. This, in effect, returns the favour as the Borg were originally based on the Cybermen, as their first appearance in the episode entitled 'Q Who' makes clear! They even have their own catchphrase to rival the Daleks' 'exterminate!!'. The new Who goes from strength to strength.

When Rusell T. Davies became head writer of the revived Doctor Who, he dictated that the stories be kept as simple as possible in order to avoid alienating new audiences. In particular, no space travel unless it involved humans settled on another planet. Rise of the Cybermen, which comes shortly after that continuity-embracing yarn that was School Reunion, dares to break that rule by taking our characters to a place never before explored, even in the original series.

Still "stuck" with Mickey, the Doctor and Rose witness the impossible - a TARDIS malfunction that causes them to end up in a parallel world. They're on Earth, all right, but it's a bit different: Rose was never born, her father Pete (Shaun Dingwall) is still alive, and Mickey's counterpart is called Ricky (a nice reference to Eccleston's name-calling in the first season). Most notably, though, there's been a significant evolution in the field of cybernetics, with one John Lumic (Roger Lloyd-Pack, last seen playing David Tennant's father in the fourth Harry Potter film) determined to use the new technology to create a new robotic body that will contain his brain once a terminal disease has disposed of him. Inevitably, the gang is drawn to Cybus Industries: Rose is eager to meet her long lost "father", while the Doctor suspects something evil is lurking in the shadows...

While the title pretty much gives away the plot (especially if you're an old school fan), this remains an entertaining and thrilling story that effortlessly blends old mythology and new story lines, using the classic "alt-world" gimmick (see Star Trek and Buffy) for great dramatic and comic effect. On the minus side, Mickey is more annoying than usual, and Lloyd-Pack is the show's most wooden villain so far. But hey, the cliffhanger is a surefire guarantee the conclusion will be worth watching.

This is a strange episode where the Tardis travels to an alternative universe where everything is the same but different . One in which Rose Tyler was never born , her would be father is very much alive , where everyone travels via blimps and where a megalomaniac is trying to reach immortality via cybernetics .

If you ignore one of the all time classics from the original series ( inferno from 1970 ) then this is a fairly entertaining two part story . Director Harper makes the best asset of night filming , something seen only very rarely in the original show . Some of the acting is superb especially from Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler and even David Tennant is impressive especially in the cliffhanger that'll have you gasping as to how the Doctor and his friends will get out of that one !

Despite the positives there are some negatives . Despite some good performances Noel Clarke is once again terrible while Don Warrington is wooden but Roger Lloyd Pack gives just about the worst performance ever seen in the show's revival as a cross between Trigger and Davros ( Trigos ? ) . I suppose we should be charitable and say that children watching this won't notice the acting or the fact previous continuity has been totally ignored and they begged their parents to be allowed to watch this show simply to see the Cybermen . Fair enough . You can't help thinking it could have been just a little bit better though