Rise of the Cybermen

Aaaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The first episode in the new Dr Who that made me want to hide behind the sofa!!!!!!!!!! Aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!! I literally screamed out in terror at the end!!!!!! You know Doctor Who is back when you get this spooked! New Cybermen - so evil and villainous! Are they back for good? Are the gang all stuck in an alternate dimension??!?!!?!? Will other villains be coming back cos of this alternate dimension?!?!?!? Seriously, way more scary than the Borg. I know they have the whole special effects and Star Trek angle - but I don't think they can beat monochrome evil! And think about it - Cybermen vs Borg? Who'd win - really?

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.

The episode is truly gripping. You see it build throughout as the Doctor, Rose and Mickey don't quite know who the villains are yet, until later on in the episode. I thought this approach better suited this episode, and worked really well with it's premise. And right from the get go we see the Cyberman in the scariest form, already murdering someone inside 2 minutes. I like the idea behind this episode to as it perfectly sets up the Finale, we have a parallel universe to Earth, where everything is slightly different. We see Mickey going and exploring, and finding his own way around, as well as Rose and the Doctor. Mickey finds his grandmother who he so dearly misses. Then gets taken. The Doctor and Rose then go and see Pete and Jacky. Roses mother and father. They then encounter the villains, as the tension and suspension builds. Which leads to the Iconic line, "I've seen them before, Cyberman" which was a great line. And this leads perfectly into the next episode where the Doctor and the gang are surrounded by the Cyberman.

Finally, the return of the Cybermen, last year we had the return of the Daleks, this time around we get the long awaited appearance of the other cult villain, the Cybermen. We've had a trio of wonderful episodes ending with the Girl in the Fireplace, the next trio would be slightly less good.

The Doctor, Rose and Mickey are marooned on a parallel London after the TARDIS explodes and dies. Parallel London is different in many ways (echoes of Inferno,) Pete Tyler is still alive, the sky is full of zeppelins. Pete and Rose are a success, Rose is a Yorkshire Terrier. John Lumic appears to be behind the creation of the new Cybermen, he tries with the help of the Cybermen to build on his Cybus industries. Not getting it Lumic proceeds anyway attacking at Jackie's 40th Birthday celebration, all are cornered.

I think Noel Clarke is really good in this one, I enjoyed the part where he meets up with his Gran, and finally the Ricky question is answered, and he's really good in the Ricky role. It pains me to say it but I really disliked Roger Lloyd Pack's characterisation of John Lumic, I've loved him over the years, but he is rather terrible, as is Don Warrington, who almost seems uncomfortable, he is very wooden.

The imagery of people being turned into Cybermen is very well done, it's very macabre and nasty, and the sound they make when they march fits in really well. The cliffhanger is a brilliant one, very satisfying, seemingly no way out.

I liked the link back to The Invasion, Cybus Industries, International Electromatics etc.

7/10 it's good, but it should have been fantastic.

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