"When I look at you, I often wonder why your ancestors bothered to climb out of the primordial slime." Today we flew past 19,000 subscribers! Thanks so much for the support! Let's keep the momentum going by "liking" this video and leaving any comment down below to keep appeasing the almighty UA-cam algorithm!
Mr TARDIS 20K subscribers As an American, I have to say that "Attack of The Cybermen" is still one of the most extremely dark and violent, brutal episodes I've watched. Also the Cyber Controller's very BRUTAL death is still a very satisfying Villain death.
@@jamieolberding7731 I think Attack of the Cybermen was too violent in trillions of ways and also much as the Cybermen as my top favourite returning villains in Attack they were treated like crap and not as well utilised like in Earthshock Tomb Wheel in Space the Moonbase or even the Tenth Planet the next Cyberstory Silver Nemesis was a waste of space .
@@Eltonlaleham But David Banks still nailed the role as the Cybermen Leader in all of his onscreen appearances as the Cyber Leader in Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of The Cybermen, and also in Silver Nemesis too in my opinion.
Potentially unpopular opinion: i kinda like the arrogant, bombastic Sixth Doctor. I appreciate the softer version of him we get in Big Finish, but there's something about his tv persona that really works for me
Colin’s Doctor had potential as did his more strident tone. It was a welcome change from Davison’s timidity. However his ridiculous costume completely undermined this approach. Plus his manner with Peri was mostly awful. I have only taken in some of colins big finish but it seems pretty clear they did better a job of balancing 6s prickliness with some warmth but without contradicting what we saw from the tv series. Plus big finish’s writers are leagues better than what 80s who had to offer.
I definitely agree - when Colin Baker is allowed to act like his interpretation of the Doctor he's very charming in his arrogance. The biggest problem I had with the CB era was that the writers had him break character several times during his two season run (insanity, mind control, falsified evidence ,etc). The short-term insanity caused by regeneration sickness in the first two storylines were okay as it depicted a serious consequence of the 5th Doctor choosing to regenerate not knowing if he'd survive the process but beyond that it ruined the character and I think that this is one of the main reasons why CB isn't well regarded.
There is a version of TV!6 that I could see making his brashness and arrogance more appealing, but it's a version that is not serviced AT ALL by Season 22. There's a scene in The Two Doctors where he insults Peri's intelligence *well* beyond playful teasing and it's just so bad and gross
Jonathan Kennedy 1 year ago The thing about MOST Time Lords is that they are xenophobic, racist, non-interfering, LAZY, ARROGANT, BULLYING, JERKS who ONLY care about preserving their own lives instead of helping to protect innocents from the great many INTERGALACTIC THREATS (including the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Rutans... etc). YESH.... at least the Klingons were far more helpful.
I know Trial of a time-lord wasn’t planned before hand, but season 22 seemed to set it up quite well. They’re multiple mentions of time-lords throughout the season.
If you take a long view of the series, Robert Holmes had set up the Time Lords are corrupt long before we got the sixth Doctor's era. He just finally got to bring that to the forefront and show us the fallout.
23:23 The music for the TARDIS' arrival in the junkyard parodies "Steptoe & Son", a comedy about a firm of junk dealers, aka totters, hence Totter's Lane. For those who don't know it: ua-cam.com/video/KRaiiT3ZnJw/v-deo.html. By coincidence, the Steptoe music was written by Ron Grainer, who wrote the original Doctor Who theme (even if, as we know, it was realised by Delia Derbyshire).
I liked this story when it aired, but seeing this review, I realize that the only really good thing in it is that the actor who played Lytton was just so damned good, like a British Clint Eastwood. It's a g/d shame he died so young. As a result, this story is worth watching just to see him steal every scene he's in.
Despite its numerous flaws, I still think this is my favorite televised story that 6 has. Vengeance on Varos is close, but for some reason I just prefer this one
That scene where the Cybermen crush Lytton's wrists terrified me as a kid and it still does even now. Also, I remember watching the original review of this story all those years ago and all I can say is... Bloody hell time has really flown by.
I think its bad form to basically body shame Michael Kilgariff for a rubbish joke. They didn't have to cast him but they chose to. Anyway how do you know what shape a Cyber Controller should be
This is a great story. Bearing in mind previous stories it's not inconceivable that things didn't go too well for the Cyber race. The 4th Doctor's "You're just a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers rattling around the universe in an old spaceship." and references to them dying out years ago. Cybermen also have time travel ability so they may have solved the Mondas dying issue but still had the Mondas can absorb energy issue bringing its destruction. Don't forget that while there may be a thousand Cybermen on Telos there would have been billions on Mondas
I know I'm probably in the minority, but I absolutely LOVE Attack of the Cybermen. It's not Tomb,Earthshock, or Moonbase (all of which I love(and I'm hoping the Wheel in Space is released with animated segments filling in for the lost episodes) ) and this entry seems to be the culmination of several of the previous (as I'm sure most people recognize) serials, especially The Invasion, The 10th Planet, and Tomb of the Cybermen. I love that Lyton is featured as a continuation of his character from R.O.T.D. (not being a completely new character) with a redemption arc, and the Doctor's chilling " I may never have been so wrong about anyone" (or something like that). Anyway, one of my favorites.
Thanks for the review: when I first saw this story, I was willing to give Colin Baker a chance. I remember him "fixing" the chameleon circuit, and I had high hopes of the ending of the show when he commented upon misjudging Litton. I really thought this marked the Doctor getting better, but it didn't happen. All of the Telos stuff seemed forgettable - basically, you're right -- way too much going on for a great story. It may be above the Colin Baker average, but I don't regret not having this story in my collection.
Attack of the Cybermen is a guilty pleasure for me in the same way that Asylum of the Daleks is. It's story structure is disjointed and doesn't mesh, a lot of subplots are pointless, and most of the callbacks do literally nothing in terms of the overall story. However, the Sixth Doctor's character and the way the Cybermen are depicted work so well for me that I can overlook the problems and enjoy the serial as a showcase for one of the best antagonists in Doctor Who. It certainly serves as a better debut story for the Sixth Doctor than The Twin Dilemma.
I can't wait until tomorrow for him to cover Silver Nemesis, I felt that it's very underappreciated by tons of Dr Who and Cybermen fans out there, I still think it's very underrated.
If you take out any one aspect of that story, like the neo-nazi’s or some of the Pentiforte stuff I think it would have been more appreciated. It’s not a bad story, just not a very good cyberman story
@@Ajmorrison2002 actually the best thing to take out would be McCoy as his portrayal of the Doctor is absolutely garbage then there's Ace who not only beats up Daleks singlehandedly making them look like pussies and she also does the same with the Cybermen. But wait a minute it's not tomorrow yet!
'Did the cybermen end their classic tenure on a high note? Come back tomorrow to find out' 'Didn't go very well, did it.' Hmmmm... And no, it didn't, given that most fans I know count Remembrance as an unofficial 25th anniversary special.
I really enjoyed this story when I first started watching Classic Who. Litton as a villan who is lost on earth really worked for me at the start. Seeing a doctor who style 80s heist was just tremendous fun as an intro. Watching this review I was curious why the production team had given Flast such a large chest in their costume. I googled the actor Faith Brown and found they were... minimising her chest, if anything.
Lytton is the greatest companion who never was. Same as that assassin in Revelation of the Daleks. Six needed someone to challenge his bombastic and hypocritical code. JNT really missed a trick in having these two verbally sparring all across time and space.
This was my very first Doctor Who story and I love it 8/10. Tbh, it may have been because of your 2010 review of it that I wanted to watch it. P.S I watched it in 2016
I could be wrong, but didn't Tomb of the Cybermen show Toberman go through partial cyber-conversion? You can see his cyber-arm at 9:00. Still great to see how Attack presented it though.
People reference the torture of Lytton as an example of the shocking violence in this episode, but much more than that I remember the killing of the Cryon leader for aiding the Doctor by locking her out of the cold area was FUCKING BRUTAL.
Oh no I had to pause and type this as you're slagging off the music when Lytton rocks up with in the car with his droogs! That theme is so catchy and adds to the contemporary aspect of the scene. It's melodically badass too without sounding silly, you don't get the sense it's Lytton with a gang of bumbling idiots. Basically it's one of the most memorable bits of the story for me! Going to sing it now before resuming your review: dada da daaa dada da daaa DA DA
I liked Attack of the Cybermen, to me It's almost on the same level Moonbase, though I think Moonbase is a bit better, I can't decide... :) I had an idea for a three-part Cybermen story with a twist, the first part is basically an episode length 'flashback' where, after finding the remains of a wrecked Cyber-ship (from the Moonbase)The Doctor recounts his first-ever encounter with a Cyberman, the first one when he/she was the 1st Doctor with Susan when the Tardis lands on 'Mondas' revelling he'd unwittingly helped in their creation while trying to save the Mondassians. In the next part, the Doctor & companion find a planet called Keldra, a planet that shouldn't exist in a region of space that was supposedly completely destroyed in an ancient war after the Tardis is pulled off course, they then find a colony of humans controlled by a tyrannical governor who had previously been defeated by one of the Doctor's future selves, the people of this colony are mysteriously disappearing, while the companion is captured by the resistance, the Doctor uncovers the Cybermen, who are the ones really in charge, they were the ones who created this unknown planet, however, despite Doctor thinking the Cybermen are the enemy it turns out this particular group of Cybermen are an actually fairly benevolent off-shoot that genuinely trying to help the humans while studying them so they can coexist, any Cyber conversions are voluntary... but Cybermen have also been suffering mysterious disappearances and after clearing up any misunderstandings, the Doctor joins forces with these Cybermen when a new and powerful enemy is revealed, one the enormous Chaos-Lords (the original Titans), Talos and his Morphiant army, who were responsible for the ancient war that had destroyed this region of space during the 'Dark Time' and they are planning on returning to this Universe to wipe-out all life and return the Universe to its primordial state of chaos...
I know I must have seen this, since I watched through the Sixth Doctor's tenure when I was a teen. But I'll be damned if I can remember a single thing that happened in it. The Two Doctors and Timelash? I remember those in a fair amount of detail. This? Nothing except the vague idea of the TARDIS changing shape.
19:13 maybe the explanation for this is that they planned to merely DAMAGE the earth, not completely destroy it, kind of like the dinosaur meteor theory
I love this one: Its like a Doctor Who version of an 80s action movie. In fact If there was ever a feature film version this would be a good script to start with. Preferably with Guy Ritchie directing and Jason Statham as the Doctor.
My biggest issue with 80s cybermen was the weakness. They used to be indestructible....then developed a weakness for gold on the air ways (it coats it apparently). But then we see cybermen dying through arrows in the raston warrior robot...bullets in the sewer...shots from the cyber guns.....then in the end was killed by actual gold tipped arrows and being hit by a gold coin in a catapult.! Just silly.
I view this story as essentially the Cyberman equivalent of pornography. Crass, low brow, nonsensical and braindead? Oh yes. But is it entertaining and fun and one of the highlights of Colin Baker's TV era? Absolutely. I love this story from the action to the characterisation to the over the top storyline. It's dumb, but it's so entertaining. An absolute guilty pleasure.
even though the eriting of this story was flawed in many ways is still isa masterpiece compared to ANYTHING that chibs & co has written in 2 and most likely 3 series.
With all the violence and the hand crushing till bleeding scene I'm surprised this story got a U rating on the VHS and DVD release. Also love the funny dub over when the cybermen gets killed by that powder stuff Though I know I said this in the earthshock review. But I think it would more accurate had you just pitched down your voice in order to sound like a 80s cybermen or mixed a deep pitched copy of your voice with your regular voice. Rather then that dalek voice like filter you used
I think really there is only one other time the show got as violent as Lyton’s torture. In the Tom Baker story “Brain of Mobius” (can’t remember names) the Dr Frankenstein character shoots his Igor lackey in stomach with a revolver type gun. And there is just a brilliant gut burst of blood shooting out.
Solon shoots Condo in The Brain Of Morbius. Goth freeze-frame drowning the Doctor from The Deadly Assassin. How about 2 guards dissolving in acid from Vengeance On Varos?
@@garytwinem5275 God, why did you have to remind me she existed. That woman was Nazi housewife masquerading as a critic. If she had her way, TV would be more sanitised than a bottle of bleach, and some of the darkest and most gripping dramas in the 80s would never have happened. Truly the death of art.
This has my least favourite Cyber Controller design in it mainly due to the helmet design and the fact that it looks fat. 0:29 Also am I the only one who thinks that quote sounds like Cyber Christopher Lee?
My least favorite probably would be that from "The Next Doctor". PS: This Cyber-Leader is too similar to the normal Cybermens they should do something else with the design.
@@Jedi_Spartan Yeah he is also call Cyber-Lord rather than Leader and he has a lower rank that "The Tomb Of The Cybermen" and "Attack Of The Cybermen" one but he still can be count as a Leader like the others.
I loved the action in this episode, it rivals the action of the new series and I LOVED THE EXPLICIT VIOLENCE. I have always loved doctor who for the villains and stories but felt that while they'll talk big talk of space wars they never show the details. I know that's because doctor who is a family program but if I'm completely honest I think that's what holds back the impact of plots sometimes.
2:50 Here's what I did. I ignored all that and just enjoyed a really good Cyberman story. Fans who are already mired deep in the trivia don't seem to be aware of this trope called "Remember the new guy?" The leads know who those new guys are, that's all the viewer really needs to know. "But this part is Tomb of the Cybermen and this is before The Invasion and this is after the Ninth Planet." ... and none of that is stuff you need to know. In fact, the more you do know, the less everything connects, especially Tomb of the Cybermen.
I love these ‘X’ cember videos. They are some of my favourite stuff that you do. Part of me is very curious to see if you’ll make mention of David Banks’s book Cyberman or the audio equivalent The ArcHive Tapes. It would be a worthwhile reference even if only in passing. Especially before the 2005 era/nuwho stories.
MrTARDIS: 23:13 - 24:21 Me: ...I like it (ok the Stepto & Son music not much Malcolm) but I like Lyton’s theme! It’s really catchy. Still at least he at least mentioned some of the music but more of it in other classic reviews. Incidental Music is just as important as direction & acting in my opinion (just look at Keff’s score for Delta & The Bannermen, it’s the best thing in the story)
This and Resurrection of the Daleks are two of my favorite classic Who stories. I love the darker tone and violence. This would be my ideal level for Doctor Who if the show was redesigned to cater to my tastes.
Yup, I also want to see a Dark, Horrific, Violent, Tragic, Intelligent (the Philosophical Argument between the Doctor and Davros, which Davros...Wins...in Resurrection for example!) take on Who. Basically Saward Who in all its Brutality and Horror to sell just how Vile a thing war really is, and just how shamefully alike the Dalek's we actually are in our love of Chaos, as much as we try and excuse it by saying "we just want to see good vanquish evil" we are here for the Chaos, and we should be ashamed of that!, crossed with Big Finish in all its Intelligence, and its Bleak Tragedy (Spare Parts... that one is a Tear Jerker, as all the Doctor does to try and stop the Inevitable, just makes it Worse!, or what of I, Davros, which makes us Pity even Davros!) with the Sad, Broken, Tired, Worn out, Old "Warrior" Doctor that we saw in "Twice upon a Time" a man who has seen and done so many terrible things over his long life, and now wants nothing more than a chance to Die, but keeps on Going, keeps on Fighting (I want a Doctor like 3 6, 9 (War Doctor) and 13, one who can really Fight!) to ensure No One has to die before their Time! Sadly, the House of Mouse, the Bolshevik Broadcasting Corbynization, and their Hyper-Woke Puppets (Warning to my Readers, I am utterly Opposed to Extreme Left Wing Ideology, I consider it Extremely Dangerous to Social Morality, the Order of Law, and to Human Decency! and every bit as much a Threat to Morality, Order and Decency as Extreme Right Wing Ideology! I am utterly Opposed to both! there is only one Difference between a Communist and a Fascist at the end of the Day, and that is how you say the Name of their Evil Ideology of Choice! Sorry, when a Person thinks a Child "deserves" to die a Violent and Horrible Death, simply because their Parents think differently to their Extreme Left Wing Racist Bile, then their Place is in Prison! not in the Voice over Booth!) , have pretty much Denied us the Pleasure of a Truly... *Mature* Dr Who Series!
Could it be argued that having a mercenary character who initially appears to be working for the Cybermen but is then instead revealed to be working for the native species the Cybermen are subjugating is a callback to Kellman in Revenge of the Cybermen? All we need now is a Wheel in Space callback and we have the full set ;)
Back in the day, there was a lot of excitement about the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Halley's comet. I wonder if this story began with the kernel of an idea to feature it and then someone said "It already featured in The Tenth Planet" and from there it evolved into Attack.
Good call. In fact, Halley's Comet was due to pay a visit in 1986, and this story aired in 1985. There was, as you say, a lot of hype about it at the time.
I think they came up with the Mondas plan BECAUSE they wanted to shoe horn Halley's Comet in, Back in 1985, Halley's Comet was on every kids TV show for 2 years until it finally appeared in 1986. So it's effectively a 1985 contemporary pop culture reference as much as anything else.
I was new to Dr Who fandom when my PBS station syndicated Attack of the Cybermen for the first time -- and I was completely lost and alienated by the continuity nods and deep dives this story took. Ironically, the story was referencing 60s stories that hadn't been seen for over a decade -- and one serial that at time of production wasn't in the archive at all! (Thus leading to my theory that a certain fan consultant had the story in his collection at the time). This one fails on a lot of levels, as you point out. It honestly ends up feeling like a greatest hits collection by Saward, borrowing elements from most of his other stories and chucking them all into a script. I feel like it could and should have been better. Oh, and bringing back Kilgarith as the Controller is a nice thought but really unnecessary since you can't tell it's him in the suit in either story.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the music in the junkyard is a riff on the Steptoe and Son theme. Been enjoying this playlist and the daleks. Good work
I expected emotion like this from the Daleks not the Cybermen as they clearly don’t have emotions whereas Daleks only have one emotion which is anger or fear. You see that comparison in the episode Doomsday as Cybermen have no emotions shown but Daleks however do have emotions as Dalek Sec does react to what Rose Tyler said about the emperor.
i actually really liked the lytton torture scene, i wish the show depicted more open violence like that, it feels weird when you think abt how violent the dr who universe is yet you rarely see the consequences of it
Attack of the Cybermen ends with the distinct impression that Lytton is the true hero of the piece and the Doctor is a narrow-minded fool who made little or no difference in the grand scheme of things. It feels like a total rejection of the optimistic ethos of Doctor Who."
The Likely Lads meet Dr Who !Plus the mercenary looks like David Hunter from Crossroads although it isn't.... imagine the Cybermen taking over the Crossroads Motel!
"When I look at you, I often wonder why your ancestors bothered to climb out of the primordial slime."
Today we flew past 19,000 subscribers! Thanks so much for the support! Let's keep the momentum going by "liking" this video and leaving any comment down below to keep appeasing the almighty UA-cam algorithm!
I’ve been watching you for 8 years. 19’000 is more than deserved
Mr TARDIS
20K subscribers As an American, I have to say that "Attack of The Cybermen" is still one of the most extremely dark and violent, brutal episodes I've watched. Also the Cyber Controller's very BRUTAL death is still a very satisfying Villain death.
@@jamieolberding7731 I think Attack of the Cybermen was too violent in trillions of ways and also much as the Cybermen as my top favourite returning villains in Attack they were treated like crap and not as well utilised like in Earthshock Tomb Wheel in Space the Moonbase or even the Tenth Planet the next Cyberstory Silver Nemesis was a waste of space .
@@Eltonlaleham But David Banks still nailed the role as the Cybermen Leader in all of his onscreen appearances as the Cyber Leader in Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of The Cybermen, and also in Silver Nemesis too in my opinion.
"That sounds like another insult, Mr Lytton"
Potentially unpopular opinion: i kinda like the arrogant, bombastic Sixth Doctor. I appreciate the softer version of him we get in Big Finish, but there's something about his tv persona that really works for me
Same
Colin’s Doctor had potential as did his more strident tone. It was a welcome change from Davison’s timidity. However his ridiculous costume completely undermined this approach. Plus his manner with Peri was mostly awful. I have only taken in some of colins big finish but it seems pretty clear they did better a job of balancing 6s prickliness with some warmth but without contradicting what we saw from the tv series. Plus big finish’s writers are leagues better than what 80s who had to offer.
FINALLY! I agree
I definitely agree - when Colin Baker is allowed to act like his interpretation of the Doctor he's very charming in his arrogance. The biggest problem I had with the CB era was that the writers had him break character several times during his two season run (insanity, mind control, falsified evidence ,etc). The short-term insanity caused by regeneration sickness in the first two storylines were okay as it depicted a serious consequence of the 5th Doctor choosing to regenerate not knowing if he'd survive the process but beyond that it ruined the character and I think that this is one of the main reasons why CB isn't well regarded.
There is a version of TV!6 that I could see making his brashness and arrogance more appealing, but it's a version that is not serviced AT ALL by Season 22. There's a scene in The Two Doctors where he insults Peri's intelligence *well* beyond playful teasing and it's just so bad and gross
“BBC complaints office, how may I help you?”
“WHY ARENT YOU DOING MORE OF THIS?!?!?!?!”
I just imagine the Time Lords sitting around laughing as they watch the Doctor trying to fix this mess with the Cybermen.
Jonathan Kennedy
1 year ago The thing about MOST Time Lords is that they are xenophobic, racist, non-interfering, LAZY, ARROGANT, BULLYING, JERKS who ONLY care about preserving their own lives instead of helping to protect innocents from the great many INTERGALACTIC THREATS (including the Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Rutans... etc). YESH.... at least the Klingons were far more helpful.
You could say David Banks is doing an EXCELLENT job
Paula Moore was the Timeless Child! It all makes sense now!
Pre-Hartnell Dr then?
Who else remembers his review of this episode back in 2010? How much Trillbee has grown since then.
Oh I definitely remember that review long ago.
I have faint memories of that I had no idea that was him!
I remember the "one for the dads" joke and was surprised to see the same joke pop up here!
It’s been a long long time since I’ve watched that review good times
Didn't he even do an audio commentary of that review as a bonus?
"Crushing his hands until his bones crack and fingers bleed... Damn. THIS STORY IS AWESOME!" Why aren't they doing more of this!
*watches The Two Doctors*
"Why are you doing more of this?"
@@benw4409 "I thought the violent scenes were awesome."
@@defrostedrobot77 it’s a reference to his old videos. Being Attack of the Cybermen review and Doctor Who is Cancelled
@@Dray1 Yeah, I know. My comment was connected to that.
Dray
2 months ago This was one of the most brutal scenes in Doctor Who. Star Trek also had plenty of very violent and VERY BRUTAL scenes.
I know Trial of a time-lord wasn’t planned before hand, but season 22 seemed to set it up quite well. They’re multiple mentions of time-lords throughout the season.
If you take a long view of the series, Robert Holmes had set up the Time Lords are corrupt long before we got the sixth Doctor's era. He just finally got to bring that to the forefront and show us the fallout.
@@MichaelHickerson No not that. The Time-lords interfering and using the Doctor as a pawn.
Peri's neckline (or lack of) dosen't make following the plots any easier, either 🙂
Oh YES! DEFINITELY ANOTHER GOOD REASON this episode is so great! Nickola Bryant is a great actress and oh so BEAUTIFUL!
One for the dads! One for the dads!
That heaving bosom.......damn...
Favourite quote of the day..
"There is logic in what he said."
Got that joke out of the way on AT4W's side.
me to
I was thinking of that as well. Linkara does like his Cyber-jokes.
@@MrThorfan64 yes yes he do
@@MrThorfan64 "There is logic to what you said.' LOL.
Even though there are flaws in this, I still love Attack of the Cybermen nonetheless.
Like a few of Colin Baker stories, I think this is underrated. Definitely has problems, but still is a fun watch.
Revelation Of The Daleks is really good too.
23:23 The music for the TARDIS' arrival in the junkyard parodies "Steptoe & Son", a comedy about a firm of junk dealers, aka totters, hence Totter's Lane. For those who don't know it: ua-cam.com/video/KRaiiT3ZnJw/v-deo.html. By coincidence, the Steptoe music was written by Ron Grainer, who wrote the original Doctor Who theme (even if, as we know, it was realised by Delia Derbyshire).
Yes and I think the music for the heist scene parodies The Sweeney
@@android65mar Oh yeah...I think both references haven't aged that well, hence them being missed.
You dehty old mahn!
I liked this story when it aired, but seeing this review, I realize that the only really good thing in it is that the actor who played Lytton was just so damned good, like a British Clint Eastwood. It's a g/d shame he died so young. As a result, this story is worth watching just to see him steal every scene he's in.
14:17. That cyberman even pushes his friend out of the room while running!
There's so many tangents that this entire serial is geometric
23:52
Genuinely sounds like the music for Don't Hug Me I'm Scared 4.
I'M A COMPUTER. I'M A COMPUTER-Y GUY.
Still amazing that we never see a supporting cast member fully converted in the classic series at all.
Despite its numerous flaws, I still think this is my favorite televised story that 6 has. Vengeance on Varos is close, but for some reason I just prefer this one
That scene where the Cybermen crush Lytton's wrists terrified me as a kid and it still does even now.
Also, I remember watching the original review of this story all those years ago and all I can say is... Bloody hell time has really flown by.
Rimshot!
This episode is basically "Doctor Who does Memberberries" CLASSIC EDITION! "Hey, Member Telos!? "Oh yes, I member that was fantastic!"
And World enouth in time gets a free pass because?
14:27-14:48 Poor Cyber-Steve. What did he do to deserve this.
At least he got his big break
Justice for my boy
"DOCTOR! You have cause confusion and delay!" Said the Fat Controller!
I finally got that Thomas the Tank Engine joke out of the way.
"I will trap my Cybermen in the tombs of Telos, for always and always and always"
Did you really think that all this Easter Eggs would work,
The Fat Controller laughed. "You Are Wrong."
And then the Fat Controller ate all of the pies.
It was time for the Doctor to leave. He had seen Dimensions in Time.
I think its bad form to basically body shame Michael Kilgariff for a rubbish joke. They didn't have to cast him but they chose to. Anyway how do you know what shape a Cyber Controller should be
6:50 Ohhhhh. So that's where that clip Linkara's always using comes from.
Saw it when it aired at about five or six. We taped them all and I played this over and over! Mum did say it was very violent though.
The only episode that the Doctor fixes his chameleon circuit on his TARDIS.
Am I the only one who thinks ''I can see why they call them tombs'' isnt a dumb line of dialogue?
Also, I love the Lytton music, what u on about 😄
This is a great story. Bearing in mind previous stories it's not inconceivable that things didn't go too well for the Cyber race. The 4th Doctor's "You're just a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers rattling around the universe in an old spaceship." and references to them dying out years ago. Cybermen also have time travel ability so they may have solved the Mondas dying issue but still had the Mondas can absorb energy issue bringing its destruction. Don't forget that while there may be a thousand Cybermen on Telos there would have been billions on Mondas
I know I'm probably in the minority, but I absolutely LOVE Attack of the Cybermen. It's not Tomb,Earthshock, or Moonbase (all of which I love(and I'm hoping the Wheel in Space is released with animated segments filling in for the lost episodes) ) and this entry seems to be the culmination of several of the previous (as I'm sure most people recognize) serials, especially The Invasion, The 10th Planet, and Tomb of the Cybermen. I love that Lyton is featured as a continuation of his character from R.O.T.D. (not being a completely new character) with a redemption arc, and the Doctor's chilling " I may never have been so wrong about anyone" (or something like that). Anyway, one of my favorites.
The greatest legacy of this story is the fact that it's where Linkara gets the "There is...logic in what he says" line from.
Awesome review. I had a long day, just finished work at 10:00pm, and this was a big reward I’ve been looking forwarding to all day. Thanks man!
Thanks for the review: when I first saw this story, I was willing to give Colin Baker a chance. I remember him "fixing" the chameleon circuit, and I had high hopes of the ending of the show when he commented upon misjudging Litton. I really thought this marked the Doctor getting better, but it didn't happen. All of the Telos stuff seemed forgettable - basically, you're right -- way too much going on for a great story. It may be above the Colin Baker average, but I don't regret not having this story in my collection.
Attack of the Cybermen is a guilty pleasure for me in the same way that Asylum of the Daleks is. It's story structure is disjointed and doesn't mesh, a lot of subplots are pointless, and most of the callbacks do literally nothing in terms of the overall story. However, the Sixth Doctor's character and the way the Cybermen are depicted work so well for me that I can overlook the problems and enjoy the serial as a showcase for one of the best antagonists in Doctor Who. It certainly serves as a better debut story for the Sixth Doctor than The Twin Dilemma.
I can't wait until tomorrow for him to cover Silver Nemesis, I felt that it's very underappreciated by tons of Dr Who and Cybermen fans out there, I still think it's very underrated.
I don’t think it’s that bad
If you take out any one aspect of that story, like the neo-nazi’s or some of the Pentiforte stuff I think it would have been more appreciated. It’s not a bad story, just not a very good cyberman story
Agreed!!!
My brother friend was in that episode
@@Ajmorrison2002 actually the best thing to take out would be McCoy as his portrayal of the Doctor is absolutely garbage then there's Ace who not only beats up Daleks singlehandedly making them look like pussies and she also does the same with the Cybermen. But wait a minute it's not tomorrow yet!
'Did the cybermen end their classic tenure on a high note? Come back tomorrow to find out'
'Didn't go very well, did it.'
Hmmmm... And no, it didn't, given that most fans I know count Remembrance as an unofficial 25th anniversary special.
At this point it’s the official anniversary special.
@@highvoltage7797 It was basically that but then they redid it but poorly. I kind of get the theme of silver for 25 years but its really messy.
I really enjoyed this story when I first started watching Classic Who. Litton as a villan who is lost on earth really worked for me at the start. Seeing a doctor who style 80s heist was just tremendous fun as an intro.
Watching this review I was curious why the production team had given Flast such a large chest in their costume. I googled the actor Faith Brown and found they were... minimising her chest, if anything.
Lytton is the greatest companion who never was. Same as that assassin in Revelation of the Daleks. Six needed someone to challenge his bombastic and hypocritical code. JNT really missed a trick in having these two verbally sparring all across time and space.
This was my very first Doctor Who story and I love it 8/10. Tbh, it may have been because of your 2010 review of it that I wanted to watch it.
P.S I watched it in 2016
One of my most watched classic stories. The two ep format worked better for me on DVD and I like the friendship between 6 and Peri
I could be wrong, but didn't Tomb of the Cybermen show Toberman go through partial cyber-conversion? You can see his cyber-arm at 9:00. Still great to see how Attack presented it though.
Well yes but didnt see it happen.
The original Attack of the Cybermen review was the first Mr. TARDIS video I watched.
A lot certainly has changed.
Underrated gem in the Colin baker era
Met Colin Baker once such a lovely bloke
@@johngurnhill8743 he is for sure
14:59 Including from you, many years ago, if I’m not much mistaken...
People reference the torture of Lytton as an example of the shocking violence in this episode, but much more than that I remember the killing of the Cryon leader for aiding the Doctor by locking her out of the cold area was FUCKING BRUTAL.
22:53 Last questionable line being from Legend of the Sea Devils "Don't let it touch your skin!"
Oh no I had to pause and type this as you're slagging off the music when Lytton rocks up with in the car with his droogs! That theme is so catchy and adds to the contemporary aspect of the scene. It's melodically badass too without sounding silly, you don't get the sense it's Lytton with a gang of bumbling idiots. Basically it's one of the most memorable bits of the story for me! Going to sing it now before resuming your review: dada da daaa dada da daaa DA DA
I liked Attack of the Cybermen, to me It's almost on the same level Moonbase, though I think Moonbase is a bit better, I can't decide... :) I had an idea for a three-part Cybermen story with a twist, the first part is basically an episode length 'flashback' where, after finding the remains of a wrecked Cyber-ship (from the Moonbase)The Doctor recounts his first-ever encounter with a Cyberman, the first one when he/she was the 1st Doctor with Susan when the Tardis lands on 'Mondas' revelling he'd unwittingly helped in their creation while trying to save the Mondassians. In the next part, the Doctor & companion find a planet called Keldra, a planet that shouldn't exist in a region of space that was supposedly completely destroyed in an ancient war after the Tardis is pulled off course, they then find a colony of humans controlled by a tyrannical governor who had previously been defeated by one of the Doctor's future selves, the people of this colony are mysteriously disappearing, while the companion is captured by the resistance, the Doctor uncovers the Cybermen, who are the ones really in charge, they were the ones who created this unknown planet, however, despite Doctor thinking the Cybermen are the enemy it turns out this particular group of Cybermen are an actually fairly benevolent off-shoot that genuinely trying to help the humans while studying them so they can coexist, any Cyber conversions are voluntary... but Cybermen have also been suffering mysterious disappearances and after clearing up any misunderstandings, the Doctor joins forces with these Cybermen when a new and powerful enemy is revealed, one the enormous Chaos-Lords (the original Titans), Talos and his Morphiant army, who were responsible for the ancient war that had destroyed this region of space during the 'Dark Time' and they are planning on returning to this Universe to wipe-out all life and return the Universe to its primordial state of chaos...
Robot K1 from, well, robot, has a great line to express confusion.
“I... am... confused!”
ALSO played by Michael Kilgarriff
I know I must have seen this, since I watched through the Sixth Doctor's tenure when I was a teen. But I'll be damned if I can remember a single thing that happened in it. The Two Doctors and Timelash? I remember those in a fair amount of detail. This? Nothing except the vague idea of the TARDIS changing shape.
The plot is all over the place, but I still love this story :)
19:13 maybe the explanation for this is that they planned to merely DAMAGE the earth, not completely destroy it, kind of like the dinosaur meteor theory
I love this one: Its like a Doctor Who version of an 80s action movie. In fact If there was ever a feature film version this would be a good script to start with. Preferably with Guy Ritchie directing and Jason Statham as the Doctor.
Jason Statham played the Ninth Doctor.
@@garytwinem5275 That would have been amazing.
"I had this arm sawn clean off by a Cyberman and had to re-attatch it, with this fuckin' arm"
@@DarthAzabrush Vin Diesel could be The Master.
@@garytwinem5275 And Vinnie Jones as the Valeyard "Doncha know who I am? I'm the Valeyard bitch!"
@@DarthAzabrush I think we're on to something here.
The music at 23:38 sounds like he was trying to reference Steptoe and Son (because it was in a junkyard) without being too obvious.
I think the Totters Lane music is supposed to evoke Steptoe and Son which was set in a junkyard.
My biggest issue with 80s cybermen was the weakness. They used to be indestructible....then developed a weakness for gold on the air ways (it coats it apparently). But then we see cybermen dying through arrows in the raston warrior robot...bullets in the sewer...shots from the cyber guns.....then in the end was killed by actual gold tipped arrows and being hit by a gold coin in a catapult.! Just silly.
*8 minutes of complaining about Cyberman hierarchy* God I love this channel.
I view this story as essentially the Cyberman equivalent of pornography. Crass, low brow, nonsensical and braindead? Oh yes. But is it entertaining and fun and one of the highlights of Colin Baker's TV era? Absolutely. I love this story from the action to the characterisation to the over the top storyline. It's dumb, but it's so entertaining. An absolute guilty pleasure.
even though the eriting of this story was flawed in many ways is still isa masterpiece compared to ANYTHING that chibs & co has written in 2 and most likely 3 series.
With all the violence and the hand crushing till bleeding scene I'm surprised this story got a U rating on the VHS and DVD release. Also love the funny dub over when the cybermen gets killed by that powder stuff
Though I know I said this in the earthshock review. But I think it would more accurate had you just pitched down your voice in order to sound like a 80s cybermen or mixed a deep pitched copy of your voice with your regular voice. Rather then that dalek voice like filter you used
I think really there is only one other time the show got as violent as Lyton’s torture. In the Tom Baker story “Brain of Mobius” (can’t remember names) the Dr Frankenstein character shoots his Igor lackey in stomach with a revolver type gun. And there is just a brilliant gut burst of blood shooting out.
Or Mary Whitehouse's favorite, the drowning scene in The Deadly Assassin.
Solon shoots Condo in The Brain Of Morbius. Goth freeze-frame drowning the Doctor from The Deadly Assassin.
How about 2 guards dissolving in acid from Vengeance On Varos?
@@garytwinem5275 God, why did you have to remind me she existed. That woman was Nazi housewife masquerading as a critic. If she had her way, TV would be more sanitised than a bottle of bleach, and some of the darkest and most gripping dramas in the 80s would never have happened. Truly the death of art.
@@lewiskazinsky7334 Nothing boosted the next week's viewing figures like a Mary Whitehouse tirade. 🙂
12:47 No. Not the mind PROBE!
I think this episode is underrated, I would even say I watch it more than earthshock and enjoy it more
Dare to see that is is better the Earthshock, dare to see beyond the mask of consensus.
This has my least favourite Cyber Controller design in it mainly due to the helmet design and the fact that it looks fat.
0:29 Also am I the only one who thinks that quote sounds like Cyber Christopher Lee?
My least favorite probably would be that from "The Next Doctor".
PS: This Cyber-Leader is too similar to the normal Cybermens they should do something else with the design.
@@dustin_4501 I think that was just a standard Cyber Leader with extra changes.
@@Jedi_Spartan Yeah he is also call Cyber-Lord rather than Leader and he has a lower rank that "The Tomb Of The Cybermen" and "Attack Of The Cybermen" one but he still can be count as a Leader like the others.
So it does. The Cyber-Count! I think there was a Cyber-Dracula in audio.
@@dustin_4501 umm, the cyber controller wasn't in the next doctor. Did you mean the one from rise of the cybermen/age of steel?
6:48 Linkara intensifies
We were all thinking of Linkara. Is this the human condition of madness, Leader?
I liked how they used Halley's Comet as a plot device when the real thing was due the following year.
I loved the action in this episode, it rivals the action of the new series and I LOVED THE EXPLICIT VIOLENCE. I have always loved doctor who for the villains and stories but felt that while they'll talk big talk of space wars they never show the details. I know that's because doctor who is a family program but if I'm completely honest I think that's what holds back the impact of plots sometimes.
The Cyber Controller let himself go.
My sister and I regularly sing Litten’s theme at each other. It’s a riot.
I’m talking about the theme at 23:50 by the way
2:50 Here's what I did. I ignored all that and just enjoyed a really good Cyberman story. Fans who are already mired deep in the trivia don't seem to be aware of this trope called "Remember the new guy?" The leads know who those new guys are, that's all the viewer really needs to know. "But this part is Tomb of the Cybermen and this is before The Invasion and this is after the Ninth Planet."
... and none of that is stuff you need to know. In fact, the more you do know, the less everything connects, especially Tomb of the Cybermen.
I love these ‘X’ cember videos. They are some of my favourite stuff that you do. Part of me is very curious to see if you’ll make mention of David Banks’s book Cyberman or the audio equivalent The ArcHive Tapes. It would be a worthwhile reference even if only in passing. Especially before the 2005 era/nuwho stories.
MrTARDIS: 23:13 - 24:21
Me: ...I like it (ok the Stepto & Son music not much Malcolm) but I like Lyton’s theme! It’s really catchy. Still at least he at least mentioned some of the music but more of it in other classic reviews. Incidental Music is just as important as direction & acting in my opinion (just look at Keff’s score for Delta & The Bannermen, it’s the best thing in the story)
Brian Glover also played Mr Rottweiler in the Comedy Show 'Bottom'
This and Resurrection of the Daleks are two of my favorite classic Who stories. I love the darker tone and violence. This would be my ideal level for Doctor Who if the show was redesigned to cater to my tastes.
Yup, I also want to see a Dark, Horrific, Violent, Tragic, Intelligent (the Philosophical Argument between the Doctor and Davros, which Davros...Wins...in Resurrection for example!) take on Who.
Basically Saward Who in all its Brutality and Horror to sell just how Vile a thing war really is, and just how shamefully alike the Dalek's we actually are in our love of Chaos, as much as we try and excuse it by saying "we just want to see good vanquish evil" we are here for the Chaos, and we should be ashamed of that!, crossed with Big Finish in all its Intelligence, and its Bleak Tragedy (Spare Parts... that one is a Tear Jerker, as all the Doctor does to try and stop the Inevitable, just makes it Worse!, or what of I, Davros, which makes us Pity even Davros!) with the Sad, Broken, Tired, Worn out, Old "Warrior" Doctor that we saw in "Twice upon a Time" a man who has seen and done so many terrible things over his long life, and now wants nothing more than a chance to Die, but keeps on Going, keeps on Fighting (I want a Doctor like 3 6, 9 (War Doctor) and 13, one who can really Fight!) to ensure No One has to die before their Time!
Sadly, the House of Mouse, the Bolshevik Broadcasting Corbynization, and their Hyper-Woke Puppets (Warning to my Readers, I am utterly Opposed to Extreme Left Wing Ideology, I consider it Extremely Dangerous to Social Morality, the Order of Law, and to Human Decency! and every bit as much a Threat to Morality, Order and Decency as Extreme Right Wing Ideology! I am utterly Opposed to both! there is only one Difference between a Communist and a Fascist at the end of the Day, and that is how you say the Name of their Evil Ideology of Choice! Sorry, when a Person thinks a Child "deserves" to die a Violent and Horrible Death, simply because their Parents think differently to their Extreme Left Wing Racist Bile, then their Place is in Prison! not in the Voice over Booth!) , have pretty much Denied us the Pleasure of a Truly... *Mature* Dr Who Series!
I love Attack, but Ressurection feels kind of messy and illogical to me, Revelation on the other hand is a great episode also by Saiward.
Rumor has it that Gene Roddenberry was in the UK when this aired and this is what gave him the inspiration for the borg for Star Trek.
I love this story also for all it's faults and problems.
14:26 just an appreciation comment for these little skits as they make me chuckle every time 😂
Could it be argued that having a mercenary character who initially appears to be working for the Cybermen but is then instead revealed to be working for the native species the Cybermen are subjugating is a callback to Kellman in Revenge of the Cybermen? All we need now is a Wheel in Space callback and we have the full set ;)
Back in the day, there was a lot of excitement about the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Halley's comet. I wonder if this story began with the kernel of an idea to feature it and then someone said "It already featured in The Tenth Planet" and from there it evolved into Attack.
Good call. In fact, Halley's Comet was due to pay a visit in 1986, and this story aired in 1985. There was, as you say, a lot of hype about it at the time.
This was my first classic cyberman story and i liked it a lot even without knowing there WERE any callbacks
I think they came up with the Mondas plan BECAUSE they wanted to shoe horn Halley's Comet in, Back in 1985, Halley's Comet was on every kids TV show for 2 years until it finally appeared in 1986. So it's effectively a 1985 contemporary
pop culture reference as much as anything else.
I was new to Dr Who fandom when my PBS station syndicated Attack of the Cybermen for the first time -- and I was completely lost and alienated by the continuity nods and deep dives this story took. Ironically, the story was referencing 60s stories that hadn't been seen for over a decade -- and one serial that at time of production wasn't in the archive at all! (Thus leading to my theory that a certain fan consultant had the story in his collection at the time).
This one fails on a lot of levels, as you point out. It honestly ends up feeling like a greatest hits collection by Saward, borrowing elements from most of his other stories and chucking them all into a script. I feel like it could and should have been better.
Oh, and bringing back Kilgarith as the Controller is a nice thought but really unnecessary since you can't tell it's him in the suit in either story.
23:52 so THAT’S the music 5 Who Fans were parodying so much
I grew up with the 6th Doctor and still my fav Doctor..... Costume and all lol......and my god Peri.......purrrrr purrrr.🤣🤣🤣
I'm surprised you didn't mention the music in the junkyard is a riff on the Steptoe and Son theme. Been enjoying this playlist and the daleks. Good work
I expected emotion like this from the Daleks not the Cybermen as they clearly don’t have emotions whereas Daleks only have one emotion which is anger or fear. You see that comparison in the episode Doomsday as Cybermen have no emotions shown but Daleks however do have emotions as Dalek Sec does react to what Rose Tyler said about the emperor.
i actually really liked the lytton torture scene, i wish the show depicted more open violence like that, it feels weird when you think abt how violent the dr who universe is yet you rarely see the consequences of it
I love the Attack of the Cybermen music ironically.
Incidental music was created in reference to previous tv series, e.g. Steptoe + Son, Minder etc. Of its time, unfair to criticise that.
"DAFUQ IS DAT? is that zombie cyberman or one that's out of his mind??,somone please give me the clip or the whole scene." 24:44
Attack of the Cybermen ends with the distinct impression that Lytton is the true hero of the piece and the Doctor is a narrow-minded fool who made little or no difference in the grand scheme of things. It feels like a total rejection of the optimistic ethos of Doctor Who."
I have attack of the cybermen on DVD and when I saw the cybermans wonky helmet it got me dying XD
Continuity! References! Blood!
The Likely Lads meet Dr Who !Plus the mercenary looks like David Hunter from Crossroads although it isn't.... imagine the Cybermen taking over the Crossroads Motel!
The junkyard music is a reworking of the theme tune to Steptoe and Son, a BBC sitcom set in, of all places, a junkyard.
I never knew the cyber controller in this episode was the same cyber controller from tomb of the cyberman
Yup, same Actor, same Cyberman! Cyber-Neomorph, Cyber-Telosian upgraded to Cyber-Nomad.
The Junkyard music seems to be a Steptoe & Son pastiche.
one thing i dislike about The Five Doctors and Attack of the Cybermen is that the got rid of the clear mouth parts
14:37 all we need is classic doctor who era davros from revelation of the daleks laughing at cybersteve's missfortune🤣
The scene with the bloody hands. It was very scary when I watched it in the past!!!
I hadn't noticed the chins were painted over before now...