Thursday, 4 July 2019

Who Reviews Attack of the Cybermen by Alex Wylie





Attack of the Cybermen is a Rollercoaster of Blood

Colin Baker's tenure as the Doctor had got off to an infamously shaky start (by shaky I mean awful; The Twin Dilemma is universally regarded as the worst introductory story of any Doctor) and then fans had another season to ...look ...forward ...to. Attack of the Cybermen at least boasted the return of an iconic monster. The then newly-regenerated Sixth Doctor was still unstable but now somewhat softened, but when people complained about the level of violence in this era of Who, this is undoubtedly one of the serials they mean. Looking back does Attack of the Cybermen redeem the Sixth Doctor after the monstrosity that was The Twin Dilemma and does it stand up as a Cyberman adventure?

Receiving a mysterious distress call, the Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) land in Totters Lane, London, 1985. Nearby, Lytton (Maurice Colbourne), first seen in Resurrection of the Daleks, appears to planning a diamond heist. Meanwhile sewer workers are being picked off by an unseen force...

Something you notice when looking back at eighties who is that the Cybermen seemed to have individual personalities and were capable of differing opinions. This sort of adds something, but at the same time doesn't ring true. The RTD resurrection of the show took them back to being blank and emotionless as they were in the 1960s. For heaven's sake, in Tomb of the Cybermen only the Controller speaks! Here you have a Cyber lieutenant who thinks he knows better than the Cyber Leader! Oh but speaking of Tomb, Attack sees Michael Kilgarrif resume his role as Cyber Controller, in case you didn't know.

Bates and Stratton, two Cyber-rejects from Telos, add a great deal to this adventure. There is something about each's delivery, as well as the chemistry between Jonathon David and Michael Attwell. Their story is brutal in a way rare for classic Doctor Who, at least in its presentation. You are outside of your comfort zone here.

Equally so with Flast (Faith Brown), former leader of the Cryons, imprisoned for years and tortured by solitude. One might be out off by the Cryons' appearance, voice and mannerisms, but seeing the character and feeling her journey and her pain adds a great deal here.

This two-parter is moody, violent and uncompromising, and Malcolm Clarke's score compliments this perfectly, as it also does the still unstable temperament of the newly regenerated Doctor. The
diamond robbery story feels very rough and real, with Brian Glover and Terry Molloy (better known to fans as Davros) playing accomplice to Lytton. But then we get to Telos, and meet the Cryons, who were overly feminised to contrast with the macho, Darth Vader Cybermen of the 1980s. TV presenter Sarah Green playing Varne is an example of producer John Nathan Turner's famous tendency for stunt casting, but not recognisable anyway. The Cryons are far from an iconic Doctor Who race but there are still many scenes in episode two which are powerful and effective.

Above all Attack has a great second half, filled with action, and the ending packs a great emotional punch. Overall a tad busy and crowded with characters, but they are all very rounded and not one weak actor. Like a lot of Colin's era it isn't really child friendly and one can see why the Beeb had concerns, but it is however great for adults. And while not up to Caves of Androzani standards (what is?) it is certainly a considerable marked improvement on Dilemma. Actually, that's too faint a praise, it is leaps and bounds ahead! If you've had a downer on the Sixth Doctor's era, or have never got into it, Attack of the Cybermen is certainly one to try!

Attack of the Cybermen was written by Paula Jones and directed by Matthew Robinson.

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