Episode One opens with Victoria getting introduced to life aboard the TARDIS, Deborah Watling is quite good in these opening scenes, giving Victoria an innoscence and sense of wonder. The TARDIS arrives withs its usual good timing, just after a member of an archaeological expedition gets killed. The location sequences at Gerrards Cross are well directed by Morris Barry, with the framing giving a sense of vastness to the surface of Telos, in contrast to the claustrophobic interior of the tomb complex.

On hearing that they are after the Cybermen, the Doctor stays and offers his assistance to explore the tomb complex. The archaeology party is quite interesting - Aubrey Richards is excellent as Professor Parry, giving Parry a sense of leadership and enthusiasm. Viner, played by Cyril Shaps, comes across as a rather dull and boring character. George Pastell gives Klieg not only an enthusastic nature, but a sense of being on the edge of insanity. Shirley Cooklin is rather impressive as Kaftan. There's all sorts of problems in the tombs as one of the party gets killed...

It's obvious from Episode Two that the 'dummy' Cyberman on the trolley was meant to have been filmed in such a way that it would appear to be the real thing, but the way the shot is framed it doesn't appear that way at all. Martin Johnson's sets come across as being rather vast, full of iconic imagery of the Cybermen. With the fuel pumps wrecked, there's only one thing left to do - continue exploring the tombs. It's down within the tomb itself that Martin Johnson's designs really impress, the tomb structure looks vast and again makes a rather iconic image.

An interesting aspect of The Tomb of the Cybermen is the amount of prior knowledge the Doctor displays, above the level that is known about the Cybermen from previous stories. Patrick Troughton gives the Doctor a guarded edge in these scenes; the Doctor revealing what he knows only through necessity. Klieg and Kaftan put their plans into action, and the Cybermen awake from their sleep... Although Victoria is left in the entry level of the tomb complex, the story still gives her a bit to do, showing bravery by taking action herself and shooting a Cybermat, then deciding that to resolve the situation she will need help. The awakening of the Cybermen in backed by some well chosen and quite memorable stock music, which has been used before as a theme for the Cybermen.

After two episodes of being menacing without being present, the Cybermen finally get their moment in Episode Three, and they don't disappoint; and neither does Patrick Troughton when the Doctor confronts the Cyber-controller, through his body language he shows that the Doctor is wary of the Cybermen but needs to confront them. Help arrives up top in the form of Captain Hopper and his sub-ordinate Callum - Hopper is rather rude and patronising to Victoria, while Callum just follows orders.

It's interesting that most of the speaking done by the Cybermen is done by the Cyber-controller, with the rest of the Cybermen usually only making an electronic buzzing noise when attacked; within the context of the story this makes sense for the Controller to only act as the mouthpiece for the Cybermen, being in the position of leadership. As Klieg and Kaftan plan their next move, the Cybermen unleash the Cybermats who arrive up top just after a rather touching character moment between the Doctor and Victoria which involves the discussion of grief, memory and family. The Cybermats are very effective little creatures, creeping slowly, then dart forward rather quickly to attack; with an almost hypnotic electonic burbling sound coming from them. Klieg and Kaftan once more make one last attempt to reason with the Cybermen, armed and dangerous...

Episode Four opens with Klieg appearing to bargain with the Cyber-controller, allowing it to 'revitalise' and regain energy and strength; but the controller is the one in charge, using the partially cyberised Toberman to take command. If Episode Three was the Cybermen's episode, then Episode Four is Toberman's. In the first three episodes he is just a shadowy presence around his mistress Kaftan, doing her bidding and barely making a sound. Having been partially cyberised, Toberman acts for himself after Kaftan's death, stopping the Cyber-controller and being instrumental in the refreezing of the Cybermen and the sealing of the tomb complex, at the cost of his own life.

Klieg makes one last stand, with the Doctor establishing his final descent into madness, and Victoria cleverly gets her own back at Hopper. Even as the survivors depart with the tomb complex sealed up, there is a reminder that the Cybermen will always survive...

There is a strong theme of survival throughout The Tomb of the Cybermen - the Cybermen's own desire to survive ("We will survive" being the Cyber-controller's mantras), Klieg's desire for the Brotherhood of Logicians to survive and prosper and the Doctor's desire for all to survive as they are and seal the tombs up once more. Of the regulars, Patrick Troughton gives one of his best performances as the Doctor, full of intensity and power. Frazer Hines gives his usual strong performance. The whole story is a reversal of the "Base Under Siege" genre of Doctor Who stories; this time humanity is the invader into an isolated building populated by the monsters. The only possible let down to The Tomb of the Cybermen is the special effects; while the majority of effects are of high quality, it's the jarringly obviously few poor effects that spoil the rest. Overall, a story worthy of its "classic" status".

9.5/10

Next time: The Doctor faces the Intelligence behind the Abominable Snowman...