Doctor Who (TV Series) The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 4 (1967) User Reviews

The end of the Cybermen, not a chance.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 6 June 2017]

Klieg now blinded by ambition of what he can do with the Cybermen, can focus on little else, he believes it's his destiny to become Master of be Universe. He and Kaftan continue their plan. Toberman, now under Cyber control witnesses the death of Kaftan, it affects him, and with added strength he battles The Cyber Controller.

I don't really know where fault can be found throughout this story, it was certainly ambitious, and for the vast amount it delivered. Watching the travelling trio of Troughton, Hines and Watling you just know they were enjoying working together.

I thought the fight scene between Toberman and the Cyberman was well done, the insides of the Cybermen bursting out, I would imagine that would have been quite graphic at the time. Lots of the main characters die, it's quite a bleak story. A very good episode to round of a classic serial 9/10

"I shall leave you to the Cybermen... I am sure they will have some use for you. Or parts of you." Classic Doctor Who.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 29 October 2007]

Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 4 starts as Klieg (George Pastell) & Kaftan (Shirley Cooklin) hold the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) & the rest at gun point insisting they can still form an alliance with the Cybermen who are trapped in their tomb below. Klieg open the hatchway & together with the Doctor goes below, somehow the Doctor has to foil Klieg's plan & destroy the evil Cybermen for good...

Episode 4 from season 5 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during September 1967, directed by Morris Barry The Tomb of the Cybermen is one of the few surviving complete Patrick Troughton stories & a fine story it is too. The script by Kit Pedler & Gerry Davis has been a nice mix of sci-fi & horror themes & has been nicely effective. At only four episodes long each lasting a mere 25 minutes it tells it's story briskly & to my eyes didn't feature any padding which some of the longer six, seven & even eight part Doctor Who stories do which were common during the Troughton era. The plot holes have been kept to a minimum & aren't that distracting although scenes like Kaftan operating the Cybermen computer control panels even though in context her character should have no idea how to & the likes of Klieg letting a Cyberman sneak up behind him & kill him do become a tad distracting if you think about them too much. This episode features that old horror film cliché of the bad guy who dramatically rises from the dead after everyone thought they had been killed & I thought it was quite effective & unexpected as was the scene right at the end which suggest that maybe the Cybermen haven't been destroyed & that the production team were already think about a follow up story.

The shot of Toberman picking the Cyber Controller up & throwing him onto a control panel is too obviously done with an empty suit & looks a bit silly. This has had a few scary moments & I could see it sending a few chills down young children's spines, this is the sort of Doctor Who story where the term 'hiding behind the sofa' came from. Apparently this episode caused a lot of controversy when originally aired back in '67, there were a lot of complaints & concerns over violent & disturbing imagery particularly the scene when foam spurts out of a Cyberman's chest unit after being attacked by Toberman however the scene in question is extremely mild by todays standards so don't worry about it too much. I wasn't keen on the scenes of the Cybermen returning to their tombs, it was just the earlier footage of them breaking out reversed so we actually see all the Cybermen getting back into their tombs backwards!

The Tomb of the Cybermen: Episode 4 is a good way to round of a great Doctor Who story, as usual there are some minor script & production problems but overall I'll give The Tomb of the Cybermen an impressive 7 stars out of 10 across it's four episodes.

I never like to make predicitons

[Glen_Chapman · 8/10 · 24 January 2011]

Watching this last installment is a little like a good Chinese meal. Great while you are eating it, but after a little while you see how little you actually got.

The plot takes a real hammering. First we have the Controller order all Cybermen into the chambers, but remains behind, just in time to kill Klieg (again) The controller himself has some serious wrestling moves pulled by Toberman who throws him around like a rag doll, but who magically comes to life at the required time to cause more furrowed brows Then there is the shoring timber left outside the control room. We see everyone find and enter the room, nobody was carrying timber. Period Now with all that you would think it is a pretty sucky end to an interesting idea. Funny thing it is not. The story comes together, the Doctor is at his best, and we are left with a great open ended finale that leaves us wondering when will the Cybermen will turn up again

S5: Tomb of the Cybermen: Serious, urgent and nicely dramatic throughout

[bob the moo · 21 December 2013]

After the disappointment of so many lost episodes in season 4, it was nice to start the 5th season with a full serial – the first of those with the new Doctor. The plot here sees the Doctor and his two companions (yet another new face in the parade of them) arrive on the planet of Telos to find an expedition trying to open the tomb which seals up the long dead race of the Cybermen. They assist with entering the tomb but very quickly hidden motivations are exposed and the very real danger of the Cybermen becomes a reality.

Although there are things about this serial that don't work particularly well, generally this is another sign to me that I will enjoy the Troughton episodes because as before, things seem more urgent and to be more free-flowing. There isn't much stiffness in this serial (apart from the robotic Cybermen themselves) and generally it has a good pace and flow. The threat of the Cybermen is as much a part of the story as the danger from the humans and I liked this aspect to the story and that all things came with real danger and death of characters. The Doctor in particular is well used because he seems to understand the risk and danger posed to himself and the wider universe – and he acts accordingly, not glibly. This approach is supported by the guest actors who are all very good. As others have said, it is a shame that the villains of the piece are generally portrayed as "non-specific ethnic" and that we have a large black "servant" as a character but even with this they still work. In terms of the new monsters, I was not too taken by the Cyberman controller but it did give the mass enemy a narrative focus – but the Cybermats just seemed a bit daft.

The atmosphere of the serial is well done and generally I liked the set even if the limits of the budget were apparent and the images of the tomb were a bit too obviously till foil; plus the impact of the Cybermen breaking out of their tomb was reduced a little by watching them awkwardly climb out of clingfilm, but it still worked. A very enjoyable story then, thanks to the serious, urgent tone and nice supporting turns. Troughton in particular really drives the episodes and I am enjoying his turns very much (or at least, in the amount of episodes that survive for me to see them.

Great entertaining adventure, superb start to a superb season.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 28 August 2014]

Review of all 4 episodes:

This story of an archaeological expedition in the future searching for the remnants of the Cybermen is rightly highly praised. It is great TV with thrills, fun and the Doctor on usual good form. Many people herald this as one of the all time top 10 or 20 greatest classic stories in the history of the series and I think that is only a very tiny exaggeration of its quality. It is a truly great 4 part story with only a few small imperfections. Parts 1, 2 and 4 are 10/10 classic episodes, whilst not necessarily absolutely perfect they are deserving of top marks overall. Part 3 has a few scenes that are less impressive but it is still brilliant and I rate Part 3 as 9/10.

The only real flaw in the production is the American characters Captain Hopper and Jim Callum which are cheesily written and woodenly performed. It is mainly the fact there are more scenes involving them in Part 3 that hold it back slightly from top marks. Thankfully they are not in it very much in the rest of the story.

Season 5 of Doctor Who is one of the most popular and highly regarded and I 100 percent agree with that as it is in my top 5 Doctor Who series of all time. In my opinion this story is mostly magical, memorable, exciting and fun but even then it is not quite as good as some of other stories that followed in series 5 like The Abominable Snowmen, The Ice Warriors or The Web of Fear which are even more magical and near perfect.

The ideas of Cybermen in a tomb and them coming out of their 'cocoons' are thrilling ideas and provide some great moments. The Cybermen themselves are marvelous villains although I am in the minority who feel their voices during this period are inferior to the earlier 'sing song' voices used in The Tenth Planet. The Doctor and Jamie are really entertaining throughout the story (although you as always have to suspend disbelief a bit with Jamie at times as he copes with time travel and science slightly too well for his supposedly simple Scottish Highlander character from the past). There is plenty of good dialogue and action and only a few less well executed scenes along the way.

Overall it is excellent and an all time classic but look forward to a few other stories later in Season 5 which I feel are even better!