Silver Nemesis: Part One 

Earth faces imminent destruction. Nemesis, a comet containing a statue composed of validium (living metal) is due to strike, needing only its bow and arrow to achieve critical mass and ... See full summary »

Director:

Chris Clough

Writer:

Kevin Clarke

Stars:

Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Anton Diffring

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Sylvester McCoy	...	The Doctor
Sophie Aldred	...	Ace
Anton Diffring	...	De Flores
Fiona Walker	...	Lady Peinforte
Gerard Murphy	...	Richard Maynarde
Leslie French	...	Mathematician
Metin Yenal	...	Karl
Martyn Read	...	Security Guard
David Banks	...	Cyber Leader
Courtney Pine	...	Courtney Pine
Adrian Reid	...	Jazz Quartet
Ernest Mothle	...	Jazz Quartet
Frank Tontoh	...	Jazz Quartet

Storyline

Earth faces imminent destruction. Nemesis, a comet containing a statue composed of validium (living metal) is due to strike, needing only its bow and arrow to achieve critical mass and become active. Four converging parties know of its power: The Doctor, Nazis assault troops from South America, a 17h century noblewoman steeped in the black arts (in whose image the Nemesis statue was fashioned), and discreet but lethal extra-terrestrials.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor who | year 1638 | seventh doctor | cyberman | 17th century | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1988 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Arundel Castle, Arundel, West Sussex, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fans voted this number 152 in a countdown of the 163 Doctor Who (1963) stories in Outpost Gallifrey's 40th anniversary poll in 2003.

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Goofs

When the Doctor and Ace fall into the river, it is obviously a stunt double and not actually Sylvester McCoy; aside from the careful camera angles only showing him from the back, the stunt double moves very differently and is at least half a head taller!

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Quotes

The Seventh Doctor: Don't you find it embarrassing asking for autographs?
Ace: Not as embarrassing as forgetting what you set your alarm for.

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Connections

Featured in Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty (2013)

User Reviews

Disappointing swansong for the Cybermen

Review of the Complete Story:

Sylvester McCoy's serial REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS was a fine and fitting swansong for Dr Who's most famous adversary, so it was only fair to hope that SILVER NEMESIS would be an equally strong adventure to see off the Cybermen. Sadly, this turns out to be a sprawling work of nonsense, reminiscent of BATTLEFIELD in its insistence on having random characters interacting via lame dialogue and random, pointless battles in a picturesque British countryside location.

SILVER NEMESIS almost feels plot less, the sub-plots being connected so loosely. The Doctor and Ace are back on Earth and trying to prevent an ancient statue from being brought to life by some evil Nazis. There are a couple of 16th century time travellers thrown into the mix for no good reason, but the real interest here is in the presence of the Cybermen, who as ever are good value for money. It's just a shame they're so underutilised.

This isn't a good adventure for McCoy. His stunt double is over obvious on more than one occasion and attempts to delve into his mysterious past just feel grafted onto the story. Ace is annoying as ever, so it's left to movie star Anton Diffring to try to inject some authority into the proceedings; even he can't do much with this juvenile material, unfortunately.