My second fave Hartnell story after The Time Meddler, which is a bit weird really as Hartnell himself has relatively little to do in this, his final story. Having read up on this story this morning to find out why his role was so minimal, it seems he had become ill prior to production and Gerry Davis had written The Doctor's role in the story as a small one accordingly. So when he did become ill during recording of episode 3, it was catered for. Interesting stuff, you learn something new everyday!

As for the story, I think The Doctor's reduced role has relatively little impact on it as The Cybermen made their debut. Even more so than The War Machines, it was a Troughton-esque story in everything but name and the first of the base-under-siege stories. For me the characters such as General Cutler help drive the story forward. Ben is given several Doctor lines so he has a big part to play in the story(especially during Episode 3 when The Doctor is absent) as does Polly like when she challenges The Cybermen about their lack of feelings. I think it was probably the last time either of them had substantial roles of this sort in a story.

The original Cybermen did look a bit daft compared to their later appearances. Their voices are a bit weird and the way they keep their mouths open as as another actor voices the lines is painfully obvious. Other than that I think they still look menacing enough to be a threat.

I think the South Pole setting definitely adds to the story and it actually looks quite good. I also like the different settings away from the base which also gives it an international feel as well as those scenes set in space.

Off course the biggest shame as we all know is the loss of Episode 4 and the lead upto the Regeneration. I think the telesnaps used in the Video release were good ones and certainly gives the feel towards the end of the episode that an era is coming to a close. Not sure if this episode is going to be animated like some of the others, I hope it will.

Finally, love the regeneration scene. Even by 60's standards, it's still good. The flashing lights and the sound effects really gave it a sense of occasion as Hartnell disappeared and became Patrick Troughton. Would love to go back in time and gauge reaction to this, because at the time it must have been quite sad and shocking that Hartnell had gone.

I watched the regeneration when I was a young lad. (way back in the 1960's) I was both confused and shocked! When the next episode was shown and I realised what had happened I was a bit angry. This was NOT The Doctor! How could it be? I soon grew to love the second Doctor however, and took future regenerations a lot more calmly.

think if you're going to be honest take out the debut of the cybermen and the regeneration and The Tenth Planet is a pretty dull story . There is no really explnation as to how or why The Doctor recognizes Mondas or how he knows what it looks like. Nor dose the fact the planet blows up make much sense either. Given the choiceI just wish episode 3 of this story was missing rather thn episode 4.

The voice thing is totally intentional and something the cybs do in later stories like Tomb when they have a slot in the mouth area. I like it.

I really really liked this cyberman look because it really did show the mix between the robotic and human element of the cybermen. The end of part 1 where the hand is on the body and it pans up to the cyberman is brill.

I feel alot of love for Billy and his era, the Tenth Planet is right up there in the world of Billydom for me.

I disagree tbh. I think this story could quite easily have slotted into the Troughton Era and still been a good story, Cybermen debut or not.

And The Doctor has had foreknowledge on many occasions. You could ask the same question about his knowledge of Krynoids and the Mandragora Helix for example, during the 4th Doctor's Era.


I think in later Cybermen stories, though it's still obvious another actor is voicing the Cybermen, it's a lot less obvious and the opening and closing of the mouth's is a lot less stated than in this story.

Most people feel that when their first Doctor's leave, but this was so different as it was the first time it had happened so how you felt was probably quite typical at the time.

as Davey, says by todays standards the Cybermen do look daft yet at the same time the cloth masks and bare human hands in some ways make them the most frightening.

I quite found those cybermen scary! (I was only 6 at the time). But I still see them as creepy now! I remember the Doctor suddenly changing at the end of the story - but it didn't mean anything to me! I just thought it was a new story for next time. When Pat Troughton appeared next week I was gobsmacked!! And I fell in love with him instantly!

Even the story title excites me, not only because The Tenth Planet is an intriguing name in itself, just knowing how much change was about to take place.

The Cybermen would take some of the pressure off the Daleks shoulders (Daleks with shoulders? ) in terms of popular long-term monsters to face the Doctor. Although there were two absolutely mahoosive Dalek stories just around the corner, but after that the Cybermen definitely take the mantle of being THE iconic Dr Who monster for a while. After season 4, The Daleks don't actually have a focal story for quite a long time, until season 9 . While the Cybermen have 4 seperate stories in the Daleks absense.

I just loved how the regeneration coincided with the Tardis dematerialising. I feel like the presence of Ben and Polly bringing a new modern feel to the show basically prompts the Doctor to get with the times too and renew himself. The timing couldn't have worked out better.

First and foremost those Cybermen Voices, Ha Ha. Neurotic, bit Posh even and just quite funny. Onto the serious stuff, the first regeneration in the show’s run and a moment of history. It is an apt first regeneration, from memory the Doctor is weary and confused and tired, which given the state of the failing health of the actor Hartnell. It just seems in keeping with how he in the role should go out. Nevertheless, it is done well, and the confusion and mystery of what is happening conveyed by Ben and Polly make it all the better.
The design of the Cybermen are quite bulky, but in terms of the on screen evolution of the Cybermen, it is quite interesting how they evolve and become more slim line over the course of the show. I mentioned there voices, but I quite like them even though my favourite voices would be from Earthshock/Attack of the Cybermen era. There is a good mix of this version and the New Series Cybermen done by Nicholas Briggs in the Big Finish Audio ’Human Resources’.
The plot is quite a good one, with the threat of Mondas, Z-Bombs etc.. mainly the Doctor is not part of the plot as he is not in it much, making it more of a Ben and Polly and incidental characters story. But as I mentioned makes the regeneration of an ill Doctor more apt.
The overall introduction of the Cybermen and the scenes at the South Pole make it a decent watch for me. A decent tale to end the Hartnell era of the programme.

I do rather like this story, but the Doctor seems to switch the story off by blowing up Mondas. It seems a bit rushed, like they were running out of time to fit everything in. Nothing is really explained.


Love the word "BIllydom" and will be using it!

The Cybermen are scarier here than in later stories. They're still recognisably human, and the face is covered by just a piece of fabric ... what does the "real" face look like? What has happened to them to transform them into these semi-human monsters? Creepy. The voice is a bit offputting maybe, but the design itself is very effective I feel.



I'd also like to mention that the base feels like a real place. Saucy pictures on the walls, etc. This is a more "real" version of DW than the show has really attempted before (other than War Machines and Dalek Invasion of Earth), and having foreign and (gasp) Black characters helps this enormously. This feels a bit more grown-up than we're used to.

Agree with all this. Never thought at the same time before about (spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen Remembrance of the Daleks)

Just a note - there is some scamer on ebay trying to sell a DVd of the tenth planet including episode 4 which he claims has been " DIGITALY RESTORED"

Just regenerating this thread (!) as watched the Tenth Planet yesterday and really really liked it.
It feels like it could have been written for the New Series in a way by that I mean it does feel quite fresh for a Hartnell story. Maybe its the writing but I didn't find it slow at all. Most of the characters even the soldiers like Tito and Schultz feel real and there are nice little touches like the saucy pictures on the wall. You do feel for the pilots stuck in the capsule (including Cutler's son who Cutler will do anything to save). When they die its sad but there isn't some huge emotional outpouring of grief which you might get today which I quite like. These people are here to do a job..

. The companions get a lot to do especially Ben and Polly has her moments trying to persuade. Barclays to help in disarming the Z bomb and the discussion with the Cyberman about emotions.. I really enjoyed seeing the first appearance of the Cybermen and their leader.. The sing song style of speech reminds how human they used to be and I actually prefer it to the robotic style of speech that comes later. Its more interesting to have a discussion with a half man half robot ( I notice they still than a full robot.have their hands)

if there are any downsides it is the obvious absence of the Doctor in episode 3 which feels a bit clumsy but is obviously unavoidable and the Doctor seems very blasé about the arrival of the Cybermen ( 'you will have visitors'). \The Timelord(s) obviously know about Mondas but not about its scientific developments regarding their population ? anyway its a small point..

regarding the animation of the last episode not a great fan as it seems to take away something from the flow .Personally I would have liked with the actual regeneration bit to have the existing footage put in there. I know its in one of the extras but I would personally feel a bit cheated if I had paid for this DVD ( rented) but I guess I would have to watch the telesnaps version.
Anyway a good story much better than I ever expected.

I would like the telesnap recon much better if they had simply scrolled the captions across the lower part of the image like Loose Cannon instead of shrinking the image and framing it with that distracting coloured background.

So here I am back to the final Hartnell story after seeing it first a couple of years ago and its a solid last story. Every one of the supporting characters works and it is really enjoyable seeing the Cybermen's first story. Their look and sound feels creepy because they seem one step removed from what we may be in the future and they come across as a quite credible new foe, ( and are very tall). I like how it is left to the imagination what they must look like under that stocking. An excellent story overall

So to our hero I guess its only now at the end of his reign that I can really appreciate how much William Hartnell put into being the 1st Doctor. I like his toughness and anger in this story.. That he is aware of the sister planet Mondas and the ' visitors' adds an air of mystery. to the Doctor which we haven't seen for quite a while. It feels in some ways that although he mellowed we are back to the indignant Doctor from an Unearthly child.
It does feel heart-breaking to also see the Doctor become ill and weakened ( poignant given the real life scenario for Hartnell) and you do feel that absence during this story and to know how change is round the corner.

.Even though there are many episodes still missing I am incredibly pleased in a way that there were so many stories made because there is such variety in this era and its been fascinating. .But damn you BBC for junking the last episode of this important story but I enjoyed the VHS recon very much

I'm going to keep going through the 2nd doctor as I haven't seen/ heard every story. Does anyone want to do a rewatch with me - one story a week ?

You must be joking! These are the best Cybermen in concept. They are the only Cybermen who truly feel like 'upgraded' human beings rather than robots. I was very disappointed by the RTD Cybermen when it was revealed that only their brains are original. The rest is robot. Most of the other Cybermen in the original series seemed like slow robots to me (getting slower with each showrunner).

The RTD team re-invented the Daleks whilst preserving their true image. Moffat tried to re-invent them a second time and it went down like a cup of cold sick. I honesty think the original Cybermen could be re-invented for the 21st century to be sinister characters, perhaps a metaphor for Millennials living too much of their life on their smartphones and losing their sense of reality, much like the original Cybermen were a warning about the (early) computerisation and industrialisation that was going on in the 1960s.

Modern production values could make the Cybermen look like Tenth Planet whilst having good mouths. I actually like the original voices more than any other version. It's truly sinister, like only a human being can, not a robot. Current Cybermen are all robots.

The Cybermen will never be as scary as they were back in the 60's. What might look like a silly tin foil costume on the surface is actually something far more eerie and sinister than the scheming, trigger-happy fodder of the 80's or the evil Iron Man clones of the modern show.

It's still sad on rewatch to see William Hartnell. He was the first ever Doctor, and he played the role with such heart and passion that it's so easy to fall in love with him and not want to let him go.

I've never been a big fan of Ben and Polly, though, I'm afraid to say.

Lady of Traken - Troughton's era does present a challenge in that his tenure is missing far more episodes than Hartnell's, but I definitely think it's worth it for anyone who loves Classic Who, whether they're watching reconstructions or listening to the audio. It's just such a magical era of the show in ways that not even Hartnell's was. On the downside, the historical stories quickly fade into obscurity, so you won't see them as often... but on the other hand, it's a far more "sci-fi-y" era brimming with crazy concepts. Troughton is arguably the most important Doctor of them all, as it was essentially his casting that led to the Doctor being one of the most immortal roles in television, and I personally rank him my third favourite behind Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee. But you also get Jamie, and eventually Zoey, who are both brilliant companions.

I'm not joking at all!!!!

I think it's a matter of taste and opinion but I stick by my point!

I think at the time it was shown the Cybermen definitely would have worked and I think been quite effective in their originality. I don't think they were awful by any means and as I said at the top, I think they were menacing but the design for me in hindsight was poor, especially compared to later ones in the sixties and eighties(which is my own favourite design)

Agree with your point on the RTD Cybermen though.

Following the death of Olaf Pooley (Professor Stahlman in Inferno) in 2014, Earl Cameron who played the astronaut Williams in Tenth Planet is now the oldest surviving actor who appeared in Doctor Who. He'll be 99 next month

Roger Lloyd-Pack will ultimately beat this record through all-too-obvious means.

Hi LordS I definitely agree about Bill Hartnell. I know it was years ago now but I felt such a pang of sorrow to see the 1st go when I watched this time . Just goes to show what a fine actor Hartnell was.
Thanks for your comments about the Troughton era. I have watched quite a few stories out of order in the past and I know Patrick Troughton is a quality actor. It will be interesting to compare and contrast the 1st and 2nd.


Quite agree there is something very sinister about the Cypermen's first appearance. They are more 'human looking' than the ones in Earthshock which is where I saw them first as a young teenager and I love that story but they were just cannon fodder by the time you got to Silver Nemesis. Dull as ditch-water,

I don't know if its already been done but maybe there needs to be a Mondasian origins story.
I did enjoy the RTD two-parter and Haha I like that thought very much

The tenth planet cybermen designs look very cheaply made. I think the moonbase and tomb of the cybermen designs were much better. Don't get the river Lloyd pack thing?

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...r+regenerates+