For me, this is one of the best Cybermen stories ever, beaten only by Earthshock. There is so much going for it and the fact that it was discovered in the 90's and we can see it in full adds to the that. I think a lot would have been missed listening to it in audio only.

It is the atmosphere of the story which makes it so special. It really does feel as if you are there watching it, the isolation of the planet also adds impact and off course, that incidental music is absolutely terrific, aided by the Cyber-theme which accompanies it. Plus the Tombs themselves and the base overall were very well realised and quite effective.

There is also good banter between the regulars in this and Victoria settles nicely into being the new companion away from home. I disagree she was a totally weak companion, she stands up for herself well in this story with firstly Kaftan and then later Hopper and Callum as she tries to get them to open the hatch.

The Cybermen are also on top form in this, towering above everyone and I like the fight with Toberman. It is such a shame he was killed off, would have been nice if he had survived.

This story also contains two classic Second Doctor lines. One, abut his normal observations methods: 'I keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. ' and the Cybermat one. 'I think it's had a metal breakdown.' Also love the gags about The Doctor's age.

I can't think of anything about this story I don't like, it is an absolute classic.

A very good story if not the absolute best of the best it was once considered to be before the rediscovery.

A solid 8/10 but no more than that.

Jamie's skirt and the Doctor's family. First appearance of the Cybermats.

I think my favourite Cybermen voice is the one used here, using the electronic larynx. It sounds exactly the way you might imagine it would be if the remnants of a human mouth were forming the words but a machine providing the 'voice'. Half human, half machine. Bit of a continuity problem with the pitch changing between episodes 2 and 3, though.

This is Matt Smith's favourite (as of last report) and for some good reasons.

before the recovery of Tomb, back in the early 90's it was one of the most sort after returns wanted yet when we finally got to see it I think it's fair to say that opinions of it were lukewarm. Personally I can't understand why some fans felt underwhelmed by it for me Tomb is (next to Earthshock) the best Cyber story of both classic and new series. It's wonderfully atmospherical and tense all the way through and the TARDIS crew are on top form.

In terms of tension, it really never lets up until the last few minutes. Very few stories maintain this sort of suspense from start to finish. I think out of all the surviving Troughton Stories, this ranks head and shoulders above them all and is definitely in my top three Second Doctor Stories.

It's stories like this that make me despise the Exile Scenario so much. This is so much of what Doctor Who should be about. Alien Planets with atmosphere that is other worldly. I just love it!

Love the Cybermen, it’s a tossup between them and the Daleks as to who are my favourites, but I think the Cybermen just edge it.

Respectfully, I disagree. I listened to the audio tape (with Jon Pertwee's narration) for years before I watched the video. The atmosphere is so incredible it transfers effortlessly to an audio-only format, inspiring the imagination incredibly

And great concepts that got rendered badly on screen (the Cybermats) would look a lot better in the imagination. The whole room filling with them was potentially a great scene but the practicalities of only having 3 or 4 of them and the fact of them both looking and moving pathetically really put the kibosh on that.

Actually, an awful lot of Tomb is so nearly great, or conceptually great, but doesn't quite make it. It's a shame.

Another Second Doctor Cybermen four-parter, so every chance of a tightly plotted, exciting pacy episode. I believe that is what this is.
Again coupled with the musical score and sound effects particular to the Cybermen in this era I find enjoyable. I love the eerie ness they provide. The music has a murder mystery feel to it, quite apt for the early episodes of discovery in this story.

Victoria is a fresh faced companion and first time traveller in this adventure, seemingly the damsel in distress in most early scenes. She eventually gets some decent lines towards the end, enabling her to show her bravery and wit. Blasting a cybermat and dissing Captain Hopper: "That's alright Captain, it's comforting to know that we have your superior strength to call on, should we need it." which very much makes me warm to her during this story.
She is involved in my favourite passage of dialogue with the Doctor, talking of missing her father: "The memory of him won't always be a sad one" and comforting her further by: "Nobody in the universe can do what were doing".

Klieg and Kaftan play a vital role in events, and as characters they are suitably devious. Klieg is slimy, egotistic and hugely deluded as to his ability to control the Cybermen. Played with relish by , it is superb when he gets his comeuppance. Their role as plotters nicely puts the expedition party in constant peril from the threat of the Cybermen. The party splitting up into groups enables us to see their attempts to do away with a few of the party, giving us the scenes in the firing range which are interesting and fleshing out the scale of the Tomb.

Toberman's story during the story is a likeable one, at first he is just a slave and muscle for the devious Klieg and Kaftan. But thanks to the Doctor's appealing to his humanity after his "repairing" and mind control via the Cyber Controller. He plays a significant role in aiding the Doctor and the group.
One of the enduring images is of him flinging the Cyber Controller against the control panel in episode four. He in the end he ultimately pays the price in the closing stages and is the unlikely hero in the end.

The Cybermen are great in this, they are portrayed as the clinical race they should be. Laying intelligence tests in the form of a trap to not only awaken them but have suitable subjects to base a new Cybermen species on. Logical and chilling, I love all the scenes based in and around the Tomb. They only look slightly weak when they get confused by some smoke bombs, and only treated like cannon fodder on one occasion when Jamie blasts a couple with the cyber gun at the top of the hatch.
I do like the Cybermen design and voices, although there is one or two pieces of dialogue in both The Moonbase and Tomb of the Cybermen that is hard to pick up clearly. The Tenth Planet Cybermen are still quality and they have a patched together look of human and robotic that is grotesque and effective, but I do like the Cybermen robotic redesign of the early Troughton era. The heads with there soulless blank faces are my favourite progression they have made at his point in their evolution. I do wish the Cyber Controller had a chest unit like the others, I think he looks a bit incomplete without it.
The Cybermats are okay, there bulging eyes being my favourite aspect of them.

Tomb has more touches of humour sprinkled into what is another serious Cybermen story, particularly the Doctor's slight of Klieg in episode one of "Keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut" and the Doctor and Jamie accidently holding hands when they first go through the doors of the tomb, lol.

Patrick's Doctor benefits from these lighter touches, playful and manipulative of Klieg when praising him working out the combination to open the hatch, when in fact he secretly made sure he got the combination sequence correct. Hence, the Doctor has all the elements in his performance here, coupled with the pace of the story never letting up. Everything I feel has a point, no passage or event is wasted every twist, turn and bit of dialogue contributes to the development and direction of the story. So tightly plotted that it favourably reminds me of The Ark in Space in this regard. There is the odd quibble and a couple of production errors, like clearly seeing the wire attached to a Cyberman. But I still think this is a top classic adventure, a fantastic Cybermen story where they are utilisied fully in premise and execution.

There is something genuinely creepy about this story. I think part of that is because it was filmed in B/W. I would love to see an episode of New Who filmed in B/W.

The one thing I have always wondered about the Cybermen is why do they move so slowly ? And why do they walk with their arms half way up like zombies ?
I know in the last series they were seen to mnove super fast but that looked wrong as well. Why not just walk normally and perhaps run a bit faster than a human can, to me that would be far more effective.
Having said that "Tomb" is a great story and shows the 2nd Doctor at his best.

Because the Cybermen were, originally, basically zombies. They were effectively cybernetic undead. In this case, the styling and trappings of Tomb of the Cybermen was intended to make them appear more like mummies, but basically the same idea.

I think the super-fast Cybermen were a bit of a mistake from that perspective, much like the encased-in-metal designs - it's hard to get proper body horror in a show intended for the whole family, but it appears that they've stopped really trying.

I thought that the origional premise for the Cybermen was that they were "humans" who's bodies were wearing out to such an extent that the only way the race could survive was to replace body parts with machinery, a bit like the way the six million dollar man was repaired with cyborg and bionic parts. Eventually all their bodily parts were replaced and they became Cybermen. I can't ever remember them being referred to as "zombies"

Yes. A shambling collection of left over body parts, bereft of their humanity, seeking to make others like them. The Pandorica Opens is the closest they've been since. Much more interesting than the evil robots they're currently used as.

They really do feel like robots, don't they? The fundamental premise that they are lost human souls has been completely lost over the years, which is a massive shame.

Their first re-appearance in modern Who did quite a good job of incorporating the body horror of turning humans into monsters, but they hid it all in a shiny manufactured shell, and subsequently episodes barely touched on that.

If we want unstoppable faceless automatons with no imagination, we have the Daleks. Let the Cybermen be ragtag survivors, willing to do whatever it takes to keep themselves alive.

Watched this story the other night. I know it was seen as a lost classic before it was returned to the archives. So very
aware of its reputation.
Watching the first episode (seen twice) it stuck me that there is something very grand being set up
about the whole idea of opening the tomb. It's given reverance and expectation in the script much like the dig at Devils end so builds up the tension. .
The direction is mostly very good. The opening sequences in the quarry have unusual angles and feel dynamic.. the Cybermen breaking out of the tombs is atmospheric & lingered on. So Tomb has a lot of good stuff to recommend it The score is really fantastic for the Cybermen too. They look as imposing as a monster can. The height of the Cybermen really works and the sound they make when they attack.
There are some lovely comedy moments such as the Doctor and Jamie holding hands and I think them peering round the corner. Oh and the scene where the Doctor talks about his family was intriguing and made me want to ask more questions.
I like the drama in the shooting range and the pace of the story generally. It did disturb me how much the Doctor helps the exhibition and Kleig to open the tomb amd find the Cybermen. Seeing him manipulating events wasn't initially that comfortable but does the ends now justify the means ? I don't think the Doctor's presence saved any lives

And saying all that I can't honestly say that I feel it's a classic. I did enjoy its melodrama but It dates badly through the stereotypes within it. The typical brash American pilot ( Cooper?). The women kept away from the Tombs. How unfortunate as well that the two baddies have foreign accents or that Toberman who is black and doesn't talk is a slave.

Maybe Gerry Davis and Kit Pedlar are being really clever
by having the stereotypes to somehow show the absurdNess of it. I don't know and I could say that was then and it reflects those times and attitude.

So even if I ignore the previous points if you look at the Cybermen's plan it's well shonky. Why would they freeze themselves just to wait hundreds of years for humans to defrost then. It's interesting but doesn't seem their M O. And then in episode 3 they conveniently decide to go back to the tombs to conserve power leaving only the controller there. It just doesn't make a lot of sense.
How did Telos become their home? I thought it was Mondas.

It still feels very watchable but has it's flaws too.

"Well shonky". I bloody love that phrase. The Cybermen have always been crap at planning stuff, and that sums it up perfectly.

Tomb is a hoot. Great fun. Thoroughly enjoyable with plenty of atmosphere and gusto. The Cybermen often choose rubbish scripts, but this one is okay as long as you don't look too closely at their motivation. The Cybermen do choose good music, though: the Cyber-theme here and the 80s clanging-metal Cyber-theme are amongst the top notch of DW music.

Debbie Watling is awfully shrill though.

Still remember my excitement when news of the discovery and that the video was being rush released broke. This story was spoken about in awed tones during my fanzine reading days in the 80's....and now I could pop into Smiths and buy it!

I think it's a great story, but it could never really live up to the 'Best story EVAH!' stuff I had read, and it doesn't top polls any more. On first viewing I thoroughly enjoyed it, mind, and still do. It is v interesting how devious and manipulative the Second Doctor could be despite his amiable demeanour. 7 and 11 went down that route a few times too, and that ain't a criticism.

Yep, Victoria was always pretty shrill! She's okay here though, and her little chat with a sympathetic Doctor has rightly been mentioned as a lovely moment.

It's an iconic and deservedly well remembered story. It's a bit of a toss up for me whether this or The Invasion is the finest Cybermen story of the Sixties. They're v different and love them both, basically!

A certain and obvious scene sticks out from this story as possibly get most terrifying and iconic Cybermen appearance ever. I loved the Cybermen theme in this one too, I think the only other story that featured it was The Moonbase?

Hi Chuff I don't disagree with your comments well except about Victoria. I think I'd be screaming like a girl too to be honest and she's not meant to be a modern woman.

. It's a great story l agree mainly because of Patrick Troughton. He's fantastic, funny, comforting, manipulating to destroy the Cybermen. Shame they have a rubbish plan 😀

Didn't the Web of Fear have the same theme?

Now that you mention it, yes, I think it did actually.

I got the 4-disc "50 Years of DW Music" album the day it was released, and some of the music is just completely amazing. Tomb and Web do share some stock tracks.

Click here for Tomb's music in all its splendour!

I don't agree with a lot of your points, I still think this is on of the best Cybermen stories!

As for Telos, always thought this was their alternate home planet after Mondas was destroyed.


As for Victoria, I disagree she was weak in this story. I think she was probably more assertive than in later stories and as I said at the top, sh certainly gave some stick to a lot of the guest male characters!