The audio drama draws on the ideas of the Cybermen co-creator Gerry Davis.
The Fifth Doctor met the Cybermen on television in the fateful ‘Earthshock.’ However, before that storyline became a fixed point in Doctor Who history, an alternative idea explored the origins of the metal men from Mondas.
While the Cybermen were first introduced in 1966’s ‘The Tenth Planet‘, their horrific backstory was only alluded to in a scant few lines.
In 2002, audio producers Big Finish provided their own take on a Cyber-creation story with the terrific ‘Spare Parts‘ by writer Marc Platt, and of course, the revived television show has tackled the subject in different ways with ‘Rise of the Cybermen‘ and ‘World Enough and Time‘.
However, their co-creator Gerry Davis pitched his own story of their creation back in the early 80s and, while it didn’t make it to the screen, the storyline found its way into the Doctor Who: Cyberman book by actor David Banks.
Now, Big Finish have returned to those ideas and writer David K. Barnes has developed it into a full-cast audio drama as part of the Doctor Who – The Lost Stories range.
Here’s the synopsis for Genesis of the Cybermen
A King lies dying in his castle. His eldest son Prince Sylvan is an artist with no desire to inherit a kingdom, while Prince Dega toils in his laboratory, dedicated to saving their dying people from extinction. They will all burn unless he succeeds.
When the TARDIS arrives, its crew believe they can help. But this planet is Mondas. And this is the Genesis of the Cybermen…
The story stars Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, alongside Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Matthew Waterhouse as his companions Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric. Plus, Nicholas Briggs as the Cybermen.
Producer and director David O’Mahony says:
“The Cybermen have been one of the Doctor’s greatest opponents throughout the ages. They are brutal, uncaring and dedicatedly vicious.
“Gerry Davis’s ideas about their origin never made it onto TV, so it’s a total pleasure to bring this story to life with Peter Davison’s Doctor. Setting it pre-Earthshock gives it the feel of a brilliant prequel to the impending Cybermen stories that we know and love.”
Doctor Who – The Lost Stories: Genesis of the Cybermen is up for pre order now and out in March 2025. It’s available on Collector’s Edition CD (+ download), or digital download only, exclusively from Big Finish.
Catch up with our reviews of recent Doctor Who – The Lost Stories releases including ‘Operation Werewolf‘ and ‘Deathworld’.
Also, out this month, The Third Doctor and Jo will have a gothic tinged Cyber-encounter in ‘The Quintessence‘.
Doctor Who: Hooklight
The Season 19 crew have another epic tale on the cards too, as ‘Hooklight’ has also just been announced. The 12-part tale, from writer Tim Foley, plays out across two box sets released in April and May 2025.