The origin story of the Cybermen, based on the ideas of their co-creator Gerry Davis.

Thanks to a neat line or two from Steven Moffat, we know that Cybermen are inevitable. They’re the horrific result of a simple equation: “People plus technology minus humanity.”

However, the Cybermen who met the First Doctor at the South Pole missed out on an origin story. Cyber Co-creator Gerry Davis submitted a storyline for the show in the early 1980s, but instead they made ‘Earthshock.’ That futuristic tale brought them back in moon boots and cricket gloves, with an “excellent” turn of phrase.

Gerry Davis’ ideas later came to light in the 1988 Cybermen book. It told of the dying planet Mondas and a battle for regal succession with horrific implications.

Now, for this latest release in the Doctor Who – The Lost Stories range, writer David K. Barnes (Wooden Overcoats) returns to that Mondas-based storyline, fashioning it into a chilling four-part audio adventure for Big Finish Productions.

While Gerry Davis wrote for a generic Doctor and his lone companion Felicity, Barnes deploys Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor and his Season 19 line-up of Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Tegan (Janet Fielding).

Genesis of the Cybermen

The tale begins with an accident in the vortex, which brings the TARDIS to what they believe is Earth. Here, they find the artistic Prince Sylvan (Nuhazet Diaz Cano) who is more interested in the arts while is brother, the scientific Prince Dega, toils to save their ailing father’s life.

Mondas is a troubled world, where the average lifespan is fifty years and its population struggle to make it through the day without taking energy supplements.

Impressed by the seemingly magical arrival of the TARDIS, Prince Sylvan befriends the Doctor and his crew. As the Doctor and Adric discover the planet’s identity and investigate the mystery of its decaying orbit, Nyssa and Tegan visit the castle. There, Nyssa fatefully aids Prince Dega (Michael Abubakar) with his efforts to save his father.

However, it’s not until Prince Sylvan forces his way into the TARDIS, keen for a glimpse of his own future, that we see the horrors of Nyssa’s helpful suggestions…

Time Jump

With the story’s time jump, we were instantly reminded of the First Doctor tale ‘The Ark,’ for which Gerry Davis was the story editor. It neatly establishes the setup, before leaping on to explore the repercussions of the characters’ actions. Here, we find a civilisation which, in its desperation to survive, places science before art and suffers as a consequence.

While the Doctor understands the weight of the events they are wrapped up in, Barnes finds a place for all three companions and still keeps much of the original storyline intact. Nyssa provides her scientific expertise, Adric displays his mathematical prowess (as well as some heroics), while Tegan goes head-to-head with a stubborn queen.

There are also some brilliantly knowing lines of dialogue. They include a namecheck for Big Finish’s own Cyber-origin story ‘Spare Parts’ and a reference to this Doctor’s pleasant, open face. Plus, the story concludes with a perfect final line.

In Summary

For all the horrors of Cyber-conversion, this is a family tragedy. King Dega (Colin Tierney) is driven by compassion and responsibility, but blind to the dehumanising effects of his actions. On his return, Sylvan is horrified by what his world has become and must step-up to become the leader his people need. It’s not the only family drama too, as the effects of the cyber process are chillingly illustrated though a mother and son’s story too.

This is a terrific tale, although perhaps with too much horror for early 80s Doctor Who, which favoured the laser gun. That said, we can’t help but wonder if it might have found favour under Eric Saward’s tenure as story editor later in the 80s. ‘Attack of the Cybermen’ certainly didn’t shy away from the more gruesome aspects of Cyber-conversion!

For those desperate to fit this story into Doctor Who’s timeline, it just doesn’t go. Instead, ‘Genesis of the Cybermen’ is a thought-provoking alternative for ‘Earthshock.’ While there’s a happier ending for Adric, it provides a life-changing serving of guilt for Nyssa and a dark fate for the people of Mondas too.

In short, this is a treat for fans of Doctor Who in darker hues, and it comes highly recommended.

Doctor Who – The Lost Stories: Genesis of the Cybermen is out now. It’s available on Collector’s Edition CD (+ download), or digital download only, exclusively from Big Finish.

Catch up with our reviews of other recent Doctor Who – The Lost Stories releases including ‘Operation Werewolf‘ and ‘Deathworld’.