Revenge of the Cybermen was the only Cybermen appearance during the 1970s and its not hard to see why. While the Daleks managed to reclaim their credibility in the previous adventure, the Cybermen lose all theirs here.

Revenge of the Cybermen is surely the worst story to ever come from the Tom Baker era of the show. One word I can think of to describe it which is family friendly is abysmal. The Cybermen are very effective villains when they are creepy as that creepiness comes from their complete lack of emotion and their uniformity. But both of these things are thrown out of the air lock in this story.

But the Cybermen aren't the worst thing in this story. That award goes to the Vogans. The make up looks dire but couple that with endless bickering about the future of their race and we're in trouble. In Doctor Who, you always know it is a good idea to fast forward when your aliens start bickering. And they are one of the stupidest aliens to ever grace the show, how, when their planet is made of gold, can they not work out how to stop the Cybermen? They resort to shooting at the metal giants with guns that don't work against them!

The only element that saves this story is the portrayal of the Cyber-Leader, played by Christopher Robbie. The only reason it is so good is because he stands with his hands on hips and struts about the space station with an air that screams, 'Bitch Please, I'm Fabulous," it is gloriously camp! And the performances from the regulars, Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter who are always brilliant. Back especially, puts in a good role as the Doctor, who comes across throughout this adventure as if he is too cool for school and just plays with his yo-yo for most of it!
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