Attack of the Cybermen

137 – Attack of the Cybermen
Doctor Who serial
The Doctor battling against Cybermen
Cast
Doctor Colin Baker (Sixth Doctor)
Companion Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown)
Others Maurice Colbourne — Lytton Brian Glover — Griffiths Terry Molloy — Russell James Beckett — Payne Jonathan David — Stratton Michael Attwell — Bates Stephen Churchett — Bill Stephen Wale — David Sarah Berger — Rost Esther Freud — Threst Sarah Greene — Varne Faith Brown — Flast David Banks — Cyber Leader Michael Kilgarriff — Cyber Controller Brian Orrell — Cyber Lieutenant John Ainley — Cyberman
Production
Directed by	Matthew Robinson
Written by	"Paula Moore" (Paula Woolsey)
Script editor	Eric Saward
Produced by	John Nathan-Turner
Executive producer(s)	None
Incidental music composer	Malcolm Clarke
Production code	6T
Series	Season 22
Length	2 episodes, 45 minutes each
Originally broadcast	5–12 January 1985
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → The Twin Dilemma Vengeance on Varos

Attack of the Cybermen

Author	Eric Saward
Cover artist	Colin Howard
Series	Doctor Who book: Target novelisations
Release number	138
Publisher	Target Books
Publication date	20 April 1989
ISBN

Attack of the Cybermen is the first serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 5 January to 12 January 1985. Beginning with this serial and continuing for the remainder of Season 22, episodes were 45 minutes in length (as opposed to previous episodes which were 25 minutes long); for syndication, in some markets, this serial is re-edited into four 25-minute segments. This story also featured the return of commander Lytton, a character also seen in Resurrection of the Daleks.

In the sewers of London, two workers are attacked by an unseen force. The Doctor's attempts to repair the TARDIS's systems, in particular the chameleon circuit, which enables the ship to alter its external form to something more suitable than the police box, cause the ship to behave chaotically in-flight. The Doctor eventually manages to pilot the TARDIS to Earth in the year 1985, where he shows Peri Halley's Comet, although she is more worried about the prospect of crashing into it.

On Earth, the former Dalek mercenary Lytton (from Resurrection of the Daleks) has apparently taken up a new life as a London gangster, and is plotting a £10 million diamond raid with his cohorts Griffiths, Payne and Russell (the latter is played by Terry Molloy, normally seen in the role of Davros). The four intend to enter the bank through the same sewers where the two workmen were ambushed, but Lytton activates a strange transmitter before they enter the sewer. This emits a distress signal that the Doctor picks up, and he lands the TARDIS in a scrapyard in Totter's Lane to investigate. The TARDIS changes shape, to a rather conspicuous ornamental stove. After searching the area, he determines that the transmitter is a dummy, and returns to the TARDIS to find the real source. They arrive at the sewer entrance (where the TARDIS reshapes itself into an organ) and find the transmitter, but are held up by two policemen who are under Lytton's control.