The sacrificial lamb to lure in a Yeti (so as to prove his conspiratorial guilt), the Doctor is tied to the monastery main gate under the instructions of the esteemed and stern guardian monk figure of Khrisong. Thankfully, the timely arrival of Jamie, Victoria and Travers soon puts paid to such a ghastly plan involving the Time Lord...
The Doctor confers with Khrisong (Norman Jones).
A lovely look at the interior main hall of the monastery - production design by Malcolm Middleton. Note the closeness of the opposite TARDIS control room set.
Desperate to capture a real-life Yeti so as to salvage his troubled life and career as an explorer and scientist, Professor Travers, with the death of his friend out in the hills, blames the Doctor for the savagery as our hero finally reaches the Det-Sen monastery. Despite the Doctor's protestations of innocence, and his eventual delivery of the ghanta that proves his identity as a long-time friend, he will soon be locked up by the monks, and left to face their judgement...
Travers encounters Jamie and Victoria for the first time.
Going back to his explorations, Travers will eventually discover how shockingly wrong his suspicions of the Doctor are once he encounters Jamie and Victoria, who have escaped their cave trap and the Yeti. They rush to the monastery to clear the Doctor' name and warn everybody of the Yeti menace.
Rushing back to the monastery. Colourized images by Alan Creaser.
The first of two appearances by popular TV star Jack Watling as Professor Travers, the actor was recommended to the Doctor Who production team to play the role by his devoted, equally fun-loving daughter Debbie, of which much hilarity and cast camaraderie was enjoyed in the story's filming.
On his eager walk to the Det-Sen Monastery, danger is never far behind for our hero as he stumbles onto a murder scene - the discovery of a slain man (introduced as Professor Travers fellow explorer and best friend, Mackay, in Terrance Dicks gripping foreword chapter to his must-read novelization, though known onscreen as 'John') as well as a wrecked camp up in the mountains. The cause of such destruction is not yet known, though the legend of the normally elusive Abominable Snowmen is well known in the area...
The Doctor investigates the wrecked camp.
Filming the scene on location in Wales.
Meanwhile, having decided to go on their own exploration, Jaime and Victoria follow a mystery creature into an unusual mountain cave, where they discover unique and ominously powerful alien globes set in a triangular configuration. Their interference in unknown alien plans soon put the duo's lives in danger from the approaching Yeti...
Discovering the technology of the Great Intelligence.
Victoria and Jamie survey their Himalayas location.
Away from the underground horrors that were the frozen Cybermen tombs on Telos, the TARDIS has now materialised the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria onto an altogether different outdoor locale, soon identified by an enthused the Doctor as being Tibet and the Himalayas, as he recalls a special promise he must keep linked to a mystical object in his special care that must now be returned to the nearby Det-Sen Monks Monastery of peaceful monks. It is a visit that the Doctor insists must be done solo, having discovered unusual footprints, though it isn't long before his bored companions decide to explore their new locale...
The Doctor prepares to go to the peaceful monastery to deliver the Holy Ghanta bell, which has been in his prior safekeeping.
Two lovely posed publicity images of Deborah Watling as Victoria on location.
A gorgeous shot of Frazer Hines working to keep his co-star and friend warm on the cold location filming. A lovely picture of a close and attracting pairing both onscreen and off.
On location filming the separate scenes of the Doctor, then Jamie and Victoria, leaving the safety of the TARDIS.
The classic shot of a Yeti guarding the TARDIS, from Episode Four of The Abominable Snowmen.
The final (for now?) animated adventure of a lost B/W Who classic has finally arrived, and there couldn't be a better choice than the atmospheric and highly memorable first adventure featuring the robot Yeti, under the control of the mysterious Great Intelligence: The Abominable Snowmen, a classy tale from the talented and highly effective writing duo of Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln. Also packed with great special features (including rare footage and behind the scenes location visits then and now), the entire six-episode monster thriller is available next week (5th September, 2022) from BBC STUDIOS. This week we celebrate the animated release and primarily the original live-action version of the adventure first transmitted in 1967. As well as the Yeti, this special tale was also remembered by viewers for its intensive amount of location filming in Snowdonia, Wales, and for its strong guest star cast (including Jack Watling as the fortune and glory seeking Professor Travers, Norman Jones as the dedicated monk Khrisong, and Wolfe Morris as the possessed Tibetan mystic Padmasambhava).
The glorious movie poster-esque exclusive cover to the latest Doctor Who Magazine. Art by Oliver Arkinstall-Jones.
The superb TARDIS fan magazine coverage of the Yeti stories, with great cover composition art by Caroline Tankersley, is available to purchase on eBay from the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.
Welcome to The Abominable Snowmen week!
Get the new release here (from September 5th, 2022):
Pawns in the long-term game of the evil Fenric they may be, but that doesn't mean that Russian Commander Soren and Ace can't appreciate and respect each other in times of crises, in this great posed character image for the all-time great The Curse of Fenric.
The kind of alien planet vista we'd always wanted to see in Classic Doctor Who now successfully realized via then developing 1986 video technology, as the Doctor and Peri touch down in the watery shores of Thoros Alpha to investigate strange goings-on, during the start to The Trial of a Time Lord Part Five (aka the Mindwarp section).
The silver nemesis returns! BBC Video sleeve art by Andrew Skilleter.
Peter Davison's premiere season as the Doctor was already a great ratings success in its new twice weekly timeslot, but it would be the run's penultimate story, Earthshock, showcasing the return of the dreaded Cybermen after seven very long years off our screens, that was to be the populist icing on the cake for viewers old and new- the exciting four-part story putting the show back on the respectability map in ways that hadn't been seen since the Phillip Hinchliffe/ Tom Baker era. Earthshock was must-see Who TV again back in March 1982 of which the exciting adventure was a major talking point in offices and schools (like my own secondary school environment) as excited viewers waited to see what happened next with the Cybermen. Indeed, this was a story unlike anything Doctor Who had done in years- ambitious (and incredible amount of studio material to be recorded in a short period), pacy, scary, with solid action scenes and proving genuinely atmospheric, winning audiences over as they were surprised and thrilled by the aforementioned reveal of the costume updated silver menace legion who would truly test our hero's mettle right until the story's boldly emotional and explosive ending, featuring the death of a popular young companion in a scenario that would become one of the Classic Series most memorable and traumatic scenes never to be repeated in quite the same way again.
Earthshock, despite being a last-minute story in the schedule replacing an ultimately dropped tale from the acclaimed sci-fi author Christopher Priest (The Enemy Within), would quickly and deservedly become one of the ultimate triumphs of the Eighties era and cement writer/script editor Eric Saward as a genuine writing force truly beneficial to the series at that point.
Memorable moments from my original 1982 viewing:
Part One in general. From the opening location scenes, the setting and mood of the story are effectively launched, as the Earth military team enter the caves looking for a missing research group. The cave scenes, even though in studio, are well lit and excellently staged by director Peter Grimwade, alongside eerie music from Malcolm Clarke (his best work for the series). The first episode is a building in suspense, genuine horror story as the soldiers are being wiped out by the mysterious Sentinels striking from the dark. The scenes where the disintegrated human bodies are revealed were particularly gruesome, This was adult stuff, with more than a hint of Alien-esque atmosphere. I wonder what the direction of the story would have been like had the Cybermen not been revealed as the enemies at the end of the story's first cliff-hanger?
What are the mysterious Sentinels who have brutally murdered an Earth palaeontology and geology expedition underground? And what are they protecting?
Brave heart, Tegan! Caught in the battle between Earth Security and the powerful Sentinel androids.
Putting the 'shock' into Earthshock! The Cybermen are revealed in the shocking climax to part one.
"It's the Cybermen!" I had a look of stunned awe and jaw-dropped surprise when the Cybermen were incredibly revealed with the first cliff-hanger. My near twelve year old self was jumping for joy, of which I turned back to my family watching the episode and I said it again: '"It's the Cybermen!" What a welcome surprise- the kind of thing that could never be done again in this modern TV landscape. The next day every one at school was talking about Earthshock. And it was a great feeling to be a fan then.
The redesigned Cybermen, created by the Imagineering team for the BBC, looked absolutely superb in this post Star Wars-definedera, losing none of their ability to scare - the silver humanoid chin built into their masks proved particularly creepy, reminding us of the inhuman humanoids beneath them in ways not seen since the Hartnell era...
The best of the Cybermen. Eric Saward brough out the very best of the Cybermen in this story, his mind obviously recalling the creatures from when he saw them in early years monochrome stories and putting them in the script. It was great seeing modern homages to The Tomb of the Cybermen in particular, and kudos to the production team for the specially chosen 'flashback scenes'. These were the kind of well done moments that audiences and fans enjoyed in equal measure. Let's also not forget Peter Davison's brilliant reaction of fear and surprise in seeing the creatures again (for his first time), cementing how the formidable creatures were more dangerous than ever.
The androids have been destroyed but the Cybermen's bomb threat to Earth must be neutralized.
Despite recent personality clashes, the Doctor and Adric work well together in ultimately stopping the bomb!
Tracing the enemy to a deep space freighter cleared for Earth passage, Tegan accompanies Lt. Scott (James Warwick) within the vessel after the Doctor and Adric are captured as stowaways.
The memorable Captain Briggs (Beryl Reid), a tough and uncompromising commander determined to get her cargo delivery bonus, as yet unaware of the secret horror army in her hold.
The Cybermen's secondary plans are activated.
The Cyberforce takes over the freighter amidst little resistance.
The Fifth Doctor vs the Cybermen. Whether racing to stop the creatures reaching the Earth freighter's bridge, or confronting them after the conflict, Davison's portrayal of the lead role is cemented once he gets to interact and go into conflict against the shows second greatest adversaries. Special mention to David Banks for his first and best performance as the calculating and ultimately sadistic Cyber-Leader.
The Doctor prepares to give fire at the Cybermen in a special posed image.
The Doctor and Adric use their wits to repel the Cyberforce from reaching the bridge.
But the Cyber-Leader's own inventiveness soon makes them the victors.
Tegan is used as a captive pawn against the Doctor by the Cyber-Leader (David Banks).
Cybermen on board! Thought the Doctor ultimately destroys the Cyber-Leader, much damage is wrought to the TARDIS console as the rescue attempt for Adric fails.
The race against time. It was a genuinely tense experience watching the finale episode as a family. I remember it was a very dark March night outside as Part Four started, our front room lights also out, as we watched Adric now separated from his friends and the Doctor racing to operate the damage TARDIS to try and rescue him. It was all suspenseful, exciting and nail-biting.
The death of a companion. Nobody in the viewing audience expected it. We all thought Adric would be saved at the last minute, but it was not to be. The young genius saved the Earth from destruction but was unable to escape the doomed freighter as it crashed into the planet's atmosphere. A genuinely sad moment, of which we all shed a tear or two that night. The death was a truly brave creative move that gave the series the kick in the dramatic gut it needed, cementing the fact that this new Doctor was more fallible in his fight against evil than he'd ever been in his confident Tom Baker incarnation.
Though he saves the Earth from ultimate destruction, young Adric's fate is sealed in a genuinely tragic and emotional finale.
The silent credits played over the iconic image of Adric's broken badge for mathematical excellence.
The excellent illustration promoting the Cybermen's return in the Radio Times magazine.
The new-look Cybermen as seen on the cover to Doctor Who Monthly.
The gun-toting Doctor as the cover star to the story's hardback release, adapted with gritty panache by Ian Marter.
Gordon Lengden and Stuart Glazebrook art for the in-depth story coverage publication, In-Vision.
Alister Pearson's cover art for the gritty Ian Marter novelisation re-release from Target Books.
Rarely seen US DVD cover art for the story.
Composition for the Doctor Who - The Complete History partwork series, by Lee Johnson.
German DVD release.
Get the exciting BBC Audio adaptation of the classic Target Books adaptation here:
