| THE INVASION by Derrick Sherwin |
| Story 46 Synopsis: The TARDIS lands in a field, and becomes invisible. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are narrowly rescued from attack. They try to track down Professor Travers, but meet Isobel Watkins instead, whose Professor uncle has gone missing. The big news is the firm International Electromatics (IE), and its boss, Tobias Vaughn. The Doctor finds his other old friend, Captain Lethbridge-Stewart has been promoted to Brigadier, and is running United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT). They are worried about IE. Vaughn is working in association with a force of Cybermen, who have a spaceship hidden on the dark side of the Moon. But he has also kidnapped the missing Professor Watkins, to create a Cerebration Mentor, which will allow him to thwart the Cybermen - after he has taken their technology. The Doctor tries to counter the rise of IE, but learns that a signal will be broadcast which will send the human race to sleep. He creates a temporary shield against it, but only a few. When the signal is transmitted via IE equipment, the Cybermen emerge from their hiding place in the sewers. The Doctor makes his way to IE HQ to try to convince Vaughn to change his plans. When the Cybermen's main plan is thwarted, they decided to drop a megatron bomb, currently hidden on the Moon. Vaughn realises he will be unable to rule if this happens, and so helps the Doctor stop it happening, but dies in the process. The Cyber-invasion is over. UNIT has proved itself admirably. Professor Watkins is freed. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe leave in the restored TARDIS. |
| Review:- After a strange adventure, the TARDIS comes down to Earth, with the longest adventure in 3-4 years, and the final appearance of the Cybermen for 6 years. This story is more concerned with the first full-on appearance for UNIT, who would shortly become part & parcel of the series. Things begin simply with the Doctor hoping to catch up with an old friend, only to find him replaced by another old professor, who's mysteriously gone missing. From here, it's full pelt into the strange world of IE, and Vaughn's mad plans for the control of Earth. The Cybermen had used allies before, but none had the complete persona of Tobias Vaughn. Since they don't make their presence felt for half the story, it means Vaughn has to hold the villainy together for 4 episodes. He does so excellently. UNIT are the big news here. When he last met the elusive Travers, the Doctor met Lethbridge-Stewart, and this connection would of course develop strongly over the years. UNIT really get to sell themselves well, with helicopters and mass shoot-outs against the baddies from IE, not to mention the Cybermen themselves. Jamie and Zoe get little to do early on, having Isobel with them as a surrogate companion for a change. But at least they serve the plot by getting imperilled frequently, and their trip into the sewers does have a kind of logic to it, as well as providing a sign of the Cybermen's power. Isobel, sadly, seems to be either badly written, cast or acted, and drains the life from viewers whenever she appears. Zoe does at least get a couple of good moments such as bamboozling the IE computer, and later plotting a trajectory to enable maximum impact for UNIT's rockets. The Doctor is in good order here. His alliance with UNIT helps them seem credible, and he is able to thwart the Cyber-signal with his usual blend of ingenuity and know-how. His efforts to persuade Vaughn do eventually pay off, though at the cost of relying on superior firepower to save the day. The location filming is one aspect that deserves a mention. London hadn't looked as impressive since The Dalek Invasion Of Earth. In some ways, this is the Cyber-equivalent of that story, with famous landmarks jazzed up by having some aliens in the same pictures. On the whole, it's a story that could perhaps have used a bit less padding early on, but otherwise, it's well worth seeing. |
| Disclaimer: I have read the book, and seen the video. |