Rise of the Cybermen (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox NewTV
{{title dab away}}
|image           = [[File:Rise-of-the-cybermen.jpg|300px]]
{{real world}}
|story name      = Rise of the Cybermen
{{ImageLinkTV}}
|series         = [[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]]
{{Infobox Story SMW
|number         = [[Series 2 (Doctor Who)|Series 2]]
|image                 = Rise-of-the-cybermen.jpg
|story number    = 173a
|season number        = Series 2 (Doctor Who 2005)
|doctor         = [[Tenth Doctor]]
|series episode number = 5
|companions     = <ul><li>[[Rose Tyler]]</li><li>[[Mickey Smith]]</li></ul>
|story number         = 172a
|enemy           = <ul><li>[[John Lumic]]</li><li>[[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]]</li></ul>
|adapted from         = Spare Parts (audio story)
|setting        = [[Pete's World|Parallel Earth]]; [[Pete's World|1st February 20.7]] (parallel)
|scripturl      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/doctor-who-2-episode-5-rise-of-the-cybermen-goldenrod-revisions-06032006.pdf
|writer         = [[Tom MacRae]]
|doctor               = Tenth Doctor
|director       = [[Graeme Harper]]
|companions           = [[Rose Tyler|Rose]], [[Mickey Smith|Mickey]]
|producer       = [[Phil Collinson]]
|featuring            = Pete Tyler (Pete's World)
|broadcast date = [[13th May|13]] [[May]] [[2006]]
|featuring2            = Ricky Smith
|format         = 1x45 minute Episode
|featuring3            = Jackie Tyler (Pete's World)
|production code = 2.5
|featuring4            = Jake Simmonds
|previous story  = [[The Girl in the Fireplace]]
|enemy                 = [[John Lumic]]
|next story      = [[The Age of Steel]]
|setting              = [[London (Pete's World)|London]], [[Pete's World]], [[1 February]] [[2007]]
|writer               = Tom MacRae
|director             = [[Graeme Harper]]
|producer             = [[Phil Collinson]]
|confidential          = Cybermen (CON episode)
|broadcast date       = 13 May 2006
|network              = BBC One
|format               = 1x45 minute episode<br>Part 1 of 2
|production code       = 2.5
|series                = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|prev                  = The Girl in the Fireplace (TV story)
|next                 = The Age of Steel (TV story)
|trailer              = DOCTOR WHO SEASON 2 (TRAILER 1)
|clip                  = A Parallel London - Doctor Who - The Rise of the Cybermen - BBC
|clip2                = Surrounded by the Cybermen - Doctor Who - Rise of the Cybermen - BBC
|bts                  = Iconic monsters - Dr Who Confidential - BBC sci-fi
|thwr                  = 106
}}
}}
{{Quote|Man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion.|[[Cybus Cyberman|Cybermen]]}}
'''''Rise of the Cybermen''''' was the fifth episode of [[Series 2 (Doctor Who 2005)|the second series]] of the 2005 revival series of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
==Synopsis==
[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]], [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] and [[Mickey Smith|Mickey]] face an [[Cybus Cyberman|old enemy]] with a new face on an [[Pete's World|alternate Earth]].


==Plot==
It was the first part of a two-part story. Discounting the [[Cyberman (Dalek)|inactive helmet]] that appeared in ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', this episode served as the formal reintroduction of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] to the main series, having last appeared in ''[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'' in [[1989 (releases)|1989]], with these Cybermen sporting a [[Cybusman|revamped design]] originating from an alternate universe. The story also featured the first televised appearance of a [[Pete's World|parallel Earth]] that would recur through series 2 and [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|4]]. ''[[Tardisode 5]]'' served as the episode's prologue, hinting toward the return of the Cybermen, with additional allusions to the presence of a resistance called [[the Preachers]] combating the Cyber-threat.
The [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] accidentally falls through a hole in the time vortex, crash-landing and apparently dead, cut off from the universe from which it draws energy. It's arrived in what turns out to be London in a [[parallel universe]]: almost, but not quite, the same. There are zeppelins in the sky, the population use advanced EarPods instead of mobile phones, and Rose's father [[Pete Tyler|Pete]] is alive and a very successful businessman.


The Doctor manages to find a small part of the TARDIS which is still alive, and gives up a bit of his life to help his ship regenerate. Since this will take around 24 hours, he reluctantly agrees to let his companions explore the parallel Earth, but he chases after Rose to persuade her not to seek out her "father".
Head writer [[Russell T Davies]] decided that it made "little sense", that when a [[cyborg]] foe would inevitably encounter [[the Doctor]], for the writers to invent an entirely new cyborg race when the Cybermen were already an "established success". Nonetheless, Davies, who was aware of the Cybermen that [[Genesis of the Cybermen|originated]] in the Doctor's universe gaining a complicated backstory over prior televised [[serial]]s, decided against building on said backstory. Instead, he chose to include their creation in a parallel universe. Davies felt that the "original 1960s fears" of organ replacement weren't as relevant for the 21st century. He instead wanted to focus on the fact that the [[upgrade]] of a [[human]] into a Cyberman granted people [[immortality]] at the cost of making them "uniform and emotionless". ([[DWMSE 14]])


One of the powerful players on this earth is [[John Lumic]], owner of [[Cybus Industries]]. Lumic is obsessed with the extension of life through cybernetics, since he is confined to a wheelchair by a fatal condition. His latest experiment, a human "upgrade", is nearing completion, and Lumic has one of his scientists killed for raising ethical objections. He has his henchmen round up bands of homeless people and take them to the Cybus factory at [[Battersea Power Station]] and "upgrade" them. He also later has a meeting with Pete Tyler and the President of Britain, the latter of whom refuses to allow Lumic to carry on his experiments. Knowing that the President will be attending Jackie Tyler's birthday that night, Lumic accesses the security arrangements and house plans in Jackie's mind via her EarPods and orders a new batch of upgrades be created.
The story was inspired by [[Marc Platt]]'s [[2002 (releases)|2002]] audio play ''[[Spare Parts (audio story)|Spare Parts]]''. Davies decided he wanted the two-parter ''Rise of the Cybermen'' and ''[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]'' to be loosely adapted from the [[Big Finish]] play, with a similar "feel", just as [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 1]]'s ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'' was adapted from ''[[Jubilee (audio story)|Jubilee]]''. Platt was paid a fee for [[Tom MacRae]] reusing the basic concepts of ''Parts'' and was given a credit for both ''Rise'' and ''Steel''. Initial drafts of the parallel Earth story were very close to [[Mondas]]' depiction in ''Spare Parts'' as a "dying world". ([[DWMSE 14]])


The Doctor and Rose witness a crowd pause as the EarPods they wear download information directly into their brains, and this advanced technology piques the Doctor's interest. The EarPods are manufactured by Cybus, who also own Pete's company, Vitex. The Doctor decides to attend Jackie Tyler's birthday celebration, since the President and many other high profile guests will be there and he may be able to find out more about the Pods.
Along with inspiration from ''Spare Parts'', writer Tom MacRae was supplied the television serials ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'', ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)|The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[Earthshock (TV story)|Earthshock]]'', the [[DWM comic stories|''DWM'' comic story]] ''[[The Flood (comic story)|The Flood]]'' and [[David Banks]]' ''[[Doctor Who: Cybermen]]''. Director [[Graeme Harper]] also read Banks' book in preparation for this two-parter, along with the surviving episodes of ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'', which Harper's mentor [[Douglas Camfield]] directed. ([[DWMSE 14]])


Mickey, left to his own devices, seeks out his Gran, who died in his universe. While visiting her he's abducted by two people in a blue van: Jake and Mrs Moore, who take him back to their base where they meet Ricky, Mickey's double from this universe. The three of them are the "resistance", a team who have been investigating Cybus' abductions of homeless people with the help of an inside agent. Their contact has just advised that a group of "upgrades" is leaving the Cybus factory. The resistance head off to tail the Cybus truck, taking Mickey with them.
MacRae hoped to reimagine the Cybermen not so much as "mere villains", but as "sad" figures which he thought could be made "terrifying" through the notion of victims being upgraded into Cybermen rather than being killed; as such they were "a cross between [[vampire]]s and [[zombie]]s". ([[DWMSE 14]]) MacRae also felt that his desire to make the Cybermen more human and distanced from being "straightforward monstrous villains" would have made the species scarier. After being offered the job of "reviving and updating" the Cybermen as the episode's writer, MacRae wanted the Cyberman's backstory to be faithful to the backstory and concept of the original Cybermen from the Doctor's Earth and also that they couldn't be interchangeable with any other mechanical being. ([[TEDW 1]])


Disguised as catering staff, the Doctor and Rose infiltrate the party, but before they can find out anything useful Lumic's "upgrades" arrive, and the Doctor recognises them as "Cybermen". They smash their way into the house and kill the President before rounding up the rest of the guests to be upgraded into Cybermen themselves.
''Rise of the Cybermen'' aired during the fortieth anniversary of ''The Tenth Planet'', the story that introduced the [[CyberMondan|original Cybermen]]. It marked the first time a director involved in the 1963-89 series had directed a revival-era episode, and, as of 2021, Graeme Harper remains the only director to do so.


Rose, the Doctor and Pete manage to get outside, where they meet up with Mickey and the others, but Ricky and Jake's guns are useless against the Cybermen, who surround them. The Doctor tries to surrender, claiming he volunteers for the upgrade, but the Cybermen refuse; as "rogue elements", they are to "perish under maximum deletion..."
== Synopsis ==
Upon landing on an [[Pete's World|alternate version]] of the [[Earth]], the Doctor, Rose and Mickey learn that [[Peter Tyler (Pete's World)|Peter Tyler]] is apparently alive and well. Lurking in the shadows are creatures made to destroy - one of the Doctor's greatest fears have come true... the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] are [[Cybusman|reborn]].


==Cast==
== Plot ==
In a laboratory, [[Kendrick (Rise of the Cybermen)|Dr Kendrick]] examines a humanoid metal form and declares, "It's alive". His [[wheelchair]]-user boss, [[John Lumic]], expresses his pride in this achievement, but Dr Kendrick warns him that they must tell the authorities in [[Geneva]] about their new development, as this is a new form of life. Lumic orders his new creation to kill the luckless doctor, which it does via electrocution. Lumic then tells his staff to set sail for [[People's Republic of Great Britain|Great Britain]].
 
In [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]], [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] and the [[Tenth Doctor]] are laughing about a prior adventure when the Doctor notices that [[Mickey Smith|Mickey]] is holding a control. The Doctor says he can let go now, and Mickey, annoyed at having been forgotten, does so. Suddenly, there is an explosion and the TARDIS crashes. The entire console room suffers a blackout and all its mechanisms shut down. Gas masks drop down from the ceiling, triggered by the possibility the artificial atmospheric generators have failed.
 
[[File:Arrival in Pete's World.jpg|thumb|left|The TARDIS lands in [[Pete's World|a different world]].]]
While the trio recovers from the nasty landing, the Doctor dreads to believe what has happened. The TARDIS has fallen out of the [[Time Vortex]]. Worse, he declares the TARDIS is dead. If it has perished, it cannot be fixed, and as the only TARDIS in existence, the TARDIS species is extinct. Rose asks where they've landed, thinking it has to be somewhere. The Doctor tells Rose they've crashed in [[the Void]], beyond [[N-Space|the universe from which the TARDIS draws energy]]. Mickey peeks outside the door and remarks "Otherwise known as [[London (Pete's World)|London]]". At first, it appears they are in their own [[London]] until the Doctor notices that there are [[Zeppelin]]s in the sky. Mickey quickly deduces that they must be in a [[parallel universe]], where things are almost but not quite similar to their universe. Rose quickly identifies one difference to hers; according to a nearby advertisement, her father [[Peter Tyler (Pete's World)|Pete]] is alive and a very successful [[businessman]], marketing a health drink called [[Vitex]].
 
Meanwhile, in his [[Pete and Jackie Tyler's mansion|mansion]], Peter Tyler is overseeing preparations or [[Jackie Tyler (Pete's World)|Jackie]]'s birthday party that night when John Lumic calls him using [[EarPod]]s that he is wearing. Pete thanks Lumic for the birthday present he had sent Jackie, a diamond studded set of EarPods: the latest model. Lumic tells Peter that his plans have advanced and that he is to meet him that evening for a meeting with the [[President of Great Britain (Rise of the Cybermen)|President]]. After the phone call, Lumic uses the EarPods Jackie is wearing to gain security information for her birthday party, with Jackie none the wiser. He then calls his associate, [[Crane (Rise of the Cybermen)|Mr Crane]], telling him he needs "extra staff" for his plans.
 
Crane parks a lorry up near where a group of homeless people are living, telling them that he has food for them in the back of the truck. [[Jake Simmonds]] witnesses this and tries to stop one man from going into the lorry, reminding him about all the recent disappearances, but to no avail. As the lorry door shuts and Crane drives away, the man's cries for help can be heard.
 
[[File:Hope_is_kindled.jpg|thumb|right|The Doctor finds the last remnant of the TARDIS.]]
Meanwhile, the Doctor has found a small part of the TARDIS which is still alive, and he gives 10 years of his life to help his ship regenerate, since the energy from the parallel universe won't do. Since this will take around 24 hours, he reluctantly agrees to let his [[companion]]s explore the parallel Earth. Rose tells him about how her phone automatically connected to the [[Cybus Industries|Cybus Network]] and how she looked up the parallel version of her parents, discovering that she doesn't have her own counterpart as the pair never had kids. She insists she wants to see her 'father' and runs off to do so, the Doctor following.
 
[[File:The Doctor and Rose witness download.jpg|thumb|left|The Doctor and Rose witness the "[[Daily Download]]".]]
After he catches up to her, the Doctor and Rose discuss Mickey, Rose telling the Doctor about how he was raised by [[Rita-Anne Smith|his grandmother]] after being abandoned by his parents, but she died a few years ago after tripping on a piece of stair carpet Mickey forgot to fix and falling down the stairs. As the two realise that they take Mickey for granted, they witness a crowd pause as the EarPods they all wear download information directly into their brains. This advanced technology piques the Doctor's interest and he uses Rose's phone to discover that the EarPods are manufactured by Cybus Industries, who also own Pete's company, Vitex. The Doctor reluctantly agrees to attend Jackie's birthday party since the President and many other high profile guests will be there and he may be able to find out more about the Pods.
 
[[File:Mickey hugs gran.jpg|thumb|Mickey visits [[Rita-Anne Smith (Pete's World)|his gran's parallel counterpart]].]]
Elsewhere, Mickey is exploring the parallel London on his own, and learns of a curfew from a soldier at a checkpoint. Arriving on [[Waterton Street]], approaches Number 1 and knocks on the door. Immediately, a woman's voice calls out angrily and the door opens to reveal [[Rita-Anne Smith (Pete's World)|Rita-Anne Smith]], his blind grandmother, who is still alive in this universe. Mickey is unable to speak at first, while Rita-Anne rants angrily that she will not be kidnapped like the other people, but manages to stammer out a few words that silences Rita-Anne. She is delighted to receive a visit from her grandson, whom she calls Ricky, but then starts slapping him for apparently taking off and leaving her not knowing anything. Mickey notices the carpet on the stairs behind her, the one he was supposed to fix in his own universe, and tearfully remarks that she'll fall and break her neck if it isn't fixed, calling himself "useless" for not doing it sooner. Rita-Anne chides him for talking that way and invites him in for a nice cup of tea to settle down, but Mickey is then suddenly abducted from Rita's doorstep by two people in a blue van, Jake and [[Angela Price (Rise of the Cybermen)|Mrs Moore]]. In the van, they chastise Mickey for putting his gran in danger by visiting her, thinking him to be his parallel counterpart.
 
In his Zeppelin, Lumic's meeting with the President is underway, and he announces his newest project: putting the human brain inside a metal exoskeleton - the "ultimate upgrade". The President is righteously disgusted and refuses to give Lumic permission to carry out his plans. He leaves the meeting, promising Pete to see him at Jackie's party later. Once they have gone, Lumic calls Crane, who is now controlling the people he had kidnapped via the EarPods. Lumic tells him to "start the upgrade" and Crane orders the people into a factory. Screams of pain soon fill the air.[[File:Rose_and_pete_fancy.jpg|left|thumb|Rose and [[Pete Tyler (Pete's World)|another version]] of [[Pete Tyler|her father]].]]
Later, at the Tyler Mansion, the Doctor and Rose infiltrate the party disguised as catering staff and try to gain information. Rose is annoyed at posing as a waitress, but the Doctor remarks that the staff will know everything and be more forthcoming and unobtrusive than guests. This pays off when [[Lucy (Rise of the Cybermen)|Lucy]], one of the other waitresses, points out the President of Great Britain to the Doctor. Rose, meanwhile, is saddened when she finds from Pete that he and Jackie's marriage is on the rocks. She starts a friendly conversation with Jackie, but when she remarks that Pete is worth another try, Jackie angrily dismisses her as "just the staff".
 
[[File:Mickey and the Preachers.jpg|thumb|Mickey encounters his [[Ricky Smith|parallel counterpart]].]]
Meanwhile, Jake and Mrs Moore have taken Mickey to their secret base, only to find [[Ricky Smith|Ricky]] already there, leading them to restrain and interrogate Mickey. They tell him that they are [[The Preachers|the "Preachers"]], a team who have been investigating Cybus Industries with the help of an inside agent. Their contact has just advised that a group of "upgrades" is leaving the Cybus factory. The resistance head off to tail the Cybus truck, taking Mickey with them.
 
Meanwhile, the Doctor infiltrates Pete's office and peruses the Cybus Industries files, trying to learn something. The name "Cybus" and the emphasis on cybernetics and brains clicks in his mind and he realises something with horror. At that moment, Lumic's "upgrades" arrive, and the Doctor recognises them as a new form of "[[Cyberman|Cybermen]]". Right as he does so, one of the great plate-glass windows shatters as a [[Cybusman|Cyberman]] puts its fist through it. More Cybermen flood into the house, herding the guests and staff together into one room as Lumic contacts the President over his EarPods. The President seems unsurprised at the development but demands to know who the Cybermen were before Lumic did this to them. Lumic dismisses them as insignificant and signs off, leaving the Cybermen in charge.
 
One Cyberman steps forward and announces that they have been "upgraded" into the next level of humanity, promising the same for all British citizens. The President sincerely apologises for what has happened to them, with several of the guests looking saddened as well, and declares that he will not allow Lumic's experiment to continue. The Cybermen remark that upgrading is compulsory, and the President repeatedly asks what happens if he refuses despite the Doctor's warnings, to which the Cybermen respond that he will be deemed incompatible and then deleted. The one who spoke then grabs the President by the neck and blue electricity, the same as killed Dr. Kendrick, flares from its hand and around his head as he sinks to the floor, dead. The guests and staff panic at the murder and scatter in all directions as the Cybermen begin killing them.
 
[[File:Doctor Rose surrounded.jpg|thumb|The Doctor attempts to surrender to the Cybermen.]]
Rose, the Doctor and Pete manage to get outside, where they meet up with Mickey and the Preachers, but Ricky and Jake's guns are useless against the Cybermen, who surround them. The Doctor tries to surrender, claiming he volunteers for the upgrade, but the Cybermen refuse; as "rogue elements", they are to "perish under maximum deletion".
 
== Cast ==
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] / [[Ricky Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]] (uncredited as Ricky Smith)
* [[Jackie Tyler (Pete's World)|Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[Jackie Tyler (parallel universe)|Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* [[Pete Tyler (parallel universe)|Pete Tyler]] - [[Shaun Dingwall]]
* [[Peter Tyler (Pete's World)|Pete Tyler]] - [[Shaun Dingwall]]
* [[John Lumic]]/[[Cyber-Controller]] - [[Roger Lloyd-Pack]]
* [[John Lumic]] - [[Roger Lloyd Pack]]
* [[Jake Simmonds]] - [[Andrew Hayden-Smith]]
* [[Jake Simmonds]] - [[Andrew Hayden-Smith]]
* [[President (Pete's World)|The President]] - [[Don Warrington]]
* [[President of Great Britain (Rise of the Cybermen)|The President]] - [[Don Warrington]]
* [[Rita-Anne Smith (Pete's World)|Rita-Anne Smith]] - [[Mona Hammond]]
* [[Rita-Anne Smith (Pete's World)|Rita-Anne]] - [[Mona Hammond]]
* [[Angela Price]] - [[Helen Griffin]]
* [[Angela Price (Rise of the Cybermen)|Mrs Moore]] - [[Helen Griffin]]
* [[Crane (Pete's World)|Mr. Crane]] - [[Colin Spaull]]
* Mr [[Crane (Rise of the Cybermen)|Crane]] - [[Colin Spaull]]
* [[Kendrick|Dr. Kendrick]] - [[Paul Antony-Barber]]
* Dr [[Kendrick (Rise of the Cybermen)|Kendrick]] - [[Paul Antony-Barber]]
* [[Morris]] - [[Adam Shaw]]
* [[Morris (Rise of the Cybermen)|Morris]] - [[Adam Shaw]]
* [[Soldier (Rise of the Cybermen)|Soldier]]&nbsp;- Andrew Ufondo
* [[Soldier (Rise of the Cybermen)|Soldier]] - [[Andrew Ufondo]]
* [[Newsreader (Rise of the Cybermen)|Newsreader]]&nbsp;- [[Duncan Duff]]
* [[Newsreader (Rise of the Cybermen)|Newsreader]] - [[Duncan Duff]]
* [[Cyber-Leader]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* [[Cyber-Leader]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* [[Cybermen]]'s voice - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Cyberman|Cyber-Voice]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* Cybermen - [[Gethin Jones]] (uncredited), [[Kevin Wickenden]] (uncredited)
 
==Crew==
=== Uncredited cast ===
* [[Ricky Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* Cyberman - [[Jon Davey]]<ref>http://www.jondavey.com/acting.php</ref>
 
== Crew ==
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|Electrician3=
Line 97: Line 149:
|StuntCoOrdinator=Abbi Collins
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|Stunt1=James O'Dee
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Line 117: Line 169:
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|StandbyRigger=
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|StandbyScenicArtist=Louise Bohling
|PropsMaster=Adrian Anscombe
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|PropsChargehand=Paul Aitken
|PropsChargehand=Paul Aitken
|PropsStoreman=Stuart Wooddisse
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|ForwardDresser1=Matthew North
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|SpecialistPropMaker=Mark Cordory
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|SeniorPropsMaker=
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|PropsMaker1=Penny Howarth
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Line 151: Line 203:
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==References==
== Worldbuilding ==
* [[International Electromatics]], a front company for [[Cybus Industries]], has the same name of the company used by [[Tobias Vaughn]] in [[the Doctor]]'s universe which featured in the second doctor's era in the serial [[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]''.
* A group of Cybermen is designated [[Platoon Zero Two]].
* The Doctor explains the destruction of the [[Time Lord]]s made it near-impossible to cross between universes, though he doesn't explain how, exactly.
 
* The Doctor powered a green crystal with ten years of his life to power the TARDIS once more so that it can return home. We don't know whether he meant ten years of his entire lifespan or only of current incarnation.
=== Species ===
*[[Veronica of Reykjavík]] hand made flower sculptures for Jackie's '39th' birthday.
* The destruction of the [[Time Lord]]s made it near-impossible to cross between universes.
*Jackie has a [[dog]] called [[Rose (dog)|Rose]].
 
=== Individuals ===
* [[Veronica of Reykjavík]] hand made flower sculptures for Jackie's "39th" birthday.
* Jackie has an autobiography out, stating she was born on the same day as [[Cuba Gooding, Jr.]]
* [[Jackson Smith]] was the father of Mickey Smith. He was a [[key cutter]] at [[Clifton's Parade]]. He went to [[Spain]] and never came back.
* [[Lucy (Rise of the Cybermen)|Lucy]] is one of the serving staff at Jackie's party.
* [[Stevie (Rise of the Cybermen)|Stevie]] is a guest at Jackie's party who works for Torchwood.
 
=== Vehicles ===
 
* Mrs Moore suggests that Ricky's father could have had a "[[Bicycle|bike]]".
 
=== Technology ===


*[[The Preachers]] consist of; [[Jake Simmonds]], [[Ricky Smith]] and [[Angela Price]]
* Jackie's EarPods can pick up signals from [[Venezuela]].
* Mrs Moore suggests that Cybus Industries could have perfected human [[Clone|cloning]].
* [[Cynaps]] is part of the conversion process.
* The [[Daily Download]] is a news service.


*Almost everyone uses [[EarPod]]s.
=== Foods and beverages ===
* The Doctor compares [[Pete's World|the parallel world]] to a [[gingerbread house]].
* Mickey's gran offers him a cup of [[tea]].
* [[Salmon|Salmon pinwheels]] are served at the party by Lucy.
* Rose serves [[champagne]] at Jackie's party.
* Rose says that [[Jackie Tyler|her real mum]] takes two [[sugar]]s in her tea.


==Story Notes==
=== Pete's world ===
*To date, the introduction of the Cybus Cybermen marks the only occasion in which a classic series element has actually been "reinvented" for the revived series -- meaning not only a new design, but also a new original -- although the revival did acknowledge the original Cybermen design in the episode ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', meaning the original Cybermen have not been removed from continuity.
* Mickey's gran lives on [[Waterton Street]].
*Early reports erroneously gave the title of this story as "Rise of the Cyber'''man'''."
* [[Torchwood (Pete's World)|Torchwood]] is mentioned by Pete.
*When Roses' phone picks up the Cybus network and connects a video plays and during it you can hear a man say "And it's good news for Great Britain as John Lumic returns to the country of his birth. Mr Lumic, the inventor of high contact metal, has denied reports of ill health." This so called 'High contact metal' could be what is produced when Jackie has her Earpod's overridden by Lumic and two 'metal' looking prongs emerge from them and meet at the top of her head, this could also be what the handles on the cybermen's head's are, they could be used for communication with other cybermen.
*This is the first episode of the new series to be directed by [[Graeme Harper]], the only classic series director to direct for the new series.


===Ratings===
=== Influences ===
''to be added''


===Myths===
* The [[Art Deco]] design was inspired by ''[[Metropolis (film)|Metropolis]]'' and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Building the Hoover Building] in [[Perivale]], which opened in [[1933]].
*According to ''The Sun'', Lloyd Pack broke his leg just days before filming began on the episode, requiring the scripts being rewritten to place his character, John Lumic, in a wheelchair. Writer Tom MacRae told ''Doctor Who Magazine'' in issue [[DWM Issue 369|#369]] that no rewrites were necessary: the script had always had Lumic in a wheelchair.


===Filming Locations===
== Story notes ==
* The scene where Mickey, the Doctor and Rose all split up away from each other in the alternate universe was filmed outside the recently built Riverfront Arts Centre in Newport.
* Early reports erroneously gave the title of this story as ''Rise of the Cyberman''. ''Parallel'' was also considered.
* This is the first episode of the 2005 version of ''Doctor Who'' to be directed by [[Graeme Harper]], the only director of the 1963 version of the show to direct for the revival.
* This is the first episode in which the Doctor breaks tradition of wearing white plimsolls with his brown suit, red plimsolls with his blue suit and black plimsolls with his black suit by wearing black ones with his brown suit. This occurs again later in ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'', ''[[Love & Monsters (TV story)|Love & Monsters]]'' and ''[[Fear Her (TV story)|Fear Her]]'' in which he wears the same combination as in this episode.
* According to [[Russell T Davies]], the fact that Jackie has her 40th birthday in this episode was a deliberate, if obscure, reference to the fact that ''Rise of the Cybermen'' occurred in the 40th anniversary year of ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]''. ([[DOC]]: ''[[Doctor Who at the BBC: The Tenth Doctor]]'')
* This could be considered the first regular television story to not feature any extraterrestrial elements other than the Doctor and the TARDIS since ''[[Black Orchid (TV story)|Black Orchid]]'', depending on how one defines "extraterrestrial". ''[[Warriors of the Deep (TV story)|Warriors of the Deep]]'' and ''[[The Girl in the Fireplace (TV story)|The Girl in the Fireplace]]'' both featured scenes in space, but contained nothing of non-Earthly origin. Additionally, Radio Times places ''[[Paradise Towers (TV story)|Paradise Towers]]'' on Earth, however, the story itself, while never definitively stating either way, strongly implies otherwise.
* On a somewhat trivial note, this story reintroduces the Cybermen's iconic teardrop motif after a 31-year absence. This aspect of their design had last appeared in 1975's [[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', having been present on their faces since 1968's [[TV]]: ''[[The Wheel in Space (TV story)|The Wheel in Space]]''; all Cyberman appearances from 1982's [[TV]]: ''[[Earthshock (TV story)|Earthshock]]'' to 1988's [[TV]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'' featured the Cybermen sporting their original circular eye-holes. The teardrop motif would reappear in all future Cyberman designs as of [[Series 12 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 12]], bar the recreated [[CyberMondan|Mondasian Cybermen]] and [[Patient (World Enough and Time)|their prototypes]] from [[Series 10 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 10]].
* Early drafts of this story featured "Body Shops", where wealthy people would purchase new cybernetic limbs. [[Russell T Davies]] vetoed this element because he found it unbelievable. He also instructed [[Tom MacRae]] to tone down the differences between the parallel universe versions of characters and their "real" universe counterparts. "I think it was one of those great lessons about the freedom of SF, as well as its greatest dangers, because when you're creating a parallel world, you suddenly get excited by saying [[Inferno (TV story)|everyone can wear eye patches]]".
* According to [[Graeme Harper]] on the episode commentary, the pre-credits sequence was written by [[Russell T Davies]], as he was not satisfied with the original opening, which spanned the TARDIS scene through to Rose finding the Vitex advertisement. He wanted to hint at the nature of the reimagined Cybermen earlier.
* Mickey sports a large tattoo on his right bicep; according to [[Noel Clarke]]'s commentary, the tattoo was make-up applied for the episode.
* The [[Art Deco]] look of the 2006 Cybermen design follows that from ''[[Real Time (webcast)|Real Time]]''. According to the episode commentary, [[Graeme Harper]] wanted an Art Deco feel to the parallel universe Earth. Art Deco costumes had previously been used for the [[K1|K1 Robot]] in ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' and for much of the cast (including robots) in ''[[The Robots of Death (TV story)|The Robots of Death]]''.
* Unlike the two-part stories from the 2005 series, this episode featured no "Next time" trailer for the next episode — only a title card reading "To be continued...", the first time the phrase has ever been used to end an episode in the programme's history. The production team had stated previously that one episode in this series was so long that there was no time for a preview. Many viewers, and [[Steven Moffat]], had criticised the use of a preview for ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'', as it spoiled the dramatic cliffhanger ending. Beginning with ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'', trailers for the second part of stories were run during the middle eight, after the main credits, to allow viewers time to switch off.
* [[Roger Lloyd Pack|Roger Lloyd-Pack]] and [[David Tennant]] previously worked together in ''[[Harry Potter|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', playing father and son, [https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Bartemius_Crouch_Senior Barty Crouch Sr.] and [https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Bartemius_Crouch_Junior Barty Crouch Jr.] respectively.
* [[Roger Lloyd Pack|Roger Lloyd-Pack]] told ''[[Daily Mirror|The Daily Mirror]]'' that he based the character of Lumic on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld Donald Rumsfeld]: "I thought, 'Who is a power-hungry mad person who believes he is completely right and has a lot of control?' Donald Rumsfeld came to mind. He's as bad a man as I see around now."
* An additional Preacher was Esme, a hard-bitten former Green Beret. This character survived to the audition stage; one of the actresses who read for the part was [[Freema Agyeman]]. However, Esme was dropped when it was felt that her presence made the Preachers seem too capable, as opposed to a group of well-intentioned amateurs who were out of their depth.
* John Lumic was originally a young businessman named Jacob Lumic, who had replaced some of his body parts with cybernetic attachments as part of his quest to save humanity from a deadly disease. With the global pandemic eliminated due to the altered conception of the Cybermen, Lumic's new motivation was to cure his dying father. Finally, the son's role was essentially taken over by Mr Crane.
* Originally, the time rotor of the TARDIS was shattered at the start of the story, an effect ruled out on the grounds of cost.
* Initial drafts of the two-parter imagined the [[Cybus EarPod|EarPods]] as temple implants. This was later scrapped as the plot required devices that could be removed. Additionally, concerns were raised about the similarities with the ''{{w|Stargate SG-1}}'' episode "{{iw|stargate|Revisions}}", which had broadcast three years prior. [[Russell T Davies]] explained on ''[[Cybermen (CON episode)|Doctor Who Confidential]]'' that the idea of the EarPods was inspired by how common Bluetooth [[earpiece]]s were at the time.
* [[Tom MacRae]] initially hewed fairly closely to ''[[Spare Parts (audio story)|Spare Parts]]'' by setting his serial on a dying Earth, where the Cybermen came into existence when efforts to save humanity from a terrible plague were taken to extreme lengths. However, [[Russell T Davies]] was concerned that this approach was effectively still rooted in mid-1960s anxiety about body part replacement , the paranoia which had originally inspired the Cybermen, but was now outdated.
* [[Tom MacRae]] envisaged the counterparts of Mickey, Jackie and Pete as diverging far more from their familiar portrayals, but [[Russell T Davies]] encouraged him to scale this back.
* Pete's codename was originally “[[Puck]]”, in reference to ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''. It then became “[[Janus]]”, after the two-faced god of beginnings and endings in Roman mythology. His eventual sobriquet, “[[Gemini]]”, was the Latin word for “twins”, most commonly used in reference to the Greco-Roman gods [[Castor and Pollux]].
* Although some thought was given to keeping the Cybermen's traditional chest unit, [[Tom MacRae]] suggested replacing it with a stylised Cybus Industries logo.
* As design drawings were developed for the new Cybermen, [[Russell T Davies]] was particularly adamant that they should eschew the “silver giant” label often applied to the monsters in the past; viewing silver as a flimsy material, he preferred to think of the Cybermen as made of steel. On the other hand, he was eager to retain certain elements from previous Cyberman designs, particularly the handlebar ears and the teardrop eyes.
* Shortly before filming began, [[Roger Lloyd Pack]] broke his ankle in a fall down a flight of stairs. Fortunately, the Lumic role had already been scripted as being entirely wheelchair-bound, meaning that Lloyd Pack's injury would not interfere with his performance.
* While filming in London, [[Graeme Harper]] discovered some unused helicopter footage of the city which had been recorded for ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]/[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'', meaning that he could save the expense of another flyover
* Filming the Thames sequences was delayed by rain.
* The scene of Jake filming Mr. Crane abducting homeless people had a cut portion where Mr. Crane spots Jake, walks up to him, and threatens him.


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
=== Ratings ===
*The film crew is reflected in Mickey's grandmother's glasses.
* 9.22 million ([[BARB]] official; UK final)<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&start=100&type=date&order= Doctor Who - consolidated ratings]</ref>
*Rose informs the Doctor that Mickey's parents are gone and that his grandmother raised him, but had stated earlier in [[DW]]: [[Rose (TV story)|Rose]] that she would have to tell his mother about his death. ''Foster mother?'' ''She said his mother could not cope and left, she never said whether Mickey was in contact with her or not so she may have meant she might have to visit Mickey's mother, also remember, Rose was gone a whole year with the Doctor, his mother could have died. Mickey may have been in contact as an adult - since his grandmother's death.''
*When Rose decides to go look for her father, she defends by saying: "You said 24 hours!", while the Doctor hadn't had told that to her as he and Mickey had just seen her.
*The Doctor and Rose don't have earpods when they are posing as the catering staff, wouldn't they get noticed? ''It is implied at the start that Jackie has only just got her earpods maybe not everyone has them. It might be expected that servants wouldn't wear them at work, much like bluetooth devices it's considered rude. People might just not say anything, its a bit like when they turn up in the past you would think someone would make comment on their attire. ''
*The clock face of Big Ben is square however it reverts back to round in the following episode. ''In the first episode, Big Ben is represented by a computer-generated establishing shot; however, in the following episode, Big Ben is seen in footage shot on location.''
*The Doctor says in "[[Inferno]]" that taking the alternate [[Lethbridge-Stewart (Inferno)|Brigadier]], [[Elizabeth Shaw (Inferno)|Liz Shaw]], [[Petra Williams (Inferno)|Dr. Williams]], [[Greg Sutton (Inferno)|Mr. Sutton]], etc. to his universe would cause a cosmic catastrophe, yet Mickey and Ricky are able to coexist without incident. ''We do not know if the Inferno universe and the Pete's World universe work to the same rules. Also, the Doctor could have been mistaken (he was much younger then). The presence of the TARDIS on Pete's World might have also influenced things.''
*After the Cybermen delete the president, why do they start deleting everyone else? Even though they don't know if the people they are deleting want a 'free' upgrade? ''Everbody started running so the Cybermen assumed they were refusing.''


==Continuity==
=== Myths ===
* [[Ricky Smith]]'s name refers back to [[Ninth Doctor|the previous Doctor]]'s insistence on calling him that name to annoy him, particularly while visiting [[Cardiff]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Boom Town]]'')
* According to ''The Sun'', [[Roger Lloyd Pack]] broke his leg just days before filming began on the episode, requiring the scripts being rewritten to place his character, John Lumic, in a wheelchair. ''Writer [[Tom MacRae]] told Doctor Who Magazine in issue [[DWM 369|#369]] that no rewrites were necessary: the script had always had Lumic in a powered wheelchair.''
* The Doctor has previously travelled to an parallel universe in [[DW]]: ''[[Inferno]]'', [[EDA]]: ''[[The Shadows of Avalon]]'', [[NA]]: ''[[Blood Heat]]'' and a parallel universe comes this one in [[DW]]: ''[[Battlefield]]''.
* The sequel to this story is [[DW]]: ''[[The Age of Steel]]''.
* The Cybus Industries Cybermen, Mickey Smith, Jake Simmonds and Pete Tyler all reappeared in [[DW]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday]]''.
*The Cybermen reappeared in the 2008 Christmas special [[DW]]: ''[[The Next Doctor]]''.
*[[PDA]]: ''[[Loving the Alien]]'' featured an alternate Earth where the humans embraced Cyber technology.
* Rise of the Cybermen is partially inspired by [[Marc Platt]]'s [[BFA]]: ''[[Spare Parts]]''.
*One of the first homeless people who is transformed into a Cyberman (the one talking to one of the freedom fighters) appears later in [[DW]]: ''[[Blink]]''.
* The story takes place in a parallel universe in which the Cybermen were created on Earth, rather than on Earth's twin planet Mondas as described in [[DW]]: ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]''.


==Timeline==
=== Filming locations ===
*This story occurs after [[DWM]]: ''[[The Green-Eyed Monster]]''
* The scene where Mickey, the Doctor and Rose all split up was filmed outside the then recently built Riverfront Arts Centre in Newport.
*This story occurs before [[DW]]: ''[[The Age of Steel]]''
* Lambeth Pier, Battersea Power Station and MI5 in London
* Cardiff Docks
* St Nicholas, New Cardiff


==DVD and Other Releases==
=== Production errors ===
[[Image:Bbcdvd-ns-2-3.jpg|thumb|100px|Series 2 Volume 3 DVD Cover]]
{{discontinuity}}
*The Rise of the Cybermen (Ep 5) was sold on Series 2 Volume 3, along with "The Age of Steel" and "The Idiot's Lanturn".
* When Mickey meets his Gran, the boom mike operator is reflected in her dark glasses.
*It was also sold as part of the Series 2 Box Set, which included the specials "Children in Need Special" and "The Christmas Invasion"
* As Pete opens his car door, the glare of a film light can be seen on it.
*It was also sold on Issue Ten of the Doctor Who DVD Files, along with the second part of this episode, "The Age of Steel"
* As Pete's car pulls up at his house, it can clearly be seen that the two registration plates on the back and front of the car are completely different.
* During the scene in which Mickey, the Doctor, and Rose split, there is a drastic change in lighting and colour palette without narrative explanation.
* When the Doctor and Rose run away from the first line of marching Cybermen, one of Rose's earrings flies off. In all future scenes, she continues to have both earrings.
* As the Daily Download begins, one extra behind the Doctor and Rose can be seen moving their arm to their EarPod, presumably trying to secure the prop.
* The first party guest to be deleted after the President has her EarPods in the wrong ears, with them appearing upside down.


==See also==
== Continuity ==
*[[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]''
* Coincidentally, [[Ricky Smith|Ricky]] was the incorrect name the Doctor deliberately called Mickey to annoy him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]'', ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'', ''[[Boom Town (TV story)|Boom Town]]'')
*[[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]''
* The Doctor has travelled to parallel universes before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Inferno (TV story)|Inferno]]'', ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'' [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shadows of Avalon (novel)|The Shadows of Avalon]]'', ''[[Blood Heat (novel)|Blood Heat]]'')
*[[DW]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]''
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[Loving the Alien (novel)|Loving the Alien]]'' featured an alternate Earth where humanity embraced Cyber technology.
*[[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]''
* In [[N-Space|the Doctor's universe]], the Cybermen were not created on Earth, but on Earth's twin planet Mondas. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'')
*[[BFA]]: ''[[Spare Parts]]''
* Rose is using a new [[superphone]], a [[Samsung]] D500 model. She was previously last seen owning a [[Nokia]] 3200. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')
* When Rose is looking at a [[Zeppelin]] with her phone on the news, the news reporter mentions Torchwood, as does Pete later at the party. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'', ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'' et al.)


==External links==
== Home video releases ==
*{{dwrefguide|who_tv16.htm|Rise of the Cybermen}}
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
*{{whoniverse|9R.php|Rise of the Cybermen}}
File:The Complete David Tennant Years Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|The Complete David Tennant Years DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
*{{briefhistory|serials/2006ef.html|Rise of the Cybermen}}
File:Series-2-boxset.jpg|The Complete [[Series 2 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series Two]] DVD box-set
*{{locguide|riseofthecybermen|Rise of the Cybermen}}
File:Bbcdvd-ns-2-3.jpg|thumb|Series 2 Volume 3 DVD Cover
File:The Cybermen (2013 box set).jpg|thumb|The Cybermen 2013 Box-Set
File:The Cybermen Collection.jpg|thumb|The Cybermen Collection
File:Bbcdvd-series1234.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four'' DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-series1234567.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven'' DVD box-set
</gallery>




{{Series 2}}
=== DVD releases ===
* ''Rise of the Cybermen'' was sold on Series 2 Volume 3, along with ''[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]'' and ''[[The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)|The Idiot's Lantern]]''.
* It was also sold as part of the Series 2 Box Set, which included the specials ''[[Children in Need Special (TV story)|Children in Need Special]]'' and ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]''.
* It was also sold with Issue Ten of the [[Doctor Who DVD Files]], along with the second part of this story, ''[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]''.
* It was also sold as part of the Series Two, Part One DVD set.


=== Blu-ray releases ===
* This story was released in the Series 2 Blu-ray set in [[November (releases)|November]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]] along with the rest of the series. Despite not being filmed in HD, the Blu-ray featured an upscaled picture and fewer compression artefacts.
** This release was initially bundled with the first seven series of the revived ''Doctor Who''.


=== Digital releases ===
* This story is available for streaming via [[Amazon (service)|Amazon Prime]]. It can also be purchased on iTunes.
* It was also released in the ''Monsters: Cybermen ''bundle on iTunes, alongside ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)|The Tomb of the Cybermen]] ''and ''[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]''.


== External links ==
* {{bbcdw|s4/episodes/S2_05|Rise of the Cybermen}}
{{dwrefguide|who_tv16.htm|Rise of the Cybermen}}
* {{whoniverse|s02_05|Rise of the Cybermen}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/2006ef.html|Rise of the Cybermen}}
* {{locguide|riseofthecybermen|Rise of the Cybermen}}
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Cyberman stories}}
{{Cyberman stories}}
[[Category:Cybus Cybermen episodes]]
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:Tenth Doctor episodes]]
[[it:Rise of the Cybermen (TV)]]
[[pt:Rise of the Cybermen]]
[[ro:Rise of the Cybermen]]
[[ru:Восстание Киберлюдей]]
 
[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
[[Category:2006 television stories]]
[[Category:2006 television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2007]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2007]]
[[Category:Torchwood arc]]
[[Category:Series 2 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Stories set on Pete's World]]
[[Category:Stories set in Pete's World]]
[[Category:Television stories with unique variations of the Doctor Who theme]]
[[Category:Cyberman television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in London]]
[[Category:The Monster Collection: The Cybermen stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:19, 3 November 2024

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Rise of the Cybermen was the fifth episode of the second series of the 2005 revival series of Doctor Who.

It was the first part of a two-part story. Discounting the inactive helmet that appeared in Dalek, this episode served as the formal reintroduction of the Cybermen to the main series, having last appeared in Silver Nemesis in 1989, with these Cybermen sporting a revamped design originating from an alternate universe. The story also featured the first televised appearance of a parallel Earth that would recur through series 2 and 4. Tardisode 5 served as the episode's prologue, hinting toward the return of the Cybermen, with additional allusions to the presence of a resistance called the Preachers combating the Cyber-threat.

Head writer Russell T Davies decided that it made "little sense", that when a cyborg foe would inevitably encounter the Doctor, for the writers to invent an entirely new cyborg race when the Cybermen were already an "established success". Nonetheless, Davies, who was aware of the Cybermen that originated in the Doctor's universe gaining a complicated backstory over prior televised serials, decided against building on said backstory. Instead, he chose to include their creation in a parallel universe. Davies felt that the "original 1960s fears" of organ replacement weren't as relevant for the 21st century. He instead wanted to focus on the fact that the upgrade of a human into a Cyberman granted people immortality at the cost of making them "uniform and emotionless". (DWMSE 14)

The story was inspired by Marc Platt's 2002 audio play Spare Parts. Davies decided he wanted the two-parter Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel to be loosely adapted from the Big Finish play, with a similar "feel", just as series 1's Dalek was adapted from Jubilee. Platt was paid a fee for Tom MacRae reusing the basic concepts of Parts and was given a credit for both Rise and Steel. Initial drafts of the parallel Earth story were very close to Mondas' depiction in Spare Parts as a "dying world". (DWMSE 14)

Along with inspiration from Spare Parts, writer Tom MacRae was supplied the television serials The Tenth Planet, The Tomb of the Cybermen, Earthshock, the DWM comic story The Flood and David Banks' Doctor Who: Cybermen. Director Graeme Harper also read Banks' book in preparation for this two-parter, along with the surviving episodes of The Invasion, which Harper's mentor Douglas Camfield directed. (DWMSE 14)

MacRae hoped to reimagine the Cybermen not so much as "mere villains", but as "sad" figures which he thought could be made "terrifying" through the notion of victims being upgraded into Cybermen rather than being killed; as such they were "a cross between vampires and zombies". (DWMSE 14) MacRae also felt that his desire to make the Cybermen more human and distanced from being "straightforward monstrous villains" would have made the species scarier. After being offered the job of "reviving and updating" the Cybermen as the episode's writer, MacRae wanted the Cyberman's backstory to be faithful to the backstory and concept of the original Cybermen from the Doctor's Earth and also that they couldn't be interchangeable with any other mechanical being. (TEDW 1)

Rise of the Cybermen aired during the fortieth anniversary of The Tenth Planet, the story that introduced the original Cybermen. It marked the first time a director involved in the 1963-89 series had directed a revival-era episode, and, as of 2021, Graeme Harper remains the only director to do so.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Upon landing on an alternate version of the Earth, the Doctor, Rose and Mickey learn that Peter Tyler is apparently alive and well. Lurking in the shadows are creatures made to destroy - one of the Doctor's greatest fears have come true... the Cybermen are reborn.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

In a laboratory, Dr Kendrick examines a humanoid metal form and declares, "It's alive". His wheelchair-user boss, John Lumic, expresses his pride in this achievement, but Dr Kendrick warns him that they must tell the authorities in Geneva about their new development, as this is a new form of life. Lumic orders his new creation to kill the luckless doctor, which it does via electrocution. Lumic then tells his staff to set sail for Great Britain.

In the TARDIS, Rose and the Tenth Doctor are laughing about a prior adventure when the Doctor notices that Mickey is holding a control. The Doctor says he can let go now, and Mickey, annoyed at having been forgotten, does so. Suddenly, there is an explosion and the TARDIS crashes. The entire console room suffers a blackout and all its mechanisms shut down. Gas masks drop down from the ceiling, triggered by the possibility the artificial atmospheric generators have failed.

The TARDIS lands in a different world.

While the trio recovers from the nasty landing, the Doctor dreads to believe what has happened. The TARDIS has fallen out of the Time Vortex. Worse, he declares the TARDIS is dead. If it has perished, it cannot be fixed, and as the only TARDIS in existence, the TARDIS species is extinct. Rose asks where they've landed, thinking it has to be somewhere. The Doctor tells Rose they've crashed in the Void, beyond the universe from which the TARDIS draws energy. Mickey peeks outside the door and remarks "Otherwise known as London". At first, it appears they are in their own London until the Doctor notices that there are Zeppelins in the sky. Mickey quickly deduces that they must be in a parallel universe, where things are almost but not quite similar to their universe. Rose quickly identifies one difference to hers; according to a nearby advertisement, her father Pete is alive and a very successful businessman, marketing a health drink called Vitex.

Meanwhile, in his mansion, Peter Tyler is overseeing preparations or Jackie's birthday party that night when John Lumic calls him using EarPods that he is wearing. Pete thanks Lumic for the birthday present he had sent Jackie, a diamond studded set of EarPods: the latest model. Lumic tells Peter that his plans have advanced and that he is to meet him that evening for a meeting with the President. After the phone call, Lumic uses the EarPods Jackie is wearing to gain security information for her birthday party, with Jackie none the wiser. He then calls his associate, Mr Crane, telling him he needs "extra staff" for his plans.

Crane parks a lorry up near where a group of homeless people are living, telling them that he has food for them in the back of the truck. Jake Simmonds witnesses this and tries to stop one man from going into the lorry, reminding him about all the recent disappearances, but to no avail. As the lorry door shuts and Crane drives away, the man's cries for help can be heard.

The Doctor finds the last remnant of the TARDIS.

Meanwhile, the Doctor has found a small part of the TARDIS which is still alive, and he gives 10 years of his life to help his ship regenerate, since the energy from the parallel universe won't do. Since this will take around 24 hours, he reluctantly agrees to let his companions explore the parallel Earth. Rose tells him about how her phone automatically connected to the Cybus Network and how she looked up the parallel version of her parents, discovering that she doesn't have her own counterpart as the pair never had kids. She insists she wants to see her 'father' and runs off to do so, the Doctor following.

The Doctor and Rose witness the "Daily Download".

After he catches up to her, the Doctor and Rose discuss Mickey, Rose telling the Doctor about how he was raised by his grandmother after being abandoned by his parents, but she died a few years ago after tripping on a piece of stair carpet Mickey forgot to fix and falling down the stairs. As the two realise that they take Mickey for granted, they witness a crowd pause as the EarPods they all wear download information directly into their brains. This advanced technology piques the Doctor's interest and he uses Rose's phone to discover that the EarPods are manufactured by Cybus Industries, who also own Pete's company, Vitex. The Doctor reluctantly agrees to attend Jackie's birthday party since the President and many other high profile guests will be there and he may be able to find out more about the Pods.

Elsewhere, Mickey is exploring the parallel London on his own, and learns of a curfew from a soldier at a checkpoint. Arriving on Waterton Street, approaches Number 1 and knocks on the door. Immediately, a woman's voice calls out angrily and the door opens to reveal Rita-Anne Smith, his blind grandmother, who is still alive in this universe. Mickey is unable to speak at first, while Rita-Anne rants angrily that she will not be kidnapped like the other people, but manages to stammer out a few words that silences Rita-Anne. She is delighted to receive a visit from her grandson, whom she calls Ricky, but then starts slapping him for apparently taking off and leaving her not knowing anything. Mickey notices the carpet on the stairs behind her, the one he was supposed to fix in his own universe, and tearfully remarks that she'll fall and break her neck if it isn't fixed, calling himself "useless" for not doing it sooner. Rita-Anne chides him for talking that way and invites him in for a nice cup of tea to settle down, but Mickey is then suddenly abducted from Rita's doorstep by two people in a blue van, Jake and Mrs Moore. In the van, they chastise Mickey for putting his gran in danger by visiting her, thinking him to be his parallel counterpart.

In his Zeppelin, Lumic's meeting with the President is underway, and he announces his newest project: putting the human brain inside a metal exoskeleton - the "ultimate upgrade". The President is righteously disgusted and refuses to give Lumic permission to carry out his plans. He leaves the meeting, promising Pete to see him at Jackie's party later. Once they have gone, Lumic calls Crane, who is now controlling the people he had kidnapped via the EarPods. Lumic tells him to "start the upgrade" and Crane orders the people into a factory. Screams of pain soon fill the air.

Later, at the Tyler Mansion, the Doctor and Rose infiltrate the party disguised as catering staff and try to gain information. Rose is annoyed at posing as a waitress, but the Doctor remarks that the staff will know everything and be more forthcoming and unobtrusive than guests. This pays off when Lucy, one of the other waitresses, points out the President of Great Britain to the Doctor. Rose, meanwhile, is saddened when she finds from Pete that he and Jackie's marriage is on the rocks. She starts a friendly conversation with Jackie, but when she remarks that Pete is worth another try, Jackie angrily dismisses her as "just the staff".

Mickey encounters his parallel counterpart.

Meanwhile, Jake and Mrs Moore have taken Mickey to their secret base, only to find Ricky already there, leading them to restrain and interrogate Mickey. They tell him that they are the "Preachers", a team who have been investigating Cybus Industries with the help of an inside agent. Their contact has just advised that a group of "upgrades" is leaving the Cybus factory. The resistance head off to tail the Cybus truck, taking Mickey with them.

Meanwhile, the Doctor infiltrates Pete's office and peruses the Cybus Industries files, trying to learn something. The name "Cybus" and the emphasis on cybernetics and brains clicks in his mind and he realises something with horror. At that moment, Lumic's "upgrades" arrive, and the Doctor recognises them as a new form of "Cybermen". Right as he does so, one of the great plate-glass windows shatters as a Cyberman puts its fist through it. More Cybermen flood into the house, herding the guests and staff together into one room as Lumic contacts the President over his EarPods. The President seems unsurprised at the development but demands to know who the Cybermen were before Lumic did this to them. Lumic dismisses them as insignificant and signs off, leaving the Cybermen in charge.

One Cyberman steps forward and announces that they have been "upgraded" into the next level of humanity, promising the same for all British citizens. The President sincerely apologises for what has happened to them, with several of the guests looking saddened as well, and declares that he will not allow Lumic's experiment to continue. The Cybermen remark that upgrading is compulsory, and the President repeatedly asks what happens if he refuses despite the Doctor's warnings, to which the Cybermen respond that he will be deemed incompatible and then deleted. The one who spoke then grabs the President by the neck and blue electricity, the same as killed Dr. Kendrick, flares from its hand and around his head as he sinks to the floor, dead. The guests and staff panic at the murder and scatter in all directions as the Cybermen begin killing them.

The Doctor attempts to surrender to the Cybermen.

Rose, the Doctor and Pete manage to get outside, where they meet up with Mickey and the Preachers, but Ricky and Jake's guns are useless against the Cybermen, who surround them. The Doctor tries to surrender, claiming he volunteers for the upgrade, but the Cybermen refuse; as "rogue elements", they are to "perish under maximum deletion".

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The destruction of the Time Lords made it near-impossible to cross between universes.

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Vehicles[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Mrs Moore suggests that Ricky's father could have had a "bike".

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Jackie's EarPods can pick up signals from Venezuela.
  • Mrs Moore suggests that Cybus Industries could have perfected human cloning.
  • Cynaps is part of the conversion process.
  • The Daily Download is a news service.

Foods and beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

Pete's world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Early reports erroneously gave the title of this story as Rise of the Cyberman. Parallel was also considered.
  • This is the first episode of the 2005 version of Doctor Who to be directed by Graeme Harper, the only director of the 1963 version of the show to direct for the revival.
  • This is the first episode in which the Doctor breaks tradition of wearing white plimsolls with his brown suit, red plimsolls with his blue suit and black plimsolls with his black suit by wearing black ones with his brown suit. This occurs again later in The Impossible Planet, Love & Monsters and Fear Her in which he wears the same combination as in this episode.
  • According to Russell T Davies, the fact that Jackie has her 40th birthday in this episode was a deliberate, if obscure, reference to the fact that Rise of the Cybermen occurred in the 40th anniversary year of The Tenth Planet. (DOC: Doctor Who at the BBC: The Tenth Doctor)
  • This could be considered the first regular television story to not feature any extraterrestrial elements other than the Doctor and the TARDIS since Black Orchid, depending on how one defines "extraterrestrial". Warriors of the Deep and The Girl in the Fireplace both featured scenes in space, but contained nothing of non-Earthly origin. Additionally, Radio Times places Paradise Towers on Earth, however, the story itself, while never definitively stating either way, strongly implies otherwise.
  • On a somewhat trivial note, this story reintroduces the Cybermen's iconic teardrop motif after a 31-year absence. This aspect of their design had last appeared in 1975's TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, having been present on their faces since 1968's TV: The Wheel in Space; all Cyberman appearances from 1982's TV: Earthshock to 1988's TV: Silver Nemesis featured the Cybermen sporting their original circular eye-holes. The teardrop motif would reappear in all future Cyberman designs as of Series 12, bar the recreated Mondasian Cybermen and their prototypes from Series 10.
  • Early drafts of this story featured "Body Shops", where wealthy people would purchase new cybernetic limbs. Russell T Davies vetoed this element because he found it unbelievable. He also instructed Tom MacRae to tone down the differences between the parallel universe versions of characters and their "real" universe counterparts. "I think it was one of those great lessons about the freedom of SF, as well as its greatest dangers, because when you're creating a parallel world, you suddenly get excited by saying everyone can wear eye patches".
  • According to Graeme Harper on the episode commentary, the pre-credits sequence was written by Russell T Davies, as he was not satisfied with the original opening, which spanned the TARDIS scene through to Rose finding the Vitex advertisement. He wanted to hint at the nature of the reimagined Cybermen earlier.
  • Mickey sports a large tattoo on his right bicep; according to Noel Clarke's commentary, the tattoo was make-up applied for the episode.
  • The Art Deco look of the 2006 Cybermen design follows that from Real Time. According to the episode commentary, Graeme Harper wanted an Art Deco feel to the parallel universe Earth. Art Deco costumes had previously been used for the K1 Robot in Robot and for much of the cast (including robots) in The Robots of Death.
  • Unlike the two-part stories from the 2005 series, this episode featured no "Next time" trailer for the next episode — only a title card reading "To be continued...", the first time the phrase has ever been used to end an episode in the programme's history. The production team had stated previously that one episode in this series was so long that there was no time for a preview. Many viewers, and Steven Moffat, had criticised the use of a preview for World War Three, as it spoiled the dramatic cliffhanger ending. Beginning with The Impossible Planet, trailers for the second part of stories were run during the middle eight, after the main credits, to allow viewers time to switch off.
  • Roger Lloyd-Pack and David Tennant previously worked together in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, playing father and son, Barty Crouch Sr. and Barty Crouch Jr. respectively.
  • Roger Lloyd-Pack told The Daily Mirror that he based the character of Lumic on Donald Rumsfeld: "I thought, 'Who is a power-hungry mad person who believes he is completely right and has a lot of control?' Donald Rumsfeld came to mind. He's as bad a man as I see around now."
  • An additional Preacher was Esme, a hard-bitten former Green Beret. This character survived to the audition stage; one of the actresses who read for the part was Freema Agyeman. However, Esme was dropped when it was felt that her presence made the Preachers seem too capable, as opposed to a group of well-intentioned amateurs who were out of their depth.
  • John Lumic was originally a young businessman named Jacob Lumic, who had replaced some of his body parts with cybernetic attachments as part of his quest to save humanity from a deadly disease. With the global pandemic eliminated due to the altered conception of the Cybermen, Lumic's new motivation was to cure his dying father. Finally, the son's role was essentially taken over by Mr Crane.
  • Originally, the time rotor of the TARDIS was shattered at the start of the story, an effect ruled out on the grounds of cost.
  • Initial drafts of the two-parter imagined the EarPods as temple implants. This was later scrapped as the plot required devices that could be removed. Additionally, concerns were raised about the similarities with the Stargate SG-1 episode "Revisions", which had broadcast three years prior. Russell T Davies explained on Doctor Who Confidential that the idea of the EarPods was inspired by how common Bluetooth earpieces were at the time.
  • Tom MacRae initially hewed fairly closely to Spare Parts by setting his serial on a dying Earth, where the Cybermen came into existence when efforts to save humanity from a terrible plague were taken to extreme lengths. However, Russell T Davies was concerned that this approach was effectively still rooted in mid-1960s anxiety about body part replacement , the paranoia which had originally inspired the Cybermen, but was now outdated.
  • Tom MacRae envisaged the counterparts of Mickey, Jackie and Pete as diverging far more from their familiar portrayals, but Russell T Davies encouraged him to scale this back.
  • Pete's codename was originally “Puck”, in reference to A Midsummer Night's Dream. It then became “Janus”, after the two-faced god of beginnings and endings in Roman mythology. His eventual sobriquet, “Gemini”, was the Latin word for “twins”, most commonly used in reference to the Greco-Roman gods Castor and Pollux.
  • Although some thought was given to keeping the Cybermen's traditional chest unit, Tom MacRae suggested replacing it with a stylised Cybus Industries logo.
  • As design drawings were developed for the new Cybermen, Russell T Davies was particularly adamant that they should eschew the “silver giant” label often applied to the monsters in the past; viewing silver as a flimsy material, he preferred to think of the Cybermen as made of steel. On the other hand, he was eager to retain certain elements from previous Cyberman designs, particularly the handlebar ears and the teardrop eyes.
  • Shortly before filming began, Roger Lloyd Pack broke his ankle in a fall down a flight of stairs. Fortunately, the Lumic role had already been scripted as being entirely wheelchair-bound, meaning that Lloyd Pack's injury would not interfere with his performance.
  • While filming in London, Graeme Harper discovered some unused helicopter footage of the city which had been recorded for Aliens of London/World War Three, meaning that he could save the expense of another flyover
  • Filming the Thames sequences was delayed by rain.
  • The scene of Jake filming Mr. Crane abducting homeless people had a cut portion where Mr. Crane spots Jake, walks up to him, and threatens him.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 9.22 million (BARB official; UK final)[2]

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • According to The Sun, Roger Lloyd Pack broke his leg just days before filming began on the episode, requiring the scripts being rewritten to place his character, John Lumic, in a wheelchair. Writer Tom MacRae told Doctor Who Magazine in issue #369 that no rewrites were necessary: the script had always had Lumic in a powered wheelchair.

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The scene where Mickey, the Doctor and Rose all split up was filmed outside the then recently built Riverfront Arts Centre in Newport.
  • Lambeth Pier, Battersea Power Station and MI5 in London
  • Cardiff Docks
  • St Nicholas, New Cardiff

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When Mickey meets his Gran, the boom mike operator is reflected in her dark glasses.
  • As Pete opens his car door, the glare of a film light can be seen on it.
  • As Pete's car pulls up at his house, it can clearly be seen that the two registration plates on the back and front of the car are completely different.
  • During the scene in which Mickey, the Doctor, and Rose split, there is a drastic change in lighting and colour palette without narrative explanation.
  • When the Doctor and Rose run away from the first line of marching Cybermen, one of Rose's earrings flies off. In all future scenes, she continues to have both earrings.
  • As the Daily Download begins, one extra behind the Doctor and Rose can be seen moving their arm to their EarPod, presumably trying to secure the prop.
  • The first party guest to be deleted after the President has her EarPods in the wrong ears, with them appearing upside down.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]


DVD releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This story was released in the Series 2 Blu-ray set in November 2013 along with the rest of the series. Despite not being filmed in HD, the Blu-ray featured an upscaled picture and fewer compression artefacts.
    • This release was initially bundled with the first seven series of the revived Doctor Who.

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]