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

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'''''Revenge of the Cybermen''''' was the fifth and final serial of [[season 12]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was not originally intended as the finale of season 12. The next story to air, ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'', was originally filmed as the finale of season 12, but it did not air until the [[Season 13|following season]]. The story saw the return of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] as lead villains for the first time since ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'' in 1968 and their only appearance (barring flashbacks and cameos) until ''[[Earthshock (TV story)|Earthshock]]'' in 1982.

Like ''[[The Ark in Space (TV story)|The Ark in Space]]'' earlier in the season, ''Revenge'' went through a difficult scripting process. Davis' original plot bore almost no resemblance to the transmitted episode, with the action taking place on a deserted space casino. More rewriting from Davis followed, and the action now largely took place on ''[[Nerva Beacon]]''. However, the script included no [[Vogan (Revenge of the Cybermen)|Vogans]], with their place being taken by a group of half-starved Welsh gold miners. [[Script editor]] [[Robert Holmes]] largely rewrote the episodes. Holmes added the Vogans and got rid of the human gold miners entirely, as well as a female member of the Nerva crew named [[Anitra]]. ([[INFO]]: ''Revenge of the Cybermen'') An [[Return of the Cybermen (audio story)|audio adaptation]] of ''Revenge''<nowiki/>'s original storyline was released in [[March (releases)|March]] [[2021 (releases)|2021]].

The story was partially [[location filming|filmed]] at [[Wookey Hole Caves]], a location renowned for bad luck. When scouting the ancient cave system for its suitability for location shoots, the director's wife found some Iron Age arrowheads and decided to take them home, unwittingly calling an ancient curse on the production team. First, the team encountered a strange individual in potholing gear who had apparently wandered into set, of whom the staff had no knowledge, which the director began to believe was the ghost of an Irish potholer who had died in the cave three years earlier. The boats used in the cave scenes repeatedly broke down; one production team member had to be replaced due to an attack of claustrophobia, and another was taken seriously ill. On a day when staff disobeyed instructions not to touch the "Witch" formation (said to be the petrified body of the witch), [[Elisabeth Sladen]] nearly died — her boat went haywire and she had to dive overboard to keep herself from smashing into the cavern wall, where a stuntman had to pull her out to save her from drowning, and who later fell ill. An electrician broke his leg when a ladder collapsed under him, and the pyrotechnician found nothing would light or work correctly. The director took the arrowheads from his wife and reburied them, after which production ran smoothly. ([[DWM 297]])

In-universe, this serial explained the long absence of the Cybermen from the show as a product of the [[Cyber-Wars]], which motivates the backstory. This addition to Cyberman lore would have a long lasting effect on the rest of their appearances in the show, with their return in ''Earthshock'' exploring the origins of the conflict, whilst the show's revival [[Series 7 (Doctor Who)|Series 7]] story ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'' would explore another group of Cybermen survivors after the wars. Furthermore, the [[Series 12 (Doctor Who)|Series 12]] two part finale ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'' and ''[[The Timeless Children (TV story)|The Timeless Children]]'' depicted the immediate aftermath of the war with the Cybermen similarly scattered and weak, but seeking retribution.