 |  |  |
 | Reviews for The Lost Stories: Return of the Cybermen |
|
| | |
There is 1 review so far. To add a review of your own for this item, visit the voting page.
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Monday 30 June 2025 |
|
| Rating: |   8 |
This Lost Story is an adaptation of the original script that Gerry Davis wrote in 1974, which became Revenge of the Cybermen for the TV series. It has much of the same structure as the TV version, and more or less the same direction, but there are notable differences between the two. That final version was heavily rewritten by script editor Robert Holmes. The major difference is with the asteroid of gold that the Cybermen want to destroy. In the televised version, it is a roving planet trying whose people are trying to hide from outsiders who want to steal all its gold. In this original version, it is an asteroid rich in gold, now occupied by miners who have been stranded on the asteroid for 25 years (which seems an absurd length of time). The other major difference is that Gerry Davis employs several elements from prior Cybermen stories, especially The Moonbase (the plague that is not one) and The Wheel in Space (Cybermen hiding on the base). It also feels surprisingly like the later story Earthshock, and I wonder whether Eric Saward (writer) and Antony Root (script editor) were familiar with this script when they produced Earthshock. This is the first BF production featuring Sadie Miller stepping into the role of Sarah Jane Smith played by her mother. She sounds very much like Elisabeth Sladen. Christopher Naylor steps into the role of Harry Sullivan. He does not sound much like Ian Marter, but he has a very good understanding of Harry's character and stays true to that. This story is very good for the memory lane feeling, and despite a few absurdities is quite satisfying to listen to.
