6. 'The Tomb Of The Cybermen'
Skipping forward in time a little to the first story of series five, Pat Troughton's second in the role. And here's the story that sealed the deal for Matt Smith having watched this he promptly fell head over heels for it and set about making his Doctor,the Eleventh, a veritable successor. There are many good reasons why it was also chosen as the best illustration of the Troughtonian Period for the 'Doctors Revisited' documentary series. Landing on Telos, the Doctor and his pals find themselves swept up in an archaeological mission. Best episode of 'Time Team' ever, to the untrained eye, yet there's not a Tony Robinson in sight. What they and their colleagues do come across is far more exciting than some Iron Age relics it's the lost tombs of the Cybermen. Since their introduction in 'The Tenth Planet' they've had a bit of a facelift and gone into hiding. Or is it hibernation? Every subsequent Cyber story owes something to this foundation stone. 'Nightmare In Silver' being just the latest in a long old line of them. Anywho, turns out two of the team of intrepid explorers, namely Kaftan and Klieg, want to revive the sleepy conversion fans for their own ends. What the dopey pair haven't twigged is that the tombs were waiting to be found as a trap. When will people learn? And once found the Cybermen intend to make everybody in the vicinity 'like uzz' as they put it. In between all that there's a nice exchange between the Doctor and Victoria as they talk of their lost families. The famous 'they sleep in my mind' line comes from here, well before Doctors Nine and Ten reminisce similarly in sombre moments later on. ' I was a father and a grandfather, once' has nothing on this for pure emotional punch. Its the metal men who steal the show, though. From the moment they emerge in a sequence so well choreographed its as if Busby Berkeley was helping them plan the whole thing to their eventual defeat the seeds of children's nightmares are planted. Just when they'd got over the Daleks too. Never mind.