Doctor Who: 8 Times The Cybermen Were Scarier In Black And White
8. Silver Nemesis (1988)
Love it or loathe it, the Sylvester McCoy era was unquestionably one of extremes. From the very, very good, such as Remembrance of the Daleks, listed as one of Sounds Magazines reasons to be alive in 1989, to the very, very bad, including Time and the Rani and, well, Silver Nemesis, McCoy yo-yoed between being one of the best Doctors ever and one of the most reviled in history. Even today his era can spark impassioned arguments amongst fans of a certain generation. But there can be little argument that Silver Nemesis, a story written especially for the 25th anniversary of the show, is a complete stinker. From the truncated three-part format to the wasted story and thematic possibilities inherent in the Nazi sub-plot, the whole thing reeks of a decent idea overshadowed by the need to get in as many special elements into it as possible. These include a bizarre cameo from the Queen (or at least a stunt double) and the dubious honour of being allowed to film on location in Buckingham Palace. However, the worst sin of all is the way in which the Cybermen are utterly wasted. By this point in the show, David Banks could play the Cyber-leader in his sleep, making a slightly awkward fist on queue and drawling excellent with a world-weariness that adds an even deeper and ironic heart to the allegedly emotionless Cybermen. He looks bored, even with the mask on. And who can blame him? The Cybermen have become straw men by this point, being confused by the sound of jazz and having their allergy to gold amped up to a ridiculous level. Simply throwing a gold coin at their chest unit destroys them instantly in this story so its handy that theres so much of it lying about. Its the most obvious weakness in the world and yet they do nothing to protect themselves, despite thousands of years of engineering and tinkering to make themselves the most perfect soldiers possible. Even the Daleks - overused as they are - have never been this easy to defeat. Silver Nemesis was not so much a celebration of Doctor Who as a rushed hodge-podge of panicked need to do something for the show, coupled with a budget that was stretched far too thinly.
