Podcast appearances and mentions of Gerry Davis

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MICHAEL HERBERT on DOOMWATCH. First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on June 16th 2024. This week's returning guest from our ever growing group of returning regulars is MICHAEL HERBERT who, you might remember from some earlier editions of VISION ON SOUND, has spent a lot of the last few years researching the life of MALCOLM HULKE, which, of course, because everything in the world of television is all interconnected somehow, means that he comes across other things that interest him, and he got in touch to see if I fancied having a natter about DOOMWATCH. Now, despite rumours to the contrary, I absolutely adore DOOMWATCH. Perhaps it's because it simply appeals to my own inflated sense of pessimism, but there's just something very entertaining about a television series built around the potential disasters that humanity is capable of causing through its own hubris if we allow ourselves to go ahead with our experimentations unchecked and without a certain amount of accountability, and there is an enduring appeal to the stories it told more than half a century ago, many of which still feel very relevant today, when some of the actions of governments and individuals really do feel as if they still need reining in. Created by DR KIT PEDLER and GERRY DAVIS following their successful collaborations on DOCTOR WHO, and broadcast on the BBC across three series between 1970 and 1972, DOOMWATCH explored new and unusual threats to humanity which were appearing in many ways, as the human race was busily developing the white heat of technology in the post-nuclear age, in a series of stories involving subjects as diverse as plastic-eating viruses, artificial hearts, toxic waste, and rats with a genetically enhanced taste for human flesh. The series involved the dramatic experiences of the fictional DEPARTMENT FOR THE OBSERVATION AND MEASUREMENT OF SCIENTIFIC WORK – You can see why they preferred to use DOOMWATCH as a title – as they attempted to protect the world from the dangers of unprincipled scientific research, as they were set up “to investigate any scientific research, public or private, that could possibly be harmful to man” which basically meant that DOCTOR SPENCER QUIST and his team were often irritants to those who were heavily invested in the steady march of progress. No change there then. Starring JOHN PAUL, JOBY BLANCHARD and SIMON OATES, amongst others, the series made a star of ROBERT POWELL, whose character TOBY WREN's untimely demise at the end of the first series sent shockwaves through the pages of the RADIO TIMES in a way that the serious concerns being talked about in the storylines seldom did. It may surprise you just how many of the stories told in this series seem to be about things humanity has only recently begun to have concerns about, when the writers involved were trying to warn us about it decades ago, but, well, that's human beings for you, isn't it? PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Eighty-three people turned out on Friday June 7, for the gala opening night of the Old School Art Gallery's 2024 season. This was a group show, with 28 contributing artists, that will be open to the public on Fridays (6-9 PM) and on weekends (2-6 PM) until June 16th. Bianca Lee,  Manager of the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery, was delighted by the large turnout, “I wasn't sure how it was going to work out having the member show at the beginning of the season, but it worked out pretty magnificently. There was so much interest and participation in the show. It seems like a really beautiful way to start out the season, get people excited about the gallery and also avoid the burnout of late season.” Early visitors were treated to an instrumental selection by Cortes Island guitarist Rick Bockner.   At 7:00 Kristen Schofield Sweet gave a welcoming address,  “We had 28 artists this year. (Cheers and clapping) It's the most we've ever had and I'm going to read out the names of a group of people, just to give you some sense of what it takes to hang a show.  Besides myself, we are thanking Christann Kennedy, Gerry Davis, George,  Orien Lee, Bianca Lee, Pamela Boles, Janet Turpin, and Ayami Stryck. It took that many people four days to get all that on the wall.” “Next Friday, the 14th, I'm going to be doing a walking tour of the show saying, ‘To get it on the wall didn't just happen by accident, here's some of the things that we considered. Why is this piece next to that piece? And those two are over there, but not with this one?' A show is also a piece of work. How those parts come together is really fascinating. Especially when you have nine people doing it.” One of her colleagues, Christann Kennedy, later explained, “The idea is to try and create a dialogue so that the different pieces are  talking to each other. Maybe they have a similarity of colour or a similarity of subject matter or a similarity of material that makes them  seem like they might have something to say to each other.  What we try to do with a group show like this is set up some relationships that are interesting, and that might illuminate the artworks in a way that if you were just seeing one piece, you might not see that.” “It's great to have so many creative people living on this island and to have a venue where everyone can come together and show their work and open up conversation between each other. I just think it's a really exciting thing that this gallery exists and I feel really lucky that I'm getting to participate.” Several viewers remarked upon their success.  Sole Arico said, “It's just an incredible diversity and the quality is just  really high. Very beautiful work.”  Jonathan Ogilvie went further, “I will say,  as someone who has spent a good deal of time in art galleries as a religious practice, that this collection  is exquisitely put together, that each one of these pieces complements  all of the others.  And that's not easy to do when you have so many artists at play together.  So I'm feeling it.”

[originally published on Patreon May 18, 2023] Today I'm joined by John Brisson of We've Read the Documents (@weve_read) to finish our discussion about the Finders. Brisson explains the flophouses and the day-to-day activities that the Finders seemed to engage in.  Then, we go through the list of Finders members and associates. There was probable pedophile Roy Mason, zany doctor Hunter "Patch" Adams, polyamorous pioneer Michael Versace Rios, Carl R. Schleicher and Mankind Research Unlimited, Christopher Peter Bird, Robert Schwartz, Ken Keyes Jr., Dr. Carl Betz Shapley, Edwin Elkin and potential ties to the CoS, and Mildred Jensen Loomis and her commune. We discuss Norman Mailer's relations with the Finders, Gerry Davis, and the curious case of Steve E. Beltz. Beltz raises the possibilities of ties to Kenneth Grant-style magick.  Finally, Brisson walks us through the events of the Tallahassee Incident of 1987 and why he believes the account of US Customs agent Ramon J. Martinez. We attempt to make sense of what the Finders were based on what can be proven with documentary evidence. artwork by Dakota Links: ⁠https://twitter.com/weve_read⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/weveread⁠ Songs:

Support us on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/missingepisodes Tip us on https://ko-fi.com/missingeps Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/drwhopodcasters It's episode 13 of The Missing Episodes Podcast! For the first time proper, the TARDIS is back on contemporary Earth, indeed in contemporary London, and The Doctor and Dod… uhh… the Doctor and new, groovy companions Ben and Polly face down the mechanical menace in the Post Office Tower and The War Machines. Master podcaster Steven Schapansky (@RadioFreeSkaro) and Doctor Who Historian Jon Preddle (https://broadwcast.org/) join to help analyse this most seminal of stories, as Season 3 draws to a close and Doctor Who marches on in a new format under Innes Lloyd and Gerry Davis. Then it's off on a world tour, as Jon talks us through the sales process, censorship in Australia and New Zealand and how and why four prints of The War Machines ended up in Nigeria, to be found by Ian Levine in the 1980's. This is the deepest of deep dives and summarises years of Jon's cutting-edge research. We also explore why, perhaps, The Wheel in Space wasn't in Jos when Enemy and Web were recovered over ten years ago! So leave your Dodo at home, put on your fab gear and join us as we take a look at The War Machines. If you enjoy this podcast, we ask that you share it on social media to help us find our audience! Tim is on Twitter @drwhopodcasters, and please do come and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/drwhoandthepodcasters. Executive Producer: Rich Tipple Become a patron and help us cover our fees and keep us in biscuits via https://www.patreon.com/missingepisodes. Thanks to much to the exceedingly lovely Alex TheSkapes, Andrew Llewellyn, Andy Kitching, Anthony Carroll, Tony Carroll, Anthony Fusco, Anthony Wainer, Ashton Withers, Bedwyr Gullidge, Bluey111, Brendan McKenna-Nicoll, Charles Geers, Chris Arkle, Chris Fone, Colin Brockhurst, Craig Thomson, Darren Howard, David Gillespie-Pratt, David Green, David Matthewman, Dean Poole, Deetz Easterwood, Dominic Jackson, Garry Byrne, Gav Rymill, Harry Townsend, Huw Buchtman, Jack Sharpe, James, James Cluskey, Jamie Bate, JB, Jess Jurkovic, Jim Trenowden, Joe Lewallen, Joe Bloggs, John Geoffrion, John Rivers, John Thomson, Jon, Jon Sheehan, Jonathan Le Targat, Jonathan Potter, Joshua, Marc Cameron, Martin Ramsdin, Matthew, Matthew Purchase, Michael Elison, Neil Smith, Nick Lawton, Nick Mellish, Oliver Wake, Patrick, Paul Cooke, Peter Cuminskey, Philip Stubley, Pierce Carrig, Ray Badrick, Reuben Hergfindahl, Rich Hughes, Richard Byatt, Richard Higson, Richard Smith, Richie Howarth, Rob Fleming, Sara Irving, Sarah Crotzer, Sean Martindill, Sidney Troat, Simon Exton, Simon Whitehead, Sinead Morse, Stephen Hartwell, Stephen Moffatt, Stephen Wolterstorff, Steven Manfred, Steven Quinn, Steven Schapansky, Steven White, Stewart Boyles, Stuart Hargreves, That's Chroma, Tim Arding, and last but not least, Toby Hadoke. With thanks the wonderful Bea Garrido https://twitter.com/BeaGarrido00 for her art, assistance and her patience. Check out her brilliant Doctor Who art https://beagarridoart.weebly.com/ This free podcast borrows snippets of music from “Marche, Les Structures Sonores” – Lasry Baschet. We lovingly pilfer original music cues by from the BBC's original production of The War Machines.

Ian is joined by writer Michael Seely to talk about 1970s BBC science faction drama Doomwatch. Michael picked three epiosdes that reflect the changs to the show over it's three seasons. Michael also talks abut his books on the show including the scripts for episodes which no longer exist in the archive. Doomwatch: Created by Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis. Produced by Terence Dudley. Starring John Paul, Joby Blanshard, Simon Oates and Michael PowellThe Red Sky: Broadcast on 6th April 1970. Directed by Jonathan AlwynFlight Into Yesterday: Broadcast on 1st February 1971. Directed by Darrol BlakeWaiting For A Knighthood. Broadcast on 28th June 1972. Directed by Pennant Roberts.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5639429/advertisement

First broadcast on FAB RADIO INTERNATIONAL at 19:00 on October 9th 2022 On this week's VISION ON SOUND we welcome MICHAEL SEELY who is well known in Archive Television circles for the books he has written about certain television series, and for his biographies of some well recognised names from television production from the sixties and seventies. PROPHETS OF DOOM, his unauthorised history of the BBC television series DOOMWATCH is very possibly the definitive current work detailing the production of that well-remembered and influential show that ran for three series between February 1970 and August 1972. This series, which told terrifying tales based around the fears of the possible corruption and future progress of science, as well as breaking the hearts of a nation after an incident at the end of a pier, was created by KIT PEDLAR and GERRY DAVIS, who had both written scripts for 1960s DOCTOR WHO which also examined the dramatic possibilities that came about when you chose to imagine what horrors some areas of modern science might unleash into the world. Whether it was COMPUTERS seeking world domination, or the dehumanising possibilities of overzealous replacement of human organs and body parts with artificial equivalents, you can be pretty sure that they had a hand in it, as it were, and the controversy-creating series DOOMWATCH does seem to be the natural progression of all of their “What if…?' discussions, dealing, as it did, with the terrors of plastic viruses, super evolved rats, pollution, and the consequences of unscientific experimentation when unfettered by any kind of morality or control. KIT PEDLAR was brought aboard by the DOCTOR WHO production team to add his scientific imagination into the mix of the types of stories they wanted to tell, and his own somewhat fascinating life story was one of those that MICHAEL also felt compelled to cover in his well-received biography. MICHAEL also wrote a biography of the much loved and well-regarded television director DOUGLAS CAMFIELD, whose distinctive touch graced many a series in the 1960s and 1970s, from SWIZZLEWICK, to BEAU GESTE, Z CARS to THE SWEENEY, PUBLIC EYE to THE LOTUS EATERS, DANGER UXB to VAN DER VALK, and many others, quite a few of which we have discussed in this show over the past couple of years. In preparation for today's programme, and because he also has a new book looking into the series coming out fairly soon, I rewatched one of his later works, the four part serial THE NIGHTMARE MAN adapted by ROBERT HOLMES for the BBC from the book CHILD OF VODYANOI by DAVID WILTSHIRE which terrified viewers on Friday evenings back in May 1981, so we also chat about that for a while. PLEASE NOTE - For Copyright reasons, musical content sometimes has to be removed for the podcast edition. All the spoken word content remains (mostly) as it was in the broadcast version. Hopefully this won't spoil your enjoyment of the show.

It's far from being all over! Mark and Iain have reached the final story of the First Doctor's era. Who better to join them for a chat about The Tenth Planet than Jim Cameron from The Mutoid Podcast and The Krynoid Podcast? Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis' story not only introduces regeneration for the first time, but it also includes a debut for the Cybermen. AOTAS homepage AOTAS on Twitter Mark on Twitter Iain on Twitter --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alloftimeandspace/message

May 1976 saw the release of "Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen". It's the third novelization of a Tom Baker episode -- all by Terrance Dicks so far -- and the third novelization of a Cybermen episode -- but this is the first one by Terrance and the first one NOT written by Gerry Davis. David Barsky joins us in the first half to talk about how he got into television, where his career has taken him, and where Doctor Who fits in. We both give contrarian takes on "Revenge of the Cybermen" the TV story, and have a lot of fun sharing our opinions on Christopher Robbie's controversial Cyberleader. We then discuss passages from the book, and marvel over how much it strays, at times, from the TV version. We're also debuting a new game here on Doctor Who Literature. How does Barsky fare on the premiere edition of "Guess That Cliffhanger"? We'll leave you in suspense until you listen... In the second half, Jason tackles the text of the novelization, and tries to figure out where this fits among Terrance's previous adaptations. And be sure to join us next week for another guest, another novelization, and another thrilling game.

It's February 1976, and "Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet". The first Hartnell-episode novelization published in ten years, a novelization of the first Cyberman TV adventure... and William Hartnell's last full story. Ross from "Gallifrey's Most Wanted" rejoins Jason to talk about how this book compares to childhood memories. We also take a grand tour through all of Doctor Who -- TV, books, Big Finish, and even some non-Doctor Who-related content. Ross really knows his stuff and it's always a thrill discussing the entirety of Doctor Who with him. In the second half of the show, Jason (plagued by some really bad microphones and audio quality -- please bear with me!) works through the text of the novelization. What does Gerry Davis do with the by-now ten-year-old TV scripts? How do the Antarctic landscape, the Cybermen costume and voices, and the generation of the First Doctor into the Second, work in the book, compared to how we would have seen them on TV?

Doctor Who Literature turns to Jason's first novelization, Doctor Who and the Cybermen, which Jason first read -- all in one day -- on Super Bowl Sunday 1985. Thirty-seven years later and the book's prose, vocabulary, and descriptive powers, are still unmatched. In the first half of the episode, Jason breaks down what makes Gerry Davis' writing style so good, and fortunately there are many more Davis novelizations to come. In the second half, we're joined by Pete Lambert, a good friend from the Trap One Podcast. We talk about how influential this book was to us as young readers, what other classic book series we moved away from once the Doctor entered our lives, and how the Target books would stack up against today's YA fiction. What is the significance of the word "radiophonic" to the text? Who exactly in the story as a "fetish", and what's it about? And why are there Welsh shepherds on the moon? A truly fun and relaxed conversation, and we can't wait to have Pete back on again soon.

Sheldon Breiner (1936-2019) gives Apple a taste of its own medicine. Sheldon's bio at breiner.com. Stanford Alumni Magazine on Sheldon's quest to find a giant 3,000 year-old Olmec head. Yes, that's the late Gerry Davis mentioned in Triumph of the Nerds. Gerry Davis on his relationship with Gary Kildall in his own words. Not very much ado about Symantec's Bedrock: [1, 2, 3, 4] Original website for Altura Software's Mac2Win framework. Lee Lorenzen CHM interview covering Xerox PARC, Digital Research, GEM, Ventura Publisher, Fractal Design Painter and the birth of Mac2Win. Developer Jonathan Hoyle on a Mac2Win easter egg. Jonathan Hoyle grilling Steve Jobs about Apple's developer predicament in 1997. (Hoyle identifies himself in other WWDC 1997 sessions.) Original text from Macworld, November 1992.

It's 2022 and Andy and Alex celebrate the fact that its 30 years (30!) since The Tomb of the Cybermen was returned to the archives. Well they don't exactly celebrate this as I've only just worked it out for these episode notes but it's a neat milestone all the same. During proceedings Alex orders 'a bottle of a bottle', Andy fails to print his podcast notes, and a robin in a black cagoole causes a commotion. When it comes to talking Tomb, Andy pronounces Telos correctly and vociferously defends Victoria, Alex calmly explains why none of Doctor Who should be cancelled, and there's a long tale of Shirley Cooklin (Kaftan) getting a little pissed off at a funeral. Elsewhere, this month's quiz is ‘Tomb or Boom', RuPaul and (appropriately enough) The Beatles feature on the Time-Space Visualiser, and there's even a little contemporary Flux-based discussion. More importantly than any of the above neither Alex of Andy are wearing orange underwear as they will explain! The more knowledgeable Who fans will realise that I get the Denise Buckley story wrong. In fact, Alex is dead right that the re-casting of Victoria was to do with Pauline Collins. Oh well. Not quite seamless in post. Happy New Year to you our lovely listeners. Next Time: Probably a McCoy. (This episode's opening words are from the prologue of Gerry Davis's novelisation of Tomb)

A review for Blue Undergound's release of The Final Countdown. Starring Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Katherine Ross, Charles Durning, and Ron O'Neal. Music by John Scott. Director of Photography Victor J. Kemper. Screenplay by David Ambrose, Gerry Davis and Thomas Hunter & Peter Powell. Directed by Don Taylor.

Marriage Certificates Jarvis Andre McCall, to Charolette Denise Shamburger. Tobias Sharad Ransom, to Laberyl Kianna Pritchett. Gerry Davis, to Tamika Green. William Gray Spain, to Summer Leigh Ann Newton. Property deeds listed Dated May 12-21 Kevin F. Garris, to Kevin F. Garris. Julian Meeker-As Trustee, to 55 Missions LLC. Ann R. Dozier, to Acharya LLC. Anthony J. Larrimore, to Michael Brandon Morrison. Gary Joe Jackson, to Anthony J. Larrimore. Monty A. Bryant, to Samantha L. Clark. Ann Black, to Robert Black. Estate of Lorenzo F. Johnson, to Ebony Michelle Henry. Wendy O. Joiner, to Girishkumar S. Patel. Merine Fox, to...Article Link

After sitting out the 2020 season, MLB umpire Gerry Davis is returning with his 5,000th career game on the horizon. He joins Cory McCartney to discuss that upcoming milestone, the development of his trademark stance and advice for those who want to get into umpiring.

Please join us in meeting with 39 year MLB umpire, Gerry Davis, and Jim Bettencourt, author of Baseball Rules in Black and White, as we discuss the soon to be released version of BBRIBAW which covers the Little League rule set. We talk to Gerry about his distinguished baseball umpiring career, and ask him about some his game highlights and memories. Mr. Davis talks about his involvement with Little League, and umpire development. Jim and Gerry talk about their partnership and the development of a Little League version of BBRIBAW, which is targeting an April 1, 2021 launch date. Enjoy the show! For more information about Baseball Rules in Black and White - https://www.baseballrulesinblackandwhite.com/ For Gerry Davis Sports (attire and equipment for sports officials) - https://www.gerrydavis.com/  We would love to hear from you. Please rate us on ApplePodcast, or send us feedback at: feedback@strike3podcast.com , or visit our website for more information - https://www.strike3podcast.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/colin-brown8/message

Today I have the incredible privilege of interviewing Gerry Davis, Major League Baseball Umpire extraordinaire. 39 years behind the plate and on his way to 5000 games. Unbelievable. He's only 43 games away. 2021 should get him there. What's equally unbelievable are the stories he can tell from that many years. I mean think about it. What he's seen. The players he's watched come up, build their careers and retire. Repeat that sentence several times for the generations of players that he's umped. If you like baseball, you're going to love sitting with us on this conversation.

In this episode, host Kevin Weber discusses habits to get back in shape, game management, Deadball Era umpire innovations and spotlights Gerry Davis. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thehammer/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thehammer/support

In which we reach the letter 'D' and explore that prescient beast Doomwatch, devised by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, which aired for 3 series between 1970 and 1972. We take a close look at the series 2 episode Web of Fear with Glyn Owen, Stephanie Bidmead and the least threatening spiders in a drama ever, and the famously untransmitted episode Sex and Violence featuring June Brown and Bernard Horsfall. Underwhelmed by the former, the latter, on the other hand, feels startlingly relevant to the present day. Next Time: Edge of Darkness

After we announced that Gerry Davis would be back in Appleton to receive the Red Smith Award at January's banquet, he joined me for a few minutes to talk about baseball and the award.

After we announced that Gerry Davis would be back in Appleton to receive the Red Smith Award at January's banquet, he joined me for a few minutes to talk about baseball and the award.

In Episode 7, Gerry Davis talks about the type of feedback he and his crew members receive from MLB, the unique opportunities Gerry has had to give back to the umpiring community, and then gives an overview of MLB's replay center in New York. Hear what is being said on the headsets between a crew chief and the replay official, and what it's like to work in "the ultimate man-cave." 

In episode 6, veteran MLB umpire crew chief Gerry Davis discusses his philosophy on handling on-field situations with players, coaches and managers. How much chirping is acceptable from the dugout when it comes to your strike zone? What's the "magic word?" You'll also get to hear a funny story about an on-field argument with manager Jim Leyland.

This week, veteran MLB umpire crew chief Gerry Davis talks about traveling as a professional umpire, their clubhouse arrangement, and what he views as his role as a crew chief. Gerry discusses who his major influences were coming up through his early days in professional baseball, and how they impacted the way he handles situations on the field.

Veteran MLB umpire and Crew Chief Gerry Davis sits down to discuss the start of his record 38th consecutive year of service, his experience in umpire school, the minor leagues, and his call to the big leagues. 

Episode 3: Interview with Major League Umpire Gerry DavisIn Coach Baseball Right's Episode 3: Interview with Major League Umpire Gerry Davis, Steve Nicollerat discusses Gerry Davis' background and highlights of being one of the top MLB umpires.Coach Baseball Right Podcast Episode 3 Sponsore3 ConsultantsGROUP This podcast is powered by e3 ConsultantsGROUP. e3 wants to awaken the inner-entrepreneur in anyone who is ready to take control of their financial picture! e3’s family office model is prepared to serve individuals, families, and business owners with the right mindset – regardless of your net worth.Visit their websites – www.e3cg.com or www.e3wealth.com or contact John Moriarty directly at 314-805-9349 to learn more. Tell him “Coach Nicollerat sent you.”Podcast Requests and SponsorshipsIf you have any topics or questions you would us to consider for possible future podcasts, please post on our Facebook group or contact us.If you are interested in advertising on our Coach Baseball Right Podcast by becoming a sponsor, please contact us. Share Episode 3: Interview with Major League Umpire Gerry Davis

NEW TO WHO AND THE TENTH PLANETDave Kitchen from The Doctor Who Show blinked again. Lights were moving towards him through the murk of the blizzard. Even as he looked, the lights changed into figures clad in silver-armoured suits, advancing across the ice with a slow deliberate step. Horror-struck, Dave reached for his microphone. BUT THEY CONTINUED MARCHING...Dan and Steven have arrived in Sydney. The discussion of a story of firsts by this invincible, fearless podcast has begun-and the last thrilling adventure of the first DOCTOR WHO.New to Who begins a trilogy of regeneration stories with this, the final story of the first Doctor - the original, you might say - the late, great William Hartnell. And who better to join us in discussing this wonderful pioneer than perhaps his biggest fan, Dave Kitchen from The Doctor Who Show?Although being the last story for the First Doctor, THE TENTH PLANET is also a story of many firsts; the first regeneration story, the first Cybermen story, and the first story of a narrative format that would come to define the show: The Base Under Siege.The cover of the original imprint of the 1976 Target novelisation for THE TENTH PLANET is used with the kind permission of Chris Achilleos. The novelisation is written by Gerry Davis. The audiobook is read by Anneke Wills.Intro theme by Our Colin (2017). Much love and thanks, Col ❤︎Special thanks to Sarah Tout at Voice Box Media Training.NEXT MONTH: THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI

What’s the best Target novelization to feature a sinister plot that makes no sense, cyberbugs that aren’t named after bugs, and people that are named after clothing? Why, TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN by Gerry Davis, of course! Come see what our four-person discussion panel, featuring Jenny Ingersoll, Alyson Fitch-Safreed, and Dalton Hughes, thinks of this classic book despite all of its unavoidable craziness! If you’d like to hear more of this sort of quality content, please come visit our Patreon page! It's at https://www.patreon.com/DWTargetBC. If you decide to support us in our ongoing effort to discuss all of the DOCTOR WHO novelizations, you'll be able to choose a gift, whether it be a shout-out by our panel, a card signed by all of us, or a BBC Book of your choosing! Contributing at any level gets you our extras! Visit the site for more details! We now have a book discussion group of our very own on Goodreads! It can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y7kmaspr. If you want to have your question, discussion, or review of a given book read aloud by us, simply join the group, post your response to the group by the given deadline, and we will see it! If you really like us or feel the exact opposite, feel free to comment on our Facebook page or our Subreddit, follow us on Twitter (we’re @DWTARGETBC), or subscribe to us via the podcast provider of your choice (we can be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn, amongst many others)! Videos to accompany our first ten episodes can still be found on YouTube! You can also email us at DWTARGETBC@gmail.com. https://www.facebook.com/DoctorWhoTargetBookClubPodcast/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DWTargetBC/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast/id1195364046?mt=2 https://soundcloud.com/doctorwhotargetbookclubpodcast http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast http://tunein.com/radio/Doctor-Who-Target-Book-Club-Podcast-p957128/ https://twitter.com/DWTARGETBC https://tinyurl.com/y7kmaspr

Och, aye, we’ve bin oot and aboot…no, no, don’t do that. Just…don’t. In our discussion of Gerry Davis’ novelization of THE HIGHLANDERS, we find ourselves saying that a lot – especially since our extra-special guest panelist, J.G. McQuarrie of the TALKING WHO TO YOU podcast, has exactly that accent! (Or at least more of one than anyone onscreen or on the page does…) Join host Tony Whitt, J.G., and returning panelist Jenny Ingersoll as they try to figure out why historicals suck, why historicals like this one do not suck, what this story has to do with a show called OUTLANDER, and why books that end abruptly throw J.G. into a wee rage! (Only without the wee, because that’s, well, disgustang.) If you really like us or feel the exact opposite, feel free to comment on our Facebook page or our Subreddit, follow us on Twitter (we’re @DWTARGETBC), or subscribe to us via the podcast provider of your choice (we can be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn, amongst many others)! Videos to accompany our first ten episodes can still be found on YouTube! You can also email us at DWTARGETBC@gmail.com. https://www.facebook.com/DoctorWhoTargetBookClubPodcast/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DWTargetBC/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast/id1195364046?mt=2 https://soundcloud.com/doctorwhotargetbookclubpodcast http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast http://tunein.com/radio/Doctor-Who-Target-Book-Club-Podcast-p957128/ https://twitter.com/DWTARGETBC

Care? Why should you care? There are podcasts being produced all over your world, yet you do not care about them. Well, you should care about THIS one, as it features our usual panel of experts and semi-experts discussing Gerry Davis’ novelization of the first Cyberman story and the final William Hartnell story, THE TENTH PLANET. We also find out which author you thought gave us the best version of the First Doctor (and why, just like resistance, polls on Facebook are useless)! CORRECTION TO THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: Tony states that this book is no longer in print. Tony is an idiot. The book has been reprinted as part of BBC Books' reproduction series. Stupid Tony. Please come visit our Patreon page! It's at https://www.patreon.com/DWTargetBC. If you decide to support us in our ongoing effort to discuss all of the DOCTOR WHO novelizations, you'll be able to choose a gift, whether it be a shout-out by our panel, a card signed by all of us, or a BBC Book of your choosing! And if we meet our funding goals by April 6, 2018, some lucky random patron will receive an original first edition of DOCTOR WHO IN AN EXCITING ADVENTURE WITH THE DALEKS! Visit the site for more details! If you really like us or feel the exact opposite, feel free to comment on our Facebook page or our Subreddit, follow us on Twitter (we’re @DWTARGETBC), or subscribe to us via the podcast provider of your choice (we can be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn)! Videos to accompany our first ten episodes can still be found on YouTube! You can also email us at DWTARGETBC@gmail.com. https://www.facebook.com/DoctorWhoTargetBookClubPodcast/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DWTargetBC/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast/id1195364046?mt=2 https://soundcloud.com/doctorwhotargetbookclubpodcast http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast http://tunein.com/radio/Doctor-Who-Target-Book-Club-Podcast-p957128/ https://twitter.com/DWTARGETBC

For our one-year anniversary, we try to solve one of the few unresolved questions around THE CELESTIAL TOYMAKER: who actually wrote the damn thing? And no, we don’t mean the televised story! This time, we’re discussing Gerry Davis and Alison Bingeman’s alleged novelization, and we welcome back Dalton Hughes and Alyson Fitch-Safreed! It’s more fun than a Trilogic game set to move 1000! We also now have a Patreon page! It's at https://www.patreon.com/DWTargetBC. If you decide to support us in our ongoing effort to discuss all of the DOCTOR WHO novelizations, you'll be able to choose a gift, whether it be a shout-out by our panel, a card signed by all of us, or a BBC Book of your choosing! Visit the site for more details! If you really like us or feel the exact opposite, feel free to comment on our Facebook page or our Subreddit, follow us on Twitter (we’re @DWTARGETBC), or subscribe to us via the podcast provider of your choice (we can be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn)! Videos to accompany our first ten episodes can still be found on YouTube! You can also email us at DWTARGETBC@gmail.com. https://www.facebook.com/DoctorWhoTargetBookClubPodcast/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DWTargetBC/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast/id1195364046?mt=2 https://soundcloud.com/doctorwhotargetbookclubpodcast http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/doctor-who-target-book-club-podcast http://tunein.com/radio/Doctor-Who-Target-Book-Club-Podcast-p957128/ https://twitter.com/DWTARGETBC

We're back on our irregular schedule with a postmodern twist! In this episode, we challenge that Harry Sullivan is, in fact, not an imbecile but an extremely worthy companion. Join us for an intriguing discussion of our lantern-jawed namesake, as well as some mild Gerry Davis bashing, Brian shows his lack of Blake's 7 knowledge, and the swinging Bakers from K-9 & Co. even get a mention. It's an episode guaranteed to make you shout from your Wookie Hole. iTunes: HSIAI Libsyn: imbecilepod.libsyn Facebook: ImbecilePod Twitter: ImbecilePod Adam Brian Tumblr: ImbecilePod Tinder TBD

Today, we dive into one of the most iconic Doctor Who stories ever told, “The Tomb of the Cybermen,” by Kit Peddler and Gerry Davis, from 1967. The most infamous Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) story, “Tomb of the Cybermen” is chilling, wickedly intelligent, surprisingly brutal, and deeply atmospheric, a testament to the show's ingenuity and creativity, and certainly one of the most thrilling tales in the Doctor Who pantheon. We give the episode our trademark in-depth look, and invite you to watch along with us as we take this curated journey through Doctor Who history. Members of our Patreon get these bonus Doctor Who episodes a full week early, so sign up at www.patreon.com/weeklystuffpodcast, at the $5 level or higher, and enjoy this and hours of other great rewards. Join us on Patreon for great rewards, including Early Access! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in iTunes! Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter! Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter!

"I love testicle head!" Materialising on a sand pit alien planet - this time in black and white - our heroic trio, Daniel, Col, and Steven, discover the ice tombs of Telos, now home to the hibernated Cybermen led by the terrifying Cyber Controller! Perhaps the apotheosis of Doctor Who's "Base Under Siege" genre that was a staple of 1967's Season Five (aka the "Monster Season"), TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN - written by the creators of the Cybermen, Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis - is laden with atmosphere and an all-pervading sense of an impending menace. Not without its narrative and representation problems, it nonetheless remains a classic example of a story-telling blueprint from Doctor Who history that is still used to this day.  Special thanks again to Alister Pearson for his kind permission for the use of his redone cover of Jeff Cummins' original for the Target novelisation of Tomb of the Cybermen, written by Gerry Davis. © all original music copyright New To Who 2016 and 2017

We go North of border today to find ourselves facing a mishmash of enmity from all over Europe - times haven't changed, have they! Bonnie Scotland is the setting for myriad skirmishes for the control of Great Britain, with pirates, a not-quite-himself Second Doctor and a new edition to the TARDIS crew - download and listen to what we think - but then email, twitter or send us an audio recording to let us know what YOU think!

In the first hour, the guys talk about Dan Gilbert's comments on Kyrie Irving being traded and Kyrie Irving not talking to anyone from the Cavs organization including Lebron. Later, they also talk about the Ravens' Josh Urschel abruptly retiring, Gerry Davis and Adrian Beltre's exchange last night, and team USA winning the Gold Cup.

Friends, it's Cyber-May! Or whatever. Anyway, it's our 50th episode, and for this one Erik and Kyle dive into talking about the Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis stories concerning those shiny shysters, the Cybermen. This time 'round, it's "The Moonbase" and "The Tomb of the Cybermen," because as the theme song to The Facts of Life told us, "you take the good, you take the bad..."

Last month we looked at the two stories that began the 1980s, and this month we're looking at the two stories that began Season 4...but that also means they're the two stories that saw the end of the First Doctor, "The Smugglers" by Brian Hayles and "The Tenth Planet" by Kit Pedler (and Gerry Davis). These two stories couldn't be more different from each other, and it definitely doesn't feel like the same Doctor. But we also get the Cybermen, who--spoilers--we'll see a whole lot more of in the coming months on this podcast.

Verás, tengo que confesarte una cosa... Un poco de fantasía para las tardes invernales. Espero que William Shakespeare me permita usar su obra para inspirarme en este relato :P Canciones en este audiorelato: "Dance of the sugarplum fairy", de Akashic Records y "Heavens gate", de Gerry Davis. (www.jamendo.com)

Daleks! Cybermen! And Class! Yes, We’ve got news of “The Power of the Daleks”, which will make it to Canadian cinemas later than everywhere else (as is right and proper, or at least expected), and our (spoiler time stamped) review of Class Episode 3, “Nightvisiting”! But the main event is a look at the legacy of Cybermen creators Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis with Blue Box Podcast host J.R. Southall in…the Miniscope! Links: – Class, Episode 3 “Nightvisiting” – Three Class novels have been released – Doctor Who Christmas Special Preview from BBC America – 50th anniversary of the first regeneration in Doctor Who – “The Power of the Daleks” DVD artwork & extras – “The Power of the Daleks” coming to Canadian cinemas on November 30 – “The Power of the Daleks” coming to Australian Cinemas on November 12 – Doctor Who Comics Humble Bundle from Titan Comics – Original Doctor Who Hardcover Books Being Reprinted – Jon Pertwee Gets A Blue Plaque Miniscope: – Kit Pedler – Gerry Davis Guest: – JR Southall from The Blue Box Podcast

Hello, one and all! Kyle and Erik are back to discuss more and more Doctor Who!! This month, we're doing some bits and bobs from the Patrick Troughton years, focusing on three stories by three different writers who only wrote one story for the show. First up is Elwyn Jones (with Gerry Davis) who wrote "The Highlanders," the story that introduced Jamie McCrimmond. Next is everybody's favorite oddity, "The Underwater Menace" written by Geoffrey Orme. And finally, "Fury from the Deep" which said goodbye to Victoria Waterfield, written by Victor Pemberton. Enjoy!

Christian Cawley and James McLean bring you a collection of #DoctorWho news and link-inspired chats in this week's podKast, which focuses on Christian's frustration with the number of in-jokes in Titan Comics' Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #2. Do in-jokes work for you? Do you find meta references a bit over the top these days? Click play to find out what Christian and James have to say on the matter, as well as their thoughts on John Barrowman's rumoured return, the Eighth Doctor's timeline, a rediscovered interview with Cyberman creators Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, and Christian's frustrations with Upstart Crow.

Steven Moffat is often praised for his ability to take perfectly normal everyday things and make them terrifying, but Doctor Who has a long history of such antics. Join Deb, Erika, Katrina, and Lynne as we chat about lots of mundane items we now give the side-eye, thanks to our beloved show. From angels to dolls to plastic policemen to telephones, the world is a scary place. Thanks Doctor Who! And in a strange bit of synchronicity, Deb tries to remember the title of a book she read as a youngster. After recording, she looked it up and discovered it was Mutant 59: The Plastic Eaters, by Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis--the creators of her beloved Cybermen! Last, but certainly not least, we do our first Verity! giveaway, courtesy of Paul Cornell! Leave us a comment [on our website] to enter to win a signed copy of The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who! (We'll contact you via the email address used to leave the comment, so make sure it's a legit addy.) ^E Also covered [links on our site]: Lynne is grateful for the amazing support from her Doctor Who fandom friends as she and Michael spent time in the hospital with Caitlin Kat fangirls over Doctor Who Classics, Volume 9 from IDW, a nifty DW comic about a library planet! Erika is finally moving to Canada, and on the way she and her mom (aka Fangirl Prime) will be listening to Doctor Who audios including The Daleks' Master Plan"! Deb is thrilled Paul McGann will be at Long Island Who!

P The Cybermen are a race of who are amongst the most persistent enemies of in the series, . Cybermen were originally a wholly species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet that began to implant more and more artificial parts into their bodies as a means of self-preservation. This led to the race becoming coldly logical and calculating, with emotions usually only shown when naked aggression was called for. They were created by Dr. (the unofficial scientific advisor to the programme) and in 1966, first appearing in the serial, , the last to feature as the . They have since been featured numerous times in their extreme attempts to survive through conquest. A version of the Cybermen appeared in the ' two-part story, "" and "". These Cybermen also appeared in the two-part 2006 season finale, "" and "". This then carried through to the spin-off in the episode "". They would later return to the revived series in the 2008 Christmas Special "", introducing two new variants of the race; the Cyber-Shades and the Cyber-King. Contents [] // [] Physical characteristics An original Cyberman from The Tenth Planet While the Doctor's other old enemies the were on the whole unchanged during the original series' twenty-six season run, the Cybermen were seen to change with almost every encounter. The Cybermen are , but have been augmented to the point where they have few remaining organic parts. In their first appearance in the series, the only portions of their bodies that still seemed human were their hands, but by their next appearance in (1967), their bodies were entirely covered up in their metallic suits, with their hands replaced by two finger claws, but changed back to regular five-fingered hands in (1968). As they are relatively few in number, the Cybermen tend towards covert activity, scheming from hiding and using human pawns or to act in their place until they need to appear. They also seek to increase their numbers by converting others into Cybermen (a process known as "cyber-conversion"). It is presumed (and often implied) that there are still organic components beneath their suits, meaning they are actually cyborgs, not robots: in The Tenth Planet, a Cyberman tells a group of humans that "our brains are just like yours", although by the time of , their brains seem to have been replaced with electronics. Also in this same story, two human slave-prisoners of the Cybermen on the planet Telos, named Bates and Stratton, reveal that their organic arms and legs have been removed by the Cybermen, and replaced by Cyber-substitutes. In (1982), the actors' chins were vaguely visible through a clear perspex area on the helmet to suggest some kind of organic matter. In (1967), veins and brains were visible through the domed head of the Cyberman Controller and similarly, in (1985) and "" (2006), the Cyber-Controller's brain is visible through the dome. The first is a Mondas Cyber Controller, while the second involves alternative Earth's John Lumic. However, in (1975), the Doctor says they are "total machine creatures". The audio play implies that the converted victim's face remains beneath the Cyberman faceplate, although the audio plays, like all non-televised spin-off media, are of uncertain with regards to the television series. The novel by states that some Cybermen experience rare flashes of emotional memory from the time before they were converted, which are then usually suppressed. The parallel Earth Cybermen in the 2006 series are usually constructed from human brains bonded to a Cyberman exoskeletal shell with an artificially grown nervous system threaded throughout ("The Age of Steel"), although direct grafting of cyber-components is another method of conversion (""). Although the Cybermen often claim that they have done away with human emotion, they have exhibited emotions ranging from anger to smug satisfaction in their confrontations with the Doctor (although this is only clearly present during their appearances in the 1980s). Some Cybermen in the early stories were even given individual names such as "Krang". Some parallel Earth Cybermen did retain some memories of their pre-conversion lives, although their emotional response varied. In "Cyberwoman", the partial conversion led to a degree of insanity in , which was retained even after she transferred her brain into a cyberman body. In "", Yvonne Hartman is able to retain at least some elements of her personality in order to prevent the advance of a group of other Cybermen, and is last seen weeping what appears to be either an oil-like substance or blood. In the same episode, the Cyber-Leader expresses clear frustration at the humans' refusing to surrender, although in a later scene he criticizes the Doctor for showing emotion. In "", the Doctor is able to defeat the Cybermen by shutting down their emotional inhibitors, enabling them to "see" what had become of them. Their realization of what they had become led them to either simply shut down out of sheer horror, or partially explode. Lastly, when the first Cyber Leader is killed, his head explodes with some white liquid leaking down his body; there are references in that episode to a patented Cybus Industries mixture of chemicals used to preserve the brain. The novel by suggests that some Cybermen imitate emotions to intimidate and unnerve their victims. The Big Finish Productions audio play (set on Mondas in the early days of cyber-conversion) suggests that the Cybermen deliberately remove their emotions as part of the conversion process to stifle the physical and emotional trauma of becoming a Cyberman. The conversion process in the parallel Earth is termed "upgrading". This motive behind the removal of emotions is made more explicit in "The Age of Steel" where it is done by means of an emotional inhibitor. In that episode, the deactivation of their emotional inhibitors drives the converted Cybermen insane when they realise what they have become, killing them. This motive may also be applicable to Mondas Cybermen, given their forcible conversion of other lifeforms to Cybermen to maintain their numbers, despite the fact the Mondasians appear to have originally willingly converted themselves as a survival mechanism.[] Cybermen have a number of weaknesses over the years. The most notable weakness is the element . Their aversion to gold was not mentioned until their attempt to destroy the planetoid Voga (the so-called "Planet of Gold") in (1975). Initially, it was explained that, due to its non-corrodible nature, gold essentially their . For example, the glittergun, a weapon used during the Cyber-Wars in the future, fired gold dust at its targets. However, in later serials, gold appeared to affect them rather like affects , with gold coins or gold-tipped fired at them having the same effect. The revived series' Cybermen have no such weakness, though the tie-in website for the episode makes mention of it. Cybermen are also rather efficiently killed when shot with their own guns. Other weaknesses from early stories include , based technology, and excessive levels of . In "The Age of Steel" an grenade is shown to disable a Cyberman and shut down its emotional inhibitor. Their armour is often depicted as flexible and resistant to bullets, but can be penetrated by gold arrows and projectiles made of gold. The Parallel Earth Cybermen are bullet-proof and are very resilient, but are not indestructible — they are vulnerable to heavy explosives, electromagnetic pulses and specialised weaponry, as well as weapons. [] Costume details The design of the Cybermen acted almost as a guide to prevailing at the time of transmission. Nearly all were silver in colour and included items and material such as cloth, rubber diving suits, , chest units, tubing, practice balls, ' gloves, and silver-painted boots. A BBC Cyberman costume from the black & white era of TV has recently been discovered. The 1980s design used converted flight suits painted silver. Unlike the Doctor's other foes, the Cybermen have changed substantially in appearance over the years, looking more and more modern, although retaining certain commonalities of design, the most iconic being the "handle bars" attached to Cybermen heads, that were supposed to aid with their hearing, their round eyeholes and their chest units. Completely black-coloured Cybermen were seen briefly in "". A Cyberman head from the 1975 serial Revenge of the Cybermen, seen here in a display case in "" (2005). Aside from these changes, variations in design between rank-and-file Cybermen and their leaders have been seen. In and (both 1968), the Cyber Director was depicted as an immobile mechanism. In The Tomb of the Cybermen and Attack of the Cybermen, the Cyber Controller was a larger Cyberman with a high domed head instead of the "handle bar" helmet design. In Revenge of the Cybermen, the Cyber Leader had a completely black helmet except for his face. From (1982) onwards he could be distinguished from his troops by the black handle bars on his helmet. The Cyber-Leader in "Army of Ghosts" also had black handles. Because the Doctor is a time traveller, he meets the Cybermen at various points in their history out of sequence from the order the serials were made. This can be confusing since Cybermen from serials set in "earlier" periods of history can sometimes look more sophisticated than those from "later" periods. suggests in his reference work About Time 5 that the anachronistically designed Cybermen of Earthshock and Silver Nemesis are time travellers, like those in Attack of the Cybermen. A Cyberman head was seen in the 2005 episode, "", kept in a display case. The text on the info card states that the head was found in a sewer, suggesting that the head was from . However, the enlarged Cyber-Handles suggest that the head is from . The info card states the head was found in 1975, the year in which was set and the year in which Revenge of the Cybermen was broadcast. The Cybermen returned in episodes 5 and 6 of the 2006 season of the new series, in a two-part story set on an alternate Earth. The new Cybermen were designed by production designer 's team and at Millennium FX. The new Cyberman design is physically imposing, being about 6 feet 7 inches (2.0 m) tall. The general design is made to resemble modern consumer electronics, such as the . To this extent, they are made from burnished steel instead of silver, feature the Cybus Corporation symbol on its chest, and have a general design. The other distinct Cyberman design is that of the Cyber-Controller, which had glowing eyes, a transparent forehead revealing the brain, and sockets on its chest-plate providing connectors to other systems. The episode "" features a partially cyber-converted woman who lacks the outer plating of a fully converted Cyberman. Her body is encased in metal structures but much of her flesh, including her face, is visible. She also has clearly visible metallic breasts, though it is not clear how much of her own flesh has been replaced and how much is merely covered. Another character speculates she could be 40-45% human, and 55-60% Cyberman. [] Voice Early Cybermen had an unsettling, sing-song voice, constructed by placing the inflections of words on the wrong syllables. In their first appearance, the effect of this was augmented by the special effect of having a Cyberman abruptly open his mouth wide and keep it open, without moving his tongue or lips, while the separately recorded voice would be playing, and then shut it quickly when the line was finished. Although the cloth-like masks of the first Cybermen were soon replaced by a full helmet, a similar physical effect involving the mouth "hatch" opening and then shutting when the line was finished was used until (1968). Later, the production team used from its by adding first a , then a , to modify speech to make it sound more alien and computer-like. In later stories of the original series and in the audio plays, two copies of the voice track were sampled and pitch-shifted downwards by differing amounts and layered to produce the effect, sometimes with the addition of a small amount of . From Revenge of the Cybermen to (1988) the actors provided the voices themselves, using microphones and transmitters in the chest units. The voices for the 2006 return of the Cybermen are similar to the buzzing electronic monotone voices of the Cybermen used in The Invasion. They were provided by (who performed the voices for the Cybermen in Big Finish audio stories as well as the in both the new series and the audio stories). As shown in the season 2 DVD special feature "Confidential Cut Downs," the timbre was created by processing Brigg's voice through a Moog ring modulator. Unusually, in "The Age of Steel", the Cyber-Controller (John Lumic, played by ) retains his voice after being upgraded, but it is still electronic. In "Doomsday", a Cyberman which contains the brain of director Yvonne Hartman retains a female-sounding though still electronic voice, as does the partially converted in "Cyberwoman" when her Cyberman personality is dominant. The reason for this is that their minds are taking control of the suit into which their brain has been placed, thus allowing the Cyber-suit's design to be exploited through sheer mental power. In an effect reminiscent of the earliest Cybermen's mouths snapping open while speaking, the new Cybermen have a blue light in their "mouths" which blinks in synchronisation with their speech. [] Cybermen variants Some Cybermen are given titles, being credited as "Cyber Leader" (or variants thereof), "Cyber Lieutenant", "Cyber Scout" or the "Cyber Controller". The Cyber Controller in particular has appeared in multiple forms, both humanoid and as an immobile computer, and has also been referred to as the "Cyber Planner" or "Cyber Director". The Controller seen (and destroyed) in various serials also may or may not be the same consciousness in different bodies; it appears to recognize and remember the Doctor from previous encounters. In Iceberg, the first Cyber Controller is created by implanting a Cyber Director into the skull of a recently converted Cyberman. The Cyber-Controller in "The Age of Steel" used the brain of , the creator of the Cybermen in that parallel reality. In "Doomsday", a Cyber-Leader appears, and when he is destroyed, mention is made of downloading his data files into another Cyberman unit, which is then upgraded to Cyber-Leader. The 2008 Christmas special, "", featured a new variant called a Cybershade., The Doctor theorises that it is a more primitive version of a Cyberman, using the brain of a cat or a dog. In the same story a "Cyber-King" appears; according to the Doctor, it is a "-class" ship resembling a Cyberman hundreds of feet tall, and contains a Cyber-factory in its chest. It is controlled from within its mouth. Its right arm can be converted into a cannon, and its left into a laser. [] Technology Cybermen technology is almost completely oriented towards weaponry, apart from their own bodies. When originally seen in The Tenth Planet they had large energy weapons that attached to their chests. In The Moonbase, the Cybermen had two types of weaponry: an electrical discharge from their hands, which stunned the target, and a type of gun. They also made use of a large laser cannon with which they attempted to attack the base itself. The hand discharge was also present in The Tomb of the Cybermen, which featured a smaller, hand-held cyber-weapon shaped like a that was described as an . In The Wheel in Space the Cybermen could use the discharge to also operate machinery, and had built into their chest units. They displayed the same units in The Invasion as well as carrying large rifles for medium distance combat. In Revenge of the Cybermen and Real Time their weapons were built into their helmets. Killing Ground indicates that this type of Cybermen also have more powerful hand weapons. Subsequent appearances have shown them armed almost exclusively with hand-held cyberguns. The Cybermen have access to known as cobalt bombs, which are also sometimes known as Cyber-bombs, which were banned by the galactic (Revenge of the Cybermen). A "Cyber-megatron bomb" was mentioned in The Invasion, supposedly powerful enough to destroy all life on Earth. In Earthshock, the Cybermen also used androids as part of their plans to invade Earth. The parallel Earth Cybermen their victims by touching them and at first carried no other weaponry. In "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday", the Cybermen are equipped with retractable energy weapons housed within their forearms (these were actually first shown in "", but only very briefly and were not used during that episode), but also use modified human weapons to battle the Daleks. The arm mounted guns prove effective against humans but are unable to penetrate Dalek shields. Two Cybermen sent to parley with Dalek Thay at the Battle of Canary Wharf shot the Dalek but were promptly exterminated. In the episode "" the partially converted used her electrical touch against the Torchwood team, as well as an energy beam fired from her arm which could only stun the part of the body at which it was aimed. [] Cybermats The Cybermen also use smaller, cybernetic creatures called "cybermats" as weapons of attack. In their first appearance in The Tomb of the Cybermen, they resembled oversized metallic and had segmented bodies with hair-like tactile sensor probes along the base of their heads, which were topped with crystalline eyes. The described them as a "form of metallic life," implying that they may be semi-organic like the Cybermen, and that they attacked by feeding off brain waves. The second model of cybermat seen in The Wheel in Space was used for sabotage, able to tune in on human brainwaves. They were carried to the "Wheel" in small but high-density sacs that sank through the hull of the space station, causing drops in air pressure. These cybermats had solid for eyes instead of crystals. The Second Doctor used an audio frequency to jam them, causing them to spin, crash and disintegrate. The third model, seen in Revenge of the Cybermen, was a much larger, snake-like cybermat that could be remotely controlled and could inject poison into its victims. It had no visible eyes or other features, and was as vulnerable to gold dust as the Cybermen were. In Spare Parts, "mats" are cybernetically augmented creatures, sometimes kept as pets. Cybermats of a different design are used for surveillance by Mondas' Central Committee. The creatures occasionally go wild, chewing on power sources, and must be rounded up by a "mat-catcher." In the novel by and , set in the 1940s, the Cybermen create cybermats by cyber-converting local animals like cats or birds, possibly because of lack of technological resources. In the audio adventure , a Cyberman reveals that the organs of children who are too small to be fully cyber-converted are used in the creation of cybermats. [] History [] Conceptual history The name "Cyberman" comes from , a term coined in 's book Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine (MIT Press, 1948). Wiener used the term in reference to the control of complex systems in the animal world and in mechanical networks, in particular self-regulating control systems. By 1960, doctors were performing research into surgically or mechanically augmenting humans or animals to operate machinery in space, leading to the coining of the term "cyborg", for "cybernetic organism". In the 1960s, "spare-part" surgery was starting out, with the first, gigantic heart-lung machines being developed. There were also serious suggestions of wiring the nerve endings of amputees directly into machines for quicker response. In 1963, Kit Pedler had a conversation with his wife (who was also a doctor) about what would happen if a person had so many prostheses that they could no longer distinguish themselves between man and machine. He got the opportunity to develop this idea when, in 1966, after an appearance on the BBC science programmes and , the BBC hired him to help on the Doctor Who serial . That eventually led to him writing, with Gerry Davis's help, The Tenth Planet for Doctor Who. Pedler, influenced by the logic-driven from the comic strip, originally envisaged the Cybermen as "space monks", but was persuaded by Davis to concentrate on his fears about the direction of spare-part surgery. The original Cybermen were imagined as human, but with plastic and metal prostheses. The Cybermen of The Tenth Planet still have human hands, and their facial structures are visible beneath the masks they wear. However, over time, they evolved into metallic, more robot-like designs. The Cybermen attracted controversy when parents complained after a scene in The Tomb of the Cybermen in which a dying Cyberman spurted white foam from its innards. Another incident was initiated by Pedler himself, who took a man in a Cyberman costume into a busy shopping area of . The reaction of the public was predictable, and the crowd almost blocked the street and the police were called in. Pedler said that he "wanted to know how people would react to something quite unusual," but also admitted that he "wanted to be a nuisance." Pedler wrote his last Cyberman story, The Invasion, in 1968, and left Doctor Who with Gerry Davis to develop the scientific thriller series . [] History within the show [] Origins Millennia ago, during prehistoric times, Mondas was knocked out of solar orbit and drifted into deep space. The Mondasians, already far in advance of Earth's technology and fearful for their race's survival, sent out spacecraft to colonise other worlds, including , where they pushed the native Cryons aside and used the planet to house vast tombs where they could take refuge in when necessary. On Mondas, the Mondasians were dying out, and therefore, in order to survive and continue the race, they replaced most of their bodies with Cybernetic parts. Having eventually removed all emotion from their brains, to maintain their sanity, the natives installed a drive propulsion system so they could pilot the planet itself through space. As the original race was limited in numbers and were continually being depleted, the Mondasians — now Cybermen — became a race of conquerors who reproduced by taking other organic beings and forcibly changing them into Cybermen. The origins of the Cybermen were further elaborated upon in Spare Parts. The move to "cybernise" Mondasians must have commenced on Mondas before they conquered Telos. Otherwise, there must have been some ongoing contact between Mondas and Telos after it was conquered, or the move to develop into Cybermen must have been paralleled after that point. [] The Earth invasions The Cybermen's first attempt at invading Earth, around 1970, was chronicled in The Invasion. A group of Cybermen from "Planet 14" had allied themselves with industrialist Tobias Vaughn, who installed mind control circuits in electrical appliances manufactured by his International Electromatics company, paving the way for a ground invasion. This was uncovered by the newly formed , led by , who repelled the invasion with the help of the , and . In The Tenth Planet, the and his companions and , met an advance force of Cybermen that landed near an space tracking station in the year 1986. This advance force was to prepare for the return of Mondas to the . As Mondas approached, it began to drain Earth's energy for the Cybermen's use, but in the process absorbed too much energy and disintegrated. The Cybermen on Earth also fell apart as their homeworld was destroyed. In 1988 a fleet of Cyber warships was assembled to convert Earth into a New Mondas. A scouting party was sent to Earth in search of the legendary Nemesis statue, a artifact of immense power, made of the "living metal" validium. Due to the machinations of the and his companion , however, the Nemesis destroyed the entire Cyber-fleet instead. (Silver Nemesis). In 2012, the inert head of a Cyberman was part of the Vault, a collection of alien artefacts belonging to American billionaire ("", 2005). According to its label, it was recovered from the sewers in 1975 and presumably came from the 1970 invasion attempt, although it is of a design only seen in Revenge of the Cybermen, which took place in the late 29th century (in a sense, the label is accurate, as Revenge was broadcast in 1975). By the mid-21st century, mankind had reached beyond its planet and set up in deep space. One of these, Space Station W3, known as "The Wheel," was the site of a takeover by Cybermen who wanted to use it as a staging point for yet another invasion of Earth. The , and prevented this in The Wheel in Space. The Cybermen returned in The Moonbase. By the year 2070, Earth's weather was being controlled by the Gravitron installation on the . The Cybermen planned to use the Gravitron to disrupt the planet's weather patterns and destroy all life on it, eliminating a threat to their survival. This attempt was also stopped by the Second Doctor, , , and the surviving crew of the moonbase. [] The Cyber-Wars Five centuries after the destruction of Mondas, the Cybermen had all but passed into legend when an archaeological expedition to the planet Telos uncovered their resting place in The Tomb of the Cybermen. However, those Cybermen were not dead but merely in hibernation, and were briefly revived before the Second Doctor returned them to their eternal sleep, with help from some of the archaeologists, Jamie and Victoria. This was short-lived, however. By the beginning of the 26th century, the Cybermen were back in force, and the galactic situation was grave enough that Earth hosted a conference in 2526 that would unite the forces of several planets in a war against the Cybermen. A force of Cybermen tried to disrupt this conference, first by trying to infiltrate Earth in a freighter and when that was discovered by the , to crash the freighter into Earth and cause an ecological disaster. Although the attempt failed, the freighter was catapulted back in time to become the (Earthshock). Unfortunately, the Doctor's Companion was trapped aboard the freighter, and died in the crash; leaving the , and to mourn him. The Cybermen faced complete defeat now that humanity was united against them in the Cyber-Wars. The glittergun had been developed as a weapon against them, with , the legendary "Planet of Gold", being a major supplier of gold dust ammunition. Meanwhile, the native Cryons on the planet Telos rose up and sabotaged the Cybermens' hibernation tombs. Using a captured time travel machine, a group of Cybermen travelled back to Earth in 1985 to try to prevent the destruction of Mondas, but were stopped by the and his companion (Attack of the Cybermen). The Cryons also finally succeeded in taking back Telos. The Cybermen did survive, but by the late 29th century they had been reduced to small remnant groups wandering throughout space. The , and encountered one such group during this time; and the Doctor very sarcastically pointed out their diminished state, noting that they had "no home planet, no influence, nothing!", and were "just a bunch of pathetic tin soldiers, skulking about the galaxy in an ancient spaceship." These Cybermen had discovered that Voga had drifted through space and wandered into the , being pulled into orbit around as a new moon. They planned to restore their race's power with a plan of revenge against Voga by destroying it with Cyber-bombs. They hoped that this would disrupt their enemies' supply of gold, but their plot was stopped by the Doctor. This was their last chronological appearance to date, with the Cybermen seemingly vanishing from history after this point (Revenge of the Cybermen). A Cyberman (of the type seen in The Invasion) also appeared in the exhibit in (1973). Three squads of Cybermen of the Earthshock variety, each led by a Cyber-Leader, appeared in (1983) in a slightly larger role. [] Parallel Earth and the Battle of Canary Wharf In the ""/"" two-part story, the , , and crash down into a parallel London in a parallel universe, where the Cybermen are being created on modern-day Earth. These alternate Cybermen were created as an "upgrade" to humanity and the ultimate move into cyberspace, allowing the brain to survive in an ageless steel body. These Cybermen also referred to themselves as "Human Point 2 (Human.2)" and "deleted" all those deemed incompatible with the upgrade. They could electrocute humans with a touch. These Cybermen were created by , a terminally ill and insane genius whose company, Cybus Industries, had advanced humanity considerably. To find a way to survive, he perfected a method to sustain the human brain indefinitely in a cradle of chemicals, bonding the synaptic impulses to a metal exoskeleton. The Cybermen "handle bars" were part of a high-tech communications device called an EarPod. Also created by Lumic, the EarPods were used extensively in the place of MP3 players and mobile phones, allowing information to be directly downloaded into people's heads. Lumic began to trick and abduct homeless people and convert them into Cybermen, and assassinated the President of Great Britain after the President rejected his plans. Using the EarPods, Lumic took mental control of London, marching thousands to be cyber-converted. He was betrayed by an old friend who damaged his wheelchair's life-support systems. He had told the Cybermen that he would upgrade 'only with my last breath' and since that moment was at hand he was involuntarily upgraded into the Cyber-Controller, a superior model of Cyberman. However, the Doctor and his companions, having accidentally landed on the parallel Earth, managed to foil his plans. They freed London from mental control and disabled the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors, causing them to go insane and in some cases explode. Lumic himself fell to his apparent death into the burning remains of his factory. A human resistance group, the Preachers, then set about to clean up the remainder of Lumic's factories around the world. These Cybermen reappeared in the 2006 season finale "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday". It is to be noted that these Cybermen also use energy weapons built into their right arms. However, in "The Age of Steel" after the conversion sequence, the newly created Cybermen can be seen to have the retractable weapons in place after exiting the conversion chambers. Having infiltrated that world's version of the and discovering a breach between universes caused by the passage of an interdimensional , the Cybermen used it to invade the Doctor's universe. However, the void ship's users, the , also revealed themselves, leading to all-out war across London with mankind caught in the crossfire. Eventually, the Doctor re-opened the breach, causing the Cybermen and Daleks (who had been saturated with background radiation from the ) to be sucked back into it. The breach then sealed itself, leaving the Cybermen and Daleks (except the , who used their emergency temporal shift function to escape) seemingly trapped in the Void forever. [] Torchwood Three Incident Lisa the "Cyberwoman" In "" it was revealed that at the height of the "" the Cybermen had begun to directly convert whole bodies using regular Earth technology, rather than transplant their brains into parallel earth Cyberman shells. One of their victims, a woman called , was only partially converted when the power was shut off and she was rescued by her boyfriend, . Jones took her to in along with a cyber-conversion unit which he made into a life support system for her under her directions. He tried to find a cure for her condition, calling on cybernetics expert Dr Tanizaki. Unfortunately Hallett's Cyberman personality asserted itself, leading to her killing Tanizaki and trying to take over Torchwood Three as a staging area for a new Cyberman army. She eventually transplanted her own brain into the body of a pizza delivery girl whom she let into the base, and was shot to death by the other members of the Torchwood team. [] The CyberKing A small handful of the Cybermen t