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Big Finish: Monthly Range #34
Doctor Who: Spare Parts
On a dark frozen planet where no planet should be, in a doomed city with a sky of stone, the last denizens of Earth's long-lost twin will pay any price to survive, even if the laser scalpels cost them their love and hate and humanity.
And in the mat-infested streets, round tea-time, the Doctor and Nyssa unearth a black market in second-hand body parts and run the gauntlet of augmented police and their augmented horses.
And just between the tramstop and the picturehouse, their worst suspicions are confirmed: the Cybermen have only just begun, and the Doctor will be, just as he always has been, their saviour...
Chronological Placement: This story takes place between the television adventures, Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity.
And in the mat-infested streets, round tea-time, the Doctor and Nyssa unearth a black market in second-hand body parts and run the gauntlet of augmented police and their augmented horses.
And just between the tramstop and the picturehouse, their worst suspicions are confirmed: the Cybermen have only just begun, and the Doctor will be, just as he always has been, their saviour...
Chronological Placement: This story takes place between the television adventures, Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity.
Audio CD
First published July 1, 2002
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About the author
Marc Platt
111 books48 followersMarc Platt is a British writer. He is most known for his work with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC. He wrote the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light based on two proposals, one of which later became the novel Lungbarrow. That novel was greatly anticipated by fans as it was the culmination of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", revealing details of the Doctor's background and family.
After the original series' cancellation Platt wrote the script for the audio Doctor Who drama Spare Parts. The script was the inspiration for the 2006 Doctor Who television story "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel", for which Platt received a screen credit and a fee.
He lives in London.
After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC. He wrote the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light based on two proposals, one of which later became the novel Lungbarrow. That novel was greatly anticipated by fans as it was the culmination of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", revealing details of the Doctor's background and family.
After the original series' cancellation Platt wrote the script for the audio Doctor Who drama Spare Parts. The script was the inspiration for the 2006 Doctor Who television story "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel", for which Platt received a screen credit and a fee.
He lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
August 19, 2015
As Big Finish celebrates its 200th main Doctor Who range release, I decided to take a look back on some of the old favorites and see if they still held up.
Intended as the Cybermen version of "Genesis of the Daleks," "Spare Parts" is one of the more revered stories from Big Finish. And yet as I listened, I couldn't recall when or if I'd heard this one before. I feel like I should have heard it when it first came out, but I couldn't recall many details beyond superficial ones.
Arriving on Mondas in the last days before the population became fully Cyber-ized, the fifth Doctor and Nyssa find themselves embroiled in the politics that helped created the earliest Cybermen. Listening to "Spare Parts," I couldn't help but feel that Marc Platt has crafted a superb prelude to "The Tenth Planet" and that I should dust off that DVD and visit the classic serial again.
What could have been a simple imitation of "Genesis of the Daleks" becomes something a bit deeper and different. There's no one unifying voice for the Cybermen as there was with the Daleks. Instead we see various members of the population and how they react to the developments taking place within their society and on their world. Platt allows us a bit of time to get invested and interested in these characters before he begins changing them into what will eventually become the Cybermen. (If you've seen the new series, there are certain sequences from the story that were used in the return of the Cybermen there, though I'd argue they are more effective here).
Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton are on the top of their game in this one. I'd argue that the story is a richer one for Nyssa than much of what we got in the classic series. But that's probably because the classic series was less character driven than the Big Finish stories or the new series are. Both actors rise to the occasion, though it's interesting to hear the Doctor shuffle to the sidelines for a bit of the story instead of the companion.
There are even some twists and turns along the way to really keep things interesting. I'll admit that Platt caught me by surprise with one of the cliffhangers and its implications. My reaction to the cliffhanger (which I went in unaware of it) leads me to believe I didn't listen to this one when it first came out because I can't see myself forgetting it.
The big question surrounding this one is -- can it really live up to the hype?
I'll go out and say yes, yes it can. There's a reason this one is so well regarded and it still shows through. Even with the new series delivering some stellar stories, this is one of the more engaging and memorable Doctor Who stories I've had the pleasure of experiencing.
The only negative is the realization of The Committee. The voice used sounds a bit too much like the Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica and that makes some of their long bits of dialogue difficult to listen to and concentrate on.
Intended as the Cybermen version of "Genesis of the Daleks," "Spare Parts" is one of the more revered stories from Big Finish. And yet as I listened, I couldn't recall when or if I'd heard this one before. I feel like I should have heard it when it first came out, but I couldn't recall many details beyond superficial ones.
Arriving on Mondas in the last days before the population became fully Cyber-ized, the fifth Doctor and Nyssa find themselves embroiled in the politics that helped created the earliest Cybermen. Listening to "Spare Parts," I couldn't help but feel that Marc Platt has crafted a superb prelude to "The Tenth Planet" and that I should dust off that DVD and visit the classic serial again.
What could have been a simple imitation of "Genesis of the Daleks" becomes something a bit deeper and different. There's no one unifying voice for the Cybermen as there was with the Daleks. Instead we see various members of the population and how they react to the developments taking place within their society and on their world. Platt allows us a bit of time to get invested and interested in these characters before he begins changing them into what will eventually become the Cybermen. (If you've seen the new series, there are certain sequences from the story that were used in the return of the Cybermen there, though I'd argue they are more effective here).
Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton are on the top of their game in this one. I'd argue that the story is a richer one for Nyssa than much of what we got in the classic series. But that's probably because the classic series was less character driven than the Big Finish stories or the new series are. Both actors rise to the occasion, though it's interesting to hear the Doctor shuffle to the sidelines for a bit of the story instead of the companion.
There are even some twists and turns along the way to really keep things interesting. I'll admit that Platt caught me by surprise with one of the cliffhangers and its implications. My reaction to the cliffhanger (which I went in unaware of it) leads me to believe I didn't listen to this one when it first came out because I can't see myself forgetting it.
The big question surrounding this one is -- can it really live up to the hype?
I'll go out and say yes, yes it can. There's a reason this one is so well regarded and it still shows through. Even with the new series delivering some stellar stories, this is one of the more engaging and memorable Doctor Who stories I've had the pleasure of experiencing.
The only negative is the realization of The Committee. The voice used sounds a bit too much like the Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica and that makes some of their long bits of dialogue difficult to listen to and concentrate on.
July 18, 2018
2.5 stars
Is this an overly harsh rating? Especially from a classic Who fan? Perhaps, but while I more or less enjoyed this audiobook (or really ‘radio play’) I wasn’t in any way blown away and found it to be quite average, even with the vocie talents of the original fifth Doctor himself Peter Davison and the origin story of one of my favourite Who villains: the Cybermen. I think that perhaps I am just not one of the people wired to fully appreciate the format of audio drama and that this is what primarily led to my somewhat ‘meh’ feelings. All in all it’s a pretty standard classic Who adventure: the Doctor and his companion Nyssa (also voiced by the original actress, Sarah Sutton) arrive at what appears to be Earth, though a very strange earth in which London appears to have become an underground city. We soon discover that this is actually the planet Mondas, lost twin planet of Earth, teetering on the edge of annihilation due to the proximity of the dangerous Cherrybowl Nebula and its deadly radiation.
The Mondasian's response to counteract this danger has been two-fold: the creation of a set of huge engines capable of moving the planet away from danger (yeah…classic Who, ok?) which necessitated the second item, namely the creation of a workforce able to withstand the harsh conditions of the surface world…those who would soon become the infamous Cybermen. We get a pretty good sense of the society of Mondas in this tale, and see how a penchant for body augmentation eventually led down a slippery slope where the line between improving humanity and replacing it has been completely blurred. I found it a little strange that this society, even if it is meant to be composed of what are in essence humans from our ‘sister world’, so closely mirrored the society of Great Britain down to details such as an excessive love of tea, but I guess it’s not surprising all things considered…it just might have been nice if they had tried to make this a little more akin to an alien civilization, especially since in this universe Mondas separated from our solar system long before Great Britain even existed as a concept, let alone a working nation. Still, the characters were well done and there was an affecting bit of pathos in the plight of Yvonne and her family as they stand between two extremes that could destroy their entire race: either the deadly radiation of the nebula will kill them, or their humanity will be subsumed by the ‘superior’ programming of the Cybermen. Also, the ‘Central Committee’ was a great idea that would have been deliciously horrific if portrayed on TV…I wish it was a concept that followed the Cybermen into their televised stories.
In a nutshell this was a good story with some great ideas that didn’t seem to get quite enough traction and I may try another of these Doctor Who stories produced by Big Finish Audio (there is literally a metric ton of them), but I don’t know if it will be anytime soon.
Is this an overly harsh rating? Especially from a classic Who fan? Perhaps, but while I more or less enjoyed this audiobook (or really ‘radio play’) I wasn’t in any way blown away and found it to be quite average, even with the vocie talents of the original fifth Doctor himself Peter Davison and the origin story of one of my favourite Who villains: the Cybermen. I think that perhaps I am just not one of the people wired to fully appreciate the format of audio drama and that this is what primarily led to my somewhat ‘meh’ feelings. All in all it’s a pretty standard classic Who adventure: the Doctor and his companion Nyssa (also voiced by the original actress, Sarah Sutton) arrive at what appears to be Earth, though a very strange earth in which London appears to have become an underground city. We soon discover that this is actually the planet Mondas, lost twin planet of Earth, teetering on the edge of annihilation due to the proximity of the dangerous Cherrybowl Nebula and its deadly radiation.
The Mondasian's response to counteract this danger has been two-fold: the creation of a set of huge engines capable of moving the planet away from danger (yeah…classic Who, ok?) which necessitated the second item, namely the creation of a workforce able to withstand the harsh conditions of the surface world…those who would soon become the infamous Cybermen. We get a pretty good sense of the society of Mondas in this tale, and see how a penchant for body augmentation eventually led down a slippery slope where the line between improving humanity and replacing it has been completely blurred. I found it a little strange that this society, even if it is meant to be composed of what are in essence humans from our ‘sister world’, so closely mirrored the society of Great Britain down to details such as an excessive love of tea, but I guess it’s not surprising all things considered…it just might have been nice if they had tried to make this a little more akin to an alien civilization, especially since in this universe Mondas separated from our solar system long before Great Britain even existed as a concept, let alone a working nation. Still, the characters were well done and there was an affecting bit of pathos in the plight of Yvonne and her family as they stand between two extremes that could destroy their entire race: either the deadly radiation of the nebula will kill them, or their humanity will be subsumed by the ‘superior’ programming of the Cybermen. Also, the ‘Central Committee’ was a great idea that would have been deliciously horrific if portrayed on TV…I wish it was a concept that followed the Cybermen into their televised stories.
In a nutshell this was a good story with some great ideas that didn’t seem to get quite enough traction and I may try another of these Doctor Who stories produced by Big Finish Audio (there is literally a metric ton of them), but I don’t know if it will be anytime soon.
February 21, 2023
"Be proud whist you still have the capacity."
Probably my favourite Cybermen story that I have listen to so far. The Doctor and Nyssa arrive on Mondas just when the first cyber conversation was beginning. You feel the sense of doom throughout as there is nothing the Doctor can do to prevent this and all Nyssa wants to do is help these people.
"We will survive."- ordinary people just trying to survive and save their race.
Probably my favourite Cybermen story that I have listen to so far. The Doctor and Nyssa arrive on Mondas just when the first cyber conversation was beginning. You feel the sense of doom throughout as there is nothing the Doctor can do to prevent this and all Nyssa wants to do is help these people.
"We will survive."- ordinary people just trying to survive and save their race.
October 11, 2023
Spare parts is the 34th release in the Big Finish Dr Who main range.
In some ways similar to Genesis of the Daleks, Spare Parts toys with the idea that if you were able to rid the world of evil before it actually became evil would you.
The story of Spare Parts starts when five and Nyssa land in what Five believes is London. However, in true Who fashion, things have gone decidedly wrong and they are way off course, ending up on the earth's twin planet Mondays during its last days.
When Nyssa wants to go investigate, Five tries his hardest to put her off. However, Nyssa's curiosity wins out and the Doctor agrees to a quick half hour with the premise that Nyssa doesn't get involved, which you know is going to go wrong.
Whilst walking, Nyssa comes across a distressed Yvonne, whose father (played by the wonderful Paul Copley) is trapped beneath a fallen wooden strut.
Nyssa attempts to get him out, but soon realises there's no pulse, but soonrelaises her mistake when he jumps up, relatively fit as a fiddle with minor injuries. Yvonne and her Dad invite her back to their house due to it not being safe after dark as there is a curfew and they can be arrested by the local police for even the slightest incursion.
Upon getting there they are greeted by a woman known as the Sistermam who is looking out for new recruits to the city's workforce. Realising that Nyssa is a stranger to Monday's, the Sistermam reports her to the local law enforcement agency, which turns out to be The Cyberrmen.
Set just before the destruction of Mondas, this is just before the mechanisation of the population to becoming Cybermen.
Spare Parts is the definitive origin of the Cybermen and has had a long lasting influence on current Who, particularly Capaldi's run as it influenced several episodes in twelve's incarnation. Described by Russell T Davis as 'some of the finest drama in any medium', Marc Platt"s story had an influence on the two parter Rise of the Cybermen/ The Age of Steel and was credited in the episodes
However, the influences go further than that and it's obvious that there were elements of Spare Parts that influenced other stories in the first season of Capaldi's run. There are some similarity in the episode Death in Heaven in which the Cybermen use the graveyards of earth to swell their ranks, and there are similar elements here as the Cybermen dog up graves to use bones as an organic element.
At time the story is chilling and just a little disturbing , particularly as we discover that the population are only surviving due to the fact that they use artificial transplantation of organs or the recycled body parts of others.
The cast are fantastic in this one and it is utterly gripping, despite it being a bit bleak at times. Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton give fantastic performances and are supported by a strong supporting cast.
The Cybermen themselves are similar to the earlier incarnations of the Cybermen, particularly when they were introduced on The Tenth Planet with their cloth faces and weirdly lilting voices.
At times some of the electronic voices are pretty indistinguishable and can make understanding a little difficult, but this is one of the best Dr Who stories ever.
I really enjoyed this relisten and urge any Dr Who fan to give this one a listen.
In some ways similar to Genesis of the Daleks, Spare Parts toys with the idea that if you were able to rid the world of evil before it actually became evil would you.
The story of Spare Parts starts when five and Nyssa land in what Five believes is London. However, in true Who fashion, things have gone decidedly wrong and they are way off course, ending up on the earth's twin planet Mondays during its last days.
When Nyssa wants to go investigate, Five tries his hardest to put her off. However, Nyssa's curiosity wins out and the Doctor agrees to a quick half hour with the premise that Nyssa doesn't get involved, which you know is going to go wrong.
Whilst walking, Nyssa comes across a distressed Yvonne, whose father (played by the wonderful Paul Copley) is trapped beneath a fallen wooden strut.
Nyssa attempts to get him out, but soon realises there's no pulse, but soonrelaises her mistake when he jumps up, relatively fit as a fiddle with minor injuries. Yvonne and her Dad invite her back to their house due to it not being safe after dark as there is a curfew and they can be arrested by the local police for even the slightest incursion.
Upon getting there they are greeted by a woman known as the Sistermam who is looking out for new recruits to the city's workforce. Realising that Nyssa is a stranger to Monday's, the Sistermam reports her to the local law enforcement agency, which turns out to be The Cyberrmen.
Set just before the destruction of Mondas, this is just before the mechanisation of the population to becoming Cybermen.
Spare Parts is the definitive origin of the Cybermen and has had a long lasting influence on current Who, particularly Capaldi's run as it influenced several episodes in twelve's incarnation. Described by Russell T Davis as 'some of the finest drama in any medium', Marc Platt"s story had an influence on the two parter Rise of the Cybermen/ The Age of Steel and was credited in the episodes
However, the influences go further than that and it's obvious that there were elements of Spare Parts that influenced other stories in the first season of Capaldi's run. There are some similarity in the episode Death in Heaven in which the Cybermen use the graveyards of earth to swell their ranks, and there are similar elements here as the Cybermen dog up graves to use bones as an organic element.
At time the story is chilling and just a little disturbing , particularly as we discover that the population are only surviving due to the fact that they use artificial transplantation of organs or the recycled body parts of others.
The cast are fantastic in this one and it is utterly gripping, despite it being a bit bleak at times. Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton give fantastic performances and are supported by a strong supporting cast.
The Cybermen themselves are similar to the earlier incarnations of the Cybermen, particularly when they were introduced on The Tenth Planet with their cloth faces and weirdly lilting voices.
At times some of the electronic voices are pretty indistinguishable and can make understanding a little difficult, but this is one of the best Dr Who stories ever.
I really enjoyed this relisten and urge any Dr Who fan to give this one a listen.
Read
April 8, 2009Perhaps my favourite of the fifty or so Big Finish stories I have listened to so far. The title of course comes from this chilling exchange from Episode Two of The Tenth Planet (1966), between the newly introduced Cybermen and one of the scientists in the base they have just invaded, in literally the first scene in Doctor Who in which the Cybermen speak. The scene is set on Mondas, with the dying population, willingly or not, handing over their destinies to the process of becoming Cybermen, under the control of the sinister Committee. Lots of fantastic performances and atmospheric scene-setting, with Sally Knyvette (Jenna in Blake's 7) particularly memorable as a despairing doctor. One of the other characters is called Yvonne Hartley, presumably reflected in Yvonne Hartman of Torchwood in Army of Ghosts and Doomsday. (The writer of Spare Parts, Marc Platt, got a credit for inspiring The Age of Steel and Rise of the Cybermen, though the stories end up in rather different places.) This is a terribly sad and bleak story, but I have to say that if I was trying to convert someone to the Big Finish series this is where I would start.
May 30, 2018
Ascoltare Spare Parts dopo aver visto World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls, doppio finale della decima stagione del NuWho, rende ancor più vivida l'esperienza.
La nascita dei Cybermen su Mondas, un pianeta morente che vaga senza meta (per il momento) ai margini dell'universo, viene ripresa quasi specularmente da Moffat nei due episodi ambientati sulla nave mondasiana bloccata sull'orizzonte degli eventi di un buco nero e le ambientazioni create per la serie tv si fondono alla perfezione con la sceneggiatura scritta da Marc Platt per la Big Finish.
Come ripetuto più volte dal Dottore, situazioni simili portano a soluzioni simili... che siamo sulla Terra parallela del decimo Dottore, su una nave generazionale con il dodicesimo o su Mondas stesso con il quinto Dottore.
La storia è perfetta nella sua semplicità e si fonde alla perfezione con tutto quello che è stato già visto nella serie classica (The tenth planet con il primo Dottore, The Moonbase con il secondo e Earthshock con il quinto).
Briggs perfetto come sempre, in grado di donare personalità a personaggi monocorde come Cybermen e Dalek.
La nascita dei Cybermen su Mondas, un pianeta morente che vaga senza meta (per il momento) ai margini dell'universo, viene ripresa quasi specularmente da Moffat nei due episodi ambientati sulla nave mondasiana bloccata sull'orizzonte degli eventi di un buco nero e le ambientazioni create per la serie tv si fondono alla perfezione con la sceneggiatura scritta da Marc Platt per la Big Finish.
Come ripetuto più volte dal Dottore, situazioni simili portano a soluzioni simili... che siamo sulla Terra parallela del decimo Dottore, su una nave generazionale con il dodicesimo o su Mondas stesso con il quinto Dottore.
La storia è perfetta nella sua semplicità e si fonde alla perfezione con tutto quello che è stato già visto nella serie classica (The tenth planet con il primo Dottore, The Moonbase con il secondo e Earthshock con il quinto).
Briggs perfetto come sempre, in grado di donare personalità a personaggi monocorde come Cybermen e Dalek.
February 12, 2023
Fantastic! This was a well acted, tragic masterpiece of an origin story that fans of old Doctor Who and new Who fans alike will love to listen to. It begins when The 5th Doctor and his companion from the destroyed planet of Traken find themselves on the forgotten tenth planet of our solar system, Mondas. A cold and dying planet knocked further and further away from our sun by mysterious cosmic event that destroyed and/or deorbited their moon. Soon the Doctor and his companion find themselves facing the destruction of the original mondasian's and the beginning of the terrifying Cyberman empire and the classic time travelers moral dilemma of whether one has the right to change fixed points in history. This is a great introduction to the now canon Doctor Who Big Finish audios due to it's very emotionally charged plot and fantastic understanding of what made (and still makes) the Cybermen terrifying.
February 9, 2024
I loved this and although I was almost disappointed by the ending, it was saved in the final moments. If you know me well, you know that although I love to learn it, I'm not the best at lore... and so I was taken completely by surprise that we were being treated to a Cybermen origin story right here in the Big Finish audiodramas! I honestly had thought it must have been done by now in the episodes - Whovians know we've certainly seen the origin of the origin of the origin of the Daleks enough times over already.
Probably the only real gripe I had was Nyssa bringing up Adric in such a way as to make Five feel guilty about not saving him, it wasn't the first time and it probably won't be the last but it always grinds my gears a little.
Anyway, I thought it was a great tale and if you do have a listen, don't let the ending get you too down - hang in there until the theme music plays to end the episode!
Probably the only real gripe I had was Nyssa bringing up Adric in such a way as to make Five feel guilty about not saving him, it wasn't the first time and it probably won't be the last but it always grinds my gears a little.
Anyway, I thought it was a great tale and if you do have a listen, don't let the ending get you too down - hang in there until the theme music plays to end the episode!
December 2, 2024
Of all the Big Finish, Doctor Who audios I’ve listened to, this one was beyond excellent to perfect. This hands down has become my favourite Cybermen story. The story takes place during the holidays which one assumes is Christmas on the planet Mondas which is near identical to Earth. If I went on any further I would run into spoiler territory about this Cybermen origin story. The only thing I will say is that this audio is highly recommended by me!
August 8, 2020
Some solid world building here and visual descriptions. This 'key lore' tale is told with bombasticism and nuance. I'd heard immensely positive reviews from a half dozen friends in the know, but felt a little underwhelmed by much of it. Still it's not bad good.
September 4, 2019
I now see why this is considered one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, but it is also SOOOOOO DEPRESSING
July 20, 2023
Thrilling origin story of an iconic Doctor Who monster. The human element of a father encountering his Cyber-converted daughter is a heartbreaking highlight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2022
To start with a very pleasant listen but has it goes on the cyber voice and near the end it gets quite sad. Don't go in thinking it will a fun ride. This is Mondas and no one is truely happy. I do hope the show revisits Mondas sometime again with the new large budget.
November 6, 2024
A really fun audio fifth doctor adventure that I listened to on audible. Probably the best I’ve come across so far. Really well done.
May 20, 2015
Doctor Who's finest moment since, well, since this author's previous (televised) story "Ghost Light", in 1996. Almost too good to be true, it's a piece of stark, terrifying, drama that wins over non-fans and, for fans, oh what a feast! For 4 episodes the listener gets to feel what it was like for one of the Doctor's greatest foes to actually be innovative and scary again. It's a slight of hand that I haven't seen any other genre fiction author EVER pull off.
Unnerving, moving, relentless, this is what Doctor Who in the modern era could've been, but isn't.
And speaking of could've been, we get an (aural) glimpse of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, bringing the magic in a way, even in his own era, he was rarely allowed.
While Big Finish's audio dramas are wildly uneven, there are definitely gems... This is a jewel.
Unnerving, moving, relentless, this is what Doctor Who in the modern era could've been, but isn't.
And speaking of could've been, we get an (aural) glimpse of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, bringing the magic in a way, even in his own era, he was rarely allowed.
While Big Finish's audio dramas are wildly uneven, there are definitely gems... This is a jewel.
June 25, 2017
This was brilliant. I've been listening to quite a few audios lately and was worried that I was just getting over saturated with Doctor Who or something as I wasn't that thrilled by them. But this one I totally loved. Peter Davison is not my favourite Doctor but he was Very good in this. Nyssa was lovely and clever and all the great things that Nyssa should be!
The story was just very creepy. They arrived on Mondas when the first cybermen conversions were happening. It was done really well and brought home the humanity of the cybermen and their delimmas and how they changed into inhuman monsters so very well. Nick Briggs did a wonderful job bringing about the early cybermen voices to make it seem extra creepy.
Definitely one I'd highly recommend!
The story was just very creepy. They arrived on Mondas when the first cybermen conversions were happening. It was done really well and brought home the humanity of the cybermen and their delimmas and how they changed into inhuman monsters so very well. Nick Briggs did a wonderful job bringing about the early cybermen voices to make it seem extra creepy.
Definitely one I'd highly recommend!
February 3, 2014
An excellent twist on the origins of the Cybermen,very dark and depressing but compelling too. Massive irony as the people of Mondas find a better template for the emerging Cyber-race. We get to see some of the people who became the first wave of Cyberman and this is incredibly poignant. Good characterisation too as Nyssa airs her bottled-up feelings about the death of Adric. The Doc gets mighty shouty, but sadly his decision to try and subvert the course of history this time around doesn't take, and that's one reason I generally dislike the appearance of the classic Who villains in this range - there is only so much that can really be done with them without running afoul of mainline continuity.
February 24, 2019
Easily both the best story about the Cybermen I'm aware of - with very little coming close, and the best Big Finish story I've heard so far. They really sell the existential horror of being a Cyberman.
This also serves as a retroactively excellent companion (heh) to the recent series 10 finale, and of course the Tenth Planet and Genesis of the Daleks.
This also serves as a retroactively excellent companion (heh) to the recent series 10 finale, and of course the Tenth Planet and Genesis of the Daleks.
May 29, 2011
My favorite of the Fifth Doctor audio plays so far. Great performances by all the actors, especially Davison. It gives a chilling story of how the Cybermen came to be that ended up being encorportated into the new Doctor Who series.
February 4, 2020
The following review was originally published in the online newspaper The Orkney News in 2019. Link here. https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/06/29...
Doctor Who: Spare Parts by Marc Platt – Released by Big Finish Productions
I shall continue the Big Finish theme from my last article and discuss one of their releases which is considered by most Doctor Who fans to be one of their undisputed masterpieces. Spare Parts is one of these audio releases I have wanted to review since I started this column. In Doctor Who be it of the TV variety or audio every Doctor has their fan favourite stories. John Pertwee’s Third Doctor has The Daemons and Inferno, Tom Baker’s Fourth has The Brain Of Morbius or City of Death as examples. But perhaps the most famous Doctor Who story of all time – It was at one time voted the most popular story of all time by the official Doctor Who Magazine – is 1974’s Genesis Of The Daleks.
Genesis is an interesting beast. In it The Doctor attempts to prevent the creation of The Daleks and you get a good view of the society in which they were born. Spare Parts does something similar for a human antagonist... almost.
The story in simple terms is as follows: The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa as voiced by Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton find themselves on a frozen planet in a ruined city with a sky made of stone. Curfew is enforced by a police force that’s almost human but not quite and their partially mechanical steeds. The people of Mondas are slowly dying. The only hope is conversion. Giving away what humanity they have left. Can The Doctor and Nyssa save the Mondasians from their monstrous future as the Cyber Race?
This story is dark and gripping. You find yourself chilled to the bone as you hear the justifications. The project that begins with so much hope and promise stripping everything away from the everyday people. The very sight of the wide open sky driving them mad. And just what happens to the Hartley family twisting the knife in all the harder.
The performances are all perfect for the parts. The Doctor’s slowly creeping dread as it slowly dawns just where they are. His desperation to do SOMETHING to help them no matter how little it may be, Nyssa’s desire to prevent the creation of the silver giants while Doctorman Allen – portrayed by Sally Knyvette – slowly drinks herself into a stupor, watching her dream to save the people be corrupted by the Committee and Frank Hartley – played courtesy of a Jim Hartley – watches his sister get the call up papers for the surface missions, not knowing what that will mean. My favourite portrayal however is Paul Copley is Mr Hartley. His performance in one of the more... gut wrenching...scenes was genuinely heartbreaking on first listen. The entire cast clearly throws themselves into it and the slow inevitable decline is utterly gripping.
The Cybermen voices from Nicholas Briggs match that disturbing inhuman sing-song quality of the original Cyber voices from The Tenth Planet – reviewed by Sgathaich – making it all the easier to imagine these as precursors to the Cybermen seen there. To this day I think I personally find these the creepiest of all the Cybermen voices. One criticism I will make however is that the heavy distortion or computerisation in the effects of the voices used for The Committee can make it hard to figure out exactly what is being said at points. Especially on those occurrences where multiple elements within the Committee speak at once.
Spare Parts truly earns its moniker as a ‘Genesis Of The Cybermen’. Even those individuals who discount the audio medium for Doctor Who often make an exception for Spare Parts and a few other stories. Marc Platt knew exactly what he wanted to do here and it shows. He knows how to play your emotions like a violin and his pedigree with both Big Finish and TV Doctor Who (He wrote the famously...difficult...Ghost Light) shows that he knows how to make you either think or feel. As dark and grim as Spare Parts gets it is also truly beautiful at points. It is also somewhat famous as being one of at least two Big Finish stories to act as the inspiration for an episode of televised Doctor Who. When the Cybermen first returned in 2006, Marc Platt received a special thanks credit in their initial two parter. The actual storyline was very different but their attitudes to cyber conversion and just WHAT that means and does to the person inside are very similar.
In conclusion I couldn���t recommend Spare Parts higher than I do. In my opinion it is the audio equivalent of pure gold. It might be too dark for some and I understand that. But at only £2.99 in download form from the Big Finish website it is worth a try. There is a trailer on the Big Finish website alongside several previous releases as mentioned in my previous article and I truly hope some of my readers will listen.
I was going to end my Big Finish discussion there with an interesting duology of releases but I have decided to continue the theme and turn it into a trilogy. As for what the final part will be? That’s a surprise!
Sayonara!
Nephrite
Doctor Who: Spare Parts by Marc Platt – Released by Big Finish Productions
I shall continue the Big Finish theme from my last article and discuss one of their releases which is considered by most Doctor Who fans to be one of their undisputed masterpieces. Spare Parts is one of these audio releases I have wanted to review since I started this column. In Doctor Who be it of the TV variety or audio every Doctor has their fan favourite stories. John Pertwee’s Third Doctor has The Daemons and Inferno, Tom Baker’s Fourth has The Brain Of Morbius or City of Death as examples. But perhaps the most famous Doctor Who story of all time – It was at one time voted the most popular story of all time by the official Doctor Who Magazine – is 1974’s Genesis Of The Daleks.
Genesis is an interesting beast. In it The Doctor attempts to prevent the creation of The Daleks and you get a good view of the society in which they were born. Spare Parts does something similar for a human antagonist... almost.
The story in simple terms is as follows: The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa as voiced by Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton find themselves on a frozen planet in a ruined city with a sky made of stone. Curfew is enforced by a police force that’s almost human but not quite and their partially mechanical steeds. The people of Mondas are slowly dying. The only hope is conversion. Giving away what humanity they have left. Can The Doctor and Nyssa save the Mondasians from their monstrous future as the Cyber Race?
This story is dark and gripping. You find yourself chilled to the bone as you hear the justifications. The project that begins with so much hope and promise stripping everything away from the everyday people. The very sight of the wide open sky driving them mad. And just what happens to the Hartley family twisting the knife in all the harder.
The performances are all perfect for the parts. The Doctor’s slowly creeping dread as it slowly dawns just where they are. His desperation to do SOMETHING to help them no matter how little it may be, Nyssa’s desire to prevent the creation of the silver giants while Doctorman Allen – portrayed by Sally Knyvette – slowly drinks herself into a stupor, watching her dream to save the people be corrupted by the Committee and Frank Hartley – played courtesy of a Jim Hartley – watches his sister get the call up papers for the surface missions, not knowing what that will mean. My favourite portrayal however is Paul Copley is Mr Hartley. His performance in one of the more... gut wrenching...scenes was genuinely heartbreaking on first listen. The entire cast clearly throws themselves into it and the slow inevitable decline is utterly gripping.
The Cybermen voices from Nicholas Briggs match that disturbing inhuman sing-song quality of the original Cyber voices from The Tenth Planet – reviewed by Sgathaich – making it all the easier to imagine these as precursors to the Cybermen seen there. To this day I think I personally find these the creepiest of all the Cybermen voices. One criticism I will make however is that the heavy distortion or computerisation in the effects of the voices used for The Committee can make it hard to figure out exactly what is being said at points. Especially on those occurrences where multiple elements within the Committee speak at once.
Spare Parts truly earns its moniker as a ‘Genesis Of The Cybermen’. Even those individuals who discount the audio medium for Doctor Who often make an exception for Spare Parts and a few other stories. Marc Platt knew exactly what he wanted to do here and it shows. He knows how to play your emotions like a violin and his pedigree with both Big Finish and TV Doctor Who (He wrote the famously...difficult...Ghost Light) shows that he knows how to make you either think or feel. As dark and grim as Spare Parts gets it is also truly beautiful at points. It is also somewhat famous as being one of at least two Big Finish stories to act as the inspiration for an episode of televised Doctor Who. When the Cybermen first returned in 2006, Marc Platt received a special thanks credit in their initial two parter. The actual storyline was very different but their attitudes to cyber conversion and just WHAT that means and does to the person inside are very similar.
In conclusion I couldn���t recommend Spare Parts higher than I do. In my opinion it is the audio equivalent of pure gold. It might be too dark for some and I understand that. But at only £2.99 in download form from the Big Finish website it is worth a try. There is a trailer on the Big Finish website alongside several previous releases as mentioned in my previous article and I truly hope some of my readers will listen.
I was going to end my Big Finish discussion there with an interesting duology of releases but I have decided to continue the theme and turn it into a trilogy. As for what the final part will be? That’s a surprise!
Sayonara!
Nephrite
September 11, 2020
THE CAWPINE OF 'DOCTOR WHO: SPARE PARTS'
With likeable and realistic characters, with the Mondasian inhabitants on the forefront, Spare Parts successfully blends strong character drama with a fascinating science fiction adventure. The actors put in great performances, the Doctor is wonderfully gloomy and Nyssa is sadly underused. The very humane Cybermen are the most creepy part of the entire story. Their sing-song voices, as heard in their first appearance in The Tenth Planet, are spot-on and just as horrifying as before.
Spare Parts forms an ominous and tragic atmosphere from the onset, slowly revealing more and more of the story that will eventually end up being the origin story of the Mondasian Cybermen. It's horrifying to hear about the experiments made on the humans on the planet; it's terrifying to hear how Cybermen are created and how they suffer under all those metal parts. How the necessity of survival drives the surviving humans on Mondas on the brink of disaster, and finally tipping over.
There are some truly harrowing and heartbreaking scenes in the final two parts, so emotional and horrifying that you will never forget them.
Marc Platt nails the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa and their distinct personalities dealing with the Cybermen post-Adric. He also nails the inherently creepy original Cybermen and writes deeply humane characters that the listener cares for. The tense and dark atmosphere translates incredibly well through Platt's dialogue, and the best parts are those that force the characters to express their emotions.
The plot is fairly simple, yet effectively deep and tragic. The script doesn't attempt to hide the fact that we are following the origins of the Cybermen but truly builds up to that pivotal, harrowing moment. There is a logical reason as to why the Cybermen are created and the story expertly ties into their later (and earlier) appearance in the 1966 TV classic The Tenth Planet. It's also refreshing to hear a story, which forces the Doctor to help despite knowing that there is nothing he can do. It's like an audio version of The Fires of Pompeii.
Origin stories for popular villains are always intriguing, and Spare Parts marks no exception. It's the crumbling world of Mondas and the events leading to the rise of the Cybermen that keep this story immensely engaging and deeply emotional. And the listener will be engulfed by the harrowing story, despite knowing how it all will end.
At the time of release, Spare Parts was immensely original, thanks to the way it handles the Cybermen and gives them a human edge that is usually forgotten in their other appearances. We have received several alternate origins stories since, but nothing hits quite as hard as this one (including the 2006 two-parter, which was inspired by this adventure).
People repeatedly highlight Spare Parts as one of the most emotional and hard-hitting Big Finish Doctor Who releases, and I can understand why. It's dark, it's tragic and it's scary. It gives the Cybermen a backstory which, to date, is the best one they've been given.
CAWPINE RATING: 9.79 / 10 = 5 stars
With likeable and realistic characters, with the Mondasian inhabitants on the forefront, Spare Parts successfully blends strong character drama with a fascinating science fiction adventure. The actors put in great performances, the Doctor is wonderfully gloomy and Nyssa is sadly underused. The very humane Cybermen are the most creepy part of the entire story. Their sing-song voices, as heard in their first appearance in The Tenth Planet, are spot-on and just as horrifying as before.
Spare Parts forms an ominous and tragic atmosphere from the onset, slowly revealing more and more of the story that will eventually end up being the origin story of the Mondasian Cybermen. It's horrifying to hear about the experiments made on the humans on the planet; it's terrifying to hear how Cybermen are created and how they suffer under all those metal parts. How the necessity of survival drives the surviving humans on Mondas on the brink of disaster, and finally tipping over.
There are some truly harrowing and heartbreaking scenes in the final two parts, so emotional and horrifying that you will never forget them.
Marc Platt nails the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa and their distinct personalities dealing with the Cybermen post-Adric. He also nails the inherently creepy original Cybermen and writes deeply humane characters that the listener cares for. The tense and dark atmosphere translates incredibly well through Platt's dialogue, and the best parts are those that force the characters to express their emotions.
The plot is fairly simple, yet effectively deep and tragic. The script doesn't attempt to hide the fact that we are following the origins of the Cybermen but truly builds up to that pivotal, harrowing moment. There is a logical reason as to why the Cybermen are created and the story expertly ties into their later (and earlier) appearance in the 1966 TV classic The Tenth Planet. It's also refreshing to hear a story, which forces the Doctor to help despite knowing that there is nothing he can do. It's like an audio version of The Fires of Pompeii.
Origin stories for popular villains are always intriguing, and Spare Parts marks no exception. It's the crumbling world of Mondas and the events leading to the rise of the Cybermen that keep this story immensely engaging and deeply emotional. And the listener will be engulfed by the harrowing story, despite knowing how it all will end.
At the time of release, Spare Parts was immensely original, thanks to the way it handles the Cybermen and gives them a human edge that is usually forgotten in their other appearances. We have received several alternate origins stories since, but nothing hits quite as hard as this one (including the 2006 two-parter, which was inspired by this adventure).
People repeatedly highlight Spare Parts as one of the most emotional and hard-hitting Big Finish Doctor Who releases, and I can understand why. It's dark, it's tragic and it's scary. It gives the Cybermen a backstory which, to date, is the best one they've been given.
CAWPINE RATING: 9.79 / 10 = 5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2021
あらすじ
Part1
地球のつもりでターディスの外に出たドクターとニッサだったが、夜空の星から地球とは違う星と気がつくニッサ。しかし、ドクターはここは地球で1950年代のクリスマスシーズンのロンドンと言い張り、ここには来るべきではなかったと落ち着かない。
2人別々に散策そて30分後にターディスで会おうとドクター。見て回るのはいいがくれぐれも誰かと話したり何かに巻き込まれないようニッサに言い含め、行ってしまう。
困惑したまま散策を続けるニッサ。途中、父親が材木の下敷きになり助けを求める少女イボンヌと出会う。力を合わせてイボンヌの父親ダッド・ハートレイを救出。お礼がしたいから家に来て欲しいという2人に人と待ち合わせをしているからと立ち去ろうとする。しかしサイレンが鳴り響き、サイレンが鳴った後の日暮れ時に街を歩くのは危険とさらに引き止められ、ニッサは2人の招待に応じることにする。
その頃ドクターは機械ボディのパーツと移植手術を手配するトマス・トッドの店を訪ねる。最近の移植事情や街の様子について質問すると、トマスは話をするためにドクターをバーに誘ってきた。
イボンヌとダッドの自宅を訪れたニッサはイボンヌの弟フランクとイボンヌとダッドの移植後の体調を見に来たシスタマン・コンスタンティンに出会う。コンスタンティンはニッサに身分証を掲示するよう要求するがニッサははぐらかす。コンスタンティンが家から去っていくのをみてニッサも出て行こうとするが、ダッドは安全のためと引き止める。ダッドが懸念したようにコンスタンティンはニッサの存在をどこかに報告していた。一方ドクターはバーでトマスからここが惑星モンダスで唯一人が生活しているところがこの街だということを聞き出し、慌ててターディスに戻ろうとする。その途中でサイバーマンの警官に呼び止められ身分証の提示を認められるが、ドクターは爆竹に火をつけ、どさくさにまぎれて逃げ出す。ついてきていたトマスも共に逃げることに。
ニッサはダッドに胸のユニットの調子が悪い原因をみて欲しいと頼まれるが、詳しく見ようとすると、そとから助けてを求める女性の声がする。ニッサは扉を開けようとするが、ハートレイ親子に強く引き止められ、パトロールに気づかれないよう静かにしているよう言われる。ドクターはターディスに戻ろうとするが、沢山のパトカーが居住区に向かっていることが気になりトマスが止めるのも聞かず後をおいかける。サイバーマンの警官が朽ち果てた教会で墓を掘っているの目撃したドクターとトマスは警官に見つかってしまう。一方、警官が身分不詳の人間をかばっているとダッドの家に押しかけてくる。ニッサはイボンヌの助けで裏口から逃れる。イボンヌは父親を助けてくれたお礼とペットのマッティをニッサにプレゼントする。夜の街に数年ぶりに教会の鐘が鳴り響く中、ターディスの前でドクターとニッサは無事に落ち合える。ニッサもここがサイバーマン発祥の星であり、後にアドリックの運命に大きく関わってくる地球の双子星モンダスであることに気がついていた。ニッサは残って人々を助けたがるが、ドクターはこの星の運命を変えられるのはこの星の住人のみで自分達は歴史に干渉しないために一刻も立ち去るべきという。
Part2
残って人々をサイバーマンから助けたいと頑なに言い張るニッサとドクターは大口論となる。せめて食糧だけでも届けたいというニッサにドクターは同意する。しかし、ニッサがイボンヌにもらったマッティが見当たらないことを不思議がると、ドクターはサイバーマットをターディス内に入れたのかと大激怒。慌てて2人で探しまわるが、コンソールルームを焼かれてしまう。ニッサは責任を持って修理すると謝るが、ドクターは頭を冷やしたいと外に出て行ってしまう。ドクターはそこでフランクに出会い、ニッサなら中にいるとフランクを招き入れ、自分は街に歩き去ってしまう。フランクが現れ、ニッサは驚く。フランクから、ダッドとイボンヌが警察にニッサの身許と行方についてさんざん尋問されたあと、父親とイボンヌは労働に召集されたという。ドクターはトマスの店を訪れ、フル・ロボット人間で構成される委員会の本部に忍び込むのを手伝って欲しいと頼む。委員会は教会で起こった反乱を受けて、人間のロボット化のプロセスを速める決断を下す。
Part3
委員会の本部に忍び込んだドクターとトマスはサイバーマンと化したイボンヌと出会う。仕事のためとして招集された人々は皆サイバーマンに改造されてしまっていた。トマスは人間である箇所が全く残っていないサイバーマンの姿に衝撃を受ける。一方ニッサはフランクと共に食糧を持ってダッドの家にいく。ドクターは本部で移植を指揮している医師のアランと出会う。アランはこれが太陽から離れて熱を失い凍りついていくモンダスで人間が生き延びる唯一救う方法と信じて人間のサイバーマン化を進めていた。しかし、完全なサイバーマンとなった部下はアランの命令を徐々に受け付けなくなりつつあった。一方、家にたどり着いたイボンヌの変わり果てた姿にショックを受けるダッドとフランクとニッサ。その時、警官が押しかけてきてニッサを本部に連れて行く。しかしドクターの生命力の強さを目の当たりにしたアランはドクターを利用すればサイバーマンの生命力を強化できると考える。
Part4
アランは生存力を高めるためにドクターをテンプレートにしたサイバーマンを作ることにする。ドクターは抵抗するがアランはサイバーマンとなる以外にこの星で人間が生き延びる方法があるなら教えて欲しいと詰め寄る。そこへ連行されてきたニッサが合流。ドクターに地下の居住区に地表の冷気がどんどんと流れ込み、このままでは皆凍死してしまうしかないと説明し、皆を助ける方法はないかと尋ねる。しかし、サイバーマン化作業を加速させたいサイバーマンはドクターのテンプレートを作るためにアランの反対をよそに施術を強行する。ニッサはドクターがサイバーマンに変えられたとショックをうける。
感想
苦くて切ない、なかなかショッキングなサイバーマンの起源物語。別の星雲に引き寄せられていく過程で熱を失っていくモンダス。絶滅の危機に立たされたモンダスの人々が生き残る望みの綱として引き寄せたのか有機の肉体を捨てること。それしか道がないのならとニッサですらだんだんとサイバーマン化を否定することが難しくなってくる。同時にハートレイ家の長女イボンヌの身に起こった悲劇がサイバーマン化されることの恐ろしさを物語っている。人間性を保つことに成功したサイバーマンの誕生は光明にも思えたが、歴史はその変化を受け入れるつもりはないようなのも苦い。
Part1
地球のつもりでターディスの外に出たドクターとニッサだったが、夜空の星から地球とは違う星と気がつくニッサ。しかし、ドクターはここは地球で1950年代のクリスマスシーズンのロンドンと言い張り、ここには来るべきではなかったと落ち着かない。
2人別々に散策そて30分後にターディスで会おうとドクター。見て回るのはいいがくれぐれも誰かと話したり何かに巻き込まれないようニッサに言い含め、行ってしまう。
困惑したまま散策を続けるニッサ。途中、父親が材木の下敷きになり助けを求める少女イボンヌと出会う。力を合わせてイボンヌの父親ダッド・ハートレイを救出。お礼がしたいから家に来て欲しいという2人に人と待ち合わせをしているからと立ち去ろうとする。しかしサイレンが鳴り響き、サイレンが鳴った後の日暮れ時に街を歩くのは危険とさらに引き止められ、ニッサは2人の招待に応じることにする。
その頃ドクターは機械ボディのパーツと移植手術を手配するトマス・トッドの店を訪ねる。最近の移植事情や街の様子について質問すると、トマスは話をするためにドクターをバーに誘ってきた。
イボンヌとダッドの自宅を訪れたニッサはイボンヌの弟フランクとイボンヌとダッドの移植後の体調を見に来たシスタマン・コンスタンティンに出会う。コンスタンティンはニッサに身分証を掲示するよう要求するがニッサははぐらかす。コンスタンティンが家から去っていくのをみてニッサも出て行こうとするが、ダッドは安全のためと引き止める。ダッドが懸念したようにコンスタンティンはニッサの存在をどこかに報告していた。一方ドクターはバーでトマスからここが惑星モンダスで唯一人が生活しているところがこの街だということを聞き出し、慌ててターディスに戻ろうとする。その途中でサイバーマンの警官に呼び止められ身分証の提示を認められるが、ドクターは爆竹に火をつけ、どさくさにまぎれて逃げ出す。ついてきていたトマスも共に逃げることに。
ニッサはダッドに胸のユニットの調子が悪い原因をみて欲しいと頼まれるが、詳しく見ようとすると、そとから助けてを求める女性の声がする。ニッサは扉を開けようとするが、ハートレイ親子に強く引き止められ、パトロールに気づかれないよう静かにしているよう言われる。ドクターはターディスに戻ろうとするが、沢山のパトカーが居住区に向かっていることが気になりトマスが止めるのも聞かず後をおいかける。サイバーマンの警官が朽ち果てた教会で墓を掘っているの目撃したドクターとトマスは警官に見つかってしまう。一方、警官が身分不詳の人間をかばっているとダッドの家に押しかけてくる。ニッサはイボンヌの助けで裏口から逃れる。イボンヌは父親を助けてくれたお礼とペットのマッティをニッサにプレゼントする。夜の街に数年ぶりに教会の鐘が鳴り響く中、ターディスの前でドクターとニッサは無事に落ち合える。ニッサもここがサイバーマン発祥の星であり、後にアドリックの運命に大きく関わってくる地球の双子星モンダスであることに気がついていた。ニッサは残って人々を助けたがるが、ドクターはこの星の運命を変えられるのはこの星の住人のみで自分達は歴史に干渉しないために一刻も立ち去るべきという。
Part2
残って人々をサイバーマンから助けたいと頑なに言い張るニッサとドクターは大口論となる。せめて食糧だけでも届けたいというニッサにドクターは同意する。しかし、ニッサがイボンヌにもらったマッティが見当たらないことを不思議がると、ドクターはサイバーマットをターディス内に入れたのかと大激怒。慌てて2人で探しまわるが、コンソールルームを焼かれてしまう。ニッサは責任を持って修理すると謝るが、ドクターは頭を冷やしたいと外に出て行ってしまう。ドクターはそこでフランクに出会い、ニッサなら中にいるとフランクを招き入れ、自分は街に歩き去ってしまう。フランクが現れ、ニッサは驚く。フランクから、ダッドとイボンヌが警察にニッサの身許と行方についてさんざん尋問されたあと、父親とイボンヌは労働に召集されたという。ドクターはトマスの店を訪れ、フル・ロボット人間で構成される委員会の本部に忍び込むのを手伝って欲しいと頼む。委員会は教会で起こった反乱を受けて、人間のロボット化のプロセスを速める決断を下す。
Part3
委員会の本部に忍び込んだドクターとトマスはサイバーマンと化したイボンヌと出会う。仕事のためとして招集された人々は皆サイバーマンに改造されてしまっていた。トマスは人間である箇所が全く残っていないサイバーマンの姿に衝撃を受ける。一方ニッサはフランクと共に食糧を持ってダッドの家にいく。ドクターは本部で移植を指揮している医師のアランと出会う。アランはこれが太陽から離れて熱を失い凍りついていくモンダスで人間が生き延びる唯一救う方法と信じて人間のサイバーマン化を進めていた。しかし、完全なサイバーマンとなった部下はアランの命令を徐々に受け付けなくなりつつあった。一方、家にたどり着いたイボンヌの変わり果てた姿にショックを受けるダッドとフランクとニッサ。その時、警官が押しかけてきてニッサを本部に連れて行く。しかしドクターの生命力の強さを目の当たりにしたアランはドクターを利用すればサイバーマンの生命力を強化できると考える。
Part4
アランは生存力を高めるためにドクターをテンプレートにしたサイバーマンを作ることにする。ドクターは抵抗するがアランはサイバーマンとなる以外にこの星で人間が生き延びる方法があるなら教えて欲しいと詰め寄る。そこへ連行されてきたニッサが合流。ドクターに地下の居住区に地表の冷気がどんどんと流れ込み、このままでは皆凍死してしまうしかないと説明し、皆を助ける方法はないかと尋ねる。しかし、サイバーマン化作業を加速させたいサイバーマンはドクターのテンプレートを作るためにアランの反対をよそに施術を強行する。ニッサはドクターがサイバーマンに変えられたとショックをうける。
感想
苦くて切ない、なかなかショッキングなサイバーマンの起源物語。別の星雲に引き寄せられていく過程で熱を失っていくモンダス。絶滅の危機に立たされたモンダスの人々が生き残る望みの綱として引き寄せたのか有機の肉体を捨てること。それしか道がないのならとニッサですらだんだんとサイバーマン化を否定することが難しくなってくる。同時にハートレイ家の長女イボンヌの身に起こった悲劇がサイバーマン化されることの恐ろしさを物語っている。人間性を保つことに成功したサイバーマンの誕生は光明にも思えたが、歴史はその変化を受け入れるつもりはないようなのも苦い。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2020
Like most other Brits, I've watched at least one episode of Doctor Who.
I still watch the (current Doctor) Jodie Whittaker episodes.
Next to the Daleks and The Master, I think the Cybermen are (perhaps) the Doctors most-famous enemies.
However, I've never really found them all that scary: I think because the fact that they are fully encased in their armour (unlike the Star Trek counterparts of the Borg) makes them seem less relevant, less of a body-horror than said Borg.
With all that said, I'd heard recently that this was one of the best Doctor Who Cybermen stories, and so thought I would give it a listen: Set on the world of Mondas, this story deals with the ascension of the Cybermen (well, one ascension anyway: they've had more ascensions than I've had hot dinners!), set during Peter Davison's tenure as The Doctor.
It's not a bad listen, with Davison reprising his role and with the story carefully laying out it's stall (and trying to show the horrors of becoming a Cyberman) through having an audience surrogate of a family on Mondas that The Doctor and his travelling companion Nyssa encounter, and try to help.
But is time a constant? Are some things destined to be? …
Listen and find out!
I still watch the (current Doctor) Jodie Whittaker episodes.
Next to the Daleks and The Master, I think the Cybermen are (perhaps) the Doctors most-famous enemies.
However, I've never really found them all that scary: I think because the fact that they are fully encased in their armour (unlike the Star Trek counterparts of the Borg) makes them seem less relevant, less of a body-horror than said Borg.
With all that said, I'd heard recently that this was one of the best Doctor Who Cybermen stories, and so thought I would give it a listen: Set on the world of Mondas, this story deals with the ascension of the Cybermen (well, one ascension anyway: they've had more ascensions than I've had hot dinners!), set during Peter Davison's tenure as The Doctor.
It's not a bad listen, with Davison reprising his role and with the story carefully laying out it's stall (and trying to show the horrors of becoming a Cyberman) through having an audience surrogate of a family on Mondas that The Doctor and his travelling companion Nyssa encounter, and try to help.
But is time a constant? Are some things destined to be? …
Listen and find out!
June 23, 2023
The quintessential Cybermen story for a reason. Approaching the people of Mondas with empathy and really sinking the listener into their world and their desperation is haunting and extremely smart.
Cybermen stories have always been favorites of mine. This thing has some excellent body horror and the sound of the Cybermen being lyrical is so creepy and sad and human.
The audio elements of this story are fantastic. As I already said, the sound of conversion is so freaky. The cast is charismatic, which makes the plot all the more heartbreaking. There was only one way this story could ever end.
The robotic sound of the Committee was a bit hard to decipher at certain points, but all in all it was fine. I’ll excuse it just this once because it plays into the idea that the Cybermen have shed their humanity.
Not to be the hashtag communist but I don’t love how explicitly anti collectivist this story ends up being, but like. It’s a Classic Who Cybermen story. Water is Wet. I knew what I was getting into lmao. I’m not gonna dock a star for that.
This is an easily accessible standalone piece. I would recommend it easily to new listeners of Big Finish, or to anyone who likes a Cyberman story.
Cybermen stories have always been favorites of mine. This thing has some excellent body horror and the sound of the Cybermen being lyrical is so creepy and sad and human.
The audio elements of this story are fantastic. As I already said, the sound of conversion is so freaky. The cast is charismatic, which makes the plot all the more heartbreaking. There was only one way this story could ever end.
The robotic sound of the Committee was a bit hard to decipher at certain points, but all in all it was fine. I’ll excuse it just this once because it plays into the idea that the Cybermen have shed their humanity.
Not to be the hashtag communist but I don’t love how explicitly anti collectivist this story ends up being, but like. It’s a Classic Who Cybermen story. Water is Wet. I knew what I was getting into lmao. I’m not gonna dock a star for that.
This is an easily accessible standalone piece. I would recommend it easily to new listeners of Big Finish, or to anyone who likes a Cyberman story.
April 13, 2020
There may be some fans who believe that this Cyberman origin story was superseded by the series 10 episodes “World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls.” However, we should remember that the Twelfth Doctor mentioned parallel development, so this story could still fit within the “canon.”
I got nostalgic hearing the Cybermen as they sounded in The Tenth Planet. It was also nice hearing the Fifth Doctor address to Nyssa that they had not stopped to mourn Adric.
After the conflict, The Doctor is asked to stay and oversee the reconstruction, which I found amusing given Doctor Who’s history with reconstructions. It would be nice to have more stories where The Doctor actually stays for a while to oversee a reconstruction. But of course, he couldn’t interfere with the future from that point on.
While this was a good origin story, I think “World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls” has the better character ensemble overall. But one can still enjoy this. Despite the title, it is not simply spare parts.
I got nostalgic hearing the Cybermen as they sounded in The Tenth Planet. It was also nice hearing the Fifth Doctor address to Nyssa that they had not stopped to mourn Adric.
After the conflict, The Doctor is asked to stay and oversee the reconstruction, which I found amusing given Doctor Who’s history with reconstructions. It would be nice to have more stories where The Doctor actually stays for a while to oversee a reconstruction. But of course, he couldn’t interfere with the future from that point on.
While this was a good origin story, I think “World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls” has the better character ensemble overall. But one can still enjoy this. Despite the title, it is not simply spare parts.
December 28, 2018
A very entertaining audiobook. A Big Finish product. The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson) and his companion Nyssa land on the planet of Mondas. Doctor Who fans will know that Mondas was Earth's twin planet with a humanoid race living upon it. They are, of course, Modasians. The last remnants of Human/Mondasians are living under curfew. Each night squads of Cybermen come out to collect the last people for the processing factories. This was a Genesis of the Cybermen story and very compelling. If you are a Doctor Who fan, then this story is a must. Primitive Cybermen like those in the last William Hartnell story are rather chilling as they patrol the back streets of a dying civilisation in the last throws of extinction. Slowly person by person, being converted into the unfeeling and coldly logical Cybermen.
June 26, 2020
A Cyberman origin story (kind of). The thing this story really has going for it is that it delves into the creepiness of the Cybermen. It shows the gradual origin of how the cybermen started as humanoids who were simply trying to modify themselves in order to survive and then mutated into something inhuman. The thing that's holding this story is that Peter Davison plays the doctor (he's my leas favorite) He brings very little character to the doctor besides being generically noble and impatient. I also got confused a few times with the plot, mostly due to the fact that a lot of exposition is given through cyberman dialogue which can be hard to understand and tiresome to listen to at length. Still made me curious to revisit some other cyberman stories. As long as they're not Peter Davison's.
December 23, 2023
(Review from 2023, listened to in 2020)
"World Enough and Time" is one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes, demonstrating to me why the original "Mondasian" Cybermen from the classic Doctor Who series are such a beloved DW monster despite their goofy appearance.
The episode had been billed as one of many parallel "Genesis of the Cybermen" stories, the other being "Spare Parts". Featuring the 5th Doctor instead of the 12th, Spare Parts takes place on Mondas itself and follows a similar story structure of the humans of Mondas surrendering their humanity bit by bit in the name of survival until they become the first generation of Cybermen. Its a creepy and occasionally heartbreaking origin story for the common Doctor Who foe. Some issues with the sound design aside, this is one of the best Big Finish stories.
"World Enough and Time" is one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes, demonstrating to me why the original "Mondasian" Cybermen from the classic Doctor Who series are such a beloved DW monster despite their goofy appearance.
The episode had been billed as one of many parallel "Genesis of the Cybermen" stories, the other being "Spare Parts". Featuring the 5th Doctor instead of the 12th, Spare Parts takes place on Mondas itself and follows a similar story structure of the humans of Mondas surrendering their humanity bit by bit in the name of survival until they become the first generation of Cybermen. Its a creepy and occasionally heartbreaking origin story for the common Doctor Who foe. Some issues with the sound design aside, this is one of the best Big Finish stories.
July 13, 2021
Since they first appeared in Doctor Who the Cybermen have become part of the mythos of the series, returning frequently to challenge The Doctor. They may appear robotic, but are in fact part organic. Very few of their stories explore the Frankensteinesque nature of their origins. Spare Parts is all about that horror and puts a human face on the suffering caused by the rise of the Cybermen. The Doctor is presented with a classic time travel dilemma. Can he prevent the birth of the Cybermen, should he?
Given that this story is about the origins of the Cybermen, it has a similar tone to the televised episodes, World Enough and Time, and The Doctor Falls. It's about the cost of survival and the question: is it worth all the sacrifice?
Given that this story is about the origins of the Cybermen, it has a similar tone to the televised episodes, World Enough and Time, and The Doctor Falls. It's about the cost of survival and the question: is it worth all the sacrifice?
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