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Cyberman #1-2
Cyberman: The Complete Series 1-2
"There Is nothing to fear...”
Mankind is fighting a long and costly war with its android creations in the Orion System. The deadlock must be broken at all costs. The President of Earth is offered an unthinkable strategy that cannot be refused.
Deep below the ocean, an ancient spaceship has been discovered. One that contains the remains of the great civilisation we could have been if we’d taken another path. A purer path...
Now the Scorpius strategy is in full operation. Silver legions stand impassive in every city; mankind has sacrificed its freedoms and a web of lies and deceit draws ever tighter. Only one choice remains - resist or surrender...
THIS EXCLUSIVE RELEASE IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE BIG FINISH WEBSITE
Mankind is fighting a long and costly war with its android creations in the Orion System. The deadlock must be broken at all costs. The President of Earth is offered an unthinkable strategy that cannot be refused.
Deep below the ocean, an ancient spaceship has been discovered. One that contains the remains of the great civilisation we could have been if we’d taken another path. A purer path...
Now the Scorpius strategy is in full operation. Silver legions stand impassive in every city; mankind has sacrificed its freedoms and a web of lies and deceit draws ever tighter. Only one choice remains - resist or surrender...
THIS EXCLUSIVE RELEASE IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE BIG FINISH WEBSITE
Audio CD
First published December 1, 2009
14 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Briggs
376 books133 followersNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. Some of Briggs' earliest Doctor Who-related work was as host of The Myth Makers, a series of made-for-video documentaries produced in the 1980s and 1990s by Reeltime Pictures in which Briggs interviews many of the actors and writers involved in the series. When Reeltime expanded into producing original dramas, Briggs wrote some stories and acted in others, beginning with War Time, the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, and Myth Runner, a parody of Blade Runner showcasing bloopers from the Myth Makers series built around a loose storyline featuring Briggs as a down on his luck private detective in the near future.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 26, 2021
Big Finish presents series 1 & 2 of Cyberman, an entertaing audio adventure. The Doctor (in any incarnation) may be abesnt from these stories, but the production values are up to the usual Big Finish standard.
Writers Nicholas Briggs & James Swallow provide a mixture of science fiction & espionage in which humans, androids & cybermen move the narrative along at a decent pace.
I especially enjoyed the use of the cybermen style voices from the William Hartnell & Patrick Troughton era. This might not be as good as some of the TV stories featuring this fearful race, but it's better than many of them.
It's good to see a fresh approach to a cyberman story, especially as they have appeared so often in Doctor Who that they have become as boring as the vastly overused Daleks.
Writers Nicholas Briggs & James Swallow provide a mixture of science fiction & espionage in which humans, androids & cybermen move the narrative along at a decent pace.
I especially enjoyed the use of the cybermen style voices from the William Hartnell & Patrick Troughton era. This might not be as good as some of the TV stories featuring this fearful race, but it's better than many of them.
It's good to see a fresh approach to a cyberman story, especially as they have appeared so often in Doctor Who that they have become as boring as the vastly overused Daleks.
April 3, 2021
(1.1) Scorpius: I’ve got to admit, I was a wee bit disappointed with this one. I did, not long ago, just finish the epic Dalek Empire Series 01-02 & Dalek Empire Series 03-04 stories and I couldn’t help feel that this is just more of the same stuff. We’re just substituting Cybermen for Daleks and swapping out character names; so, at least initially, it feels like merely recycling old material. Hopefully it will pick up as the story progresses.
(1.2) Fear: I enjoyed this chapter a bit more than the previous one. The politics of the multiple factions involved (humans, androids, Cybermen) is interesting. Although, I’m again reminded of the portion of the Dalek Empire when there were the humans vs. the Daleks vs. the Daleks from an alternate reality/dimension.
(1.3) Conversion: The story progresses. Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of Dalek Empire vibe. So, at least, I’m not really getting into this as much as I have enjoyed many other Big Finish Productions.
(1.4) Telos: While this was certainly an entertaining and exciting conclusion to this series, I have to be honest - I was not overly impressed with the finale. I rather felt that things just sort of ended, without being completely resolved. But then, there is a another 4-part series, Cyberman 2, so maybe it was just setting up events for the sequel.
(2.1) Outsiders: This initial chapter for the second series seems to be off to a good start. The previous series really just felt like a reworking of the themes and narrative elements from the Dalek Empire but substituting the Cybermen for the Daleks. This one feels like it’s taking stuff in a different direction.
(2.2) Terror: Another exciting chapter, the intrigue, subterfuge and menace grows.
(2.3) Machines: Things building toward a thrilling, and inevitable, climax.
(2.4) Extinction: Well, that wraps it up. I suppose. Although, it felt like it’s still got some possibilities for a Cyberman 3. Maybe. Who knows. My take away here though was: “the truth will set you free” or that “the assimilation will continue” - take your pick.
This omnibus collection also includes over an hour of behind the scenes interviews and commentary with members of the cast and crew.
(1.2) Fear: I enjoyed this chapter a bit more than the previous one. The politics of the multiple factions involved (humans, androids, Cybermen) is interesting. Although, I’m again reminded of the portion of the Dalek Empire when there were the humans vs. the Daleks vs. the Daleks from an alternate reality/dimension.
(1.3) Conversion: The story progresses. Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of Dalek Empire vibe. So, at least, I’m not really getting into this as much as I have enjoyed many other Big Finish Productions.
(1.4) Telos: While this was certainly an entertaining and exciting conclusion to this series, I have to be honest - I was not overly impressed with the finale. I rather felt that things just sort of ended, without being completely resolved. But then, there is a another 4-part series, Cyberman 2, so maybe it was just setting up events for the sequel.
(2.1) Outsiders: This initial chapter for the second series seems to be off to a good start. The previous series really just felt like a reworking of the themes and narrative elements from the Dalek Empire but substituting the Cybermen for the Daleks. This one feels like it’s taking stuff in a different direction.
(2.2) Terror: Another exciting chapter, the intrigue, subterfuge and menace grows.
(2.3) Machines: Things building toward a thrilling, and inevitable, climax.
(2.4) Extinction: Well, that wraps it up. I suppose. Although, it felt like it’s still got some possibilities for a Cyberman 3. Maybe. Who knows. My take away here though was: “the truth will set you free” or that “the assimilation will continue” - take your pick.
This omnibus collection also includes over an hour of behind the scenes interviews and commentary with members of the cast and crew.
March 11, 2025
Rogue One: A Doctor Who Story
October 24, 2021
Cyberman Series 1:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended
Alright, wasn't expecting this to be good but this was amazing. This is comprised of 4 episodes, Scorpius, Fear, Conversion and Telos. Scorpius establishes the world, characters and concepts explored in this. I was pretty disappointed when I discovered this story is set in the far future during a technologically advanced war between humans and androids. I prefer the apocalyptic cyberman stories generally, ones where humanity is looking at being converted as being a better fate than being alive, but this story did not disappoint in the long run and gave me hope for cyberman stories with this setting. Also, I knew from the offset that they were going to do the thing that always gets done with stories about humans and androids, and while I was right, that ended up being more of a secondary plot and led to some of the most interesting concepts in this story. From Fear onwards, I was pretty invested in all the characters, I love that our lead got switched out, cause while I like the protag of Scorpius, I couldn't help but feel the story would get too bogged down with the politics that would come with that, and while that did persist through the other episodes, it didn't distract from the main plot. Our new lead goes through a really nice arc in Fear, and while the development they have in Conversion feels sudden and pretty rushed, the parallels to the unfeeling cybermen are still fun to see developed and the relationships built up are satisfying to see progress. The cybermen in this are also top notch, proper quality storytelling, taking all the aspects that people love about them and putting them front and center. We have body horror, power being stripped away, the loss of individualism, a distressed world being manipulated from the shadows and proper harrowing tragedy, especially during the final act of Telos. One downside though? While the kissing scenes are funny and integrate a really cool idea, the noises are hilariously distracting. I can't help but think about the voice actors snacking on the back of their hands in the recording booth, but other than that, I cannot recommend this enough.
Cyberman Series 2:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended
Very solid follow up to the last story that adds new characters that are as well developed as the last series and develops the pre-existing characters further. The settings for this story are great and I was able to immerse myself in the surroundings as much as the characters were able to. A few standouts are the Ship at the start which I visualised as a boat but realised after a while was actually a space ship and the political rally close to the end that I was able to feel the tension of, after all, this was the point where all the characters I had grown to love throughout this were in mortal peril. While the cyberman are more settled in this and there's less body horror and skulking in the shadows, that doesn't mean their precense and effect is any less felt. People are still being converted, in one instance we even follow a character through the process itself which was pretty harrowing. While the cybermen are far less concealed in this, it makes way for them to be a lot more militant, taking people from the streets and assert themselves as a proper Invasion force. I love what they do with Hunt in this, the antagonist for the last story and now this, I won't spoil his arc but it's very interesting to watch and kept me guessing what the conclusion would be. I'm glad the android aspects are toned down in this as well, It did lead to the end feeling a bit cheap but I suppose it isn't unbelievable. Overall, I really do recommend this, I don't think it was as impactful as series 1 but it's very solid on it's own.
8/10
Verdict: Recommended
Alright, wasn't expecting this to be good but this was amazing. This is comprised of 4 episodes, Scorpius, Fear, Conversion and Telos. Scorpius establishes the world, characters and concepts explored in this. I was pretty disappointed when I discovered this story is set in the far future during a technologically advanced war between humans and androids. I prefer the apocalyptic cyberman stories generally, ones where humanity is looking at being converted as being a better fate than being alive, but this story did not disappoint in the long run and gave me hope for cyberman stories with this setting. Also, I knew from the offset that they were going to do the thing that always gets done with stories about humans and androids, and while I was right, that ended up being more of a secondary plot and led to some of the most interesting concepts in this story. From Fear onwards, I was pretty invested in all the characters, I love that our lead got switched out, cause while I like the protag of Scorpius, I couldn't help but feel the story would get too bogged down with the politics that would come with that, and while that did persist through the other episodes, it didn't distract from the main plot. Our new lead goes through a really nice arc in Fear, and while the development they have in Conversion feels sudden and pretty rushed, the parallels to the unfeeling cybermen are still fun to see developed and the relationships built up are satisfying to see progress. The cybermen in this are also top notch, proper quality storytelling, taking all the aspects that people love about them and putting them front and center. We have body horror, power being stripped away, the loss of individualism, a distressed world being manipulated from the shadows and proper harrowing tragedy, especially during the final act of Telos. One downside though? While the kissing scenes are funny and integrate a really cool idea, the noises are hilariously distracting. I can't help but think about the voice actors snacking on the back of their hands in the recording booth, but other than that, I cannot recommend this enough.
Cyberman Series 2:
8/10
Verdict: Recommended
Very solid follow up to the last story that adds new characters that are as well developed as the last series and develops the pre-existing characters further. The settings for this story are great and I was able to immerse myself in the surroundings as much as the characters were able to. A few standouts are the Ship at the start which I visualised as a boat but realised after a while was actually a space ship and the political rally close to the end that I was able to feel the tension of, after all, this was the point where all the characters I had grown to love throughout this were in mortal peril. While the cyberman are more settled in this and there's less body horror and skulking in the shadows, that doesn't mean their precense and effect is any less felt. People are still being converted, in one instance we even follow a character through the process itself which was pretty harrowing. While the cybermen are far less concealed in this, it makes way for them to be a lot more militant, taking people from the streets and assert themselves as a proper Invasion force. I love what they do with Hunt in this, the antagonist for the last story and now this, I won't spoil his arc but it's very interesting to watch and kept me guessing what the conclusion would be. I'm glad the android aspects are toned down in this as well, It did lead to the end feeling a bit cheap but I suppose it isn't unbelievable. Overall, I really do recommend this, I don't think it was as impactful as series 1 but it's very solid on it's own.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews