Return of the Cybermen [AUDIO/2021.3.17]

★★★☆☆

  Is it a good or bad idea for Big Finish to start adapting Lost Stories that were initial drafts/alternate pitches to serials we got on telly? I've seen several people voice their concerns about these stories "breaking continuity" as it were, but since I've always been the sort to believe that Doctor Who is intrinsically free of conventional notions of canon and continuity, this doesn't bother me one bit. Mary Shelley was a companion to the Eighth Doctor, and she also encountered the Thirteenth Doctor in a mystery surrounding a Cyberman house haunting. The year 2000 had futuristic space stations and Zoe Heriot, and it was also the Y2K we all know and look back on with nostalgia and embarrassment in equal measure. The same logic of mine applies to that 'Cyberman story set in Nerva' slot — it can be Revenge of the Cybermen, or it can be Return of the Cybermen. Quite simple.

  I must say I had a better time with this story than I thought I would. Nicholas Briggs' love for Cybermen and Revenge of the Cybermen is apparent in the painstakingly realised soundscape of Nerva, as well as the metal steps and creepy modulated voices of the Cybermen in question. In fact, in terms of direction and sound, this is a less bleak version of Sword of Orion; either rejoice or despair. However, I'm sure that this next point will be a great pleasure for practically all of you — Sadie Miller and Christopher Naylor work wonders as Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan. Miller especially surprised me with not just her likeness of voice (no wonder, since she's the late great Lis Sladen's daughter) but her ability to capture the mix of real emotion and inspiring bravado that made Sarah Jane tick for so many. Tom Baker seems elated to work with her; here's hoping we get stories set during the Season 13 timeline with him and Miller.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  Return of the Cybermen will prove to be a bit of a surprise for those familiar with Revenge of the Cybermen — an enjoyable story! I'm only mildly kidding, of course. As it stands, it's a decent Cyberman story with plenty of gold dust shenanigans and forgotten civilisations. The Lost Stories continues to be a range that explores uncharted territory, and that's more than enough for me.