This was one of the first audios I ever listened to, and years later it still holds up as one of the best stories to be made in the Whoniverse!

The Doctor feels very out of character in this story, but when he's thrown in a situation like this, he doesn't have time to be kind-hearted and naive - he has to be the strict Time Lord who can't change Mondas' fate, which is clearly eating him up inside. He's often short with Nyssa and regularly lashes out at the Mondasian Government. It's great to see that warm, lovely front that the Doctor puts up fall away as the story develops, revealing a darker, angrier man underneath. It's such a nice change to hear him really struggling to hold back and even become terrified, screaming at the possibility of being converted. Immediately, the atmosphere is unsettling, as previous adventures has seen the bond between the Doctor and Nyssa strengthen a lot, but when they arrive, he refuses to tell her where they really are. Because of this, it leads to her meddling in history and getting involved, throwing the pair of them in at the deep end in a fixed point in time. Nyssa's very brave and resourceful, trying to be selfless and follow in the Doctor's footsteps, but still being scared out of her mind after her previous encounter with the Cybermen. It's clear that she is still haunted by the loss of Adric, and this time around, it's a very traumatic ordeal and she feels like she's responsible for his death if she doesn't do something about it, against the wishes of the Doctor.

The Cybermen are so deeply disturbing, right from the start. I love the cyborg-y, not finished Cyberman design - it's absolutely something the BBC would not get away with, a disfigured, blank expression reigning tyrannically over the public is a nightmare, truly terrifying. There's so many horrendous moments, such as the Cybermen forcing Constance to be upgraded, the introduction of Zheng, Yvonne getting upgraded. There's such a tragic tale being told here and it blends so well with the terror that the Cybermen impose, making people feel like they have to become like them. Their dominance and power is handled so well, ruling a society that accepts them and aren't scared of them, it feels so wrong to hear people living "harmoniously" with creatures that act like dictators. It's so horrifying to get to know all these side characters and have most of them be converted. It's nice to hear the Cybermats, but it's not actually explained as to their function in this society, which I would've appreciated. However, there's some great imagery over them, such as the way they crawl all over the TARDIS. I love the shocking ending to this story - Zheng is alive, and they're starting again! All of this was for nothing! I love the idea of the Committee being the model for the Cyberplanner, ruling Mondas logically and without human reasoning. However, I found it a little difficult at times to understand what they were saying. This is a phenomenal story for the Cybermen, they're done with justice, they're scary and imposing, and they feel very real, which is the worst part! Marc Platt definitely used our knowledge of the Cybermen to his advantage, as each development brought the story closer and closer to a doomed end, raising the stakes to unbelievable heights.

Of course, the Cybermen wouldn't work as well without the context of what's going on with Mondas. There's immediately a great start to this bleak tale, with a beacon of hope getting crushed as the first man to walk on the surface goes insane - this already sets us with pretext that the people are doing everything they can to survive. The desperation in the environment is sold so well, with the curfew, the deathly silence, the way the Cybermen show disregard for the people they control by easily digging up the graves of their loved ones - so many tiny factors contribute to the inevitability of the Cybermen - this planet's fate is fixed, and each little scene shows that there's nothing that can be done to help them.

This story spends so much time developing the side characters, that it packs so much more of a punch when a lot of them are killed off - they're adapting to a very dodgy community, and barely surviving, but they still find ways to continue with their life - enjoying Christmas, doing work, hanging out with friends like Eric Krailford. Thomas Dodd is a very creepy bloke, but for the way that Mondas is heading, that's normal. He praises the Committee but is secretly terrified of them, and is a little annoyed that they're ruining his business of transplants, a shop that can easily be found on a high street. The Hartleys are a very stereotypical family, in a lower class and really struggling, having to sell their mother/wife for whatever. It's so heartbreaking when Yvonne breaks down after being converted, it's definitely the best moment of the whole story. You can't help but feel the pain that her dad is feeling when she realises what has happened to her. It works so well when you spend a lot of time with these characters and they're shockingly killed off, and even now it's so dire to hear the twist.

The music is dark and depressing, and really helps to sell the low mood of the story. I really like the way it sounds like the 60s score, varying the way the Cybermen theme was back then. There's nothing too standout in the music itself, it's really just for the background to set the scene, but the sound design of the episode itself, with the Cybermats, the Committee, all of it is just brilliant.

Favourite Line: "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad..."

Absolutely exceptional story. I can't praise this enough. The themes are told in an effective and haunting way, the characters are handled with great care, Marc Platt and the actors make sure that they sell these people as real which makes it so much more uncomfortable to hear, the story is so perfect. Absolutely adore this.