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“THE MOONBASE: A LUNAR LOCK-IN WITH CYBER STYLE AND SIEGE TENSION”

With The Moonbase, Doctor Who boldly takes its first step onto the surface of Earth’s celestial neighbour, and what better way to mark the occasion than with the return of the Cybermen? Writer Kit Pedler reworks the successful ingredients of The Tenth Planet into a taut, atmospheric thriller set in a single, claustrophobic location. It’s a story full of firsts: the show’s first lunar adventure, the first major redesign of the Cybermen, and arguably the first time Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor fully settles into his now-iconic persona. Though derivative in parts, The Moonbase is an effective and eerie slice of early Doctor Who, ramping up the horror and tension while pushing the series further into science fiction territory.

MOONBASE ALPHA ONE

The year is 2070, and a multinational crew is stationed on the Moon to control Earth's weather using a giant device called the Gravitron. When crew members begin succumbing to a mysterious illness and vital systems fail, the Doctor and his companions—Ben, Polly and Jamie—arrive just in time to get caught up in the chaos. Unbeknownst to the base’s inhabitants, the Cybermen have infiltrated the facility and are using the sick crew as a foothold to carry out a full-scale invasion and sabotage Earth’s climate.

The concept is classic base-under-siege, but the setting elevates it. From the eerie calm of the Moon's surface to the clean, clinical interiors of the base, the environment contributes a constant atmosphere of vulnerability and entrapment. It’s a well-constructed premise: a remote outpost, an invisible threat, and a small, increasingly desperate crew unable to trust their surroundings. The direction and animation do a good job of conjuring lunar isolation, particularly in the opening moments when the TARDIS crew first steps out onto the Moon’s barren landscape. The base itself feels believable in design, with lots of switches, screens, and corridors, while still being flexible enough to host thrilling sci-fi horror set pieces.

TROUGHTON: THE DEFINITIVE ARTICLE ARRIVES

This is the first time Troughton’s Second Doctor truly becomes the Doctor. Gone is some of the earlier clowning from The Highlanders and The Underwater Menace; here, we find a more focused, clever, and quietly commanding figure. He throws himself into investigating the disease outbreak, matches wits with the Cybermen, and leads the resistance against them without ever resorting to bluster or ego. His quieter moments—thoughtful, calculating, and a little mysterious—are just as important as his louder confrontations. One notable innovation, used just once in all of Doctor Who history, is a brief sequence of internal monologue in Part 3, where we hear the Doctor’s thoughts. It's a fun experiment, never repeated, but it reinforces just how cerebral this Doctor is becoming.

POLLY AND BEN GET TO SHINE – SOMETIMES

Anneke Wills gets some welcome material to work with as Polly, who is written as a more proactive and modern companion. She’s sharp, funny, and far more than just a coffee-maker – although, frustratingly, she still gets saddled with domestic tasks and screaming duties. It’s a confusing duality: Polly shows initiative by concocting a chemical weapon against the Cybermen using nail polish remover and cleaning products, yet she’s still brushed aside by the script and the characters (cue Ben’s exasperating “Not now, Polly! This is men’s work!” line). It’s a telling sign of the show’s struggle between progressive intentions and 60s attitudes.

Ben fares a bit better and works well in tandem with Polly, especially in Part 3 when they brainstorm and execute their anti-Cybermen plan while the Doctor is out of action. Their teamwork is proactive and satisfying – a rare moment when companions solve a problem on their own instead of just reacting. It’s also a clever way of making use of the companions' skills without undermining the Doctor's role.

JAMIE, STILL ON THE SIDELINES

Frazer Hines’ Jamie, meanwhile, suffers from a lingering case of “late addition syndrome.” Having only just joined the TARDIS crew in the previous serial, Jamie spends most of this story unconscious in the sick bay after being injured early on. Even when awake, he’s written as an afterthought, with little to do beyond a few comments and brief appearances. It’s a missed opportunity, and one of the clearest indications that the three-companion format was difficult for the writers to juggle. Jamie’s time to shine would come soon – just not here.

A GLOBAL CAST (WITH SOME CLICHÉS)

The base personnel are drawn from around the world: British, French, Danish, and more. It's refreshing to see such international representation in 1960s Doctor Who, though it comes with some caveats. André Maranne plays Benoit, one of the few French characters to appear in the series, and while he’s likeable, his portrayal sometimes veers close to caricature. Nils, a rare Scandinavian supporting character, is unfortunately underused but remains memorable if only for being so unique in Doctor Who history. The commanding officer, Hobson, is essentially a reheated version of General Cutler from The Tenth Planet, albeit less compelling. Where Cutler had a personal motive and tragic edge, Hobson begins as a gruff obstacle simply because the plot needs him to be. Fortunately, he mellows in the latter half of the story, contributing to the fight and redeeming himself by the end.

CYBERMEN: REDESIGNED, REFINED, AND STILL TERRIFYING

Gone are the cloth faces and sing-songy voices of The Tenth Planet. The Cybermen return with metallic helmets, sleeker designs, and a chilling electronic monotone voice unique to the Troughton era. While some might miss the uncanny human traits of the original Cybermen, the new design is more intimidating and polished. These Cybermen also behave differently: instead of simply shooting people, they begin covertly taking over minds and controlling base staff like puppets. It's a deeply creepy escalation of their threat, and it gives the story an added dimension of body horror and paranoia.

Crucially, the Cybermen don’t speak until Part 3, allowing the suspense to build through music, shadows, and implication. Their eventual reveal, crawling from under a bedsheet in the medical bay, is one of the standout moments of the serial. It's capped by one of the best cliffhangers in 60s Who, with the Doctor slowly piecing together the truth and the Cyberman bursting out at just the right moment. Their motives here—destroy Earth by sabotaging the Gravitron—aren’t terribly original, but their presence is enough to carry the story. There’s still a trace of humanity in their design that makes them all the more unnerving.

ACTION AND ANIMATION

The animation for Parts 1 and 3, while not the show’s finest, is more than serviceable. It recreates the missing episodes with energy and clarity, allowing us to appreciate moments like the Moon surface battle at the end of Part 3, where the Doctor and team fight off the Cybermen in a surprisingly fluid and exciting action sequence. The animators deserve credit for injecting dynamism into scenes that could otherwise feel static.

A particularly goofy but lovable moment in Part 4 involves sealing a breach in the Moonbase wall with a food tray – classic Doctor Who nonsense that somehow feels just right. It’s in the same episode that we get another memorable image: the Doctor and team using the Gravitron to alter lunar gravity, sending Cybermen hurtling into space in comically stiff poses. Silly? Sure. Satisfying? Absolutely.

A STRONG ENDING AND A SLY TEASER

The finale benefits from a strong sense of urgency, with Cybermen closing in on the base and the heroes mounting a desperate defence. The fact that everyone—Doctor, companions, and base staff alike—has to work together gives the story a satisfying climax. It isn’t just the Doctor saving the day; it’s a team effort, and the payoff is earned. As a final flourish, the story ends with a cheeky teaser: a crab claw appears on the TARDIS scanner, leading us straight into the next adventure, The Macra Terror.

📝VERDICT: 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙🩶🩶🩶

The Moonbase may be a shameless retread of The Tenth Planet, but it’s also a significant step forward. It’s more atmospheric, better paced, and features a stronger Doctor at the centre. The Cybermen are scarier, the stakes are higher, and the story feels tighter. It’s not without flaws – Jamie is wasted, the gender politics are painfully outdated, and the guest characters are familiar archetypes – but it compensates with gripping tension, memorable moments, and confident storytelling. This is Doctor Who embracing the base-under-siege format that would define much of the Troughton era, and doing it with considerable style.