(WARNING: Spoilers Ahead)

The very best Doctor Who stories say something to me in a way that other shows just… don’t. This story? It speaks volumes! Sometimes, we come across a story that is so quintessentially “Doctor Who” that it’s breathtaking. Monsters in Metropolis is absolutely one of those stories.

The Existential Horror of the Cybermen

Despite earning silver place on the roster of beloved Doctor Who monsters, there are relatively few stories that really showcase the true existential horror of the Cybermen. Whilst capable of killing you, the real horror of the Cybermen isn’t their destructive power so much as their ability to completely remove our humanity. Moreover, and possibly even more horrific, there have been very clear suggestions that being a Cyberman hurts.

Back in 2006:

DOCTOR: That's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body, with a heart of steel. All emotions removed.

ROSE: Why no emotions?

DOCTOR: Because it hurts.

And in 2017:

SURGEON: This won't stop you feeling pain, but it will stop you caring about it. It fits over your head.

It is to Moffat’s 2017 interpretation that Dorney pays closest homage in Monsters in Metropolis, with his lone Cyberman clearly in suffering and even repeating the line “Pain”, just as we saw in World Enough and Time. What makes this different, however, is the time and effort put in to building sympathy for this lost Cybermen, marooned in the Berlin of 1925, a deadly tool in the hands of the bitter Dieter Jovanovic yet also a real person, rediscovering what it means to be human once more. This is horrific. The Cybermen, as portrayed, are victims as much as antagonists (and, in this case, moreso the victim). The body horror is largely unspoken but deeply felt (that makes it feel even more acute) and the psychological horror cuts deep. Indeed, the coda at the end between the Ninth Doctor and the Cyberman is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Never have the Cybermen felt more horrific. Never have I felt quite such sympathy for an individual Cyberman (Bill excepted, though that’s different as we already knew her as a character). I think that’s part of what makes this such a great story for me. We begin, as does the Doctor, by seeing the Cyberman first but then we gradually see the inhumanity stripped away to reveal the truth of the person (and thus the horror of conversion) underneath. It’s a total inversion. In fact, if I had any real criticism of this story it would be that we don’t really get to learn much about Fritz Lang as a man but that’s specifically because Dorney goes to such lengths to humanise the Cyberman… and, by heck, it works!

History and the Rise of the Nazi Threat: A Disturbing Misappropriation

There is something deeply unsettling and profoundly ironic about the Cybermen being wielded as tools by the proto-Nazi, Dieter Jovanovic. In 1925, the Nazi Party was still on the fringes, but this story masterfully captures the disillusionment and social unrest that would fuel their calamitous rise. Setting this story in such a volatile moment is deliberate and thematically deeply significant. The making of Lang’s science fiction masterpiece provides the perfect backdrop and only adds to the impact of the Cyberman.

What makes this choice truly thematically brilliant is the stark ideological dissonance between the lone Cyberman and the fascist ideology of the man it serves. The Daleks have long symbolized fascism — brutal, supremacist, violently hierarchical — whereas the Cybermen represent a terrifying vision of the opposite: a dystopian collectivism where individuality is erased, emotions are suppressed, and all human qualities are sacrificed on the altar of cold technological "progress." Their society is classless in a mechanistic, authoritarian way that echoes the most extreme interpretations of Marxist dialectical materialism and enforced collectivism, not the fascist doctrine of racial purity and violent nationalism.

In other words, the Cybermen embody the erasure of humanity through enforced conformity and mechanization, a nightmare of dehumanizing industrial and ideological control. To have a proto-Nazi character, whose very ideology thrives on hatred, hierarchy, and racial identity, harness a member of the ultimate classless collective to his ends is a deeply ironic perversion: it is a twisted ideological clash and a grotesque hybridization of two fundamentally opposed totalitarian nightmares.

This contradiction, using the cybernetic “antithesis” of fascism as an instrument of proto-Nazi terror, adds a rich layer of thematic complexity and horror to the story. It suggests the frightening reality that the forces of oppression can co-opt even those elements that are, in essence, their enemies or opposites, twisting them for their own ends. Extremism of any flavour is destructive. To my mind, this also deepens the psychological and existential horror of the lone Cyberman: not only is it a victim of horrific forced transformation, but it is further victimized by becoming an unwilling pawn in a violent political ideology that contradicts its very nature.

This layering of ideological conflict makes Monsters in Metropolis both a compelling period piece and a profound meditation on the dangers of dehumanization, technological abuse, intolerance and political extremism in all its forms. It is a potent reminder that the threats to humanity can come from both the right and the left — and that the most terrifying monsters of all might be those who misappropriate others as pawns to further their own cruel agenda (oh, I might just have to write an essay about that some time! 😝).

In Summary

Monsters in Metropolis succeeds on multiple levels: as a tense, atmospheric historical drama, as an exploration of the personal tragedy behind the Cyberman mask, and as a chilling meditation on the political dangers lurking beneath societal unrest. By humanizing the Cyberman and placing him amidst the fragile political landscape of 1920s Berlin, the story amplifies the tragic cost of dehumanization — both personal and political.

The story’s thematic core is a haunting warning about how totalitarian ideologies, no matter how opposed in theory, share a brutal tendency to crush individuality and exploit technology and people alike for control. This makes Monsters in Metropolis a standout entry in the Ninth Doctor Adventures that reminds us why Doctor Who’s best tales remain relevant and powerful: they hold a mirror to our darkest histories and fears while daring us to hope for humanity behind the monsters.

Final Verdict (tl;dr)

Monsters in Metropolis is a hauntingly humanizing, ideologically rich Cyberman story that brilliantly captures the horror of lost humanity amidst the political shadows of history.

I'm listening my way through The Ninth Doctor Adventures and Monsters in Metropolis is my favourite so far.

The use of a Cyberman in the iconic role within Metropolis makes for a new twist on their race (a similar fresh take also happened in the, more recently released, Sins of the Flesh within the Everywhere and Anywhere boxset).  It's a level of creativity I'd love to see used more often with the Daleks.

The Ninth Doctor's first response to seeing the Cyberman is evocative of the TV episode Dalek, bringing a real sense of danger as Eccleston did in 2005.  And, similar to Dalek, we get to develop a sense of sadness and even empathy for the Cyberman as an increased level of awareness and free-will is exhibited.

A comparison between the ethos of the Cyber-race and the Nazi's creed (with our knowledge that World War Two is on the horizon) brings a sci-fi mirror up to human behaviour; adding the comfort-blanket of distance to allow us the freedom to reflect on what this might mean for us and events around the world - all the more relevant (from an international perspective) at the time of writing this review than at the time of the story's release.

Using the location of the film set of Metropolis adds a sense of occasion and grandeur to the story, and the timing and setting provides a chilling, powerful final message as it draws to a close.

Both a fast-paced and a thoughtful piece, Monsters in Metropolis doesn't hold its punches and, within this range, provides Christopher Eccleston with arguably the best material to sink his acting teeth into yet.

I came into this audio very excited thanks to it's very positive reception among fans.

Sadly this might have set me up for disappointment. By no means was this a bad Cybermen story and I really liked how it takes place against the backdrop of early cinema history. That leads to a very distinct and unique story for these recurring Doctor Who enemies.

Outside of some standout moments like the Doctor reacting to the Cyberman and some good horror scenes with the Cyberman and some of the characters, I didn't quite find this as memorable or as moving as I was hoping for. I like the story enough, it just didn't affect me emotionally much nor draw me in, so I didn't get that good sense of pay-off you want in the story. Still, I can appreciate it is well-made and interesting. I just wish more were done with the idea of this taking place around the production of Metropolis. That's a really neat movie but the idea feels a bit underplayed - Monsters in Metropolis really feels like it could have taken place around any film set and the story would be functionally the same. So we aren't really using Metropolis here. Maybe it is because I most love that movie through its visuals and that is pretty much lost entirely to the audio format. I would love to see this adapted for the show for that reason.

A story over 15 years in the making as outside of a brief cameo in Dalek, the Ninth Doctor managed to elude a clash with the Cybermen, that was until Volume 3 of The Ninth Doctor Adventures. Releasing appropriately on Doctor Who’s birthday, we finally got to experience the Ninth Doctor go up against his second greatest enemies, or enemy in this case as in a poetic mirroring of Series 1, the Doctor encounters a lone damaged Cyberman before facing an army of Cybermen in the two-part finale. Thankfully Monsters in Metropolis is far from just being the Cyberman version of Dalek.

The Doctor arrives in 1920s Berlin on the film set of one of the most important films of all time, Metropolis, the film that helped kick off the sci-fi genre. But he discovers that the Machine Man is not Brigitte Helm in an uncomfortable suit, but instead one of the most dangerous creatures the Doctor has ever fought.

While the parallels to Dalek on the surface may be screamingly obvious, writer John Dorney does a commendable job in making Monsters in Metropolis stand on its own merit while creating a Cyberman story with more depth than most Cybermen stories. The Cybermen stories I tend to gravitate towards are the ones that focus more on the human element. The fact that these soulless killing machines were once just like us and had their own unique identities only to give them up or had them forcibly removed in a desperate attempt to survive by any means necessary. How all their imagination and emotions have been replaced by the cold precision of machine logic and the drive to make all other humans like them. It is understandable why the show, both Modern and Classic, has refrained from this kind of story as the idea of these machine creatures taking people away and tearing them to pieces before stitching them back together with bits of metal and plastic and all their humanity removed isn’t exactly appropriate for the restrictions of appealing to a family audience. Big Finish have much more leeway for this as they’re not constrained by such limitations and what Monsters in Metropolis delivers is a Cyberman that while still a danger to everyone, has also in its damaged state has become more aware of who they used to be. Nicholas Briggs delivers one of his best performances as the Cybermen as he portrays a creature who used to be an ordinary human waking up to the metal nightmare they’ve become. This in turns brings out Eccleston’s best performance so far in Big Finish as he brings out the more compassionate side of his Doctor which all leads to a beautiful ending where the two sit down and watch Metropolis together with the Cyberman delivering a powerful speech. Full disclosure, I consider this the best Cyberman story Big Finish have done since Spare Parts! (at least up until Blood and Steel & The Quintessence)

This is a story that so easily could’ve coasted on doing the bare minimum, it’s the Ninth Doctor’s first encounter with the Cybermen, it’s already a guaranteed buy from the fans. But for John Dorney to go the extra mile in creating a more emotional story is something I have a ton of respect for. This is the kind of story Big Finish needs to do more of with the Ninth Doctor going forward, The Ninth Doctor Adventures have been a lot of fun for what they are, but Monsters in Metropolis is one the few that really takes advantage of the opportunity of creating new stories for the Ninth Doctor.

I must admit jumping through the 9DA every now and then doesn't fullfill me as much as I would have hoped. Don't get me wrong I am far away from having listened to all of his Stories or a lot of them to properly judge it, that said.. I feel a bit underwhelmed by a lot of them, even if Eccelston is a joy to listen to.

That said.. I was VERY excited for this one. I love Metropolis, for me this is easily the best German Movie ever made. Visually stunning, a Rich Story and a lot more but that's probably a Discussion to be had at another Time. And the Cybermen are such a great Idea, when they are used well, they are used so well.

Unfortunatley I feel like the Setting of the Set of Metropolis could be swapped with most other Film Sets, this Story doesn't tie as much into the Themes of the Film as I would have hoped for.

Fortunatley, that said.. This is still amazing. The Cybermen we get here is such an interesting one, by no means totally unique, but a very interesting one. A Cybermen who is basically used as a Puppet to somebody else's Benefits is such a good Idea and is used quite well. 9 has a great Part in the Story and I REALLY enjoyed the Ending, with both of them watching Metropolis together.

And I would lie if I didn't say that having a Doctor Who Story about or at least set in the Metropolis Set is so much fun! And Fun is the best word to describe this one, while this is by no means one of the deepest or greatest Cybermen Stories we got, this is still such a fun Outing! And a worthy one for the ninth Doctor! A True Highlight of that Range!

Audio Review #1

Monsters In Metropolis

This story was fun. It's my first ever audio drama that I watched because my friend lent it to me. I really liked the concept of a cyberman not wanting to kill but it's being commanded to kill against its will. The whole setting in a film studio in Metropolis was a very nice setting and very different to anything we see on screen. I'm so happy that I got to experience 9's encounter with a cyberman in some way it's really cool. Dita was a shocking villain that I didn't expect. It was sad to see the cyberman come to terms with whoever they was before the conversion is long dead. I teared up at that. Overall a good story with a shocking twist and a good concept. 7/10

The Ninth Doctor #14

'Lost Warriors: Monsters in Metropolis' (2021) from The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Series 1.

Some really fantastic stuff in this one. Very glad I saw Metropolis for the first time only a month or so ago so none of the references were lost on me, and in general it was a really fun setting for a Cyberman story. The humanisation of the Cyberman was interesting, and comparing that with the true villain of the story worked nicely enough. Not quite sure if it all pulled together perfectly, but it was a very good time overall.

Well, there’s your first out-and-out classic 9DA! Absolutely lovely marriage of ideas, a great script from John Dorney, fantastic sound design, Eccleston in full effect, one of Nick Briggs’ best performances…basically everything works. Not to rewrite history too much, but when I share these with my dad I am going to point him to Girl, Deconstructed, Planet Of The End, The Curse Of Lady Macbeth, and this as if they were the first box set. It’s a very clever riff on the TV story Dalek, reducing this monster race down to just one of them and really digging in on its particular psychology and situation, and it’s ultimately pretty moving, nicely tragic. It also finds its true villain’s motivation and a really lovely last scene in tying the Cybermen’s ideology to the slow motion slide into an authoritarian regime. Great supporting cast, well-directed. Loved this very much, a top end BF production! 4.75/5

A great story that mixes an intriguing and unique historical setting, smidgens of popcorn Who, and genuine heart.

Upon release of Ravagers, the first Ninth Doctor audio dramas with Eccleston, I came away slightly disappointed. The stories seemed flat, failing to capture the true essence of Eccleston's Doctor, nor present much that was new or compelling. The stories were also reaching for the style and feel of 2005 Who, but never quite hit the mark, often feeling hokey, or perhaps too much of an imitation.

Monsters in Metropolis offers a lot more. This is genuinely compelling Ninth Doctor story that feels additive to Eccleston's excellent catalogue of TV stories.

There's great emotional beats, which use the setting of Weimar Berlin between the World Wars as more than just a cheap background. The narrative feels distinctly Ninth Doctor, and could easily fit in a season of the show pre-2005 (or an alternate universe 2006).

With a lone Cyberman as the main threat of the story, it also offers a compelling parallel to the 2005 episode Dalek, which works perfectly as this Doctor's first encounter with the Cyberman.

The narrative does take a bit of time to warm up, but it's good once it gets going. Though overall a good outing from Eccleston and a decent performance, there are points where he does flub lines. Occasionally, lines feel flat or missing an opportunity for more humorous delivery. Sometimes the dialogue between him and other characters feels slightly unnatural, as if the actors aren't playing off each other in the same room (which, given this may have been recorded during the pandemic, might be the case – I'm not sure).

The conclusion is equally poignant and ominous, rounding out a great drama – well worth a listen for Ninth Doctor fans.

Monsters In Metropolis

I remember first hearing about a story with cybermen on the set of Metropolis and thinking ‘oh god.’ I knew it was either going to be a tired retread of the celebrity historical formula like these things often are or, hopefully, a thoughtful and thoroughly researched use of a setting that has massive potential for a Doctor Who story. I was admittedly quite nervous because the franchise does not always use these historical settings to their full potential *cough* Devil’s Chord *cough*. What I heard instead was a beautifully made and original observation on the Cybermen which clearly comes from someone with deep respect and affection for the source materials on which it was based. John Dorney once again proves himself to be a very brilliant addition to Big Finish’s writers. My only downside is it is not on television, because it would be absolute stunning. 10/10.

Does John Dorney ever miss??? Cybermen in a film shoot is a wonderful premise, and it's executed extremely well.

A+. Maybe A.

Great premise, using a Cyberman in the middle of filming Metropolis (1927) is cool as hell, and the 9th Doctor’s empathetic side is always nice to see. But all in all, the story is somewhat generic and doesn’t go anywhere interesting.