Stories Television Doctor Who Season 5 Classic Who S5 Serial: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The Abominable Snowmen 1 image Overview Episodes Characters How to Watch Reviews 9 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 4 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, September 30, 1967 Production Code NN Written by Henry Lincoln, Mervyn Haisman Directed by Gerald Blake Runtime 150 minutes Time Travel Past Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Base Under Siege, Earth Invasion, Mind Control, Robots, Spiked drink Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, Tibet Synopsis Mysterious forces are at work in 1930s Tibet. Savage Yeti are besieging a Buddhist monastery. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive expecting a friendly welcome from the abbot, but soon become ensnared in the plans of the extradimensional being known as the Great Intelligence. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save 6 Episodes Episode One Missing First aired Saturday, September 30, 1967 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Mervyn Haisman Henry Lincoln Directed by Gerald Blake UK Viewers 6.3 million Appreciation Index 50 Synopsis When the TARDIS materialises in the Himalayas, the Doctor decides to pay a return visit to the nearby Det-Sen monastery only to be accused of murder. Episode Two First aired Saturday, October 7, 1967 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Mervyn Haisman Henry Lincoln Directed by Gerald Blake UK Viewers 6 million Appreciation Index 52 Synopsis Jamie and Victoria make their way to the monastery shortly before it is attacked by the Yeti. Episode Three Missing First aired Saturday, October 14, 1967 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Mervyn Haisman Henry Lincoln Directed by Gerald Blake UK Viewers 7.1 million Appreciation Index 51 Synopsis While the Doctor and Jamie return to the TARDIS for equipment, the control sphere Jamie brought to the monastery is reactivated. Episode Four Missing First aired Saturday, October 21, 1967 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Mervyn Haisman Henry Lincoln Directed by Gerald Blake UK Viewers 7.1 million Appreciation Index 50 Synopsis The Yeti escapes from the monastery and Victoria and Thonmi are accused of assisting it, while the Doctor and Jamie endure a perilous journey back across the mountains. Episode Five Missing First aired Saturday, October 28, 1967 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Mervyn Haisman Henry Lincoln Directed by Gerald Blake UK Viewers 7.2 million Appreciation Index 51 Synopsis Victoria falls under the mental influence of Padmasambhva as the Yeti attack in order to drive the monks from the area. Episode Six Missing First aired Saturday, November 4, 1967 Runtime 25 minutes Written by Mervyn Haisman Henry Lincoln Directed by Gerald Blake UK Viewers 7.4 million Appreciation Index 52 Synopsis With the Great Intelligence on the verge of becoming corporeal, the Doctor challenges Padmasambhva to a mental battle in order to defeat it. Show All Episodes Characters Second Doctor Patrick Troughton Jamie McCrimmon Frazer Hines Victoria Waterfield Deborah Watling The Great Intelligence First Appearance Yetis First Appearance Edward Travers Show All Characters (6) How to watch The Abominable Snowmen: Watch on iPlayer Blu-Ray The Abominable Snowmen Steelbook Blu-Ray The Abominable Snowmen DVD The Abominable Snowmen DVD Lost in Time VHS The Troughton Years (VHS) Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 9 reviews 14 March 2025 · 39 words Review by Azurillkirby 1 I probably would have enjoyed this if it was four episodes. At six, this one *really* overstays its welcome. The pace is glacially slow. I was largely just bored by the end. Not looking forward to more 6-parters... D. Azurillkirby View profile Like Liked 1 11 March 2025 · 48 words Review by Scottybguud 1 With just episode 2 surviving, and the rest reconstructions, which I find boring to get through, I've never really like this story. However, watched the animation and found it not bad. Bit long with six episodes, but the great intelligence was a good villain and the yeti formidable lackeys. Scottybguud View profile Like Liked 1 27 February 2025 · 55 words Review by greenLetterT 2 The Abominable Snowmen has a meandering plot that would've been better suited to 4 rather than 6 episodes, a monster that fails at "scary" and lands firmly in "quite sweet, actually", and a lot of yellowface and racism. Maybe one day it will be found again, but honestly?, I cannot muster any strong feelings on the matter greenLetterT View profile Like Liked 2 17 November 2024 · 125 words Review by Dogtor Original (French) Translation (English) “I think this is one of those instances where discretion is the better part of valour” Un arc lent (trop lent !) qui malgré ses méchants hyper cute, et une atmosphère tibétaine sympa, ne se contente que d’aligner les clichés les plus fastidieux d’un format déjà usé. Le pire, c’est que malgré un Travers somme toute assez attachant, on retrouve un peu les mêmes défauts que The Tomb of the Cybermen, mais étirés en six parties. Là aussi le trio central et les valeurs de production sont donc la grâce salvatrice d’un épisode fondamentalement mal foutu. Mais si c’est seulement ça qui sauve la saison, alors elle peut vite s’écrouler. Click here to translate Dogtor View profile Like Liked 0 19 August 2024 · 280 words Review by 15thDoctor Spoilers 3 This review contains spoilers! This is a story with a classic set up. Within moments of The Doctor arriving in a place, he finds two men brutally murdered and is then accused by the locals of committing the crime. Sound familiar? Despite this, there is plenty that sets this story apart from the rest of Doctor Who. Firstly, Victoria and Jamie have turned out to be a fantastic companion combination. The writers have yet to drop the ball with them. The setting of a Tibetan monastery is interesting and from what I can see, the sets look great. Within the first episode you are introduced to a whole host of interesting characters with credible motives. Stealing the show here is Travers, a man ridiculed in his own country, setting out to prove the existence of the Yeti. Tomney is also a stand out performer in this story, I have to say that the man who plays the abbot is not the best actor in the world, there is never any change in the expressions on his face (though I appreciate that he is playing a man whose mind has been exposed to consistent bouts of amnesia - a difficult role to play). The Yeti are undoubtedly the most interesting aspect of this story, the first new enemies that we've been introduced to with a high level of impact since the Cybermen. They attain truly 'classic' status. Hilariously Travers mistakes The Doctor for them in his woolly coat. The locations here are great, mountaintops and prisons. The Great Intelligence is fantastic in this story, I like that throughout the six episode we find out that each villain is being controlled by an even greater villain! 15thDoctor View profile Like Liked 3 Show All Reviews (9) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating370 members 3.21 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating426 votes 3.63 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 668 Favourited 24 Reviewed 9 Saved 4 Skipped 4 Related Stories Reeltime Downtime Rating: 2.95 Story Skipped Movie Reviews(3) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Reeltime Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved The Early Adventures S7 • Episode 2 The Secrets of Det-Sen Rating: 3.45 Story Skipped Audio Book Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: The Early Adventures Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other adaptations of this story: We define an adaptation as a recreation of a similar story but on a different medium or with different characters. Target Collection Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen Rating: 3.59 Story Skipped Book Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Target Collection Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Other variations of this story We define a variation as another way of experiencing the exact same story - like an autiobook, a reconstruction or an omnibus edition. Animated Reconstructions The Abominable Snowmen (Animated Reconstruction) Rating: 3.37 Story Skipped Animated Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Animated Reconstructions Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved BBC Audio Soundtracks The Abominable Snowmen (BBC Audio Soundtrack) Rating: ??? Story Skipped Soundtrack Reviews(1) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: BBC Audio Soundtracks Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite Tags: Funny DOCTOR: Victoria, I think this is one of those instances where discretion is the better part of valour. Jamie has an idea. Come along. — Second Doctor, The Abominable Snowmen Show All Quotes (4) Open in new window Transcript Needs checking (Transcriber's note - episodes 1, 3 to 6 inclusive only exist as audio.) Episode One [Mountainside] (High on a mountainside, sheltered by a rocky outcrop, a camp fire glimmers fitfully in the night air. A man cries out. Edward Travers, woken by the cry, sits up quickly.) TRAVERS: John? Show Full Transcript Open in new window
