Back into more traditional Who waters now, with guns, marauding robots and a shouty megalomaniac В– which, coupled with В‘old seriesВ’ pacing courtesy of the double episode, by rights should make the В“old is good, new is bad brigade happyВ” (though you know as well as I do itВ’s not going to happen).

The whole thing has a very Troughton-esque feel, probably due to the similarities with Invasion В– though it perhaps shares more DNA with comic book fiction, in particular the character of Lumic and the new cyberdesign, which is certainly beefier than the old jump suits/wet suits sprayed silver look. I was unsure about them at first, they looked far too stylised, but seeing in the context of the show they have a lot of presence and menace.

David Tennant and Billie Piper are as good as ever, though Noel Clarke manages to steal the show as Ricky/Micky, which is no mean feat with Don Warrington and Roger Lloyd-Pack to compete with.

Cybermen have always essentially been walking Daleks В– once-human brains trapped inside metal bodies but stripped of all emotions to make them more efficient killing machines В– and in this story they get their very own Davros in the shape of wheelchair-bound Lumic, and their very own catchphrase too. The link between mobile technology and mind control is nice enough (if a little fuddy-duddy), but we could perhaps have done without В“Delete! Delete!В”

But, having said that, it was nice to enjoy the slower-build up, and the lines of cybermen stomping across the lawn was a good scary moment that should give the kiddies a scare. And itВ’s all a damn sight better than Silver Nemesis. I liked it.

В“You Will Be Deleted: Maximum DeletionВ” will be the battle cry thatВ’s shouted on every playground in the UK come Monday. And quite a few offices, I'll bet!

Just when you think its impossible for Doctor Who to get any better, they pull out all the stops even further and prove that they are unbeatable. What an episode! What a cast! What a sexy shot of mickey in just boxers! Oh, and what wonderful writing! Tom Macrae has proved himself to be a wonderful Doctor Who writer. And the welcome return of Graham Harper for Direction was inspired; he hasnВ’t lost it at all. In fact heВ’s better than ever. The design, direction and general camera work was worthy of top class drama or even Hollywood blockbuster, and the acting was bloody top notch too.

This goes to prove that all the awards Doctor Who has won over the past year, and also VERY recently the three BAFTAВ’s, are more than justified. IВ’m even willing to forgive Roger Lloyd Pack, he overacted mercilessly, but it worked and he looked really sinister in his wheelchair, a deranged megalomaniac. The Earth version of Davros. And no mention of Dave. I love how he is referred to affectionately as В“TriggerВ” in the Forums, that makes me smile.

TonightВ’s episode was the closest yet to the classic series that weВ’ve had in the new series. We had a harrowing, alternate earth where life is totally different, as well as being frighteningly similar and a genius cliff-hanger that really did send the shivers down the spine. You cant really single anything out though, the whole episode was a classic, subtle but with a frightening build up which came to a climax in the last five or ten minutes. That's the way to do it.

It was, of course, always going to be a gamble, bringing the wonderful Cyberman back. Arguably second only to the Daleks, their return needed to be done right and done well. Well, it was. It was an absolute triumph. From the very beginnings of the episode it held me, the death of the TARDIS, the new world, alternate London Town, with the sinister ear pieces, the same location set on a totally different world, the President of Great Britain, the Millionaire lifestyle of the Tylers, the technology and also the throwback to a forgotten age with the Zeppelins. It all worked so wonderfully well.

The President of alternate Great Britain was played by the absolutely perfect Don Warrington. He was В“theirВ” BritainВ’s Harriet Jones, I suppose, and he played the part just as wonderfully as Penelope Wilton. I wish we had more of him next episode because he was a real asset.

The underground "resistance" were, like the President, a great addition, and abley headed by a very familiar "Ricky". A nice little touch to call him Ricky, as Christopher Ecclestons Doctor kept referring to Mickey as "Ricky" last season. That's going to get the fans all chatting.

Above all (bar the Cybermen), It was great to have Pete Tyler back, he brings so much and the reaction Rose shows to even the mention of his name is breathtakingly poignant. Although, it has to be said Rose is still just a tad annoying. SheВ’s too bloody cocky. Maybe next episode will stop all that. One of the few touching scenes in the episode was where Mickey saw his "alive and well Gran". On his alternate doorstep. It was really moving and almost tear inducing.

So, again we had something for everyone: Scares, Plot, Dialogue, wonderful graphics courtesy of The Mill, Tear jerks and of course the essential edge of the seat suspense. All crammed into 45 little minutes. It was also a great idea not to show a coming next trailer, to keep the cliff-hanger in tact, and this weekВ’s TARDISODE has also shown next to nothing. I just hope we get more of Jackie and that Hayden Smith geezer, he needs more of an airing. And a lot more Cyber-ness too if you pleaseВ…

It is difficult to fully review the first of a very strong two part story before the second has aired. The 2 part story was tried last season with varying results and, in my view, the format was not always used to its best effect. Sufficient to say Rise of the Cybermen got off to a very promising start. With more than a hint of Dalek Invasion of Earth and Genesis of the Daleks (men in wheelchairs apart from anything else) and Day of the Daleks with the attack on an English country house and Inferno (duplicate world), there was a lot going on here.

The Doctor initially has to come to terms with the death of his Tardis (the last Tardis) and the inability of the Time Lords to ensure smooth transition between alternate worlds, Rose battles to understand how her mother and father are together in this alternative universe but she does not exist (save for a dog they called Rose) and Mickey discovers that his dead grandmother is still alive in this different London and then stumbles on his totally different counterpart Ricky who comes across as a far more dominant and aggressive person. Intertwined into this action is the downloading of information direct to people through bluetooth devices, the disappearance of people off the streets in the back of large Willy Wonka style lorries and the strange and remote John Lumic in his grand Zeppelin hovering over London.

But of course the best is yet to come - thud, thud, thud - the new generation Cybermen crash into Jackie's birthday party with great gusto - and there are loads of them - each actor having been given intense training in the art of walking like a steel man. Have these metal men been accidentally created in similar guise to their counterparts from Telos and Mondas or is there some sort of connection that John Lumic has tapped into? Whatever the script reveals, these Cybermen are no disappointment. Nick Biggs voices with a new depth and feeling that puts the old Darth Vader interpretation finally to bed - "Excellent"!!

Performances are difficult to fully rate too - for once I would pass particular comment on Noel Clarke's dual role. There was much depth here and I daresay the actor has been given a strong script as his "farewell appearance". Graeme Harper's direction was a tight and professional as one would expect from a Doctor Who stalwart. And didn't David Tennant and Billie Piper look good as waiter and waitress??? Bring on part two . . .

This episode had to be good. The season has gradually got stronger as it's gone along, and then mid way we get the cybermen back, plugged by a radio times cover to boot! Resurrecting a much loved and iconic monster, like DALEK, it had to deliver. Also like DALEK, it resoundingly did.

Alternative timelines haven't been explored too much in TV Who, despite having been done to death in books and audio. This one looked interesting. A sky full of zeppelins, a British President, (I wonder if Mr Blair was jealous...) and, importantly for Rose, some twists with her family. The emotional issues of this were effective because always underplayed. One of the good "tough" moments of last year's FATHERS DAY was the way Pete Tyler was brought back only for Rose to see that her parent's marriage wasn't the loving idyll she'd thought it was. This worked similarly well here with Dad not knowing her and Mum frankly turning her nose up at her. But it was momentary and understated- emotion was never allowed to replace sound plotting here, a lesson some others (including RTD at times) could learn. Mickey was also used well, still the odd man out a la Adric, his journey through this new world was effective. With the confidential hinting that he will be significant in saving the day, who knows what will happen to him? His other world counterpart Ricky was effectively different but his thuggishness seemed overdone at times. Oh yes- in this world Rose is a dog. Unlike some of this season's jokes that was genuinely funny. A dog replacing the child Jackie and Pete never had.

As for the cyber plot itself, well... Roger Lloyd Pack was effective, if melodramatic, as Lumic. A Tobias Vaughan figure changing the world through technology. The satire on downloads and upgrades was sharply done, with the Doctor calling humans obsessed with upgrades, and the scenes of everyone stopping dead whilst downloads arrived was updated. Lumic is making Cybermen in the background to counteract a world seemingly ravaged with disease. International Electromatix got a mention, but I couldn't quite work out whether in this alternative world Cyber technology is being adopted by man after the defeated invasion from THE INVASION or whether in this world Cybermen were just created on Earth instead of Mondas. Whichever, what matters is that the cyberman concept is being effectively taken back to its roots. After an effective start in the sixties, the original Cybermen quickly became just another monster, the humanity of their origins shunted into the background. EARTHSHOCK tried to restore some depth via Peter Davison's scathing verbal battles with the Cyberleader about emotion, and ATTACK OF THE CYBERMEN, muddled as the story was, gave them their moments, but the creatures had lost their clout. They never ever deserved their final outing to be SILVER NEMESIS, in which they land in an already overcrowded and nonsensical plot to be promptly dispatched by a girl with a catapult. It was left to the fan media which filled the gap between season 26 and the new era to give the Cybermen some glory back, and I'm thinking here particularly of Marc Platt's awesome SPARE PARTS which was an origins story to die for. Okay, so there were turkeys like SWORD OF ORION, but ILLEGAL ALIEN, LOVING THE ALIEN and HARVEST were more effective. The Cybermen did well out of the wilderness years, probably better than the Daleks did.

But, in the end, it's the TV show that counts, and now finally the tall steely ones are back on form. A proper story to show them for what they are- converted humanoids- and a great thriller to boot.The idea of the homeless being herded up for coversion was horrific and exciting. Loved the little band of rebels trying to expose Lumic- no doubt the reason why they're called preachers will be revealed. And the execution of the whole thing was pacy and atmospheric. Which brings me to Graeme Harper's direction........it's just been too long since we last had this man on the series. Far, far too long. From that early shot of the voice controlled Cyberman framed in the light, everything shone. Unlike the fast cut editing of many new episodes (and much modern drama), shots were given time to breathe and the pace built up gradually but firmly. The "Cyberhandles" round Jackie's head as Lumic controlled her was one great moment, and those shots of the Cybermen marching were nothing short of breathtaking.

Elsewhere, acting generally good. Tennant, in contrast to some of his more OTT moments this season, gave a reserved perfprmance throughout- his quiet sadness at the apparent death of the TARDIS was good, reminiscent of Davison's resigned horror in FRONTIOS.

So. here's to the conclusion, and more of them at the end of this year's run. Like the Daleks last year, the Cyberman are being kickstarted and restored to full effectiveness.This season is finally starting to acheive greatness.

Imagine a fictional (hopefully) Doctor Who production meeting.

В“OK gang weВ’ve brought back the Daleks in series one, now weВ’re bringing back Cybermen in series two, how are we going to do it?В”
В“How about a two-part story?В”
В“Great, but weВ’re going to have to pad it out a bit. Any ideas?В”
В“What did the fans want us to bring back from the original series?В”
В“A lot of them were upset that Davros didnВ’t turn up in the В‘Parting of the WaysВ’В”
В“Great, letВ’s bring in a Davros-type guy then, but weВ’re still going to need moreВ”
В“What worked well last season?В”
В“That FatherВ’s Day episode was a cracker, why donВ’t we do that again?В”
В“Fantastic, there we go then, problem solvedВ”

Is this where the wheels come off series two of Doctor Who?

This is my first review for Gallifrey One, so please excuse my lack of all the real inside info on Doctor Who. However, having really enjoyed the previous two episodes В‘School ReunionВ’ and В‘The Girl in the FireplaceВ’, and even В‘Tooth and ClawВ’, though it suffered from the regular RTD trait of trying to be too clever, I was really looking forward to this episode. Now the usual fault of two-part stories is that all the creative energy gets exhausted by the second part and the story peters out. I can only hope that В‘The Age of SteelВ’ bucks the trend, because if itВ’s going to be less creative than this then weВ’ve got trouble.

Even Mickey points out that the parallel universe thing has been done time and again, and really this time itВ’s not done very well. In fact any attempt at humour in this episode is doomed to failure with one or two exceptions. Then thereВ’s the standard 2- dimensional megalomaniac in an NHS reject wheelchair. Trigger as a genius inventor? DoesnВ’t quite ring true to me. Am I also allowed to guess that the second part ends with him being killed by his В‘childrenВ’, or is that too obvious?

Add to this thereВ’s Rose and her father, and here is where credibility is stretched to its limits. In the superb FatherВ’s Day, (why is Paul Cornell not writing an episode for this series?) Rose is taken on a heart-wrenching emotional roller-coaster, where she ends up not only losing her father all over again, but almost destroys the Universe and the Doctor en-route. Yet are we to believe that the first thought of an intelligent woman, on entering the non-reality of a parallel universe, and given all her previous experience, is that on seeing a picture of her dad she must go and see him? Sorry donВ’t think so.

This brings us to, what for me, was the only bright spot of the episode the fleshing out of Mickey's character. Here there is the realisation that he had not only lost his family, but he also blamed himself for his grandmotherВ’s death. Here at last is some emotional depth to the character, and a potential escape from being the В‘Tin DogВ’. Are we setting up for Mickey to take over from Rose as the DoctorВ’s travelling companion?

As for the Cybermen, and humans being turned into robots, again been done too often now, and somehow the menace has gone. Even the scene of the Cyber-factory featuring a machine that looked very similar to WallaceВ’s Sheep-shearing invention in В‘A Close shaveВ’, failed to impress. Brains being welded to a metal frame, and all emotions removed, now where have I heard that one? Oh yes itВ’s a Dalek! They even have their version of В‘exterminate!В’. So there we have it Dalek II being put together by Davros II on Earth II, while the Doctor and Rose experience FatherВ’s Day II. The rule is sequels rarely work, and so it proves in this case.

A new and interesting way of telling a Cyberman story. Although not up there with the stronger Cybermen stories like 'Tomb of the Cybermen' and 'Earthshock', but it does rate above average.

I was pleased with the new look of the Cybermen, in the publicity stills which I saw last year the new look didn't really make me think 'Wow!' but actually seeing them in motion on screen has actually make me say out loud 'Wow!'. But I still prefer the look the Cybermen had in the 1980's. However I wasn't too big on the new voices they had, I much preferred how they sound in the Big Finish audio series.

The story was pretty good but I was disappointed that there was too much focus on Rose and Mickey meeting relatives that are dead in there own Universe, it kinda stole the thunder from this alternate Earth which seems to become totally dependant on the 'Human Upgrade'. Then again with any series that RTD is in charge of there is bound to be some family 'melodrama' somewhere.

The CGI airships where pretty cool, it made that difference to the London skyline you kinda knew straight away that this was a different place. Not many shows get the alternate universes right, shows like 'Sliders' and 'Star Trek' don't quite clinch it at times, but this story does.

This was also the first time in the new series that a cliff-hanger ending wasn't spoiled by a 'Next Time' sequence; they did that last year and completely missed the point of 'Cliff-hanger ending'.

The sequence with the people in the street freezing while they get the latest downloads was pretty inspired in my opinion, the last part of it when a new joke was downloaded was a nice touch.

Although a good episode for the most part it did have some things that spoiled it slightly. I rate this story 7/10.