Attack of the Cybermen opened the 22 season of Doctor Who, and the first full season for the Sixth Doctor. Following the traumatic events of The Twin Dilemma, we find the Doctor and Peri still trying to adjust to each other. The 1980’s were notable for being somewhat obsessed with the Doctor Who’s own history, so in this story we get the chance to re-visit the Cybermen in the ice tombs of Telos (as seen in the 1967 story Tomb of the Cybermen, complete with Michael Kilgarriff reprising his role as the Cyber Controller) and also re-acquaint ourselves with Commander Lytton, formerly of the Dalek task force but now seemingly wanting to rendezvous with the Cybermen hidden in the sewers of London (again, shades of the 1960’s classic The Invasion).

Colin is clearly very comfortable in the role very early on. He commands the scenes as if he has been playing the Doctor for years. Maurice Colbourne, Brian Glover, Faith Brown as Cryon Flast and Michael Atwell top the guest artist list. The story is set on modern day earth and the Cyber control centre on Telos, beneath which the native Cryons are waiting to claim back their planet from the Cybermen.

It’s an enjoyable romp of a show, with the Cybermen almost returning to former glory. The sets never live up to the promise of the location footage, although the scenes in the London sewers have a nice claustrophobia about them (and look out for Terry Molloy, casting aside his Davros guise, to play undercover policeman Russell). It’s a bleak ending though with everyone winding up dead, and a particularly gruesome torture scene where the Cybermen crush Lytton’s hands in order to extract information from him.

The story is unique for having the Doctor repair the TARDIS’ Chameleon Circuit, thus resulting in the police box shell turning into a cupboard, a pipe organ and an ornamental gateway.

Attack of the Cybermen not the best Sixth Doctor story but it does re-introduce the new Doctor with a bang. The patchwork quilt has arrived.

COLIN BAKER ONLINE RATING: 7 out of 10

"Hey Doctor, are you sure this outfit will keep the Dad's happy..."

A Cyberman craftily sneaks in an audition for the 7th Doctor. But his diction is too good.

"You can take that mask off now Terry..."

Despite Peri's impressive cleavage, the Doctor preferred a large organ !

And they say the TARDIS was overcrowded during Peter Davison's era !

Gore at the hands of the Cybermen...

The Cyber conversion was almost complete. Maurice Colbourne was ready for Howards' Way.

Attack Of The Cybermen is available on BBC DVD in Regions 2,4 and 1.

The TARDIS is lured to Earth, London, 1985 by an alien distress signal. Investigating, the Doctor and Peri stumble upon an attempted bank robbery staged through the London sewers by a familiar foe – ex-Dalek agent, Lytton. But who is he working for this time?

For they soon discover there is something far nastier lurking in the sewers – Cybermen.

Why do the silver giants need a time machine? What is their devastating plan of attack? And what does it have to do with a catastrophic event that happened long ago in the Doctor’s past?