Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #271679 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-01
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Highly regarded and deservedly so!
"On a dark frozen planet where no planet should be, in a doomed city with a sky of stone, the last denizens of Earth's long-lost twin will pay any price to survive, even if the laser scalpels cost them their love and hate and humanity.
"And in the mat-infested streets, round about tea-time, the Doctor and Nyssa unearth a black market in second-hand body parts and run the gauntlet of the augmented police and their augmented horses.
"And just between the tramstop and the picturehouse, their worst suspicions are confirmed: the Cybermen have only just begun, and the Doctor will be, just as he always has been, their saviour..."

"Spare Parts", by Marc Platt, is possibly Big Finish Productions' most highly regarded Doctor Who play, and is also supposed to be the inspiration by the new series' "Rise of the Cybermen". As such I had certain level of anticipation leading up to it (always a risk). As I listened to the first episode, I thought I was going to be disappointed: the sound design seemed lesser than usual, and the events altogether domestic in scale.
However, "Spare Parts" really does turn out to be something special. "Spare Parts" is for the Cybermen what "Genesis of the Daleks" is for the infamous pepper-pots: an origin story, in which the chain of events leading up to the dehumanisation of an entire race is understandable and unavoidable. The twist is that the Doctor, who, once he realises that he and Nyssa have landed on Mondas, simply wants to leave, is eventually instrumental in the survival and development of the Cyber race.
Spare Parts is also a direct prequel / sequel to "The Tenth Planet", and I consider myself very lucky to have listened to "The Tenth Planet" for the first time recently, as I believe it enhanced my enjoyment of "Spare Parts" no end. True to form, Big Finish Productions have recreated the voices of the original "Tenth Planet" Cyberman to perfection, and whatever one's views on those early Cyber voices, it gives "Spare Parts" a tremendous feeling of authenticity and canonicity.
"Spare Parts" boasts a high quality script from "Ghost Light" and "Loups-Garoux" writer Marc Platt, with the Hartley family, with whom Nyssa spends a large part of the story, black market organ trader Thomas Dodd (Derren Nesbitt) and scrientist Doctorman Allan (Sally Knyvette) all being well-formed characters. As stated, the Cyber voices are perfect, while the voices of the Committee that runs the underground city recall the more electronic voices from the Cybermen stories of the Patrick Troughton era. The score is understated and effective and the sound design, which as it turns out offers a quite intentional silence in the first episode, is up to Big Finish's usual high standard.
"Spare Parts" is a fascinating origin story for the Cybermen with an explosive ending, and comes highly recommended.

Simply The Best
In my opinion for what it is worth is that this is simply the BEST Big Finish adventure ever. It tells the story of the origin of the Cybermen and has echoes of the rise of Nazi Germany.

Peter Davison is at his breathless frantic best and you can feel the tension rising as the story progresses and the twist at the end is unexpected but just right.

Origins of the Cybermen
This Cybermen origin story from Big Finish is one of the best original audio dramas of the 117 or so released in the monthly series. In terms of character and mood it serves The Cybermen far better than TV ever could; the title alone immediately giving off vibes of physical and emotional mutilation, and the remorseless, emotionless purpose for which the silver giants from Mondas have become associated.
Peter Davison is on fine form; the youthful and naive appearance of his incarnation of the nomadic Time Lord masking a steely mindset and fierce intelligence, whilst Marc Platt's script crackles and fizzes with energy and panache.

This is a great entry in the monthly Doctor Who audio series, and I heartily recommend it for first-time Big Finish listeners as well as seasoned fans. The price on here is better than if you bought it direct from Big Finish, but their website offers 6 and 12 monthly subscriptions, so if you plan on listening to others in the range it's worth checking their website out before committing to buying this here.