Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #171678 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-03
• Released on: 2004-05-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Audiobook
• Binding: Library Binding

Synopsis
The Cybermen return to menace the second Doctor Patrick Troughton, in this six-part story from 1968 - only two episodes of which survive in the BBC Television Archives. When the TARDIS materialises on the seemingly deserted Silver Carrier rocket, the Doctor is rendered unconscious by a Servo Robot. It's up to Jamie to contact the nearby Wheel space station for; however, the Wheel is soon under attack from the emotionless Cybermen. The Doctor's old enemies intend to use the Wheel as a beacon for a full-scale invasion of Earth. In their bid to halt the approaching Cyber-fleet, the recovered Doctor and Jamie are helped by the crew of the Wheel - which includes a plucky young astrophysicist named Zoe Herriot. But with the space station already infiltrated by Cybermats, and many of the humans under hypnotic Cyber control, the odds are stacked against them...This exciting adventure introduces Wendy Padbury to the series as new companion Zoe.

Customer Reviews

A typical 1960s Cybermen story
"The Wheel in Space", by David Whitaker, after "The Tomb of the Cybermen", neatly bookends season five, Doctor Who's infamous "Monster season", with a second Cybermen story. Probably not as good as the first of the two, but still entertaining in a low-budget sort of way, "The Wheel in Space" also introduces a new companion, Wendy Padbury's character Zoe.
I've never been a Zoe fan (she's too smart and precocious for my liking, and tends to wind me up), but the character is better served here, apparently insecure about her own cleverness and feeling that her extensive scientific training has left her without a heart, which helps me to better understand the character. I find Zoe's role to be one of the strengths of the story.
In terms of weaknesses, well, effects are always one weakness of early Doctor Who: in the two surviving episodes, available on the "Lost in Time" DVD, we get to see the real special effects used for the deadly meteorite storm (which is otherwise a good way of adding to the menace conveyed by the story), and they are terrible. There are also, as ever, not quite enough Cybermen costumes available to really convince the viewer that a deadly army of the creatures lies in wait (this is reflected in the writing, as the Cybs actually take a back seat for much of the story, with their possessed human slaves doing more damage). The Cybermats are almost more menacing, because they are more numerous, and so insidious.
"The Wheel in Space" has a large cast, making the dialogue a bit harder to follow. However, for much of the time, who is saying what doesn't really matter, as many of the supporting characters are basically ciphers defined only by their various peculiar accents. The more interesting characters, unfortunately, have a tendency to die.
The story certainly has some inventive ideas, and brings the season to a satisfactory conclusion, albeit not going out with much of a bang. Props to the production team for the modelwork used for the ships and the space station as seen in the surviving episodes, which is actually quite good. Clear narration is provided on the CD by Wendy Padbury.

Patrick Troughton Rules!
This well-plotted storyline (suffering only in the last moments of the final episode, which remains on film, from BBC's terrible low-budgeting policy which it chronically applied to this, one of the finest television series in history) features the great Patrick Troughton, the best of all possible Doctor Whos (and that includes the great Tom Baker, by a margin or so). It also introduces the adorable pixie sidekick Zoe, who remained with the Doctor and Jamie in Troughton's final, 1968-69, season. Troughton, who badly needed a rest, is sidelined for several episodes apparently to permit him to vacation, and the show is weaker for his absence. But he returns in the later episodes with his usual vigor, humor, and irresistable charm. Well worth a listen, especially if you happen to have the indispensible DVD set, "Lost in Time," which has the restored surviving two episodes (easy to miss; they're on the second menu of the second Troughton set DVD). Patrick Troughton gets gold stars in heaven for his unforgettable, magnificent, and very moving portrayal of the Doctor.

1st Rate
Don't believe what some may say : This is a 1st-rate Dr Who adventure - The review before this one gives some of the reasons why this is so.

In its own way it is as just as good as "Tomb Of The Cybermen" & "The Invasion".

The Cybermen's voices aren't as good as in previous tales but - despite being a little silly - they are still far preferable to the vaguely-demonic-bog-standard-Sci-Fi-deep-growl of the ersatz Cybermen of the 1980s.

Although it doesn't reach the high vistas of "The Evil Of The Daleks" - which to me is the pinnacle of Dr Who - the image of the Cybermen hatching out of egg-like bubbles ( which can be seen at the beginning of episode 3; one of the surviving episodes ) is a wonderfully fantastical, mysterious & mildly surreal image which has remained with me since childhood.

In my opinion it is only in the Hartnell & Troughton eras that any sustained level of poetic / aesthetic expression is achieved & as I'm writing this I might as well try & put another myth to rest as well - or more like throw my twopenny's worth in ! - ie the excellent "The Abominable Snowmen" is actually at least as good as "The Web Of Fear".

And ( while we're here ) I assume everyone else has noticed that the Sutekh character in the Tom Baker story "Pyramids Of Mars" sounds like an inferior version of the High Lama in "...Snowmen" : The actors even have similar names if memory serves me well ( ? ).
Probably this - & other similarities between these two stories -are well documented in fan circles / Dr Who lore.

As no doubt is the fact that it is Troughton who originated one of Tom Baker's Doctor's best-known idiosyncrasies : ie the sweet thing :
Here in "The Wheel In Space" this characteristic is displayed, for what is probably the 1st time, when he offers Jamie a lemon sherbet; later in "The Space Pirates" there is some mention of toffee or suchlike; & - most tellingly - in "The Three Doctors" he offers jelly babies ( to Omega probably ).

Anyway : Thanks for reading this fellow Troughtonites !