Earthshock

Matt Foy says, can the invasion be considered as the best cyber story, despite featuring relatively few cybermen? Discuss.

I seem to recall on an AMA, you went for Earthshock, which I think makes sense cyber-wise, but I prefer this as a story.

Amazing that Bob Holmes never went full-on body horror with them later, but I digress.

Yeah, I think that's very true, Matt.

I mean, historically, Dan, as well, the Cybermen hadn't appeared on screen for a very long time.

So, David and David, I was 11 years old when Earthshock was screened.

So I didn't really know about the Cybermen.

You know, there were a couple of Target books that I had read.

But with characters like Cybermen and Daleks, they literally can't change.

And yet you managed to put that over.

Did you feel because with your chin being exposed in those in that early appearance, the first appearance in Earthshock, did that did that help or was that is it just more just more makeup? Do you view it just as David said, as just external makeup, hard makeup?

I viewed it as mask, what we call in the theatre mask work or in films.

Okay, I'll shut up on that one.

Earthshock.

I think it's only got the reputation it has due to the endings.

it's good but not the best oh

The Cybermen just really have not been good since.

I'll say they're good in Earthshock, but nothing compares to them in the 60s.

Yeah.

Let's do Happiness Patrol next.

Because Peter can be a good...

Like, Peter Androzani is the pure case example.

But then even on a story like Earthshock, when he is written to...

And then Fire Doctors in particular is another one where, like, when he is written to be the doctor, he's a very good doctor.

And then seeing people being like, now, will this be canon to the TV show? How will this fit into the canon? What fucking planet are you on?

But you know that they're going to have a Earthshock-style, this one calls himself the Doctor-type scene.

aren't they and that we're going to have a little animated racist william hartnell going where are you from because you know i mean we can probably say from the way that you know this has been designed that we've got another doctor of color which is very exciting

yeah yeah yeah

Amazing.

And also some of my Earthshock.

I also began Earthshock.

Amazing.

I did only episode one of Earthshock and then I realised, you know, I think maybe they announced Ian Marta was doing it and I thought, oh.

Yeah.

And even though I never believed for a moment I was only, what, 12 years old, I never thought I could publish this, and I knew it was all so terrible.

Even at 12, I knew it was awful.