Fans of Doctor Who – The Lost Stories range of audio dramas from Big Finish will be happy to hear that The Lost Stories: Genesis of the Cybermen is now available to purchase as a download or a 2-disc limited edition box set. Starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, listeners will be treated to the origin of those Mondasian villains, the Cybermen.
In the 1980s, Cybermen co-creator Gerry Davis pitched the Genesis of the Cybermen to the Doctor Who team. Although it was rejected at the time, an outline of it was printed in the 1988 book Cybermen by David Banks. Now, thanks to David K Barnes, it has been adapted into a full-cast audio drama.
On a distant world a king is dying, his heir holds no interest in the throne and his younger son is committed to saving the population from extinction. When the TARDIS arrives, the Doctor and companions Tegan (Janet Fielding), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Adric (played by Matthew Waterhouse) believe they can help. But this world is Mondas, and it holds a terrifying and emotionless future.
The TARDIS crew are joined by Nicholas Briggs as the Cybermen, Nuhazet Diaz Cano as Prince Sylvan, Kelly Price as Queen Meta, Colin Tierney as King Dega, Michael Abubakar as Young Dega/Raith and Evie Ward-Drummond as Young Meta/Shan.
L-R (back row); Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, Evie Ward-Drummond, David K Barnes, Kelly Price, Michael Abubakar, Colin Tierney; (front row) Nuhazet Diaz Cano
“The setting that Gerry envisaged is a wonderful fusion of futurism and fairy tale, all kings and castles and rival princes, with the Cybermen representing the perils of science without culture. I’ve tried to develop Gerry’s characters further, giving the story’s villain a stronger motivation, while digging into themes that seemed especially resonant today like climate change, mental burnout, and the tension between art and AI.”
The Lost Stories: Genesis of the Cybermen is available to purchase from the Big Finish website for £13.99 for the download, or as a 2-disc CD limited collector’s edition for £16.99.
