Why I Love… Nightmare in Silver

Guest contributor Will Atkinson thinks the last Cybermen story deserves another look.

Yes, you read that correctly. I love Nightmare in Silver. It’s one of my favourite Cybermen episodes of not just New Who but Doctor Who in general. No, I’m not mad. Put away your pitchforks. I really am going to try an episode that is so contentious in fandom, one that many Who fans have (wrongly) tried to forget. I think Nightmare in Silver is a great episode. Okay, so it’s maybe not Earthshock or The Tomb of the Cybermen, but it’s a lot better than it’s given credit for in my opinion. And I’m going to tell you why.

First of all, it, for me, improves the Cybermen greatly. Truth be told I was never really a fan of the art deco Cybermen we had previously after the show’s return. They just didn’t have the look of the Cybermen that I liked and were too far removed from my idea of how they should be. Also, the fact that they were given “delete” as a catchphrase was a step too far towards being embarrassing, though that didn’t stop me pressing that button on my Cyber-Voice Changer helmet (Best. Christmas Present. Ever.). So when the first photos from filming came out with images of the new, slick and scary design for the Cybermen, I was over the moon. Here were Cybermen like the ones who plagued my dreams when I was little. Here were silver giants who could live up to their classic series predecessor’s reputation. And when the episode was actually shown? Well, they didn’t disappoint.

Though they might not say much, these Cybermen were a proper threat again. No more being blown up with love, or by angry Victorian women, or mobile phones. These Cybermen are so powerful, so unstoppable, you have to blow up an entire planet just to stop them. Yes, they may now essentially just be the Borg in a silver casing but I enjoyed watching their unstoppable onslaught on the comical castle so much that I didn’t really care. Finally technology has caught up enough with Kit Pedler’s original idea and we can see the Cybermen, three million of them no less, on screen properly for the first time. And I for one am very, very happy with how they were shown.

But, despite their prominence so far in my review, the Cybermen aren’t always the main focus in Nightmare in Silver. Writer Neil Gaiman wisely keeps them in the shadows for the most part, only bringing them out for short, sharp attacks, before allowing them to take centre stage at the climax. Most of the episode is build around a much more personal and interesting threat – the Doctor. For one of the few times in the series’ history, the main character acts as the main villain. Infected by Cyber-technology, the Doctor has to fight the dark parts of his psyche, personified as Mr Clever, the new Cyber-planner. I love this idea and how it so grotesquely turns the structure of a normal Doctor Who episode on its head. The Doctor can’t blow up or kill this enemy without killing himself, so he has to reason it with it, battling it out through a game of chess.

Matt Smith, as ever, is wonderful, making both the Eleventh Doctor as cheery and likeable as ever while making Mr Clever a horrible piece of work, one second frenzied and crazy, the next sneering and dark. It’s one of his best performances, and a it is real highlight of the episode. Smith’s acting is matched by Jenna Coleman as Clara, and while it does take a slight suspension of disbelief to accept how easily she takes to being a military commander, Coleman is excellent as the character, making her very likeable despite the not-huge amount of development that the Impossible Girl got in her pre-Series 8 days. The guest cast are all also on fine form, with my personal highlights being the always likeable Warwick Davis, who’s obviously having a whale of a time as Porridge all the way through, and Tamzin Outhwaite, who makes a suitably arrogant and pompous Captain.

Another thing I love about Nightmare in Silver is its setting. Hedgewick’s feels like it real place, and Gaiman quickly manages to conjure up a whole society of Space Emperors and Cyber-Wars through only a few lines of dialogue. The idea of setting in on a dilapidated theme park planet was an inspired one, not only giving the story a unique setting but also giving it a new and different feel, reflected in the new Cybermen. It additionally allows us to get away from the Earth-bound, city feel that has generally gone with the Cybermen since their return. This is new territory for them to be in, in the revived series at least.

In addition to these points, I also enjoy how much of this episode feels like a labour of love of Gaiman’s part. From references to moonbases, to Cyber-Planners , and cleaning fluids, and even the way the Cybermen exit their tombs in three identical lines all show how enthused Gaiman was by previous Cyber stories, and he tries to touch on all of them, but not in a way to confuse new viewers. It really comes across on screen that Gaiman really wanted this to be a story for the fans-it’s a shame then that so many disliked it.

I will admit, there are some bits here that I do dislike. I agree with fandom that Angie and Artie are the two most abhorrent characters to ever appear in Doctor Who, and I personally wish they could have done an Adric to defeat the Cybermen. Some of the other performances are also a bit weak – the soldiers are a variable bunch when it comes to acting, and Webley is dispatched far too soon.

Director Stephen Woolfenden doesn’t seem to have fully got to grips with the script, though on the whole he turns out a good enough end product. I do also think more could have been done with the Cybermites, though I liked their gruesome nature. However, I don’t think any of these points dragged down the episode that much.

So, ahead of their triumphant return on Saturday, please join me in giving the Cybermen’s last proper story a bit more love. It’s really not a bad tale, and if you can look past Angie and Artie, there’s a whole lot here to like.