This Saturday, 12th April, is Record Store Day. ‘Doctor Who’ fans and those who love classic British science-fiction will be excited to hear that Demon Records is adding ‘Doctor Who – The Tenth Planet’ to its wide catalogue of the televised stories now available on vinyl LP. The eight records that Demon Records is set to release as part of Record Store Day will only be available at independent record shops as part of #RSD25.
The two vinyl LPs in this release are pressed in white and silver, celebrating the first appearance of the Cybermen in this classic 1966 adventure. With the soundtrack covering one episode per side, audiophiles can enjoy a unique way to experience this partially-missing story. Frustratingly, the pivotal fourth and final episode is missing from the BBC’s archives, leaving only the first three episodes in visual format. An advantage of playing the soundtrack, which is augmented with linking narration by Anneke Wills (who features in the story as companion Polly), is that it’s a much less disjointed experience when it’s all in audio format.
The TARDIS crew (comprising the Doctor, Ben and Polly) take shelter at a research base in the South Pole in the near future – 1986. When a spaceship lands nearby, scientist start dying violently. Soon, the base is invaded by emotionless cyborgs. They have come to destroy earth and take humans back to their own planet to have their organs harvested for conversion.
‘The Tenth Planet’ was written by Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis and introduced the Cybermen, creatures that became the second most iconic monsters in ‘Doctor Who’s history, behind only the Daleks.
The writers’ concepts are ingenious and have stood the test of time. The Cybermen were originally a humanoid species from earth’s twin planet Mondas, but conditions on that planet became so extreme after it drifted from the solar system that survival depended upon mechanical adaptations to the biological frame. This process became more and more extreme until little was left of the humanoid creature. Feelings were considered a weakness and eradicated. The messianic mission of the resulting Cybermen became to convert every other living creature. ‘The Tenth Planet' features strong guest appearances by Robert Beatty (who was at the time soon to star in Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey') as the granite-like General Cutler and Earl Cameron as the astronaut Williams.
‘The Tenth Planet’ is a pivotal moment in ‘Doctor Who’ history. It is the final story in the tenure of the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell. The actor’s failing health led to a problem for the production team of how to continue the show with a new leading man. The concept of regeneration was borne out of necessity and Patrick Troughton makes his first appearance as the Second Doctor in the closing sequences.
Against a tumultuous background of rapidly changing producers and the trauma of a new leading man, ‘The Tenth Planet’ is surprisingly coherent as a story, benefitting from a good set of scripts. If anything, the writing of Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis is a touch over-intellectualised. A lot of high concepts find their way into the story, but they tend to be explored through exposition. Much of episodes two and three are dialogue-heavy and action-light, consisting of the Cybermen explaining their plans to the humans. Ideal for the audio format!
The sing-song voices of the Cybermen are a strange choice that don’t succeed in conveying menace. They would become much more mechanical in the monsters’ subsequent appearances. It’s also a shame for William Hartnell that he is sidelined for much of his final episode as the incumbent Doctor owing to ill health, whilst his companions work together to save the day.
But when ‘The Tenth Planet’ is remembered, it’s for its two vital contributions to ‘Doctor Who’s extraordinary legacy – introducing the Cybermen and for making the main character vulnerable to death and subject to unpredictable rebirth. For those reasons this story will always be held in high esteem by fans.
Celebrate ‘Doctor Who’ on Record Store Day 2025 with this brilliantly-designed release of ‘The Tenth Planet’. The stunning cover art depicts a Cybermen in the shadows, ably demonstrating how haunting the cloth mask with holes for the eyes and mouth might have been under the right lighting conditions.
Cast: William Hartnell, Anneke Wills, Michael Craze, Robert Beatty, Earl Cameron Writers: Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis Director: Derek Martinus Running time: 100 mins Released by: Demon Records Release date: 12th April 2025 Buy ‘Doctor Who – The Tenth Planet'
