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In the sickbay a feverish Jamie begins to rant about a "Phantom Piper", a figure said to appear to a McCrimmon before death. While attending to Jamie, Polly sees a large figure leave through the door. When Hobson, the Doctor, Ben, John and Nils arrive to collect Evans' body, it has disappeared. They then leave to investigate where this 'piper' is. Polly goes to get water, and Jamie wakes up to see the 'piper' advancing on him.
[[File:Cyberman (5923236365) (CyberTelosian crop).jpg|thumb|left|The redesigned Cybermen, on display at a Doctor Who exhibition]]
The 'piper' ignores Jamie, steals another patient and leaves. Polly comes back in just as the figure is leaving and recognises it as a [[Cyberman]], and the Doctor realises their old enemies are taking the patients' bodies. Hobson brushes away the cyber-story, believing they died out years ago. He gives the Doctor 24 hours to discover the cause of the virus, or else he and his companions must leave.
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==Production==
''The Moonbase'' is the second story to feature the Cybermen after ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'' (1967) earlier in the season. Due to the success of ''The Tenth Planet'', producer [[Innes Lloyd]] hoped they could be the new returning foes replacing the [[Dalek]]s, began discussing the return of the Cybermen with their creator [[Kit Pedler]] during the month ''The Tenth Planet'' was airing.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=117}} The serial was commissioned on 18 November 1967 as ''Dr Who and the Return of the Cybermen'', with Davis as a co-writer to help develop Pedler's ideas, as Pedler was not experienced at TV writing.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=118}} To be mindful of costs while still preserving spectacle, script editor [[Gerry Davis (screenwriter)|Gerry Davis]] asked for a story developed around one large set.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=117}} Pedler was inspired by the [[Space Race]].{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=117}} After the serial was commissioned, a late decision was made for Jamie (Frazer Hines) to be a regular cast member; Pedler adapted to this by having Jamie be unconscious during half of the serial, and Davis improved Jamie's role at the editing stage.<ref name="lunar">{{cite video |people=|date=2013 |title=Lunar Landing: Making the Moonbase |medium=DVD |publisher=[[BBC Worldwide]] |location=''The Moonbase'' DVD }}</ref>{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=117-118}} The first three episodes' scripts were delivered 23 December 1967.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=118}}
The first three episodes were recorded on successive Saturdays at ''Doctor Who's'' then regular home of [[Riverside Studios|Riverside 1]], but for Episode 4 it moved back to [[Lime Grove Studios|Lime Grove D]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-moonbase/|title = The Moonbase ★★★★}}</ref> A final clip, used to carry the story into the subsequent adventure, ''[[The Macra Terror]]'', was filmed separately during the making of that story, as the Macra prop was too large to be brought into the studio.
This story is also the last story to use the original title sequence that had been in use since [[An Unearthly Child|the first serial]];<ref name="4th dimension"/> [[The Macra Terror|the next serial]] introduced a new sequence with different howlaround patterns that incorporated Troughton's face.
===Cast notes===
==Broadcast and reception==
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{{Episode list/sublist|The Moonbase
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|Viewers = 8.1
|Aux1 = 24:12
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|Viewers = 8.9
|Aux1 = 24:42
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|Viewers = 8.2
|Aux1 = 26:11
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|Viewers = 8.1
|Aux1 = 23:28
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{{note|a|†}} [[Doctor Who missing episodes|Episode is missing]]
''The Moonbase'' was broadcast on [[BBC1]] in four weekly parts from 11 February to 4 March 1967.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=135}} The serial was an improvement in ratings for ''Doctor Who''; Episode Two (8.9 million viewers) were the highest in over a year, and Episode Four had the highest [[Appreciation Index]] in two years at 58 out of 100.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=134-135}} The serial was sold internationally to Australia, New Zealand, Uganda, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Zambia.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=135}}
Clearance was given for the original tapes [[Doctor Who missing episodes|to be wiped]] in 1969, although Episodes Two and Four remained in the archives.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=135}}
===Reception===
Ann Lawrence of ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Morning Star]]'' reviewed the first two episodes on 22 February 1967, describing it as better than some recent serials. However, she wanted less screaming from Polly.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=134}}
[[Paul Cornell]], [[Martin Day (writer)|Martin Day]], and [[Keith Topping]] gave the serial an unfavourable review in ''The Discontinuity Guide'' (1995), writing that it was "illogical and boring, reducing the Cybermen to the role of intergalactic gangsters".<ref name="discontinuity">{{cite book |title=[[The Discontinuity Guide]] |last1=Cornell |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Cornell |last2=Day |first2=Martin |author-link2=Martin Day (writer) |last3=Topping |first3=Keith |author-link3=Keith Topping |year=1995 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20442-5 |chapter=The Moonbase|chapter-url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/moonbase/detail.shtml}}</ref> In ''The Television Companion'' (1998), [[David J. Howe]] and [[Stephen James Walker]] noted that it was a remake of ''The Tenth Planet'' but was "far superior" in the way the Cybermen were portrayed. They also praised the music, acting, and the shots on the Moon, but they felt the direction was "lacklustre" in places and called the shots of the Cyberman ship landing "amongst the worst ever seen in ''Doctor Who''".<ref name="television companion">{{cite book | author = [[David J. Howe|Howe, David J]] & [[Stephen James Walker|Walker, Stephen James]] | year = 1998 | title = Doctor Who: The Television Companion | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/moonbase/detail.shtml | edition = 1st | location = London | publisher = [[BBC Books]] | isbn = 978-0-563-40588-7}}</ref> In 2009, Patrick Mulkern of ''[[Radio Times]]'' also praised the redesigned Cybermen and the atmosphere. He wrote that the scripts "impart dollops of science without jarring and allow for a good deal of incident and suspense".<ref name="Radio Times">{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Mulkern|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2009-05-21/the-moonbase|title=Doctor Who: The Moonbase|work=[[Radio Times]]|date=21 May 2009|access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref> AV Club's Christopher Bahn said "Whatever flaws it may have, and it’s far from perfect, "The Moonbase" has more than enough going for it to earn a place as one of the must-see serials of the Second Doctor era."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/doctor-who-classic-the-moonbase-1798180255|title=Doctor Who (Classic): "The Moonbase"|first=Christopher|last=Bahn|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=19 April 2014 }}</ref> In 2010, ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' named the resolution of patching the hole in the Moonbase with a drinks tray as one of the silliest moments in ''Doctor Who''{{'s}} history.<ref>{{cite web|first=Steve|last=O'Brian|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/08/29/doctor-whos-25-silliest-moments/2/|title=Doctor Who's 25 Silliest Moments|work=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|date=November 2010|access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref>
===Legacy===
The reception to ''The Moonbase'' led directly to a return of the Cybermen; on 3 March 1967, script editor Gerry Davis commissioned Pedler to write what would become ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'' (1967).{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=134}}
In the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' poll for the show's 60th anniversary in 2023, ''The Power of the Daleks'' was voted the eleventh best story of the Second Doctor's tenure, out of a total of 21.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The DWM 60th Anniversary Poll: The Second Doctor |journal=Doctor Who Magazine |date=May 2023 |issue=589|publisher=[[Panini Comics]]}}</ref> In a 2010 article, [[Charlie Anders|Charlie Jane Anders]] of [[io9]] listed the cliffhanger to the third episode—in which the Cybermen march across the Moon's surface towards the base—as one of the greatest cliffhangers in the history of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Charlie Jane|last=Anders|url=https://gizmodo.com/greatest-doctor-who-cliffhangers-of-all-time-5625151|title=Greatest Doctor Who cliffhangers of all time!|publisher=[[io9]]|date=31 August 2010|access-date=24 March 2013}}</ref> She ranked the serial the 35th best ''Doctor Who'' story of all time and a "classic" in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|first=Charlie Jane|last=Anders|url=https://gizmodo.com/every-single-doctor-who-story-ranked-from-best-to-wors-1468104049|title=Every Single Doctor Who Story, Ranked from Best to Worst|accessdate=25 August 2024|date=17 September 2015}}</ref>
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A novelisation of this serial written by [[Gerry Davis (screenwriter)|Gerry Davis]] was published by [[Target Books]] in February 1975 under the title ''Doctor Who and the Cybermen''.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=136}}
===Home media===
In July 1992, episodes 2 and 4 of this story were released on [[VHS]] as part of the video ''Cybermen – The Early Years''.{{sfn|Ainsworth|2016|p=136}} In November 2004, they were included in the ''[[Lost in Time (Doctor Who)|Lost in Time]]'' DVD set
This serial was set to be released on DVD in October 2013, with episodes 1 and 3 represented by new animation from Planet 55 Studios;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/05/dvds-020513093008.html |title=DVD Update: Cybermen 'invade' Autumn |publisher=Doctor Who News |date=2013-02-05 |access-date=2013-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/08/dvd-update-300813100008.html |date=30 August 2013 |title=DVD Update|newspaper=Doctor Who news |first=Chuck |last=Foster}}</ref> however there were production delays. The eventual release date was 20 January 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Moonbase-Patrick-Troughton/dp/B00H7WX790/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1389131640&sr=1-1&keywords=the+moonbase|title=Doctor Who – The Moonbase [DVD]|work=Amazon.co.uk|access-date=7 January 2014}}</ref>
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==References==
{{reflist|refs=
}}
== Bibliography ==
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