Review by Scott Lopes

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Genesis of the Cybermen is a fantastic new look at the origin story of one of Doctor Who‘s most iconic villains. Set in a parallel universe where the events of Earthshock and Spare Parts didn’t occur, Genesis offers a new perspective on how the Cybermen may have first gotten started. 

Genesis of the Cybermen is definitely one of the better releases from the Lost Stories range in recent years, to say the least. Where many of the recent releases have made it very apparent why they never made it to screen, with some being outright barely different drafts of pre-existing stories, Genesis very much breaks that curse. This isn’t a story that was canceled due to poor quality or in favour of a different draft; it’s quite possibly the best Mondasian Cybermen origin we’ve gotten in any format and miles better than its Season 19 Cybermen finale counterpart, so it really is a shame we never got to see it. 

On the Big Finish-specific side of things, they’ve adapted the story to audio perfectly. The cast gives a fantastic performance here, with Sarah Sutton as Nyssa being a particular highlight in both performance and her role in the story. The music and sound design are gorgeous and perfectly fit the era, sounding straight out of a Season 19 serial, and overall it’s an incredibly well-produced release. 

Genesis of the Cybermen is a surprisingly fresh take on a concept we’ve seen many times already. If you’re a big fan of the Fifth Doctor era or the Cybermen, you’re going to really enjoy this, maybe even a bit more than Spare Parts!

Genesis of the Cybermen is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com