The Tin Men and the Witch (documentary)

The Tin Men and the Witch was a 2|entertain DVD documentary on the making of Revenge of the Cybermen. As a general overview of production, it covered several topics.

A re-edited version was released on The Collection: Season 12 box set, containing newly-recorded interviews with Tom Baker, Roger Murray-Leach and Christopher Robbie, which didn't feature on the original DVD version.

Topics Cover[[edit] | [edit source]]

Barry Letts opened the documentary by explaining that the Cybermen were chosen to be a returning monster as they had always been a favourite, but hadn't been used since Patrick Troughton's tenure. Philip Hinchcliffe's early career was then examined and Letts recalled how he fitted in well with the production team.

On the Blu-ray edit, Hinchcliffe, Briant and Roger Murray-Leach discuss in detail reusing the Nerva set from The Ark in Space, attempting to make it clear that the story was set in an earlier timeline and making the studio floor less obvious.

Michael E. Briant then explained how, in Wookey Hole Caves where they were filming, a diver had drowned four weeks earlier and people claimed to have seen him since. There was also stalagmite there, nicknamed the witch. The electricians dressed it up in a black cloak with a pointy hat and a broom for a joke. One-and-a-half hours later, the second electrician fell off a rock for no apparent reason and broke his leg. Two hours after that, Elisabeth Sladen was forced to jump from her boat when it went out of control and had to be pulled from the water by the stuntman, who then ended up in hospital. On the Blu-ray release, Tom Baker and Murray-Leach also share their memories of Wookey Hole.

Following this, Briant expressed how he was worried as to how the Cybermen would cope in such a low-ceilinged cave system and both he and Hinchcliffe considered how they could only work with a handful of costumes where modern CGI allows for huge armies to be created. Briant chose specific weapon sets for each of the factions; the humans had Uzis, the Vogans had flare guns and the Cybermen had inbuilt guns on their heads - an idea Briant claimed to have pioneered.

It ended with Hinchliffe considering how the effects, such as the plague and Kellman's handheld screen, had held up well; even by modern standards. On the Blu-ray version, it ended with Hinchcliffe and Baker reflection on the early days of Baker's portrayal of the Fourth Doctor.

Booklet synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The making of Revenge of the Cybermen, with director Michael E Briant, incoming producer Philip Hinchcliffe and outgoing producer Barry Letts.

People interviewed[[edit] | [edit source]]

• Barry Letts (Producer)
• Philip Hinchcliffe (Producer)
• Michael E. Briant (Director)
• Roger Murray-Leach (Designer - Blu-ray version only)
• Tom Baker (The Doctor - Blu-ray version only)
• Christopher Robbie (Cyber-Leader - Blu-ray version only)

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

• Camera - Jonathan Flanagan
• Wookey Hole Photography - Chuck Foster
• Other footage & stills courtesy of - BBC Television, Michael Briant
• Music by - Carey Blyton
• Performed by - Stephen Roberts, Jennifer Partridge
• © Upbeat Recordings 1999
• Executive Producer - Dan Hall
• Producer - Ed Stradling
• © 2009 2|entertain