| 172a – "Rise of the Cybermen" | |||
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| Doctor Who episode | |||
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Companions
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Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Graeme Harper | ||
| Written by | Tom MacRae | ||
| Script editor | Helen Raynor | ||
| Produced by | Phil Collinson | ||
| Executive producer(s) | Russell T Davies Julie Gardner | ||
| Music by | Murray Gold | ||
| Production code | 2.5 | ||
| Series | Series 2 | ||
| Running time | 1st of 2-part story, 45 minutes | ||
| First broadcast | 13 May 2006 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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"Rise of the Cybermen" is the fifth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 13 May 2006. The episode introduces a terrestrial reinvention of the Cybermen, as well as a parallel universe which would serve as a recurring plot element in the series. It is the first part of a two-part story, the concluding part being "The Age of Steel", broadcast on 20 May.
The episode is set in the parallel universe's version of London. In the episode, the businessman John Lumic (Roger Lloyd-Pack) seeks to "upgrade" all of humanity into Cybermen by placing their brains inside metal exoskeletons.
The episode was directed by Graeme Harper, who became the first and so far only person in the show's history to have directed episodes in both the original and revived runs of the series: he previously directed the critically acclaimed serial The Caves of Androzani in 1984,[1] and Revelation of the Daleks in 1985.
The episode was the first Doctor Who story to feature the Cybermen in the show's 2005 revival. They last appeared 18 years prior in Silver Nemesis.