Doctor Who The Abominable Snowmen: Episode 1 (1963–1989) Online

Review for all 6 episodes:

A story set in 1935 Tibet with Yeti, a strange alien menace and a Buddhist monastery. The Doctor and his companions are all on top form with Troughton and Hines great as usual and Deborah Watling finding her feet. The story is brilliantly written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and it entertains from start to finish.

This adventure has great characterisation with particularly Travers (Jack Watling) and the interesting villain the Great Intelligence. The switching between the kindly voice of the Great Intelligence's possessed host and the evil true voice of the villain works well and the character - which was to return later in the series and again in the new Doctor Who in recent years - is a really good one. Travers who would also return in The Web of Fear is another interesting and fully three dimensional character.

The Yeti, robots controlled by The Great Intelligence, are effective and cleverly devised monsters although they look a bit too cuddly. The versions in the later story The Web of Fear were slightly more sinister looking.

The first episode is a brilliant set up episode with an effective and atmospheric build up, thereafter the story continues as magnificently high quality entertainment. Overall the story is a classic and sets up the even better Web of Fear later in the series.

All 6 Episodes - 10/10

The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria land in Tibet. Having previously visited The Doctor sets off alone to Det Sen monastery with a holy relic, expecting a warm welcome. On his way he spots a huge footprint and finds a dead man by a camp site. When he gets there he encounters the Monks and Professor Travers, The Doctor is wrongly accused of murder and imprisoned. In his cell The Doctor glimpses what he thinks to be a Yeti outside, Travers explains he's there in search of the elusive creatures. Warrior monk Khrisong believes Travers' story and demands to take matters into his own hands, believing the Doctor to also be guilty of the death of several monks. Jamie and Victoria bored with waiting have wandered into a cave, and are attacked by a Yeti.

I love the Abominable snowmen, it's the first time we get to see the wonderful Professor Travers, brilliantly played by Victoria's real life father Jack Watling. They Yeti too were a tremendous creation, it is no wonder they were quickly re-introduced in The Web of Fear.

Victoria was wonderfully sassy in her earlier episodes, she's the one curious and wanting to explore, Jamie being more reserved.

Part 1 is a solid start, setting the scene well, the story definitely gets better as it moves along. 8/10