Spare Parts (audio story)

 was the thirty-fourth monthly Doctor Who audio story produced by Big Finish Productions. It explained the somewhat surprising origins of the Mondasian Cybermen.

It was the partial inspiration for two 2006 Doctor Who television episodes — The Age of Steel and Rise of the Cybermen, on which Spare Parts writer Marc Platt received acknowledgement.

Publisher's summary
"I'm not even sure they are people by the end. They're just so many tinned left-overs..."

On a dark frozen planet where no planet should be, in a doomed city with a sky of stone, the last denizens of Earth's long-lost twin will pay any price to survive, even if the laser scalpels cost them their love and hate and humanity.

And in the Mat-infested streets, round about tea-time, the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa unearth a black market in secondhand body parts and run the gauntlet of augmented police and their augmented horses.

And just between the tramstop and the picturehouse, the Doctor's worst suspicions are finally confirmed: the Cybermen have only just begun, and the Doctor will be, just as he always has been, their saviour...

Surfacing (1)
50's style newsreel footage explains that its been 6 years since anyone stepped on to the surface of the the planet. A voice from the Central Committee wishes the astronaut good luck as he steps from the capsule. We hear heavy breathing as he steps out of the rocket. His breathing becomes more labored, he screams and is killed.

Nyssa reads the marquee on the top of a picture house. The Doctor explains that that film sounds particularly tawdry. He notices that the cinema has been boarded up for years. Nyssa replies that a boarded up picture house doesn't prove that they've landed on Earth. The Doctor tells her that coming here was probably not a good idea and she replies that The Doctor didn't say much at all, just that the coordinates weren't right. Nyssa determines that they haven't landed on Earth, but The Doctor refuses to tell her where they have landed. The streets are empty and the atmosphere is stuffy, like a hothouse. The Doctor tries to convince her that have they landed in the heart of London in the 1950's, but she knows that cities on Earth weren't built into stone caverns and that Earth isn't a gray planet drifting light years from any star. The Doctor knows that he's not on Earth and tells Nyssa that they should leave, but convinces himself to explore for a half hour and then meet back at the TARDIS. They split up, telling Nyssa to explore but not get involved.

Mr. Hartley and his daughter Yvonne chase a Deluxe Mark VI Cybermat under a timber stack. Dad tries to catch it but turns out to be a swarm of them. The timbers fall on him crushing his chest. Yvonne calls for help as Nyssa comes up to see what's wrong. Yvonne coughs, telling Nyssa that she needs her pills which she takes. Together they lift the timbers off Mr. Hartley and pull him out, but he doesn't appear to be moving. Nyssa checks and notices that he's not breathing and doesn't have a pulse. She thinks he's dead. Mr. Hartley pops up, stating he's fine except for his arm. Nyssa has gotten dust on her clothes, and being so close to lights out, they insist that she come back to their house to be cleaned up. She argues, stating she has to meet someone, but follows the two back to the house.

The Doctor explores and finds a shop that is closed for the night. The owner of the shop walks out telling him that he won't be able to do much exploring since it's close to lights out. When The Doctor introduces himself, the man asks if he is in public or private practice and asks for identity papers and ration book, both of which The Doctor says he's lost. The man notices that The Doctor does not have any transplants and that he appears very healthy. The Doctor states he thought artificial organs were all the rage. The man mentions the Committee and their new gadgetry, but there is still a waiting list for natural transplants. Reading the sign over the shop, The Doctor determines the man is Thomas Dodd "purveyor and fitter of necessary bodily parts". The Doctor asks Dodd to tell him about the city. Thomas invites The Doctor inside for a drink to talk about it.

Mr. Hartley and Yvonne take Nyssa back to their home. As they enter, Yvonne spots Sisterman Constant in the living room. Her brother, Frank Hartley, walks in saying the Sisterman's been waiting for them.

Necessary Force (2)
to be added

Popping the Seals (3)
to be added

Shelter (4)
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Davison
 * Nyssa - Sarah Sutton
 * Yvonne Hartley - Kathryn Guck
 * Dad - Paul Copley
 * Thomas Dodd - Derren Nesbitt
 * Sisterman Constant - Pamela Binns
 * Frank Hartley - Jim Hartley
 * Mrs Ginsberg - Ann Jenkins
 * Doctorman Allan - Sally Knyvette
 * Cybermen / Cyber-Commander Zheng / Radio Announcer / Nurse / Citizen - Nicholas Briggs
 * Minister / TV Commentator - Alistair Lock
 * Philpott / Nurse - Gary Russell

Species

 * Yvonne has a pet Cybermat.
 * The Doctor tries to fight off a Cyberman with gold, but it has no effect.
 * Part of the Cybermen design is structured after the Doctor's own brain.

Foods and beverages

 * Allan drinks wine.
 * Frank has an obsession with tea. In exchange for the food rations that the family gives to Nyssa, she gives them some tea leaves she found in the TARDIS. The Doctor explains sternly that they came from Emperor of China and he was saving them for a special occasion.

Real World

 * In order to determine which direction to travel, The Doctor relates a rhyme about the Empress of China.

Continuity

 * This story takes place at the beginning of the Cybermen's creation. Many of its events lead into those of TV: The Tenth Planet.
 * Mondas began to drift through space, due to the sudden arrival of a moon between Earth and Mondas. This upset the gravitational equilibrium of Mondas, causing it to escape its orbit. (TV: The Tenth Planet)
 * Cyber-Commander Zheng would return for a cameo appearance in AUDIO: The Reaping. That story depicted him as still being operational in September 1984.
 * Nyssa recalls Adric's death. (TV: Earthshock)
 * Nyssa has sympathy with people losing their family. (TV: The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis)