No creature in Doctor Who has changed their look as frequently as the Cybermen. Each costume designer sought to improve what had gone before but their good intentions were often scuppered by practicality and lack of time. In an era before teams of concept artists were employed, the costume supervisors were starved of resources, and alterations were made at the last minute as necessity dictated. Often with Sellotape.
The original look for 1966’s The Tenth Planet.
There is no greater example of the anarchic production process than The Wheel in Space (1968), which features no fewer than three designs of Cyberman. However, with publicity photos in short supply, and their appearances on screen often fleeting, the silver giants of that era have slipped into obscurity. Hard though it is to imagine in a programme so well-scrutinised, a complete and unique Cyberman costume design has been lost in the mists of time. Until now...