Above: Tom Baker (as the Doctor) with an old foe, in a publicity shot for Revenge of the Cybermen.
While planning Doctor Who’s twelfth season in early 1974, producer Barry Letts hit upon the idea of bringing back the Doctor’s old enemies, the Cybermen, who hadn’t been seen (other than in cameo appearances) since The Invasion in 1968. Letts had already successfully revived the Daleks after a fiveyear hiatus in 1972, so the return of another old favourite seemed a safe bet – especially as the series was heading towards uncharted territory with the imminent casting of a new Doctor.