November 10, 2017
Today, one Doctor Who’s most iconic and fearsome aliens celebrate fifty years since their first appearance on the show.
In 1967, television viewers had a new foe to fear, after the Daleks and Cybermen, when all the way from Mars came a frightening new breed of monster, the Ice Warriors.
Visit our Ice Warriors page here.
Since then, the Martians have made a number of memorable appearances, sometimes the star of their story, and sometimes part of the supporting cast.
Check out the episode guide to the Ice Warriors below!
The Ice Warriors
Starring: Patrick Troughton (The Second Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) and Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield)
Originally broadcast: Nov 11 - Dec 16, 1967
Written by Brian Hayles
The TARDIS arrives on Earth in the midst of a new ice age where Brittanicus Base is fighting a battle to force back the glaciers. A huge Ice Warrior is found frozen in the ice.
Carnage ensues…
Sadly, for Whovians, two episodes of this six-part adventure are missing, destroyed by the BBC in the Seventies. The audio, thankfully, still exists, and the DVD edition includes beautifully-animated versions of these missing eps.
The Seeds of Death
Starring: Patrick Troughton (The Second Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) and Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot)
Originally broadcast: 25 Jan - Mar 1, 1969
Written by Brian Hayles
The TARDIS arrives on 21st Century Earth where all long distance journeys are made instantaneously by T-Mat.
The Second Doctor finds it’s being run by the Ice Warriors, who are preparing the Earth for invasion by sending Martian seeds pods to the planet’s surface – the seeds emit a fungus that is lethal to humans…
The Curse of Peladon
Starring: Jon Pertwee (The Third Doctor) and Katy Manning (Jo Grant)
Originally broadcast: Jan 29 to 19 Feb 19, 1972
Written by Brian Hayles
The planet Peladon is hoping to join the Galactic Federation. But King Peladon's Chancellor has been murdered and it seems that the legendary royal beast, Aggedor, is to blame.
The Third Doctor and Joe are embroiled in political intrigue and the Time Lord is suspicious of the Ice Warrior delegates…
The Monster of Peladon
Starring: Jon Pertwee (The Third Doctor) and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith)
Originally broadcast: Mar 23 to Apr 27, 1974
Written by Brian Hayles
The Third Doctor makes a return visit to Peladon, this time with Sarah Jane Smith, some years after his previous visit. There he discovers that several miners have died and, this time, the ghost of Aggedor is to blame.
In the above clip, fans will recognise Alpha Centauri who returned to Doctor Who in the 2017 episode, Empress Of Mars, which we’re coming to soon…
Cold War
Starring: Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor) and Jenna Coleman (Clara)
Originally broadcast: April 13, 2013
Written by Mark Gatiss
After almost forty years away, Mars’ finest are back!
The Eleventh Doctor and Clara land on a damaged Russian Submarine in 1983 as it spirals out of control into the ocean depths. An alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice.
With tempers flaring and a cargo of nuclear weapons on board, it’s not just the crew but the whole of humanity at stake!
Empress of Mars
Starring: Peter Capaldi (The Twelfth Doctor) and Pearl Mackie (Bill Potts) and Matt Lucas (Nardole)
Originally broadcast: June 10, 2017
Written by Mark Gatiss
Their most recent appearance saw the Ice Warriors on their natural habitat, the planet Mars, when the Twelfth Doctor, Bill and Nardole arrive.
The trio find themselves in an impossible conflict between Ice Warriors… and Victorian soldiers. As the Martian hive awakens around them, the Doctor faces a unique dilemma - this time the humans, not the Ice Warriors are the invaders. When Earth is invading Mars, whose side is he on?
Fact fans note: ‘The War Games’ (1969) and ‘Face The Raven’ (2015) also featured Ice Warrior cameos!
