N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!

The Abominable Snowmen is an apt corollary to The Tomb of the Cybermen. Whilst Tomb drew some of its inspiration (and indeed, with George Pastell, casting) from mummy movies, The Abominable Snowmen continues the horror theme by falling firmly into that trope where otherwise good people lose control of their minds to an unseen malevolence, in this case the first “appearance” of the Great Intelligence in Doctor Who.

“There’s something on this mountain. I can feel it.”

The Doctor, The Abominable Snowmen: Episode 3

The miasma creeps up on you in a way that the single episode stories of 21st century would struggle to emulate, slowly taking its time to reveal the face of the possessed Padmasambhava and the name of the force behind the mind control.

Yet at the same time, even given its sedentary pace, there’s just something about the feel of The Abominable Snowmen that makes me think it would fit well into a 21st century series of Doctor Who; I can’t put my finger on it, but perhaps Steven Moffat felt the same and that’s why he decided to bring back the Great Intelligence?

True, it is guilty of what you might call cultural insensitivity with its depiction and casting of the Tibetan monks (although this is a charge that can be levelled not only at this story nor at Doctor Who in general – in that sense too, it’s a product of its time). But if you can forgive it this, there’s not much else you can fault with The Abominable Snowmen. The story engages you from the off, the villain is genuinely scary and brilliantly channeled through Padmasambhava and the whole thing oozes menace throughout (even if, as many have commented, the Yeti do look rather cuddly).

“I know what I’m doing … I hope”

The Doctor, The Abominable Snowmen: Episode 4

The performances are top-drawer, especially yet again Troughton who is able to switch from friendly and open to crumpled consternation with the simple furrow of his brow and crease of his jowls. In a sparkling script, he also gets the best lines: ‘They came to get their ball back’ – his comment when the Yeti retrieves its sphere – being one of my favourites.

In short, one of the very best.