The Ice Warriors ( TV story ) The Ice Warriors was the third story of season 5 of " Doctor Who " . Broadcast in 1967 , it marked the first appearance of the recurring aliens , the Ice Warrior s . Episodes two and three remain absent from the BBC archive . They were recreated using animation for the serial ' s DVD release . Synopsis . The TARDIS arrives on Earth in a new ice age . The travellers make their way into a base where scientists , commanded by Leader Clent , are using an ioniser device to combat the advance of a glacier . A giant humanoid creature , called an Ice Warrior by one of the scientists , has been found buried in the nearby glacier . When thawed , it revives and is revealed to be Varga , captain of a Martian spacecraft that landed on Earth centuries ago and is still in the glacier . Varga sets about freeing his comrades and formulating a plan to conquer the Earth — Mars itself is now dead . The scientists realise that continued use of the ioniser could make the ship ' s engines explode . Their computer is unable to advise them without more information . Disaster seems imminent . The disaffected scientist Penley , supported by the Second Doctor , decides to risk activating the ioniser . There is only a minor explosion which destroys the Martians and , at the same time , checks the ice flow . Plot . Episode one . Senior control technician Jan Garrett and her staff struggle to control an ioniser . There has been a pulse stoppage and they are minutes away from evacuation . Garret manages to stop it , much to the pleasure of Leader Clent . She says they need Penley back , a proposition for which he snaps at her . Clent consults a computer that gives data regarding other ioniser bases in America , Australasia , South Africa and Asia . This ioniser base , the Brittanicus Base , isn ' t holding up as well as theirs . Clent worries that they will not be able to hold back the glacier s . He discovers that one of his scientists , Arden , is still out on the glacier . Furious , he tries to contact him . The remaining senior scientist , Arden , is out on the glacier searching for archaeological finds . One of his assistants , Walters , discovers an armoured man in a block of ice . Arden , Walters and his second assistant Davis ignore appeals to return to base and help Clent control the ioniser , intent on digging the ice man from the glacier . Clent is furious at this dissent . The glaciers lose stability again and the evacuation procedure is set off again . Outside , the TARDIS materialises onto a snow drift and falls on its side . The Doctor and his companions clamber out . Jamie , looking at the weather , speculates that they may still be in Tibet , but they soon discover a large dome made of plastic . As they explore it , a door opens and two bedraggled men leave . The Doctor inspects the door as soon as they are out of sight and enters with Jamie and Victoria . Arden makes contact with the base and says he has found a large man in the ice and intends on bringing it in . Arden and Clent are polar opposites — Clent is about protocol whilst Arden is about discovery . The Doctor , Jamie and Victoria are surprised to discover the house is like an old Victorian mansion . The evacuation procedure goes off around their ears , and a woman comes up and puts badges , which read " Evacuation Flight 7 : Scavenger " , on the three of them . The Doctor hears the sound of a computer that is running incorrectly . Victoria wants to leave , but the Doctor insists and goes through a door into the main base . He immediately bursts into action . His action prevents a reactor explosion . Clent is initially appalled at this man bursting into his base but is eventually impressed . Arden , Walters and Davis are confused by the image of the man . He appears to be wearing armour . They begin the excavation process . Storr and Penley look on . The scientists trigger an avalanche , which causes Davis to plummet to his death . Storr is injured too . Arden and Walters return to base with the man . Despite the Doctor not having any " formal qualifications " , Clent is impressed with his abilities . He seems bemused that the Doctor doesn ' t know what the base does . The Doctor says he and his friends have been in Tibet . Clent puts the Doctor to the test . He states that a second Ice Age has beset the world and this base is trying to control it and asks the Doctor to figure out how . The Doctor ' s mind flits from possibility to possibility before landing on ionisation — the correct answer . Clent explains that after the advent of artificial food , crops became redundant , which lowered production of carbon dioxide and stopped the Earth from withholding its heat . Ionisation intensifies the sun ' s heat on certain parts of the Earth like a magnifying glass . Humans are having to control the machine at the moment due to the fact that the super computer is still processing the data . They are interrupted by the return of Arden , wheeling his find in on a trolley . The Doctor inspects it and is confused by the helmet , which looks like it is a Viking helmet — which is far too late in history . On closer inspection , as the ice melts , the Doctor sees an electronic connection . The Doctor rushes off to inform Clent and Arden . Jamie and Victoria are left alone . They flirt . Little do they know that the creature has entirely thawed and is beginning to move . Episode two . The creature becomes mobile , knocks Jamie unconscious and takes Victoria as a hostage . Clent asks the computer if they should accept the Doctor as one of their team . The computer states that he has a high IQ but is ill disciplined and hot headed in certain situations . They are interrupted by the Doctor ' s news about the warrior . He concludes that if the creature is indeed alien , there could be a spaceship powered by atomic systems under the glacier . Using the ioniser in that area could cause a massive explosion and destroy the base . The crew are discussing this when Jamie bursts in and reports the creature has come to life and taken Victoria . The Doctor , while inspecting the scene , concludes that the Ice Warrior must have used the power pack to accelerate to a higher heat and thaw the ice . The creature has got Victoria in a store cupboard . He states his name is Varga , and he is a warrior from the planet Mars , who has indeed been frozen for millennia after his ship crashed and his party was encased by an avalanche . He insists Victoria help him find his ship and crew . With the extra troops he can decide whether to return home or stay and conquer the Earth . Clent consults the computer . It states that ionisation should continue but the ship needs to be found . The computer reschedules the workload and frees up Arden to go . Jamie will accompany him . Penley and Storr have made it back to their hideout . Storr ' s injuries are so bad that his friend needs to return to the base to steal medical supplies . Victoria is forced to help the Ice Warrior to locate the power packs . He threatens Victoria with his sonic gun , which will burst her brain . Arden and Jamie see no sign of Victoria or the Ice Warrior out in the tundra . Furthermore , their equipment is being jammed . Clent orders them to go back . Penley has managed to infiltrate the base . As he rounds a corner , he sees Victoria , who gestures for him to hide . He sees Varga lead Victoria into the room . In the control room , the Doctor asks Clent why they have no expert on the base . Clent explains that they did but he walked out and abandoned them as he could not put up with Clent ' s domineering ways . He does admit that they are crying out for someone with his knowledge though . Victoria tries to stall Varga , but he soon finds the power pack . Varga now tells Victoria that she is to accompany him to the ice mountains . They meet Clent before leaving , and Varga leaves him unconscious and badly wounded . Penley tires to revive Clent when the Doctor finds him . The Doctor works out that he must be Penley . Once Penley is sure the Doctor is dealing with Clent , he leaves the base , despite the Doctor ' s protests that he is needed to help with the ioniser . Clent comes round just as Garrett informs them that Victoria and Varga have broken through the perimeter . The Doctor says they should not follow them as that would be the Ice Warrior ' s plan . Meanwhile , in the glacier , Varga finds four of his frozen comrades and uses his sonic gun to free them . He confirms that he has a plan for if Victoria ' s friends follow her . Penley has administered the medicine to Storr and goes to explore the glacier for Victoria and Varga . He is also coming round to the Doctor ' s suggestion that he could return to the base . Varga has chiselled away at the ice , leaving the semi - exposed forms of his comrades . He prepares to revive them . Episode three . The four Ice Warriors , Zondal , Turoc , Rintan and Isbur , are resurrected , much to the terror of Victoria . Penley watches the whole process . The Doctor prepares Jamie for his excursion with Arden . Arden blames himself for the whole situation , which causes Clent a rare moment of compassion . Before they leave , Clent orders them not to go looking for Victoria , much to the displeasure of Jamie . Penley reports back to a fully healed Storr the situation regarding the Ice Warriors . He does not believe him . Their argument is interrupted by a noise outside . It is Garrett , who begs Penley to return to the base . He refuses , saying he does not want to be computerised . Garrett pulls out a tranquilliser but is disarmed by Storr . Storr wants to kill her , but Penley lets her go . He tells her to look up some of his notes when she returns to base . Now fully mobilised , Zondal and the other three Warriors take on the task of creating an ice cave . Others set about finding their craft and digging it out of the ice . Victoria is told she is to be kept with them as bait . The Doctor is trying to figure out the calculation to save the base . Clent encourages him to use the computer , but the Doctor resists . Garrett comes in with the notes about which Penley told her . The Doctor takes one look and cracks the code . Clent says he must check with the computer — which causes the Doctor to become very offended . Arden reports back , saying he has discovered an ice cave and a ship . Arden and Jamie begin to take readings , but minutes later , they are ambushed and gunned down by Varga and Zondal , who leave them for dead . A distraught Victoria is ushered into the ship . The Ice Warriors discuss destroying Victoria , but they decide to keep her as bait . The Ice Warriors leave to fix the ship ' s propulsion unit . Penley has been watching and emerges from the shadows . The Doctor reminds Clent that it has been a long time since they heard anything from Arden . They try to make contact , but there is no reply . Penley discovers that Arden is dead , but Jamie is still alive . Penley takes him back to his home . Garrett comes back , reporting that the equation is perfect . Clent is overjoyed but soon realises he can ' t use it with Arden still outside . Jamie awakes at Penley ' s cave and is eager to seek out Victoria . However , he is too weak and passes out . Victoria , emerging unaccompanied from the ship , discovers Jamie ' s body gone . She finds the communication device on the ground and attempts to use it . Unbeknownst to Victoria , she is being observed by Varga and Zondal . They decide she must be stopped . They aim a weapon at her head . The Doctor receives the transmission from Victoria , who tells them of the danger of the Ice Warriors and of Arden and , possibly , Jamie ' s death . She is probed by Clent for facts . As she does , a weapon emerges from the side of the ship . Varga and Zondal prepare to fire . . . Episode four . Varga decides against killing Victoria so as to not raise suspicion . Clent grills Victoria for any information regarding the ship ' s propulsion system , keen to continue the process of ionising . She is not able to help . Turoc is sent by Varga to capture Victoria again and use her as bait . Victoria sees a figure coming and makes a run for it , dodging into the ice to avoid Turoc . The Doctor uses an automatic chemical dispenser used on the base to create ammonium sulphide , which will be toxic to the Ice Warriors if Victoria ' s statement regarding them being Martians is to be believed . The Doctor states he intends to make contact with the Ice Warriors himself . Clent is very unhappy about this but is not faced with many other choices . The Doctor takes a communicator with him but refuses to take a weapon . He states he doesn ' t need a weapon as he intends to be taken prisoner . Victoria flees ever deeper into the icy caves . She sees a communicator on the floor and attempts to retrieve it but is caught by Turoc . At just that moment an avalanche falls on the pair of them . Storr and Penley continue to minister to Jamie . He awakes and is desperate to find Victoria . Storr is keen to accompany him . Jamie is terrified when he discovers he has no use of his legs . An examination of the engines of the Martian craft shows them working but low on fuel . The Ice Warriors need to know on what the base is powered to see if they can use it on their ship . Victoria cries for help . She is not stuck in the avalanche , but the Ice Warrior has been and is still gripped on to her . Jamie is asleep again . Storr has decided the only way to save Jamie is to talk to the Ice Warriors . Penley is convinced that he should not go , but Storr pushes past him with Penley in pursuit . Storr dashes behind a piece of ice to lose Penley and hears the call of Victoria . Meanwhile Penley has found the Doctor and taken him to Jamie . Storr finds Victoria and manages to free her . He is told that the Ice Warriors are against the scientists and begins to sympathise with them . Another avalanche forces them to leave . The Ice Warriors are eager to attack the base , but Varga says they must bide their time . Their discussion is interrupted by Storr leading a distraught Victoria to their ship . Varga and Zondal hold Victoria personally culpable for the death of Turoc and lead her into the ship . They ignore Storr ' s offers of help , especially so when he denounces scientists at the very time they want technical aid . He is killed and left in the snow . Varga and Zondal go inside to question Victoria . Back in the cave , the Doctor determines Jamie ' s paralysis is temporary . Another avalanche rocks the cave . The glacier is moving ever quicker . The Doctor tasks Penley to escort Jamie back to the base . Penley protests , but the Doctor states that everyone needs his help . The Doctor leaves to speak to the Ice Warriors . Clent watches in shock as the glacier moves faster than it has ever done before . Garrett pushes Clent for a plan , but he says he is putting all his faith in the Doctor . The Doctor informs Clent on the video screen that he is going to make first contact . The Doctor heads through the avalanches and knocks on the door of the ship . The weapon emerges , but the door opens and the Doctor is allowed to enter the airlock . The Ice Warriors are suspicious of the Doctor ' s claims ; this is only worsened when he refuses to answer questions . Varga reduce the pressure in the airlock to zero until the Doctor explains his motives . . . Episode five . Seconds away from death , the Doctor agrees to the Ice Warriors ' demands and tells them that he is a scientist . He is allowed entrance . The Doctor is unnerved by the sheer size of the Ice Warriors but plays it cool and says that he is the only chance they have of surviving . The Ice Warriors tell the Doctor that they think that the ioniser is a weapon . When he puts them right , they demand to know why they haven ' t been freed previously . Penley drags Jamie through the snow . They stop for a rest when they see a bear in the distance . The Doctor explains that the ioniser has not been used as they are worried it will blow up the engine . The Ice Warriors will neither confirm nor deny the make up of their engine . If it is not harmful to ionisation , they will be washed away in the flood ; if it is harmful they will be blown up . The Doctor tries to wheedle the information out of the Ice Warriors but cannot . They demand to take away his communicator . The last thing he says is that if his friends at the base don ' t hear anything , they will be forced to use the ioniser . Clent and Garret , who have been listening via the communicator , take the Doctor ' s hint that they should prepare the ioniser . There is a modicum of doubt at the base . Garret wants to ring World Control but Clent decides to plug all information they have into the computer . Penley uses the tranquilliser gun on the bear and misses . The bear attacks . The computer says that they should wait , prepare the ioniser and contact World Control . Clent praises the computer for being cold , logical and incapable of taking a gamble . Penley manages to tranquillise the bear , sustaining only a scratch in the process . Back at the Ice Warriors ' ship , the Doctor has been shown the ship ' s engines . They are powered by an ion reactor which will not explode under ionisation . The Ice Warriors refuse to allow the Doctor to pass on this information as it will lead to their destruction . They ask the Doctor what sort of fuel the base runs on . The Doctor realises that they are without fuel to power their ship and refuses to tell them . Varga threaten Victoria ' s life , forcing the Doctor to say that it runs on the right fuel for them . The Ice Warriors prepare an attack on the base . Clent is informed of the arrival of Penley and Jamie . He allows them in , despite being unsure about Penley ' s return . Clent and Garret are dismissive initially but offer to help Jamie , but Clent has given up on retrieving the Doctor and Victoria . Penley says that this is ridiculous — to risk two people ' s lives because a computer says so . Clent refuses to relent . Jamie begins to grab Clent physically , and Clent has both Jamie and Penley tranquillised . Varga , Rintan and Isbur have made it to the base and communicate with the ship to prepare the weapon . The Doctor tells Victoria to pretend to cry . Masked by the sound of her tears the Doctor informs her that he is to use the ammonium sulphide which will , hopefully , be noxious to the Ice Warriors . Victoria distracts Zondal by saying that water is seeping through the door of the ship , but the Doctor cannot get the cork out of the top of the test tube . Zondal turns and sees the Doctor ' s plan and rounds on him . The Doctor manages to uncork the test tube just in time . Zondal begins to faint but as he does his hand clamps on to the fire button with the Doctor trying his hardest to stop the annihilation of the base . . . Episode six . The sonic blast triggered by Zondal causes only minor damage , destroying the records wing . Varga use the communicator to call Clent , threatening to fire again unless the humans surrender . Clent knows the base dome cannot survive another blast and suggests a meeting between the two sides . Garrett suggests they threaten to destroy the ship using the ioniser . Walters says they should go ahead and do it . When Clent says they cannot , Walters loses his nerve and goes to destroy the computer . Garrett tranquillises him . Back in the Ice Warriors ' ship , the Doctor begins to inspect the inner workings of the sonic gun . Varga , Rintan and Isbur confront the humans in the ioniser room . The talks fail when the tranquillised Walters tries to shoot Varga . The Ice Warriors kill him . Varga demand the base ' s mercury isotopes . Clent tells them they do not possess these , but Varga suspect he is lying and threaten to close down the reactor , causing the base to lose light , heat and electricity . The Doctor and Victoria overhear all this and begin to dismantle the external section of the gun . Varga threatens Garrett and Clent with destruction unless they render the ioniser safe . The Doctor and Victoria have adjusted the sonic cannon so that the frequency of the gun only affects fluids . The Doctor thinks that the Ice Warriors have a higher level of liquid in them so will be affected more . Furthermore he believes their helmets will further exaggerate the sonic effects . He is aware this may be a risk that puts the human lives on the base in jeopardy too . Penley awakes and goes to explore the base . Garrett has rendered the ioniser safe , and the Ice Warriors order total shut down of the reactor . Penley oversees all this and turns the heat and humidity of the base up whilst turning the oxygen down . This affects the Ice Warriors , who turn on Clent and his scientists . At the same time , the Doctor fires the sonic cannon . This causes the Ice Warriors and the humans to collapse . The Doctor renders the gun useless and leaves the ship . When he returns to the base he finds the Ice Warriors gone . He goes around waking up the crew . Clent orders Garrett to phase up the ioniser . The Doctor and Penley press Clent to use the ioniser as a weapon against the Ice Warriors , but Clent refuses to go against the computer . The Doctor and Penley press their case . Clent consults the computer , which short circuits . Penley takes the decision to use the ioniser at full strength . Varga and the other two warriors arrive back at the ship . They find Zondal , who apologises for his failure . They find that the glacier is breaking up around them and also discover that their ship does have fuel after all . Clent orders Penley to stop but he continues . The Ice Warriors ' ship begins to break up . Back at base , the explosions caused by the ship were only minor . Clent compliments Penley but has no time to thank the Doctor and his colleagues as they have already disappeared . The TARDIS dematerialises . Home video and audio releases . DVD releases . In 2013 , " The Ice Warriors " was released on DVD with its surviving parts and animated versions of the missing episodes two and three produced by Qurios Entertainment . Digital releases . This story is available : VHS releases . When this was released on VHS it was released with a mini - reconstruction of the two missing episodes ( episodes two and three ) , which was narrated by David Harley . The narration was originally to have been provided by Frazer Hines , but a contractual issue arose . The mini - reconstruction also appeared as an extra on the DVD release . Editing and reconstruction for the VHS release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team . Soundtrack releases . This story ' s soundtrack , with linking narration by Frazer Hines , was released on CD on 1 August 2005 . It was re - released as part of the box set " " on 2 February 2012 .