Coming up to this in my watch through with @EvenstarSystem and it seems like there’s several options for this serial with only 2/6 surviving episodes and no proper animation.
Would welcome people’s thoughts on best medium for the story.
I’m personally going to say the Target Novelisation / the audiobook version with Michael Troughton reading it.
Generally, ‘The Wheel in Space’ is one of the weakest serials of the Second Doctor era - the novelisations often expand upon details in the story and make bland outing - like this one - a heck of a lot more enjoyable.
Agreed it is a very nothing story and the novel helps it along and it has a very nice cover imo
If you want a good laugh, read the “Things That Don’t Make Sense” segment of this story’s entry in About Time. It basically lays out how monumentally insane their plan is.
I say whatever you do, at least watch the two surviving episodes! Don’t just skip it, it’s a lot of fun with a really good guest cast and the Doctor is great in it.
Whatever you do, do not skip Wendy Padbury’s first story!
I mean, look at her!
Zoe was the perfect addition to the 2nd Doctor and Jamie, someone had to keep those two in line 
I’m sorry, but Zoe is the companion equivalent of ‘The End of Time’.
Waltzes round like they’re extremely intelligent and desire praise from the fandom, when actually kinda aggravating and mid.
I just wish her debut story was in Season 6, because at least then it would be at home with several other mid-Troughton stories - rather than polluting the best Troughton season.
I mean she appeared in two of the worst Cyberman stories in Classic Who.
You surely cannot be talking about The Invasion here ? 
She is such a delight in that one 
Yes. It’s ninety percent filler and the Cyberman redesign is kinda mid.
Honestly, the only redeemable thing about the story for me is Tobias Vaughan.
Even then, he is vastly improved in a later Doctor Who novel & audio adaptation.
We are watching from two very different perspectives when watching The Invasion.
Last time I did it in one go, I was so enthralled.
Vaughn, Packer, Isobel Watkins, UNIT, 2nd Doctor, Jamie and Zoe being chaotic, that soundtrack, Cybermen in the heart of London.
I love it to bits and I don’t think there are any real lulls during those eight episodes.
One of, if not the best, Cyberman stories in my book 
I’m inclined to agree with pretty much everything that @BillFiler pointed out. Including Zoe, who’s one of my favourite companions and part of my favourite TARDIS team.
That said, I have never come across someone who doesn’t like Zoe or The Invasion, at least a little bit, so reading your thoughts about them, @PalindromeRose, is truly enlightening. It shows just how differently we fans can think about different stories and characters.
The Invasion is one of my favourite Cybermen stories of all time, I think it’s absolutely brilliant.
From Vaughan to Packer the villains are a real threat and provide some genuinely funny moments. The Cybermen feel quite scary to me and the scenes of them emerging from the sewers are truly iconic.
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe and are all on form in this story providing a wonderful watch g experience. The side characters at UNIT are excellent too with Nick Courtney and John Levene really helping the story along.
But my only big point against the story is the ending of the last part with all the missile stuff inside the base, it feels rushed and out of place.
But apart from that the Invasion is wonderful and I do implore you to give it another go at some point because of just how fun it is in my opinion.
To be honest, I generally don’t care for the Second Doctor’s era.
He’s easily my least favourite of the Classic era incarnations, and there are very few stories from his run that I genuinely enjoy rewatching - though most of the ones I do enjoy come from Season 5 (‘Tomb of the Cybermen’, ‘Fury from the Deep’ and the sublime ‘Enemy of the World’).
Even looking at the Second Doctor adventures from other mediums, I can only think of one book featuring him that I genuinely loved - ‘The Wheel of Ice’, which is set during Season 6.
The audio adventures featuring him…
Well, I loved most of the ‘Early Adventures’ he recieved, with some of them being utterly sublime; stuff like ‘The Black Hole’, ‘The Night Witches’ and ‘The Wreck of the World’.
Then you look at the Michael Troughton led box sets and, oh dear, all quality seems to have evaporated into the ether!
I have to jump in to support @BillFiler and to defend “The Invasion” here. Not only is Zoe a great companion but “The Invasion” is one of my all-time favourite stories. I would even argue that the limited screen time of the cybermen (LOVE that design, by the way) goes a long way to making them more sinister and inscrutable than ever.
One of the pinnacles of the Troughton era, a worthy successor to “The Web of Fear” from a Lethbridge-Stewart/UNIT perspective. It’s also a story that uses cybermen very differently to the way they were used in all their prior appearances.
I’m also quite fond of “The Wheel in Space” (despite the utterly bonkers ‘plan’ of the cybermen).
@BillFiler is correct that Zoe is a brilliant companion.
@PalindromeRose is also correct that The Invasion isn’t very good. (It’s not a very good Cyberman story at all. They’re hardly in it and at 8 episodes it is very very drawn out. My eldest is named after the villain though, so it’s not all bad).
You see - if we just follow my opinions - EVERYBODY can be right!
Everyone can be right … 50% of the time. 
I really wish that it is “Packer” that you named your child.
I would just go “Packeeeer” all the time 
