The Ice Warriors is the partly missing third serial of the fifth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 11 November to 16 December 1967.
In this serial, the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) and Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) arrive on Earth during a new ice age. After making its way into a base led by a man called Clent (Peter Barkworth), the crew discovers a humanoid being in the ice that plots to revive its race and take over the planet. This serial marked the debut of the Ice Warriors.
It was the third incomplete Doctor Who serial to be released with full-length animated reconstructions of its two missing episodes.
Plot
In the distant future at Brittanicus Base, senior control technician Jan Garrett and her staff struggle to control an ioniser they are using to slow the progress of glaciers rolling over Great Britain. Leader Clent is convinced they can avert a new Ice Age, but the group knows they are only a few hours away from being forced to abandon the base. Tensions rise when Penley, a maverick scientist who has defected from the team, is mentioned. The remaining senior scientist, Arden, is on the glacier searching for archaeological finds, where he discovers an armoured man within a block of ice. Arden and his colleagues dig the ice man from the glacier. Two scavengers observe their actions: the anti-technology Storr and Penley, who live in the tundra. When one of Arden's team is killed in an avalanche, the other two return to base with the ice man. Storr too is injured in the avalanche.
The TARDIS arrives outside the base. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria go inside, where the Doctor helps with the Ioniser. Arden and Walters reach the base with their discovery, and Arden sets up a device to melt the ice around the man. The Doctor examines the frozen man, and they determine that the "ice warrior" is an alien being. An emergency meeting distracts the staff; no one notices that the ice block has melted, with the creature showing signs of life. The creature revives, knocks Jamie unconscious, and takes Victoria hostage.
The ioniser planning meeting is interrupted when Jamie reports that the creature has taken Victoria. However, only Arden and Jamie can be spared for a search party. The creature identifies itself to Victoria as Varga, an Ice Warrior from the planet Mars, who has been frozen for millennia. He insists that Victoria help him find his ship and crew.
Penley goes to the base to steal medical supplies for Storr. He sees Varga and Victoria and follows them as they leave the Base. They encounter Clent, and Varga injures him badly. Penley tries to revive Clent and is found by the Doctor, who has worked out he is the errant scientist. While the Doctor aids Clent, Penley leaves the base.
In the glacier Varga finds four frozen comrades, revives them, and assigns them to create defenses and dig their craft out of the ice. Varga is observed by Penley, who is tracking in the snow having used the medicine on his friend Storr. When Penley returns to Storr, he is surprised to find a visitor, Miss Garrett, who implores him to rejoin the crew of the base.
Back at the base, Jamie and Arden are sent into the glacier, ostensibly to find the alien spacecraft rather than Victoria. They discover the Ice Warriors' cave excavation and report this to base. They are then ambushed by the Ice Warriors and left for dead. Penley finds Arden dead, but Jamie alive. Penley takes him back to his home. Storr decides to speak to the Ice Warriors, convinced they might be allies.
Having failed to contact Arden, the base personnel assume something bad has happened. Moments later, the video link appears, operated by Victoria, who tells them of the danger of the Ice Warriors. An Ice Warrior, Turoc is sent to capture Victoria again and use her as bait. The Doctor decides to go to the spaceship and rescue Victoria. Before leaving, he takes a phial of ammonium sulphide, which he deduces will be noxious to the aliens. However, Victoria flees into the icy caves. When the Ice Warrior finds her, he is caught in an avalanche and crushed.
An examination of the engines of the Martian craft reveals them to be functional but low on fuel. When the Ice Warriors encounter Storr, they reject his offers of help. Storr is killed but Victoria, whom he brought from the ice caves, is permitted to live.