Fabula
Object
Object

Testing Room Control Panel Levers and Button

The control panel in the Cyberman testing room contains two levers and a prominent button, all of which are part of a sequence that triggers a robotic Cyberman decoy. Jamie initially pulls the levers and presses the button in a specific sequence to simulate an attack on Haydon. The Doctor later recreates this exact sequence to expose the decoy as a hoax, firing the turret's bolts into Haydon's body and redirecting suspicion from the Cybermen to human treachery. The panel's components are integral to the narrative's revelation of the hoax and the subsequent shift in the investigation's focus.
2 appearances

Purpose

Trigger activation of robotic Cyberman decoy and weapon turret in testing sequence

Significance

Doctor's recreation dismantles Viner's claim of Cyberman murder, redirects suspicion to human deception within the expedition, and uncovers the staged setup using dummy technology

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments
S5E2 · The Tomb of the Cybermen Part 2
Cyberman Hoax Exposes Human Deception

The big button is a critical component of the Testing Room’s mechanism, triggered by Jamie under the Doctor’s direction to recreate the sequence that summoned the robotic Cyberman decoy. When pressed alongside the levers, it activates the figure-of-eight pattern on the wall and the decoy’s emergence, proving the ‘Cyberman’ was a weapon-testing dummy. The Doctor’s examination of the button and its sequence reveals the hoax, shifting suspicion from Cybermen to human deception. Its role as a trigger mechanism is pivotal in exposing the truth.

Before: Inactive, part of the Testing Room’s control panel, awaiting activation.
After: Activated once by Jamie under the Doctor’s guidance, confirming its role in the hoax.
View full event
S5E2 · The Tomb of the Cybermen Part 2
Victoria pockets the Cybermat despite warnings

The Testing Room Big Button, though not directly involved in this event, looms in the background as a symbol of the room’s deadly mechanisms. Its earlier use by Jamie to trigger the Cyberman decoy has set the stage for the group’s unease, and its presence underscores the testing room’s role as a site of both revelation and danger. The button’s function as part of the room’s weapon-testing system highlights the Cybermen’s meticulous design, even in their dormant state.

Before: Part of the inactive control panel, having been used earlier by Jamie to trigger the Cyberman decoy.
After: Remains part of the testing room’s mechanisms, now a silent witness to the Cybermat’s concealment.
View full event