The Web of Fear

"Perhaps the best way to describe it is a sort of formless, shapeless thing, floating around in space like a cloud of mist only with a mind and will."

Writers: Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln

Format: TV

Broadcast: 3rd February - 9th March 1968

Season: 5.05

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria

Synopsis 

In order to escape an attack in space, the TARDIS makes an unscheduled landing and ends up deep inside the London Underground.

Here the travellers soon find themselves engulfed in a thrilling battle with the Great Intelligence and the Yeti, a deadly enemy set to invade the Earth. But as events take a turn for the worse, it becomes clear that the golden prize is not just the Earth, but the Doctor's mind too...

Verdict   

What a joy it was to have watched The Web of Fear in more or less its entirety, thanks to the incredible efforts of Philip Morris discovering four of the five previously missing episodes! I mentioned my immense thanks to the man in yesterday's blogging of The Enemy of the World, a story nicely referenced here, where everything of that was restored fully. I love the coincidence, if that's what it is, that the two recently found stories were broadcast straight after each other! Following the shocking end to the previous story with Salamander falling out of the TARDIS, we start with a thrilling opening with the doors still remaining open. Jamie eventually managed to flick the switch that closed them but the danger surrounding the TARDIS was far from over after the ship soon become surrounded by a mysterious web that was attempting to bring the TARDIS to Earth. I liked how the Doctor averted landing where the captors expected them too and I also was intrigued by the Doctor's acknowledgement of the number of times and frequency that they land on Earth. I liked how there was no time wasted in revealing that the Yeti would be present in this story after seeing a large creature along with Professor Travers at an early point in episode one. I loved the setting of an abandoned London Underground and I thought the sets were absolutely outstanding. They really did add to the story magnificently and they really were impressive. I read online that apparently the BBC received a letter of complaint from London Transport for filming on their premises without permission. I find that incredibly brilliant! What bigger compliment for the production and design team than that? This really was a prime example of an excellent 'base under siege' plot and the return of the Yeti so soon after their first appearance is hugely beneficial I think. Despite it only being two stories since The Abominable Snowmen, it had been twelve weeks for viewers upon broadcast (those lucky people who watched episode three!) so the memory of their first appearance would still be fresh but not so soon that the return would have been a nice surprise. The aim of the Great Intelligence to harvest the mind of the Doctor leaving him mentally as basically a child was excellent. After being defeated in Tibet, and in Victorian London in The Snowmen, amazingly an Eleventh Doctor story that would act as a prequel to this, the Intelligence wanted revenge on the Doctor and wanted to acquire his knowledgable brilliance, I really did like that objective of the villain. But it was the Yeti who stood out for me and I thought they were much better than in their first appearance. They were destructive, frightening and ferocious which I thought was spectacular! The change in appearance didn't really do much I didn't think - it didn't add nor take away anything from the hairy beasts. It was wonderful to see Nicholas Courtney return to a Doctor Who story after his superb role as Brett in The Daleks' Master Plan. This story though saw the birth of a character who would live on in Doctor Who for half a century and counting. Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, soon to be promoted to Brigadier, had a fantastic debut story commanding the forces in the Underground. His relationship with the Doctor was very good throughout, even if it was implied that the Doctor thought him to possibly be the one in cahoots with the Intelligence. Evans was a character I adored and I loved how typically Welsh he was! We even had a rendition of 'Sospan fach' which I never thought would appear in a Who story. I loved how stupid he was at times and it's obvious why he was just a driver - he was utterly clueless at most things! I loved the moment where Victoria recognised Travers past his ageing from the last meeting back in 1935, that really was nice. Speaking of Victoria, I thought she was absolutely wonderful yet again and I really have been impressed with her since The Abominable Snowmen. She looked absolutely beautiful in that dress too! Ranching I must say. Staff Sgt. Arnold was a very good character and I liked how he was revealed to be controlled by the Yeti in the final episode. The threat of the misty fungus spreading underground was tremendous and I liked the cliffhangers that it caused. The cliffhanger of episode four had to be my favourite though! I really enjoyed that one. Anne was a terrific character and with her being a scientist it was splendid seeing her relationship with the Doctor throughout. Relations weren't so keen surrounding Chorley for most though as he was a journalist for the press and probably wasn't liked due to the spin of things he would be inclined to put on stories. His disappearance during the serial was neatly explained. The climax was an exciting one with the Doctor entering the pyramid machine that would drain his mind but with a Yeti under their own command, the transformation was soon thwarted and the Intelligence's link with Earth was destroyed. The Doctor though was disgusted at being saved to my surprise. He had other ideas and had reversed things to make him drain the Intelligence of its memories instead. That was not to be and the Intelligence was still roaming around in space. We'd soon see a devastating return in the likes of The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor. But in what was an incredible and unbelievable treat for the fiftieth anniversary celebrations, this story really is a treat. 

Rating: 9/10