The Web of Fear (TV story): Difference between revisions

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*[[Jamie McCrimmon]] - [[Frazer Hines]]
*[[Jamie McCrimmon]] - [[Frazer Hines]]
*[[Victoria Waterfield]] - [[Deborah Watling]]
*[[Victoria Waterfield]] - [[Deborah Watling]]
*Professor [[Edward Travers]] - [[Jack Watling]]
*[[Edward Travers|Professor Edward Travers]] - [[Jack Watling]]
*[[Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
*[[Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
*[[Anne Travers]] - [[Tina Packer]]
*[[Anne Travers]] - [[Tina Packer]]
*[[Julius Silverstein]] - [[Frederick Schrecker]]
*[[Julius Silverstein]] - [[Frederick Schrecker]]
*Corporal [[Lane]] - [[Rod Beacham]]
*[[Lane|Corporal Lane]] - [[Rod Beacham]]
*Corporal [[Blake]] - [[Richardson Morgan]]
*[[Blake|Corporal Blake]] - [[Richardson Morgan]]
*Captain [[Knight (Web of Fear)|Knight]] - [[Ralph Watson]]
*[[Knight (The Web of Fear)|Captain Knight]] - [[Ralph Watson]]
*[[Harold Chorley]] - [[Jon Rollason]]
*[[Harold Chorley]] - [[Jon Rollason]]
*Staff Sgt. [[Arnold]] - [[Jack Woolgar]]
*[[Arnold|Staff Sgt. Arnold]] - [[Jack Woolgar]]
*Craftsman [[Weams]] - [[Stephen Whittaker]]
*[[Weams|Craftsman Weams]] - [[Stephen Whittaker]]
*Soldier - [[Bernard G. High]]
*Soldier - [[Bernard G. High]]
*[[Robot Yeti|Yeti]] - [[John Levene]], [[John Lord]], [[Gordon Stothard]], [[Colin Warman]], [[Jeremy King]], [[Roger Jacombs]]
*[[Robot Yeti|Yeti]] - [[John Levene]], [[John Lord]], [[Gordon Stothard]], [[Colin Warman]], [[Jeremy King]], [[Roger Jacombs]]

Revision as of 14:34, 10 November 2009


The Web of Fear was the fifth story of Season 5 of Doctor Who. The story featured the first appearance of future Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played by Nicholas Courtney, although UNIT would not be conceived until his next appearance in The Invasion.

Synopsis

The TARDIS narrowly avoids becoming engulfed in a web-like substance in space. It then arrives in the London Underground railway system, the tunnels of which are being overrun by the web and by the Great Intelligence's robot Yeti.

The time travellers learn that this crisis was precipitated when Professor Travers, whom they first met in the Himalayas some forty years earlier, accidentally caused one of the Yeti to be reactivated, opening the way for the Intelligence to make another invasion attempt.

The travellers work alongside army forces - led initially by Captain Knight and then by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart - as they battle against the alien menace, hampered by the fact that one of their number has fallen under the Intelligence's influence and is a traitor in their midst.

The Intelligence's ultimate aim is to drain the Doctor's mind. The Doctor manages to sabotage the device with which it intends to achieve this, so that he can drain the Intelligence's mind instead, but he is 'rescued' by his friends before he can bring his plan to fruition.

The Intelligence is repelled into space, and the Doctor and his friends leave the army to clear up the mess.

Plot

to be added

A Robot Yeti in Silverstein's museum

Cast

Crew

References

Story Notes

  • First appearance of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart played by Nicholas Courtney.
  • The surviving episode 1 was rebroadcast on BBC Four on 26th June 2004 as part of a night about cult television of the 1960s. Other programmes that night included a documentary about the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and an episode of Verity Lambert's series Adam Adamant Lives.
  • Episode one was also rebroadcast on BBC Four as part of the BBC's London Underground night on 18th March 2007.
  • To promote this story, a specially shot trailer featuring the Doctor in the London Underground talking about the upcoming Yeti adventure was featured at the end of Episode 6 of The Enemy of the World. Although considered lost, along with Episode 6, the audio survives and formed the basis of a fan-made computer animated recreation of the trailer which has circulated on YouTube.

Ratings

  • Episode 1 - 7.2 million viewers
  • Episode 2 - 6.8 million viewers
  • Episode 3 - 7.0 million viewers
  • Episode 4 - 8.4 million viewers
  • Episode 5 - 8.0 million viewers
  • Episode 6 - 8.3 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming Locations

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • When talking about underground trains the Doctor tells Victoria they came a little after her time but she is from 1866 and an underground train line opened in 1863. He was mistaken, it must be difficult remembering all of human history.
  • The Yeti changes shape in the museum scene (not intentional, surely?). It certainly seems to be intentional, with a deliberate cross fade between the Yeti's two forms.
  • When Jamie and the others are looking at the scanner in the first episode, Frazer Hines rests his hand on the console but withdraws it quickly as if he's burnt it. (The TARDIS console contains a lot of energy, it could very well be hot.)
  • The 'explosion' at the end of episode one happens several times. It only appears that way. The secondary glowing is merely a side effect of the web absorbing the energy of the blast. (This is confirmed in episode two, when dialogue describes another absorbed explosion as "pulsating".)

Continuity

Timeline

DVD, Video and Other Releases

DVD Release

Lostintime.jpg
Lostna-collection.jpg
Lostna-troughton.jpg

The surviving episode (Episode 1) was released as part of the Lost in Time set.

Released:

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1353
NTSC - Warner Video E2082 (Troughton 2 disc set) / E2083 (Box set)

Video Releases

Reignbox.jpg
Webfacelessnew.jpg
Reign of terror bbcvideo-1066-us.jpg

The surviving episode (Episode 1) was released alongside The Faceless Ones Episode 1 and 3 and the remaining episodes of The Reign of Terror as part of a two cassette release entitled Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror.

Released:

PAL - BBC Video BBCV7335
NTSC - Warner Video E1853

Notes: The US release was also located in The End of the Universe Collection.

Novelisation

Web of Fear novel.jpg
Main article: Doctor Who and the Web of Fear

External links

Template:Season 5

TVStub.png