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{{Infobox ClassicTV|
{{real world}}
story name= Planet of Giants |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
image=[[Image:Planet of the Giants.jpg|250px]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
|image                  = Planet of the Giants.JPG
number= [[Season 2]] |
|novelisation          = Planet of Giants (novelisation)
story number= 9|
|series                 = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
doctor=[[First Doctor]] |
|season number         = Season 2 (Doctor Who 1963)|
companions= [[Susan Foreman]]<br/>[[Barbara Wright]]<br/>[[Ian Chesterton]] |
|season serial number  = 1
enemy= [[Forester]] |
|story number           = 9
year= circa [[1960s]] [[England]] |
|doctor                 = First Doctor
writer= [[Louis Marks]] |
|adapted into          = Planet of Giants (home video)
director= [[Mervyn Pinfield]], [[Douglas Camfield]] |
|companions             = [[Susan Foreman|Susan]], [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]], [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]]
producer= [[Verity Lambert]] |
|featuring              =
broadcast date= [[31st October]] - <br/> [[14th November]] [[1964]] |
|enemy                 = [[Forester (Planet of Giants)|Forester]]
format= 3 25-minute Episodes |
|setting                = [[House (Planet of Giants)|House and garden]], [[1960s]]
production code= [[List of production codes|J]] |
|writer                 = Louis Marks
previous story= [[The Reign of Terror]] |
|director               = [[Mervyn Pinfield]], [[Douglas Camfield]]
next story= [[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]] }}
|producer               = [[Verity Lambert]]
|epcount                = 3
|broadcast date         = 31 October - 14 November 1964
|network                = BBC1
|format                 = 3x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|J]]
|prev                  = The Reign of Terror (TV story)
|next                   = The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)
|clip                  = Face to Face With a Giant Cat - Doctor Who - Planet of Giants - BBC
|bts                    = Exclusive First Look - Making Planet of Giants - Doctor Who - BBC
|bts2                  = Special Feature - The Budget - Doctor Who - Planet of Giants - BBC
}}
'''''Planet of Giants''''' was the first serial of [[Season 2 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 2]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


'''Planet of Giants''' was the first story of [[Season 2]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was the first contemporary story to be produced since "[[An Unearthly Child]]," and utilised a story idea first proposed by [[C E Webber]] for the pilot of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
The first episode was the first episode set on contemporary [[Earth]] since ''[[An Unearthly Child (episode)|An Unearthly Child]]'', and the first set in [[England]] (of any time period) since the same episode. Though it was similar to an idea proposed by [[C. E. Webber]] for the ''Doctor Who'' pilot, [[writer]] [[Louis Marks]] claimed the inspiration for the story was the seminal pro-ecology work by Rachel Carson, {{wi|Silent Spring}}, which warned strongly against insecticides. He reckoned that by shrinking the [[First Doctor]], he would have the opportunity to put the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] crew face-to-face with the dangers Carson had warned against in her book. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor]]'') It was, therefore, the first "environmentalist" ''Doctor Who'' story, a kind of gently moralistic tale — like ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)|Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'' and ''[[The Green Death (TV story)|The Green Death]]'' — later to be particularly favoured by [[Barry Letts]], and seen again in revived era stories, notably ''[[Orphan 55 (TV story)|Orphan 55]]'' and ''[[Praxeus (TV story)|Praxeus]]''.


==Synopsis==
Though fully scripted and recorded as a four-parter, the third and fourth episodes, titled "Crisis" and "The Urge to Live" respectively, were merged into a single episode called "Crisis", effectively leaving an episode on the cutting room floor. This edited material was not retained by the BBC — though some of it was reinstated by [[Terrance Dicks]] for the [[Planet of Giants (novelisation)|novelisation]].
The main doors of the TARDIS open of their own accord just before it materialises, causing it to run out of control. On emerging, the travellers discover that the ship has been reduced in size and they are now only about an inch tall.


In this miniaturised state, they stumble across a plot by a ruthless businessman, Forester, and his misguided scientist colleague, Smithers, to launch a new insecticide named DN6 - a product so destructive that it would kill not only those insects harmful to agriculture but also those vital to it.
Aside from being Marks' first work on the series, it was also the ''Doctor Who'' debut of long-time composer [[Dudley Simpson]], and the first credit for frequent [[Director (crew)|director]] [[Douglas Camfield]].


Forester is even willing to commit murder to ensure the success of his business, as civil servant Arnold Farrow discovers to his cost.
== Synopsis ==
The doors of the TARDIS open of their own accord just before it materialises, running out of control. On emerging, the travellers find the ship has been reduced in size and they are now only about an inch tall.


The criminals are eventually brought to justice when the Doctor and his friends - hampered by the fact that Barbara has herself been made ill by the insecticide - tamper with the telephone in Smithers' laboratory, thus fuelling the suspicions of the local exchange operator, Hilda Rowse, who sends her police constable husband Bert to investigate.
As tiny people, they stumble across a plot by a ruthless [[businessman]], [[Forester (Planet of Giants)|Forester]], and his misguided scientist colleague, [[Smithers]], to launch a new insecticide, [[DN6]] — a product so destructive that it would kill not only those insects harmful to agriculture but also those vital to it.


==Plot==
Forester is willing to commit murder to ensure the success of his business, as civil servant, [[Arnold Farrow]] discovers to his cost.
Following a malfunction on the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] console and the bleating of a klaxon indicating something is amiss, the Doctor insists the [[fault locator]] shows nothing is wrong and it is safe to venture outside. He leads his companions Ian, Barbara and Susan to the world beyond and within minutes they find a dead giant earthworm followed by a large deceased ant. They seem to have died immediately. After some deduction the travellers realise they have arrived on [[Earth]] but have shrunk in size to mere millimetres.


Ian is investigating a discarded matchbox when someone picks it up and he is hurled around inside. That someone is a government scientist called [[Arnold Farrow]], who has come to the home of callous businessman named [[Forester]] to tell him that his application for [[DN6]], a new [[pesticide]], has been rejected. In reality DN6 should not be licensed: it is far too deadly to all insect life. When they fall out over this news, Forester shoots Farrow and leaves him for dead outside his home.
The criminals are brought to justice when the Doctor and his friends — hampered by the fact that Barbara is ill from the insecticide — tamper with the telephone in Smithers' laboratory, fuelling the suspicions of the local telephone exchange operator, [[Hilda Rowse]], who sends her police constable husband [[Bert Rowse|Bert]] to investigate.


The Doctor, Barbara and Susan hear the gunshot as an enormous explosion, and head for the house. They find Ian unhurt near the dead body and surmise a murder has taken place but can do little about it. However, they are determined to ensure the murderer is brought to justice despite their microscopic size. Having avoided a cat, the travellers split up again with Ian and Barbara hiding in a briefcase. The giant Forester returns to the garden and collects the briefcase, taking it inside to his laboratory. His aide, [[Smithers]], suspects him of murder, but does not report him for fear of undermining the DN6 project to which he has given his life.
== Plot ==
=== Planet of Giants (1) ===
The Doctor is landing [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] in what he believes to be mid 20th century [[Earth]]. He finds the console is burning up and discovers a fault with the TARDIS. However, the [[fault locator]] shows nothing is wrong. Despite this, the doors open just as the TARDIS begins its materialisation. The Doctor starts to panic; due to the space pressure differential between the vortex and other planets, any malfunction during materialisation can be very dangerous. However, the only real damage seems to be to an overloading of the scanner circuits, causing the TARDIS's screen to implode and the Doctor suspects the glass was too big for the screen, causing it to shatter. The Doctor decides it is safe to venture outside.


The Doctor and Susan scale a drain pipe to gain access to the house and locate their friends, braving the height as they go. Meanwhile Ian and Barbara examine the laboratory and encounter a giant fly. She foolishly touches a seed that has been contaminated with DN6 and soon starts to feel unwell. Nevertheless, attracted by Susan’s voice in the reverberating plug hole, the four friends are reunited.
He leads his companions, Ian, Barbara, and Susan, to the world beyond. Their curiosity is aroused initially by the odd rock formation by which they have materialised. It seems rough but evenly spaced and there appears to be some residue of concrete at their feet. They decide to split up, so the Doctor and Barbara explore around the TARDIS while Ian and Susan go further afield.


Forester has meanwhile doctored Farrow’s report so as to give DN6 the licence he wants and, disguising his voice as Farrow’s, makes a supportive phone call to the ministry to the same effect. This overheard by the local telephone operator, [[Hilda Rowse]], and her policeman husband [[Bert Rowse|Bert]], who start to suspect something is wrong.
Within minutes, the Doctor and Barbara find what they believe to be a snake; however, it turns out to be a dead giant [[earthworm]]. At the same time, Ian and Susan are shocked by a large deceased [[ant]]. Both of the creatures seem to have died immediately. After some confusion as to what could possibly explain why a planet would spawn humongous versions of Earth creatures, Ian and Susan come across a giant pack of cigarettes and a large [[matchbox]]. Ian climbs into the matchbox, believing it an exhibition piece, but then Susan realises that the environment has not been enlarged; the TARDIS crew has [[shrink|shrunk]].


The Doctor has meanwhile realised the deadly nature of DN6 and the probable contamination of Barbara. They try to alert someone by hoisting up the phone receiver with corks, but cannot make themselves heard. However, Hilda notes the engaged signal and she and Bert become even more concerned. Forester and Smithers return to the lab and correct the engaged handset and then Hilda rings to check things are okay. She rings again moments later and asks for Farrow and, when Forester impersonates him, knows there is something badly wrong. Bert heads off to the house to investigate.
After this revelation, thunderous footsteps are heard. Susan runs for cover but Ian is trapped inside the matchbox, which is picked up. The Doctor and Barbara soon find Susan. The Doctor has also made the connection that Susan made. The Doctor climbs a large rock to discover the man who picked up the matchbox containing Ian is far away in the distance, in real terms the length of a garden.


The Doctor and his companions decide to start a fire to attract attention to the house and succeed in setting up an aerosol can of insecticide as a bomb. This coincides with Smithers discovering the true virulence of DN6 - it's lethal to everything - and demanding Forester stop seeking a licence. Forester spots the makeshift bomb, which goes off in his face. Smithers retrieves the gun as PC Rowse arrives.
The man is a government scientist named [[Arnold Farrow]], who has come to the home of a callous businessman named [[Forester (Planet of Giants)|Forester]] to tell him that his application for [[DN6]], a new [[pesticide]], has been rejected. In reality, DN6 should not be licensed; it is far too deadly to all life. When they fall out over this news, Forester pulls out a gun and kills Farrow.


Their work done, the travellers return to the TARDIS and the Doctor reconfigures the machine to return them to normal size. Barbara, who was on the verge of death, recovers on being returned to full size; the insecticide and seed responsible aboard the TARDIS shrinking to their real microscopic and minuscule sizes.
The Doctor, Barbara, and Susan hear the gunshot as an enormous explosion and head for the house. On their way, a bee falls from the sky. The trio marvel at the death of all wildlife that they have met. The Doctor orders the women not to eat anything until they get back aboard the TARDIS. Meanwhile, Ian uses this opportunity to escape from the matchbox. The four meet by the dead body and surmise a murder has taken place. As they head off to the TARDIS, they turn to see a [[cat]] hulking menacingly above them.


==Cast==
=== Dangerous Journey (2) ===
* [[First Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[William Hartnell]]
To avoid the cat, the travellers stay still until it loses interest in them. They decide that while the cat is at large, they dare not try to make it to the ship. Forester returns to the garden. The panic induced by the man returning sees the travellers split up again; the Doctor and Susan run into the undergrowth of the grass whilst Barbara and Ian hide in Farrow's briefcase.
 
Forester has brought along with him a scientist named [[Smithers]]. Forester tries to pass off the murder of Farrow as self-defence, but Smithers [[deduce]]s from the angle of the bullet hole that Forester must have murdered him. Forester eventually admits it, but says that Smithers must help him cover up the murder otherwise DN6, which was devised by Smithers, will never see the light of day. The two men conspire to make it look like Farrow's death happened aboard a boat that he owned and intended to holiday on after his meeting with Forester. They begin to clear up the evidence, including taking Farrow's briefcase, complete with Barbara and Ian, and placing it in the laboratory.
 
To gain access to their friends, the Doctor and Susan scale a drainpipe on the outside of the house which leads directly into the laboratory. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara examine the laboratory. Barbara touches a seed which she later finds has been contaminated with DN6. She does not tell Ian but believes she may have been infected, much as the other creatures they have encountered.
 
Ian and Barbara decide the best way to scale the drop to the floor level is by making a ladder of paperclips from Farrow's briefcase. While Ian is trying to open the briefcase, Barbara encounters a giant fly and faints. When Ian rejoins her, the fly flies away and lands on the seeds, dying instantly. Barbara wakes, visibly distressed by the speed with which the fly has died. She is on the verge of telling Ian that she believes herself infected when she is interrupted by Susan's voice. She is using the sink as a sound box to amplify her voice.
 
The four travellers are soon reunited and plan to escape down the plughole. Ian and Barbara begin to scale the chain of the plug when the two men return to the lab to wash the blood from their hands. Ian and Barbara return to the work surface, but the Doctor and Susan have no option but to go back down the plughole. As they do, Smithers puts the plug in, washes his hands, and then begins to let the water out.
 
=== Crisis (3) ===
The Doctor and Susan climb into the overflow pipe just as Smithers lets the plug out. Ian and Barbara fear they have drowned. Once they go down to check the pipe it seems as if their friends are dead, but they crawl back out of the drain to their joy.
 
Forester has used his typewriter to doctor Farrow's report to give DN6 the licence he wants. Disguising his voice as Farrow's, he makes a supportive telephone call to the ministry to the same effect. The ministry give the green light to the scheme. This is overheard by [[Hilda Rowse]], the switchboard operator at the local exchange, which is actually the back room of the combined village shop/police station, and her policeman husband [[Bert Rowse|Bert]] starts to suspect something is wrong.
 
The Doctor and his companions stumble across a notebook with the equations for DN6. After laboriously copying it out, the Doctor realises just how dangerous it is, not only to insects but to all wildlife. They try to alert the police by hoisting up the phone receiver with corks, but cannot make themselves heard. Barbara begins to feel the effects of her exposure to DN6. When they make the phone call, the travellers can't be heard, but Hilda notes the engaged signal. She and Bert grow more concerned as to the goings-on at the house. Once the phone call is made, Barbara collapses. Her friends smell the DN6 on her handkerchief and conclude she has been infected. When she regains consciousness, the Doctor berates her for not telling them sooner, but he says that when they return to their normal size the poison in her bloodstream will lessen and she will be safe.
 
Hearing the engaged tone on the phone in the office, Forester and Smithers return to the lab and correct the engaged handset. Hilda rings moments later to ensure that all is OK at the house. When she asks where Farrow is, Forester tries to impersonate him again. Knowing there is something badly wrong, Bert heads off to the house to investigate.
 
The Doctor and his companions decide the only way to stop the spread of DN6 is to start a fire to attract attention to the house. They use a gas tap to ignite an aerosol can of insecticide. Smithers begins to look through Farrow's files and discovers the true virulence of DN6. He demands Forester stop seeking a licence. Forester pulls a gun on Smithers. As they move into the lab, Forester spots the makeshift bomb, which goes off in his face. Smithers retrieves the gun as PC Rowse arrives. The policeman takes the gun away and then places the men under arrest, saying they will have a lot of explaining to do.
 
Their work now done, the travellers return to the TARDIS. The Doctor reconfigures the machine to return them to normal size. Barbara, who was on the verge of death, recovers as a result. The Doctor encourages his friends to have a good scrub whilst he lands the TARDIS, unsure where they are; the scanner is still broken and is showing only interference. Then the interference resolves itself, becoming a faint picture of what appears to be slowly moving water...
 
== Cast ==
* [[First Doctor|Dr. Who]] - [[William Hartnell]]
* [[Ian Chesterton]] - [[William Russell]]
* [[Ian Chesterton]] - [[William Russell]]
* [[Barbara Wright]] - [[Jacqueline Hill]]
* [[Barbara Wright]] - [[Jacqueline Hill]]
* [[Susan Foreman]] - [[Carole Ann Ford]]
* [[Susan Foreman]] - [[Carole Ann Ford]]
* [[Forester]] - [[Alan Tilvern]]
* [[Forester (Planet of Giants)|Forester]] - [[Alan Tilvern]]
* [[Arnold Farrow]] - [[Frank Crawshaw]]
* [[Arnold Farrow|Farrow]] - [[Frank Crawshaw]]
* [[Smithers]] - [[Reginald Barratt]]
* [[Smithers]] - [[Reginald Barratt]]
* [[Hilda Rowse]] - [[Rosemary Johnson]]
* [[Hilda Rowse]] - [[Rosemary Johnson]]
* PC [[Bert Rowse]] - [[Fred Ferris]]
* [[Bert Rowse]] - [[Fred Ferris]]


==Crew==
=== Uncredited cast ===
* Sammy, the cat - Noakes (supplied by John Holmes)
 
== Crew ==
* [[Writer]] - [[Louis Marks]]
* [[Writer]] - [[Louis Marks]]
* [[Director]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]] ''(credited on "Planet of Giants" and "Dangerous Journey" only)''
* [[Director]] - [[Douglas Camfield]] (material for episode 4 which was included in episode 3)
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Douglas Camfield]] ''(directed material for the fourth episode "The Urge to Live", which was included in the third episode "Crisis". Credited on broadcast "Crisis" only)''
* [[Producer]] - [[Verity Lambert]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Verity Lambert]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[David Whitaker]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[David Whitaker]]
* [[Designer]] - [[Raymond Cusick]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Raymond Cusick]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Dawn Robertson]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Val McCrimmon]]
* [[Associate Producer]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
* [[Associate Producer]] - [[Mervyn Pinfield]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Daphne Dare]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Daphne Dare]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Jill Summers]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Jill Summers]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Norman Stewart]]
* [[Special Sound]] - [[Brian Hodgson]]
* [[Special Sound]] - [[Brian Hodgson]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Howard King]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Howard King]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Alan Fogg]]
* [[Studio Sound|Sound Mixing]] - [[Alan Fogg]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]


==References==
=== Uncredited crew ===
* The TARDIS [[fault locator]] again makes an appearance.
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]]s - [[Dawn Robertson]], [[Val McCrimmon]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Norman Stewart]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Operations Manager]] - [[Mark Lewis]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Vision Mixer]]s - [[Clive Doig]], [[Graham Giles]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistants]] - [[David Tilley]], [[John Adams (crew)|John Adams]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Kay Fraser]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Design assistant|Design Assistant]] - [[Chris Thompson (designer)|Chris Thompson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Cyril Julius]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Chris Hayden|Chris Haden]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
* [[Dubbing mixer|Dubbing Mixer]] - [[Brian Watkins]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Giants'')
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* [[Whitmore (Planet of Giants)|Whitmore]] is [[Arnold Farrow|Farrow]]'s superior at [[Whitehall]].
* The Doctor and Susan were observers at a [[Zeppelin]] air raid during [[World War I]].
* The Doctor and Susan were observers at a [[Zeppelin]] air raid during [[World War I]].
* The Doctor states that he has never been to [[Africa]].
* The Doctor states that he has never been to [[Africa]].


==Story Notes==
=== Influences ===
* The first television story since [[An Unearthly Child]] to be set in modern day [[England]].
* ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]''.
* All 3 episodes exist in [[16mm telerecordings]].
* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Shrinking_Man The Incredible Shrinking Man]''.
* Negative film prints of all 3 episodes were recovered in [[1978]].
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson Rachel Carson]'s ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring Silent Spring]'' (the ecological menace of insecticide).
* Arabic prints of all 3 episodes are also held by the BBC.
* ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' (the murder sub-plot).
* The story went by the working title ''Death in the Afternoon''.
 
* Originally filmed as a 4 part story it was later compressed to 3 episodes at the request of [[Donald Wilson]], [[BBC Head of Serials]]. Episode 3 was originally entitled '''''Crisis''''' and episode 4 was entitled '''''The Urge to Live'''''. The material filmed for these 2 episodes has not been retained by the BBC and it appears unlikely that it will ever be recovered.
== Story notes ==
* The story was originally developed under the title '''The Miniscules''' which was originally intended to form episodes 2,3 and 4 of the show, following on from An Unearthly Child.
* All three episodes exist as [[16mm]] [[telerecording]]s.
* The story was filmed as part of the first bloc of stories but a decision was made to hold it over as the opener for the second series.
* This story had the working titles ''Miniscule Story'' and ''The Miniscules''.
* This story sees the debut of [[Dudley Simpson]] the shows most prolific creator of incidental music.
* Negative film prints of all three episodes were recovered in 1978.
* Arabic prints of all three episodes are also held by the BBC.
* [[Richard Martin (director)|Richard Martin]] was the original choice to direct, but was switched over to ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'' instead.
* The request to compress this [[serial]] into three parts came from [[Donald Wilson]], [[BBC]] [[Head of Serials]], who felt the story simply didn't work in four parts. The third episode was entitled "Crisis" and the fourth episode was to be called "The Urge to Live". In the end, the edited story retained the original title of the third episode, "Crisis", along with the end credits for "The Urge to Live" because that required the fewest edits at a time when editing was a very expensive proposition. Therefore [[Douglas Camfield]], who was, in fact, the director of "The Urge to Live", came to be the credited director of the transmitted version of "Crisis". No full versions of the original two episodes are known to exist. A reconstruction based on the original scripts directed by [[Ian Levine]] was made for the 2012 DVD release of the story, featuring new recordings by [[Carole Ann Ford]], [[William Russell]] and other actors impersonating the rest of the cast.
* The story was originally developed under the title ''The Miniscules''. The working title of "Dangerous Journey" was "Death in the Afternoon". ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor]]'')
* The story was filmed as part of the first block of stories but a decision was made to hold it over as the opener for the second series.
* This is the first time the Doctor manages to return to contemporary [[Earth]] since ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', the first story.
* No date is given on-screen for the events of ''Planet of Giants''. However, three dates are known to exist, taken from various ''Doctor Who'' publications: [[1963]] ([[Terrance Dicks]]' [[Planet of Giants (novelisation)|novelisation]]); [[1964]] (''The UNIT Chronology'' in ''[[DWMS Winter 1991|Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special: UNIT Exposed]]''); and [[June]] [[1969]] (''[[The Grandfather Infestation (novel)|The Grandfather Infestation]]''), five years ahead of the original transmission, when the [[UNIT]] stories were supposedly set. None of the aforementioned dates were derived from any information given on-screen.
* This is the first of two serials in this season to feature giant ants.
* [[William Russell]] was ill during shooting and was rushed to hospital as soon as the cameras stopped rolling.
* Forester's ultimate fate after his arrest has never been revealed on television or in any expanded universe media. The penalty for first degree murder at the time of the original UK transmission was death, so the audience were likely expected to assume he was executed.
* Smithers originally had a financial involvement with DN6, but the pesticide's lethality had motivated him to turn his back on Forester.
* In situations where it was impossible or impractical to use oversized props, such as the discovery of Farrow's body, a film technique was used whereby the object was magnified via a half-silvered mirror, through which the camera could also capture the actors standing against black drapes. Unfortunately, these shots did not turn out well, and had to be remounted.
* Hilda Rowse was originally named Emma.
* Farrow continually makes a whistling noise every time he makes an 'S' sound with his dialogue. It can be seen on most home media releases, but was removed during restoration for the Season Two box set in an effort to prevent the distracting nature of the whistling noise.
 
=== Shrinking the Doctor ===
It is sometimes casually asserted that ''Planet of Giants'' was a story that had been proposed by [[C. E. Webber]] as the first story of [[Season 1 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 1]]. However, it was merely the general ''idea'' of shrinking the Doctor and his companions that linked Marks' script to Webber's idea. All the details were quite different. Indeed the story of how a miniaturised TARDIS eventually made it on screen was relatively complex.


=== Influences ===
The idea of a story that featured the miniaturisation of the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] crew went back to one of the foundational documents of ''Doctor Who'': [http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/doctorwho/6403.shtml?page=4 "Dr. Who: General Ideas on Background and Approach"] written by [[C. E. Webber]] and heavily amended by [[Sydney Newman]]. There, Webber said that the first story "may result from the use of a micro-reducer in the machine which makes our characters all become tiny". The idea was carried forward in a [[16 May (production)|16 May]] 1963 [[Dr. Who (memo)|document]], prepared by Newman, Webber and [[Donald Wilson]], in which the first story, called ''The Giants'', was proposed. Its first episode was to be broadly similar to ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', but instead of landing in [[Earth]]'s past, [[the TARDIS]] would land in the [[Coal Hill School]] laboratory — at a much-reduced size. The travellers would spend the next three episodes avoiding the now-huge students, teachers and classroom objects all around them. By [[4 June (production)|4 June]] 1963, Webber had completed his full outline, which now included a scene in which the travellers placed themselves under microscopes so the students could see and communicate with them.
* [[wikipedia:Gulliver's Travels | Gulliver's Travels]]
 
* [[wikipedia:The Incredible Shrinking Man | The Incredible Shrinking Man]]
By [[10 June (production)|10 June]], Newman began to sour somewhat on Webber's idea, noting that the storyline didn't seem to allow for much in the way of character development. He also felt that portraying the shrinkage of [[the TARDIS]] would be "patently impossible without spending a tremendous amount of money" and asked Webber to reconsider his ideas so they could be achieved practically. Webber only got as far as the draft scripts of the first two episodes before the script was officially rejected by Wilson and [[Rex Tucker]], the interim [[producer]] who briefly preceded [[Verity Lambert]]. Their objections were quite different to Newman's. They now knew that the first [[serial]] of ''Doctor Who'' had to be recorded at [[Lime Grove Studios|Lime Grove Studio D]], whose cameras couldn't be fitted with wide-angle or zoom lenses. This made the convincing portrayal of miniaturisation impossible. Webber was duly paid for his first two scripts in July 1963 and the idea was temporarily shelved.
* [[wikipedia:Rachel Carson's Silent Spring | Rachel Carson's Silent Spring]]
 
Nevertheless, [[script editor]] [[David Whitaker]] — who, having been appointed in the last week of June, was not party to the decision to reject ''The Giants'' — wasn't ready to give up on the idea just yet. He wrote an [[8 August (production)|8 August]] memo to [[Ayton Whitaker]] saying, "We badly need a serial about our four running characters being reduced in size". His plan of attack to achieving this goal was to eliminate Wilson and Tucker's objection: Lime Grove. He argued that Studio D was simply not up to the production of a variable format show like ''Doctor Who'' and that the production could not continue if it was permanently restricted to that antiquated studio.


===Ratings===
By [[16 September (production)|16 September]], David Whitaker had placed a "shrunken Doctor" serial back on the season 1 schedule. Never named, it was to be written by [[Robert Gould]] and had nothing to do with [[Coal Hill School]]. It did, however, posit the notion of returning the TARDIS crew to 1963. The Gould script proceeded slowly, however, and by [[4 February (production)|4 February]] 1964, Whitaker released Gould from that idea and requested a replacement story — one that also never even made it to the synopsis stage. Whitaker commissioned [[Louis Marks]] to write an outline for a "shrunken Doctor" script, on which Gould had given up. By late May 1964, the idea finally moved to full commission, with four episodes being requested of Marks. More importantly, Whitaker achieved his ambition of ensuring that the story would be recorded at [[BBC Television Centre]], rather than Lime Grove.
* Planet of Giants - 8.4 million viewers
* Dangerous Journey - 8.4 million viewers
* Crisis - 8.9 million viewers


===Myths===
Even after ''Planet of Giants'' went before the cameras at [[List of stories recorded at BBC Television Centre|TC4]], it still underwent changes. [[Donald Wilson]] didn't feel it was a great season opener and would have actually preferred to have begun with ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', had not [[Carole Ann Ford]]'s departure in that story made the transposition of the serials impossible. Saying that "by its nature and the resources needed we could not do everything we wanted to do to make it wholly satisfactory", he took the unusual step of editing the already-recorded third and fourth episodes into a single episode. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The First Doctor]]'')
''to be added''


===Filming Locations===
=== Ratings ===
*[[Ealing Television Film Studios]]
* "Planet of Giants" - 8.4 million viewers
*[[Lime Grove Studio D|Lime Grove Studios (Studio D)]]
* "Dangerous Journey" - 8.4 million viewers
* "Crisis" - 8.9 million viewers


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
=== Filming locations ===
* At the end of episode 2 the sink is emptied and the plug is placed upon the bench. At the beginning of episode 3 the plug is back in the sink providing a method of escape.
* [[Ealing Television Film Studios]]
* [[Lime Grove Studios|Lime Grove Studios (Studio D)]]


==Continuity==
=== Production errors ===
''to be added''
{{discontinuity}}
* Around the 4:30 mark of "Crisis" a boom microphone can be seen entering the top of the frame for a few seconds. This happens again around the 14:14 mark.
* As Forester and Smithers drag Farrow's dead body across the ground, Frank Crawshaw (Farrow) can be seen blinking a few times.
* At the end of "Dangerous Journey", Smithers unplugs the sink and leaves it outside of it. However, in "Crisis", when Ian and Barbara go to check for the Doctor and Susan, the plug is in the sink again without any obvious replacement.
* In "Crisis", Forester stammers when delivering the line "As soon as they get the report, we'll get the go-ahead".


==DVD, Video and Other Releases==
== Continuity ==
* '''DVD Release''' - This story has not yet been released on DVD
* The Doctor refers to having just been in the late [[18th century]]. Whilst intended as a reference to ''[[The Reign of Terror (TV story)|The Reign of Terror]]'', this was later retconned by ''[[The Witch Hunters (novel)|The Witch Hunters]]''.
* '''Video Release''' - Released as Doctor Who: Planet of Giants
* An emergency klaxon is heard in the TARDIS in the first episode, "Planet of Giants". The [[Cloister Bell]] is first heard in [[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''.
* Ian ponders what kind of planet would produce large insects, and later finds out on [[Vortis]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Web Planet (TV story)|The Web Planet]]'')
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[House of Giants (short story)|House of Giants]]'' follows on directly from this story, and reveals that it takes place in 1969.
* DN6 reappears in [[PROSE]]: ''[[House of Giants (short story)|House of Giants]]'' and [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Grandfather Infestation (novel)|The Grandfather Infestation]]''.


::[[UK]] Release: [[January]] [[2002]] / [[US]] Release: [[May]] [[2003]]
== Home video and audio releases ==
::PAL - [[BBC Video]] BBCV7263
=== DVD releases ===
::NTSC - [[Warner Video]] E1740
The serial was released on DVD in region 2 on [[20 August (releases)|20 August]] [[2012 (releases)|2012]] and in region 1 on [[11 September (releases)|11 September]] 2012. Alongside the existing serial, the DVD includes an animated [[Planet of Giants (home video)|reconstruction of the original third and fourth episodes]], "Crisis" and The Urge to Live", with original cast members [[William Russell]] and [[Carole Ann Ford]] reprising their roles for the recorded dialogue. As [[William Hartnell]] and [[Jacqueline Hill]] had both passed away by 2012, the role of the Doctor in these recordings was provided by [[John Guilor]] who, a year later, would act as a voice double for Hartnell in the 50th anniversary special ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]''; while Barbara was played by [[Katherine Mount]].


This story was enhanced by the Restoration Team and further information on this project can be found at [http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/pog.htm Restoration Team]
Special features:
* Commentary with vision mixer [[Clive Doig]], special sounds creator [[Brian Hodgson]], make-up supervisor [[Sonia Markham]] and [[floor assistant]] [[David Tilley]]. Moderated by [[Mark Ayres]]
* Episodes [[Crisis|3]] and [[The Urge to Live|4]] Reconstruction - The final two episodes of ''Planet of Giants'' were edited into a single episode for transmission. Using original scripts, newly recorded dialogue and animation, this feature gives viewers an idea of how the original four-part version might have appeared
* ''[[Rediscovering the Urge to Live (documentary)|Rediscovering the Urge to Live]]'' - The team behind the reconstruction explain how it was put together
* ''[[Suddenly Susan (documentary)|Suddenly Susan]]'' - [[Carole Ann Ford]] interview originally recorded for 2003's ''[[The Story of Doctor Who]]''
* ''[[The Lambert Tapes (documentary)|The Lambert Tapes - The Doctor]]'' - [[Verity Lambert]] interview recorded for ''The Story of Doctor Who''
* Prop Design Plans (DVD-ROM)
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Listings (DVD-ROM)
* Optional Arabic Mono Audio
* Production Information Subtitles
* Photo Gallery
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'': Special Edition


==Novelisation==
<gallery>
[[Image:Planet of Giants novel.jpg|right|75px]]
Planet of Giants DVD Cover.jpg|Region 2 DVD cover
: ''Main article: [[Planet of Giants (novelisation)]]''
Doctor_Who_Planet_of_Giants_US_DVD_Cover.jpg|Region 1 DVD cover
Planet of Giants R4.jpg|Region 4 DVD cover
</gallery>


Novelised as ''[[Planet of Giants (novelisation)|Planet of the Giants]]'' in [[1990]] by [[Terrance Dicks]].
=== Blu-ray releases ===
The story was released on Blu-ray in the UK on [[5 December (releases)|5 December]] [[2022 (releases)|2022]], as part of the box set ''[[The Collection]]: [[Season 2 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season Two]]''.


==See also==
=== Digital releases ===
===Stories involving shrinking===
This story is available:
*[[DW]]: ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]''
* for streaming through [[BritBox]] ([[US]]) as part of Season 2 of ''Classic Doctor Who''.
*[[DW]]: ''[[The Armageddon Factor]]''
* for streaming through [[Quickflix]] (Australia) as "Planet of the Giants".
*[[DW]]: ''[[The Invisible Enemy]]''
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideadbutton="true" widths="150px">
File:Quickflix - Planet of the Giants cover.jpg|Quickflix cover as "Planet of the Giants"
</gallery>


==External Links==
=== VHS releases ===
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/planetofgiants/ Official BBC Episode Guide for '''Planet of Giants''']
:[[UK]] Release: [[January (releases)|January]] [[2002 (releases)|2002]] / [[US]] Release: [[May (releases)|May]] 2003
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=j Outpost Gallifrey Episode Guide: '''Planet of Giants''']
:PAL - [[BBC Video]] BBCV7263
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_j.htm Doctor Who Reference Guide: Detailed Synopsis - '''Planet of Giants''']
:NTSC - [[Warner Video]] E1740
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/j.html A Brief History of Time (Travel) entry for '''Planet of Giants''']
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideadbutton="true" widths="150px">
* [http://www.eofftv.com/episodes/d/doctor_who/1st_doctor/planetofgiants_main.htm Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television entry for '''Planet of Giants''']
File:Planet_of_Gaints.jpg|AUS cover
</gallery>


{{season 2}}
== External links ==
{{Wikipedia|Planet_of_Giants}}
* {{bbcepguideclassic|planetofgiants/|Planet of Giants}}
* {{radiotimes|2008-11-13/planet-of-giants|Planet of Giants}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_j.htm|Planet of Giants}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/j.html|Planet of Giants}}
* [http://www.eofftv.com/episodes/d/doctor_who/1st_doctor/planetofgiants_main.htm Encyclopaedia of Fantastic Film and Television entry for '''Planet of Giants''']
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}


[[Category:First Doctor episodes]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 1960s]]
[[Category:1964 television stories]]
[[Category:1964 television stories]]
[[Category:Previous Spotlight Articles]]
[[Category:Season 2 stories]]
[[Category:Three part serials]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1969]]
 
[[cy:Planet of Giants (stori deledu)]]
[[de:009 - Planet of Giants]]
[[es:Planet of Giants]]
[[fr:Planet of Giants (TV)]]
[[he:כוכב הענקים]]
[[pt:Planet of Giants]]
[[ru:Планета гигантов]]
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