Episode #13 : The Web Planet

"I wouldn’t had thought it possible, but somehow we’ve materialised, for a split second of time, and been imprisoned in some kind of force. I simply can’t break its hold. Somewhere, somehow, we’re being slowly dragged down."

Episode 13:   The Web Planet
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 13th February to 20th March 1965.

On the planet Vortis, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki are swept up in the struggles of the butterfly-like Menoptera, the original denizens of Vortis who were forced to flee the planet for the moon Pictos to escape the encroaching web of the Animus and its mind-controlled minions, the ant-like Zarbi and their living weapons, the larvae guns.

Unfortunately The Web Planet is yet another story which is far too long for its own good. At six parts it feels horribly drawn out and you have whole sections that could have been cut back. It is a real shame because had it been shorter I feel it would have made a rather good story.

This is Doctor Who and I feel bad criticising anything that appears cheap and nasty (remember wobbling walls in some stories?) as that was the charm for me at least under classic Who but this story is quite bad. I can forgive the look of the set due to the era this was made but the alien costumes for the Zarbi, Menoptera, and Optera are just awful. They are children's fancy dress costumes and little else. I can appreciate that at the time making an insectoid appearence would be difficult but I am sure they could have done better.

One interesting addition to this story comes from the expanded universe of the novels - though there is reference in the animated story The Infinite Quest making the concept semi-canonical. That addition makes the Animus one of the Great Old Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos of HP Lovecraft. In this case the Animus is supposed to be an entity called Lloigor, though it bears little real resemblence to that fictional entity. This is not the last appearence or reference to a Great Old One in the show.

Ultimately I feel this is a story that could have been a lot better both in length and production efforts. A fairly dissapointing tale.

Episode #12 : The Romans

 

"Alright? Of course I'm alright, my child. You know, I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the gentle art of fisticuffs."

Episode 12:   The Romans.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 16th January to 6th February 1965.

The four time travellers are enjoying a rare holiday, staying at a villa not far from Rome in the year A.D. 64. The Doctor soon becomes restless and sets off to visit the city, taking Vicki with him. In their absence, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders.

The Romans is a historical story focusing really on Emperor Nero and the historical fire that he is supposed to have started. Of course in this tale it is the Doctor who gives him the idea to do it. As a historical story it isn't too bad. It works by splitting the companions up into two groups and each having their own adventures without interacting with the other. This by itself makes the story work.

The story does have a flaw though, and it is the introduction of a humorous element which is greatly unnecessary. While most of the story is quite serious and a little dark in places, the elements surrounding Emperor Nero come straight out of Benny Hill or the Carry On movies. In one chase sequence where Nero seeks Barbara it gets just painfully farcical.

The Romans features the first instance of a well known actor making an appearance. Derek Francis, who plays Nero, was a well known British movie and television performer at the time though I doubt any of now have ever heard of him. This is a trend however in later seasons that brings well known and household faces to the show, even if just as a cameo.

So in closing, The Romans is an OK story but let down by an infusion of unnecessary humour.

Episode #11 : The Rescue

"You destroyed a whole planet just to save your own skin. You're insane!"

 

Episode 11:    Planet of the Giants.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Two episodes. 2nd to 9th January 1965.
 

Having left Susan on Earth, the Doctor, Ian and Barbara land the TARDIS on the planet Dido in the year 2493. There they discover two humans, Bennett and Vicki, trapped in their spaceship, the only crew to survive death at the hands of the hostile Didonians. But the Doctor is baffled: the Didonians are a peaceful nation. What has happened to change them? Why have they murdered the crew of the spaceship? Why, apart from the mysterious Koquillion, are they strangely absent?

In all honesty, this is quite a disappointing story. Initially you have a bit of a mystery going on for the companions to uncover and investigate, but it is so transparent and obvious. Also, the story just seems to be a jumping off point for the introduction of Vicki as a replacement for Susan. I know I'd much rather have kept Susan for a while longer.

For those interested, however, The Rescue is the first story to feature the trademark wheezing-groaning noise for the materialisation/re-materialisation of the TARDIS.

Episode #10 : The Dalek Invasion of Earth

"One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."

 



Episode 10:    The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 21st November to 26th December 1964.

The TARDIS returns to London; however it's the 22nd century. With bodies in the river, and quiet in the docklands, the city is a very different place. The Daleks have invaded and it's up to the Doctor to thwart them once again.

Here we have the return of the Daleks and this time they have invaded and defeated the Earth. Their plan is to core out the planet, insert an engine of some kind and pilot it about the galaxy. Just where are they doing the nessecary mining for this? Bedfordshire. Since I live on the Bedfordshire border I find this rather amusing.

The story itself isn't a bad one and has enough pacing to keep the viewer interested. Since the characters get split up almost immediately you get a lot of scenes in different places across London, the countryside and at the mine site. All of which prevents the monotony of a lengthy story run.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth also sees the first time that we lose a companion. In this case, Susan. I would love to know the reasoning behind it at the BBC because I can't think of any reason for doing so. Shame too though because Susan is one of the characters I quite like from the early days of the show and now with Doctor Who in its modern incarnation I keep hoping that they will bring her back. She has reappeared once in The Five Doctors, but I would really like to see her make an appearence and perhaps be a companion again for a while.

This story was also turned into a cinematic movie as a sequal to Doctor Who and the Daleks, both films starring Peter Cushing. As with the first film adaptation I think the movie does a much better job of carrying the story than a six part serial manages.

On the DVD release of this story there is a rather cool option to either watch it with the original special effects or with new CGI that replaces the old style Dalek saucers with the design from the current series of the show.

Episode #9 : Planet of the Giants

"I wonder what sort of a world could produce an insect that size."

Episode 9:      Planet of the Giants.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Three episodes. 31st October to 14th November 1964.


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. As tiny people, they stumble across a plot by a ruthless businessman, 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.


The thoroughly enjoyed watching this story. At three parts it was just the right length. It was also very well written both in plot and in interaction between the characters. At the actual story itself is a mixture of classic science fiction with the characters being shrunk and the dangers presented, and a plot relevant even more in the modern day; the impact of insecticides. In this case it is blended very well. Due to the science elements of the story Ian gets a chance to shine, much like Barbara did during The Aztecs.

One thing I find unusual is during one episode Barbara comes face to face with a "giant" fly. The model is animatronic (sort of) and looks very realistic. Jump forward to the 3rd Doctor story The Green Death and we have yet another giant fly but then the models effect is fairly poor. Just strikes me as odd as that an earlier story can pull of the effect better than a later one.

Episode #8 : The Reign of Terror

Our lives are important — at least to us — and as we see, so we learn... Our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it.

Episode 8:     The Reign of Terror.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 8th August to 12th September 1964.

The TARDIS materialises not far from Paris in 1794 - one of the bloodiest years following the French Revolution of 1789. The travellers become involved with an escape chain rescuing prisoners from the guillotine and get caught up in the machinations of an English undercover spy, James Stirling - alias Lemaitre, governor of the Conciergerie Prison.

The Reign of Terror is a story that I have not been able to watch thus far. I believe that some of the episodes are still missing, so I have resorted to reading through episode guides to put this one together.

Unfortunately I think that this is another historical story that is just a little too long. By the episode guides it feels that the writer tried to showhorn as much as he could about the French Revolution into this story. Hopefully, if I get the opportunity to watch this episode in the future I may change that mind set.

What sets this story apart from those that came before is that it is the first episode of Doctor Who to be filmed partially outside of a studio, with Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight doubling up for France.

Episode #7 : The Sensorites

"It all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it's turned out to be quite a great spirit of adventure."

Episode 7:     The Sensorites.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 20th June to 1st August 1964.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan arrive in the TARDIS on board a spaceship. Their initial concern is for the ship's human crew, who are suffering from telepathic interference from the Sensorites, but Susan communicates with the Sensorites and finds the aliens fear an attack by the humans and are just defending themselves. Travelling to the Sense Sphere (the Sensorites' planet) the Doctor seeks to cure an illness the Sensorites and Ian have succumbed to, but finds it has been caused by deliberate poisoning.

The Sensorites is a very good story with a well written plot. Like a lot of science fiction it revolves around a familiar story. In this case it is human greed, desiring to capture a planet to mine it for a rare mineral. Coupled with some political intrigue among the Sensorites and you have a rather good tale. Also, as a story that has plenty of sceneary changes it doesn't get too dull.

The only problem I have with this story is the length of it. Six episodes is just a little too long. As much as I enjoyed it, it could have easily been dropped down to a four part and the story would have benefited for it.

As a nod back to this story, later on in the modern incarnation of the show it appears that the Ood Sphere is in the same solar system as the Sense Sphere, or at least the systems are in close proximity.