The Web of Fear

Last updated
041 –The Web of Fear
Doctor Who serial
Cast
Others
Production
Directed by Douglas Camfield
Written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln
Script editor Derrick Sherwin
Produced by Peter Bryant
Production codeQQ
Series Season 5
Running time6 episodes, 25 minutes each
Episode(s) missing 1 episode (3)
First broadcast3 February 1968 (1968-02-03)
Last broadcast9 March 1968 (1968-03-09)
Chronology
← Preceded by
The Enemy of the World 		Followed by →
Fury from the Deep
List of episodes (1963–1989)

The Web of Fear is the partly missing fifth serial of the fifth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , first broadcast in six weekly parts from 3 February to 9 March 1968. Written by writers Henry Lincoln and Mervyn Haisman, the serial is a sequel to 1967 serial The Abominable Snowmen . The plot concerns the incorporeal Great Intelligence and its robotic Yeti minions invading the London Underground in order to lead the time travelling Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) into a trap where it can drain the Doctor's mind of its knowledge. The Web of Fear marks the first appearance of Nicholas Courtney as Colonel Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, who would serve as a major recurring character in the series going forward.

Contents

The serial was commissioned as a result of then story editor Peter Bryant being highly pleased with The Abominable Snowmen, additionally wanting to feature the Yeti more due to a desire to include more "monsters" in the series. Haisman and Lincoln decided to set the story in the London Underground, wanting the serial's events to be close to home for viewers. The Yeti were redesigned after their appearance in the prior serial, giving the creatures a "rougher" appearance. Due to difficulties in scheduling the Underground for filming, the Underground was reconstructed as a set at BBC studios, where most of the serial's filming took place.

The serial has been regarded as an iconic serial in the series and has received largely positive reviews from retrospective critics. Following the serial's airing, the serial's episodes were destroyed, rendering the serial as missing. One episode was recovered in 1978, with four other episodes being recovered in Nigeria in 2013. The serial's third episode has not been recovered but was reconstructed via animation for a 2021 physical release of the serial.

Plot

The TARDIS lands in a deserted London Underground, with London appearing to be completely abandoned. The elderly Professor Travers (Jack Watling), had previously met the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions forty years earlier in Tibet, where the group had fought off the villainous Great Intelligence; Travers had brought back a robotic Yeti with him, which he recently had accidentally re-activated. The Yeti escaped, and in the following days, London was beset by a deadly web-like fungus. Travers and his daughter Anne (Tina Packer) are working with the British military to try and resolve the situation.

The Doctor and his companions encounter the military, who are trying to stem the spread of the fungus by demolishing tunnels with explosives. The explosives are neutralised by a number of robot Yeti, which allows the Doctor to deduce that the Great Intelligence has returned. Travers is able to convince the military that the Doctor will be able to help them stop the Intelligence. Soon after, the group is joined by Lieutenant-Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), who takes command.

The fungus begins to expand into the military's explosives stores, rendering them unusable. The Doctor discovers a Yeti-attracting beacon at the scene, indicating to him that someone in the base is working with the Intelligence. The base is attacked by Yeti, killing several soldiers and kidnapping Travers. The Doctor tells the military of the TARDIS, and a group is sent to retrieve it to allow for later escape, though all the soldiers barring Lethbridge-Stewart are killed.

Soon after, Travers, possessed by the Intelligence, arrives at the military's base. The Intelligence explains that it seeks to drain the Doctor's mind of knowledge. The Doctor appears to submit to the Intelligence, but not before reprogramming a Yeti to aid his allies. Later, the traitor is revealed to be one of the soldiers named Arnold (Jack Woolgar), who has been killed and possessed by the Intelligence. As the Doctor enters a device to have his mind drained, the reprogrammed Yeti attacks Arnold while the others drag the Doctor out of the device and destroy it; this causes the Intelligence to disperse. The Doctor reveals he had intended to use the device to drain the Intelligence; the others' interference has allowed it to escape back into space. The Doctor and his companions depart in the TARDIS.

Production

Development

Yeti Abominable Snowmen Filming.jpg
DWE Yeti.jpg
A Yeti as seen in a photo taken during filming of The Abominable Snowmen (1967) (left) and a Yeti costume from The Web of Fear (1968) as seen on display at the Doctor Who Experience. The Yeti were re-designed for the serial for multiple reasons.

Story editor Peter Bryant was so greatly pleased by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln's previous serial, The Abominable Snowmen, that Bryant commissioned a sequel for the serial to be produced before The Abominable Snowmen had even aired. [1] Bryant sought to include more "monsters" in the series, as he believed they were popular with viewers. The Great Intelligence and its Yeti minions were brought back, with Haisman and Lincoln deciding to set the serial in the London Underground in order to provide a familiar backdrop that would "bring the Doctor's adventures far closer to home". Haisman and Lincoln stated that the Underground also served as a logical location for potential invaders of London to try and control. Bryant soon took over as producer for the series, resulting in Derrick Sherwin taking over as script editor. Sherwin found himself having disagreements with Haisman and Lincoln, who were very protective over their scripts. [2]

For their re-appearance in The Web of Fear, the original Yeti costumes had already started to deteriorate, and many had criticised the "cuddly" Yeti designs. As a result, the next design was made to be "rougher" and had glowing eyes. [1] They used yak hair for their construction, were slightly smaller sized than the originals, and wielded "web guns" to attack, unlike before where they solely used their physical strength. [2] They were constructed by freelance prop builders Jack and John Lowell. [2] An original Yeti costume from The Abominable Snowmen was used briefly in the serial as a display piece in a museum, and the old design was transitioned to the new design during the serial's events. [2] Brian Hodgson of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop developed a Yeti roar for the Yetis' second appearance, created by slowing down the sound of a flushing toilet. [3]

The episode's credits are played over a glowing, pulsating web, unlike the usual black screen used for the credits. [4] Stock incidental music is used during the serial as a cost-saving measure, [2] including a theme that was previously used in serials depicting the Cybermen. [5]

Filming

A London Underground tunnel as pictured in 1969 London 1969 (JOKAMAL2A02-22).tif
A London Underground tunnel as pictured in 1969

The production team originally planned to film in the London Underground; according to a The Fourth Dimension, the production team was denied permission, [4] while according to the BBC and The Complete History, the production team would've been forced to pay £200 an hour, with a stipulation to film only between 2 and 5 AM in the morning. [1] [2] Designer David Myerscough-Jones thus re-created the tunnels at the BBC studios in such detail that the London Underground reportedly contacted the BBC to accuse them of illegally filming there. [4] The same platform set is re-used for the multiple different platforms featured in the serial, with the signage changed to indicate the characters were at different platforms. [4] Visual effects for the serial were handled by Ron Oates. [2]

Filming for the serial began in December 1967, with much of it being filmed in BBC's Television Film Studios in Ealing. Some location filming was performed for scenes depicting the Yeti fighting the military at an old yard in Covent Garden, with further Yeti shots performed on nearby streets. Filming was done early in the morning on a Sunday, allowing for little crowd control to be needed for filming to commence. The scene in which the Yeti is re-activated by Travers was filmed at the Natural History Museum, London. Oates's team completed filming using models at the Television Centre, London. [2] Patrick Troughton took a week's holiday during the rehearsals and recording of Episode 2. [4] Filming wrapped in January 1968, with further studio recording wrapping the following month. [6]

The serial was directed by Douglas Camfield. Camfield found directing easier than his prior serials, which had been with previous lead actor William Hartnell; Camfield found the current lead, Patrick Troughton, easier to work with. The team ran into problems with the Yeti as several action sequences could not be performed, such as a scene where a Yeti lifts and throws a soldier, due to how heavy the costumes were. Camfield grew to dislike the Yeti as he found them limiting in stories. [2]

Casting

Nicholas Courtney (pictured in 2010) made his first appearance as Lethbridge-Stewart in the serial, and would serve as a recurring character in the show going forward Nicholas Courtney, Invasion 2010 (cropped).jpg
Nicholas Courtney (pictured in 2010) made his first appearance as Lethbridge-Stewart in the serial, and would serve as a recurring character in the show going forward

Jack Watling reprises his role of Professor Travers from the previous year's The Abominable Snowmen, albeit with heavy makeup to make it appear as though Travers has aged significantly. [4] John Levene, who portrays a Yeti in the serial, had previously portrayed a Cyberman in 1967's The Moonbase, and would later return to the series as the recurring character Sergeant Benton during the 1970s run of the show. [4] Tina Packer portrays Anne Travers in the serial, while Jack Woolgar portrays Arnold. [6] Woolgar also portrays the Intelligence's voice, albeit in an uncredited role. [2]

Nicholas Courtney portrays Lethbridge-Stewart in the serial. He previously portrayed the role of Bret Vyon in the 1965 serial The Daleks' Master Plan. Courtney would later reprise the role of Lethbridge-Stewart in 1968's The Invasion and would go on to be a recurring character in the series. [5] David Langton was originally cast as Lethbridge-Stewart, but he pulled out before rehearsals and Courtney (originally cast as the character Captain Knight) was given the part instead. [7] Nicholas Selby was also considered for the role, but was not interested in it. [8] Maurice Brooks briefly portrays the character via boots seen in the serial's second part prior to Courtney's first on-screen appearance. [5]

Ratings and reception

EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions)  [9] 		Archive  [10]
1"Episode 1"24:533 February 1968 (1968-02-03)7.216mm t/r
2"Episode 2"24:3810 February 1968 (1968-02-10)6.816mm t/r
3"Episode 3" † 24:3417 February 1968 (1968-02-17)7.0Only audio, stills and/or fragments exist
4"Episode 4"24:5024 February 1968 (1968-02-24)8.416mm t/r
5"Episode 5"24:192 March 1968 (1968-03-02)8.016mm t/r
6"Episode 6"24:419 March 1968 (1968-03-09)8.316mm t/r

^† Episode is missing

As a result of the Yeti's popularity and the new design, prior to the airing of The Web of Fear, a special trailer featuring Patrick Troughton in character as the Second Doctor was shown, telling audiences to expect far scarier Yeti in the serial. [11] The trailer was broadcast shortly after the final episode of the prior serial, The Enemy of the World (1967) aired. [2]

The Web of Fear was broadcast from 3 February 1968, to 9 March 1968. The serial saw an increase in viewing figures from the prior serial, with the serial's sixth episode resulting in the series featuring in the top forty programs for the first time since September of 1967. The serial also garnered a healthy audience appreciation rating, with the episodes garnering ratings of 54, 53, 51, 53, 55, and 55, respectively. [2]

Reception and analysis

In the years following The Web of Fear's release, the serial has been considered highly iconic, with PopMatters writer J.C. Macek III describing it as a "classic", [12] while The Daily Telegraph's Matthew Sweet described the serial as a "restored fragment of our cultural heritage". [13] Literary critic John Kenneth Muir considered the story to be highly important to the show as a whole, as it established Lethbridge-Stewart, who would go on to be a major character in the series, as well as a style of alien invasion stories that would be repeated with great success throughout the show's run. [14] Writing in The Television Companion, David J Howe and Stephen Walker praised the serial, particularly positively highlighting Camfield's direction, Myerscough-Jones's set design and the usage of the Yeti as antagonists, with their presence in a familiar environment allowing the Yeti to have increased menace as antagonists. [5] Patrick Mulkern, writing for Radio Times, praised Camfield's direction, the execution of the paranoia caused by the presence of a traitor, and the well-developed side characters, with Mulkern praising the serial as one of the show's best. [6]

Macek highlighted the serial's dark lighting, which allowed for the Yeti to act as effective antagonists, though felt the Yeti were not as effective in the scenes shot in above ground in daylight. [12] Christopher Bahn, writing for The A.V. Club, praised the serial's tension building, usage of the Yeti, and the character of Lethbridge-Stewart, though felt the serial's ending was weak and let down by the lack of a sequel story. [15] Graeme Burk and Robert Smith, writing in the book The Doctors Are In: The Essential and Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who's Greatest Time Lord, both considered the serial to be strong, with several highly effective moments. Smith, however, believed the serial was unable to be experienced the same as when it was first aired, as viewers knew that Lethbridge-Stewart couldn't be a culprit due to his recurring role, while Burk felt that many of the culprits were negative stereotypes of various groups, and that the fights with the Yeti in the daylight were failures. [16]

Simon Morgan-Russell, writing in the piece An Enemy Within: The London Underground and Doctor Who's "The Web of Fear", stated that the serial served as a representation of anxieties present in the British public at the time of its airing. Morgan-Russell stated that the serial's Underground setting evoked a feeling of familiarity in audiences, and the presence of the Intelligence and the Yeti in such a space served to represent how evils and uncertainties of the time, such as Cold War anxieties and home soil reforms, could invade the familiar and commonplace elements of British life. [17]

Commercial releases

In print

Doctor Who and the Web of Fear
Author Terrance Dicks
Cover artist Chris Achilleos
Series Doctor Who book:
Target novelisations
Release number
72
Publisher Target Books
Publication date
19 August 1976
ISBN 0-426-11084-6

A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in August 1976, entitled Doctor Who and The Web of Fear. [2]

Missing episodes

The videotapes for The Web of Fear were ordered to be destroyed in mid-1969, though were not wiped until later that year. The first episode was recovered by chance in 1978, where BBC Archive selector Sue Malden found the episode in a pile of tapes returned from Hong Kong that were waiting to be destroyed. The episode would be screened at various events over the years following its recovery. [2]

Copies of the remaining 5 episodes were found at a relay station in Jos, Nigeria by Philip Morris of Television International Enterprises Archive, and all but one were returned to the BBC archives in 2013. Episode 3 was lost "en route" during the film cans' retrieval, with Morris presuming it was sold to a private collector. Morris stated in 2018 that he was "close" to recovering the episode. [18] [19] In a 2020 interview, Morris stated that he had "an idea where that episode is" and is hoping to have it returned. [20] He reiterated this on a 2025 interview, while also blaming fellow collector Ian Levine of hampering his progress in finding Episode 3 and spreading the omnirumour. [21]

Home media

Episode 1 of The Web of Fear, then the only surviving episode of the serial, was released on DVD in 2004 as part of the Lost in Time box set. The serial's surviving audio was later released on CD and as an MP3 download by the BBC, with linking narration provided by Frazer Hines. [4]

On 11 October 2013, the surviving episodes were released on iTunes, [22] with episode 3 represented with a tele-snap photo reconstruction accompanied by the surviving off-air soundtrack. [23] The iTunes release would become one of the top ten most downloaded releases of that week. [24] The serial was released on VOD in 2013 and on DVD in 2014. [23] On 23 November 2020 it was announced that The Web of Fear would be re-released on DVD and Blu-ray with the missing Episode 3 now animated. [25] The special edition was released on 16 August 2021. [26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Jack Woolgar also supplied the voice of the Great Intelligence, uncredited.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BBC - Doctor Who - Classic Series - Photonovels - The Web of Fear". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Ainsworth, John (1 June 2016). Doctor Who: The Complete History: The Abominable Snowmen – The Ice Warriors – The Enemy of the World – The Web of Fear. Hachette Partworks, Panini Publishing. ISSN   2057-6048.
  3. ↑ "The Web of Fear: Introduction". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Fourth Dimension". Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Howe, David J.; Walker, Stephen James (1998). "The Web of Fear: Analysis". Doctor Who: The Television Companion. London: BBC Worldwide. p. 144. ISBN   0-563-40588-0. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 Mulkern, Patrick (6 July 2009). "The Web of Fear ★★★★★". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  7. ↑ McManus, Michael (26 February 2011). "Nicholas Courtney: Actor known for his long-running role as the Brigadier in Doctor Who". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Howe, David J.; Stammers, Mark (1995). Doctor Who Companions. London: Doctor Who Books an imprint of Virgin Publishing. p. 52. ISBN   1-85227-582-0.
  9. ↑ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Shaun Lyon; et al. (31 March 2007). "The Web of Fear". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  11. ↑ Burk, Graeme; Smith?, Robert (17 March 2020). Who Is The Doctor 2: The Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who — The Modern Series. ECW Press. ISBN   978-1-77305-470-4.
  12. 1 2 Macek, J. C., III (10 June 2014). "Man-Sized Hamsters Haunt London's Tube in 'Doctor Who: The Web of Fear' » PopMatters". Pop Matters. Retrieved 6 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Sweet, Matthew (11 October 2013). "Doctor Who missing episodes: The Web of Fear review (episode 2)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  14. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (19 October 2007). A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television. McFarland. ISBN   978-0-7864-3716-0.
  15. ↑ Bahn, Christopher (9 November 2013). "Doctor Who (Classic): "The Web Of Fear"". AV Club. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Burk, Graeme; Smith, Robert (1 September 2018). The Doctors Are In: The Essential and Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who's Greatest Time Lord. ECW/ORIM. ISBN   978-1-77090-782-9.
  17. ↑ Morgan-Russell, Simon (10 September 2019). "An Enemy Within: The London Underground and Doctor Who's "The Web of Fear"". Journal of Popular Film & Television . 47 (3): 163–170 – via Taylor and Francis Group.
  18. ↑ Masters, Tim (11 October 2013). "Doctor Who: Yeti classic among episodes found in Nigeria". BBC News. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  19. ↑ McEwan, Cameron K (27 March 2018). "Are more Doctor Who missing episodes on the way?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  20. ↑ Philip Morris: Doctor Who's Missing Episodes Search Discussed. Fantom Publishing. 4 April 2020. Event occurs at 18:45. Retrieved 24 August 2025– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ DOCTOR WHO - PHILIP MORRIS LIVE - MISSING EPISODES? RTD? CURRENT STATE OF DR WHO? SEASON 2?. The Sense Sphere - The Doctor Who Podcast. Event occurs at 12:50. Retrieved 12 October 2025– via YouTube.
  22. ↑ Sweney, Mark (11 October 2013). "About time: Nine 'lost' Doctor Who episodes discovered in Nigeria". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  23. 1 2 Tantimedh, Adi (26 November 2020). "Doctor Who "The Web of Fear" Lost Episode 3 Set to be Animated". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  24. ↑ Burk, Graeme; Smith, Robert (1 September 2018). The Doctors Are In: The Essential and Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who's Greatest Time Lord. ECW/ORIM. ISBN   978-1-77090-782-9.
  25. ↑ Alexander, Susannah (23 November 2020). "Doctor Who's classic 'Web of Fear' story will be completed with animated missing episode". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "'Doctor Who: The Web of Fear' cover art and special features revealed". BBC. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2024.

Target novelisation

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