Serial N, in six parts:
- The Web Planet - 2/13/65, 13.5m viewers
- The Zarbi - 2/20/65, 12.5m
- Escape to Danger - 2/27/65, 12.5m
- Crater of Needles - 3/6/65, 13.0m
- Invasion - 3/13/65, 12.0m
- The Centre - 3/20/65, 11.5m
Sound Bytes:
"In The Web Planet we wanted to see how far we could go with being weird. The story got very good figures, but we decided not to do anything like that again... because of the sheer cost and technical problems involved, plus the fact that we ended up with something that wasn't that sensational compared with The Dalek Invasion of Earth." - Dennis Spooner, story editor, quoted in Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text by Tulloch and Alvarado (St. Martin's Press, 1983)
"It wasn't expensive enough. Those sets should have cost millions and they probably cost only hundreds. I thought they were awful." - Richard Martin, quoted in The Handbook: The First Doctor by Howe, Stammers and Walker (Virgin, 1994)
"One of the highlights of my childhood was a visit to the Riverside Studios where Doctor Who was made. The episode being made was called Invasion, part five of The Web Planet... I remember being slightly disappointed at the sight of the TARDIS on a heap of sand in the corner of a room -- it looked decidedly unmagical and didn't suggest to me the surface of a mysterious planet. The costumes, however, were wonderful." - Jessica Carney, Hartnell's granddaughter, from her book Who's There? The Life and Career of William Hartnell (Virgin, 1996)
Comments:
Simply because it features outrageous "giant ant" and "giant butterfly" costumes, The Web Planet has become arguably the most famous (or should I say "notorious"?) Hartnell serial. It seems that nearly every Doctor Who fan has tried to survive the tedium of a six-part Zarbi marathon, whereas not too many fans have bothered to sit down and listen to the surviving audio from The Massacre. I think that's unfortunate, because The Web Planet does not represent Hartnell's era at its best.
Still, my former dislike for this particular adventure has mellowed somewhat since I reviewed it on DVD. I used to be dreadfully embarrassed by the stylized Zarbi and Menoptra costumes, but now I can appreciate the creativity behind their design. Believe me, I've seen dumber monsters, even in much later productions like Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
I also used to be bothered by the fake "planet" sets in this story, but here again I've mellowed. At least the 1960s Doctor Who production team had the nerve to work at creating alien environments, and didn't take the safer route of continuously setting stories on contemporary Earth that has been followed ever since.
So, it's not really the production values that sink The Web Planet. It's the story. There aren't any human characters among the guest cast, or any interesting characters for that matter, so it's hard to get invested in the surreal goings-on. The Menoptra, like many other oppressed races in Doctor Who, are simply too feeble to be believed and are therefore difficult to respect. The Animus, a potentially good villain (with a female voice, I should note), has too small a role and is simply too mysterious for her own good. And the ending is an unfortunate example of pure deus ex machina. So, all that remains to interest the viewer is weird, dated spectacle.
Though I've defended the overall "look" of The Web Planet, I should also mention that it contains the single most embarrassing production blooper in Doctor Who's long history. I refer, of course, to the moment in which a Zarbi careens right into the camera, causing the whole shot to tremble. Hilariously, this occurs in a self-contained transitional scene that could easily be chopped out without harming the flow of the story.
When I first watched this serial, I simply couldn't believe that such an obvious mistake had been retained in the final cut! Nowadays, I have a more fully developed understanding of the tough conditions under which 1960s Doctor Who was filmed. The shooting was pretty much continuous, and "take two" was only permitted in cases of complete disaster. Also, post- production was virtually nonexistent, meaning that mistakes like drunken Zarbi got a pass.
And yet, I still can't really believe that the shot was left in. ZOOM -- crash! I guess I can forgive such an outrageous mistake because it's so funny, and The Web Planet is dry enough that I need a good laugh when I'm watching it.
Grade: C+