The Web of Fear (TV story)

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.

Episode 1
The TARDIS continues in flight with the doors open, while the evil Salamander has been ejected into space and time. Jamie is able to fling himself onto the console and activate the door control, nearly being sucked out himself.

In Julius Silverstein's museum, Anne Travers meets with her agitated father, Professor Travers, who pleads with Silverstein to let him take (or buy) back the Yeti he sold to him 30 years ago. The Professor claims to have reactivated a Control sphere, but it has disappeared. Anne suspects his senility is playing tricks on him, and she takes her father away at Silverstein's urging. As Silverstein closes his museum for the night, the sphere itself breaks through a window and reconnects with the Yeti. As it metamorphoses into a glowing-eyed monster, Silverstein is attacked; he cowers in terror.

Jamie tries to convince the Doctor that a light on the console was flashing; the Doctor dismisses it. Victoria notices the light too, and when the Doctor finally sees it for himself the machine emits landing sounds. Strangely, the scanner reveals they are suspended in space and, as they watch, the scanner picture (and the TARDIS itself) is enveloped by a web-like substance.

In an underground fortress, Captain Knight is being interviewed about an apparently fallen comrade, Colonel Pemberton, by Harold Chorley of London Television. As the interview concludes, Professor Travers is ushered in. As Knight is badgered by the Professor, he explains that Ann had asked for him to be brought in. When Knight leaves, The Professor begins badgering Chorley, and when Chorley attempts to interview him about the "scientific section" and finding "a solution to the problem," Travers offers that the whole of London might be completely wiped out.

The Doctor has rigged up a device and plugs it into the console. As the web lessens, he throws the switch on the device, the TARDIS lurches, and the Doctor announces he has landed the ship nearby where they were expected, eluding their captors for the moment. The TARDIS has landed, they soon discover, at the entrance to the London Underground station at Covent Garden. The gate at the top of the stairs is closed, and when Jamie attempts to rouse a sleeping man just outside, he slumps dead, covered with web. The newsstand outside reads "Londoners Flee! Menace Spreads!" Returning to the platform, Jamie hastily jumps onto the tracks. The Doctor quickly and thankfully ascertains that the current that would have electrocuted Jamie is off.

The three walk along the tracks into the tunnel, noticing that trains have not been running for some time. As they discover a power cable, they are forced to hide as three soldiers appear, Staff Sergeant Arnold, Corporal Lane and Craftsman Weams, letting out more cable from a large spool. The Doctor asks his friends to follow the soldiers at a distance while he finds where the cables lead. As they do so, Victoria cannot stifle a scream as she walks right into some cobweb. The soldiers capture them.

The Doctor reaches the Charing Cross platform, on which several crates of explosives are connected to the cables. As he investigates, he begins to hear a too-familiar bleeping sound. He quickly ducks onto the tracks and hides under the platform, as a Yeti emerges.

Corporal Lane cannot raise communications with a truck at Holborn. Anne enters with a repaired blast recorder, and Knight is only too pleased to give her a hand. Chorley enters, complaining of Professor Travers' obstructiveness but is ushered out by Knight. Meanwhile, the Doctor must sit tight as a second Yeti arrives on the platform, and both Yeti cover the explosives in web, using a strange kind of gun.

As Knight continues to set his cap at Anne Travers, Arnold returns with the cables ready to connect for the "demolition job." Arnold reports the two captured youngsters, and Anne pushes to make sure there's no one else in the tunnel before it's blown up. Arnold questions them and Jamie makes a snap decision to deny they were with anyone else. With the Yeti gone, the Doctor closely examines the web-covered crates. The bombs are detonated: the web glows and flashes underneath as the Doctor is thrown from the platform.

Episode 2
Jamie and Victoria wait in their makeshift prison (the common room at the fortress) while Arnold reports to Knight about the Doctor. Arnold is dispatched to investigate as Weams reports that the blast recorder that Anne repaired isn't working: it hasn't recorded a blast. Weams suggests sabotage by the Doctor, and Knight goes to interrogate the youngsters further.

As Knight, Anne, and Chorley question Jamie and Victoria, Jamie in turn tries to get someone to tell them where they are and what's going on. Weams interrupts to report contact is reestablished with Holborn, but it sounds like they're in trouble. When Knight asks if it's Yeti and he leaves with Weams, Jamie and Victoria wonder if they heard him right. Lane reports firing heard at Holborn, they overhear what sounds like a Yeti attack and the line goes dead. Knight collects some soldiers and goes out to investigate; Chorley bravely elects to stay behind.

Arnold and Corporal Blake discover at Charing Cross the explosives' shattered crates covered in web. With no sign of the Doctor, they note the distinct lack of any blast damage. Back at the fortress, Travers is working on a control sphere when Anne tells him of the new arrivals who know so much about the Yeti. Jamie and Victoria suspect it must have been the Great Intelligence that attempted to capture them in space. Travers bursts in and questions them, but Victoria recognizes their 40-plus-years-older friend they met in Tibet. Travers takes Jamie to find out any news about the Doctor, while Victoria is left to explain to Anne how all this is possible.

Arnold tells Jamie and Travers what he knows and his suspicions about the Doctor. Jamie goads Arnold into taking him out in search of the Doctor. As Victoria continues to explain, Chorley enters and sits at his typewriter to work on a story about the Doctor. Anne regards him with contempt, calling him a "sensation-monger" working for the "gutter press." Chorley presses Victoria for more information, and tells her that Jamie has gone back into the tunnels.

Knight and his men are returning from Holborn with some ammunition salvaged, but are attacked by Yeti. Their bullets have no effect, as several soldiers lose their lives via the Yeti's massive strength or their web-guns. Knight has managed to prepare more explosives for detonation, but the Yeti douse it with web, absorbing the energy of the explosion.

Anne discusses with her father the curious fact that every time he's met the Yeti, he's met the Doctor. Before he can refute this assertion, Victoria returns (having overheard) with tea. She quickly excuses herself, after which Anne is convinced the Doctor is not behind this menace. Out in the tunnels, Jamie and four surviving soldiers are under guard by motionless Yeti. Suddenly their guards are called away by a bleeping signal, leaving the humans puzzled, but free.

Blake and Weams, via an illuminated map in the Ops Room, see that the web-fungus is advancing through the tunnels for the first time in three weeks. They bring Travers, Anne and Chorley to see, and Chorley suspects Jamie and Victoria are spies for the Doctor. Blake notices that there's no sign of Victoria in the fortress. She is out searching for her friends in the tunnels.

As Jamie, Arnold, Knight and company return through the tunnels, they hear someone approaching; oddly, the man is singing in Welsh. He is Evans, the driver of the ammunition truck to Holborn. He reports seeing the web advancing, and a Yeti carrying a glass-like pyramid at King's Cross station. Jamie excitedly tells the men that if they destroyed that, it would knock out the Intelligence, and he insists on going there and continuing the search for the Doctor. Evans volunteers to go with him as the rest of the men return to the fortress, but as Jamie offers Evans thanks, Evans offers his assurance that he'll escape the first chance he gets. The web continues to advance along the Circle Line, as Evans and Jamie arrive at Cannon Street, heading on the Circle Line towards The Monument.

Knight and his party arrive at the fortress and are brought up to date. Chorley is pressing for escape but Knight shuts him down. Victoria is still searching the tunnels as a figure ducks into the shadows as she passes. The Circle Line is completely inundated except for The Monument. Arriving there, Jamie and Evans see the web advancing from both directions; they are trapped.

Episode 3
Out of the web advances a Yeti carrying a pyramid. Jamie gets Evans to shoot the pyramid, causing the Yeti to become immobile, but the web continues to advance. They make a dash for an archway, and escape. Meanwhile, Victoria finds the Doctor in the tunnels, accompanied by a Colonel, Lethbridge-Stewart. She tells the Colonel about the fortress at Goodge Street, and at his prompting, tells the Doctor about the presence of Travers, and his apparent suspicions about the Doctor. The Colonel escorts them to the fortress.

With the Circle Line completely cut off and the fortress hemmed in, Knight is informed of the return of the Doctor and Victoria, and the arrival of the Colonel. In the common room, the Colonel presents his papers of authorisation and tells Knight that he is Colonel Pemberton's replacement. The Colonel was part of the attacked ammunition party at Holborn, and Knight mentions to him that driver Evans survived also, still not quite certain if his new C.O. is the real thing. Travers bursts in and, after a happy reunion, takes the Doctor and Victoria to the lab, where the Doctor ensures suspicions are not focused on him. As they muse about the Great Intelligence and its reasons for trapping the TARDIS, Victoria worries about Jamie.

Jamie and Evans arrive at St. Paul's station. Meanwhile, Chorley is arguing with Arnold about trying to escape, saying his reports to the outside world are so important. Arnold dismisses any thought of getting through the web. In the lab, Travers tells the Doctor about reactivating a control sphere. Knight collects them all for a briefing to be given in the common room, for the Colonel's benefit.

Evans plans to escape at Chancery Lane, hoping to find his lorry and get out of town. Jamie argues with him as they walk through the tunnels, but Evans separates from him. At the briefing, the arrival of the web-mist in London is discussed, how anyone going inside this mist never comes out again, as well as its complete interference with radio and other communications. The Doctor and Travers note the new appearance of the Yeti. Anne reports that she and her father believe they could jam transmissions from the Intelligence, but need more equipment. Chorley bursts in, clearly agitated that he was not told about this briefing, and argues that an exit to the surface, mentioned by Arnold, could allow a helicopter to airlift them out. The Colonel dismisses him and his attempts to pull rank as a "member of the press." Chorley leaves to question Weams in the Ops Room about tall buildings in this area, which include the Post Office Tower. Weams in turn leaves to tell the Colonel about another advance of the web-fungus.

Jamie surprises Evans in the tunnels, and learns that Evans' plan to escape has failed, so they make their way back to the fortress. The Colonel decides to give Chorley a "liaison" job, "coordinating" things (and tucked out of the way in the common room), while the rest get to some real work. The Doctor suggests buying some time by blowing up the tunnel at Goodge Street, sealing themselves in, using explosives on a baggage trolley as it rolls down the tracks, so avoiding any Yeti attempts to cocoon it. The Doctor and Travers set to work on a detonator. Meanwhile, someone in the fortress unlocks the main door, leaving the base open and vulnerable.

In the lab, Victoria recognizes the model Yeti that Anne shows her (as she saw in Tibet), but as the Doctor comes in, Anne realizes that one of them is missing. It is in the hands of the traitor, who places the homing device at the doorway of the explosives store; in response, a Yeti in the tunnels moves towards the fortress. Victoria points out that Jamie will be trapped outside the fortress if their plan succeeds, but it soon becomes moot: The Yeti does its job, and soon the base crew discover the explosives shrouded in web.

The Colonel decides to take a group of men to Holborn to see if any explosives are still usable; both the Doctor and the Colonel suspect this is a waste of time but they must check. The Doctor announces that someone inside the base is in league with the Yeti, citing the evidence of this latest precision attack. Victoria foolishly tells Chorley about the TARDIS and the plans to blow up the tunnel, and as the Doctor arrives, Chorley leaves surreptitiously. The Doctor soon discovers her gaffe, and also discovers they are locked in the common room. Chorley meets Jamie and Evans, safely arrived at the fortress, and they tell him the Colonel's party has gone to Holborn; he leaves the base. Jamie releases the Doctor and Victoria, and they leave in pursuit of Chorley.

As Travers and Anne work in the lab, a scream is heard; Travers soon finds Weams dead in the Ops Room. Covered in web, a model Yeti lies beside him, and as Travers picks it up, a Yeti roars behind him and attacks.

Episode 4
Anne appears, and just as she sees her father on the ground, she too is stuck down. The Yeti drag away the Professor. The Doctor, Jamie, Victoria, and Evans are en route to Convent Garden, trying to intercept Chorley, whom the Doctor suspects will attempt to use the TARDIS to escape from the Underground. The Colonel and Arnold meet up with Knight, who reports running into web-fungus a mere 100 yards from Holborn. Arnold notes that it was as if the Intelligence knew what they were up to. Knight suggests attempting another route, via Piccadilly, and the Colonel leads the party there.

The Doctor and his party run into more web-fungus before reaching Covent Garden, but he cannot be sure if Chorley made it to the TARDIS. He collects a sample of the web in Evans' tobacco tin (casually discarding the tobacco inside, to Evans' irritation), even as the web reacts violently. Arnold and Blake are investigating a tunnel, and just after Blake's return to the main party, The Doctor and party find Arnold. Arnold then reports back to the Colonel as the rest return to the fortress.

The Doctor and company discover the main door hanging off its hinges, and soon discover web-covered furniture, equipment—and bodies. They discover Anne in the lab, and rouse her from unconsciousness. She is soon hysterical as she tells of her father's fate, and Jamie and Victoria help her to the common room. The Doctor tells the Colonel and Knight upon their return about what has happened, including Chorley's activities. Evans is drafted by Arnold to help with the bodies, and on his exit greets the Colonel, whose memory is refreshed about the lorry driver to Holborn.

The Doctor and the Colonel are summoned by Blake to the Ops Room, where more stations are being overtaken by web-fungus as it advances towards Goodge Street. The Colonel muses about the Doctor's suggestion of a traitor in their midst, and the Doctor tries to explain what exactly the Great Intelligence is, that he and his friends are time-travelers, and that their police-box-shaped craft is at Covent Garden. Jamie enters to take the Doctor to Anne, who is asking for him. Despite Knight's strong doubts, the Colonel decides to try and rescue the Doctor's craft.

Anne tells the Doctor that Travers was about to connect a controlling unit to the Sphere, and the Doctor now understands the reason why Travers was taken by the Intelligence. Anne shows The Doctor their work, saying that it won't override the Intelligence's commands, but the Doctor says they can fix that. Evans enters, giving the Doctor the model Yeti found by Weams' body, as per Arnold's instructions. The Doctor is horrified to be given it, and Evans denies any wrongdoing, as Anne realizes all the other models are gone. Evans indignantly hands over his tobacco tin filled with web, as the Doctor and Anne deactivate the homing device inside the model.

The Colonel's plan gets underway: he and his party will attempt to reach Covent Garden station on the ground, while Arnold, Lane, and Evans will attempt to meet them underground via a trolley, using it to carry the TARDIS back to the fortress; Knight is ordered to remain on duty at the fortress. Meanwhile, the Doctor attempts to observe the web-fungus in the tin, but the tin is empty; the Doctor's suspicion of Evans grows. He, with Anne's help, persuades Knight to accompany them to the surface to obtain vital equipment needed to upgrade the controlling unit that is to be attached to the Control sphere.

Arnold's party comes up against a web-fungus barrier near Covent Garden, and Arnold drafts Lane to attempt to get through the web on the trolley with him, the two wearing gas-masks. Evans pays out a rope attached as they go, but the two men scream as they enter, the web pulsating with light. Evans fearfully pulls at the rope, and the trolley emerges, with Lane's web-covered body sprawled out on it. Arnold is gone; Evans bolts. On street-level, the Colonel and his men arrive at Covent Garden, but find Yeti waiting for them, and all are engaged in a pitch-battle. Knight sees the Doctor and Anne to a nearby electrical shop, but as they collect their supplies, two Yeti appear in the doorway, felling Knight. The Doctor finds a model Yeti in Knight's pocket. The Colonel escapes from the mélée, with all his men dead.

The Doctor dismantles the model Yeti, as he and Anne start work with their new equipment. Victoria and Jamie are discussing who the traitor might be (Jamie suspects Chorley), when the Colonel staggers in and tells them of the fate of his men. Suddenly the Doctor shushes the room, when he registers a faint bleeping sound. He realizes someone in the room has the last model Yeti planted on them. They find it, but it's too late: two Yeti arrive, accompanied by a possessed Professor Travers.

Episode 5
to be added

Episode 6
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Patrick Troughton
 * Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines
 * Victoria Waterfield - Deborah Watling
 * Professor Edward Travers - Jack Watling
 * Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
 * Anne Travers - Tina Packer
 * Julius Silverstein - Frederick Schrecker
 * Corporal Lane - Rod Beacham
 * Corporal Blake - Richardson Morgan
 * Captain Knight - Ralph Watson
 * Harold Chorley - Jon Rollason
 * Staff Sgt. Arnold - Jack Woolgar
 * Craftsman Weams - Stephen Whittaker
 * Soldier - Bernard G. High
 * Yeti - John Levene, John Lord, Gordon Stothard, Colin Warman, Jeremy King, Roger Jacombs
 * Soldier - Joseph O'Connell
 * Driver Evans - Derek Pollitt

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Roselyn Parker
 * Costumes - Martin Baugh
 * Designer - David Myerscough-Jones
 * Fight Arranger - Derek Ware
 * Film Cameraman - Alan Jonas
 * Film Cameraman - Jimmy Court
 * Film Editor - Philip Barnikel
 * Film Editor - Colin Hobson
 * Make-Up - Sylvia James
 * Producer - Peter Bryant
 * Production Assistant - Gareth Gwenlan
 * Script Editor - Derrick Sherwin
 * Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
 * Studio Lighting - Clive Leighton
 * Studio Sound - Ray Angel
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Visual Effects - Ron Oates

Timeline

 * When talking about underground trains the Doctor tells Victoria they came a little after her time.
 * The Post Office Tower is in existence at this time.

Story notes

 * First appearance of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart played by Nicholas Courtney.
 * 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.
 * Professor Travers is once again portrayed by Deborah Watling's father, Jack Watling.
 * The rendering of the sets in the Underground were so accurate, the BBC apparently received a letter of complaint from London Underground, claiming filming had been done on their property without permission.
 * The closing credits for each episode except Episode 6 was rolled against an image of the pulsing web.
 * Episode 1 was shown with The Abominable Snowmen episode 2 as part of BSB's Doctor Who Weekend in September 1990, under the banner of The Yeti Rarities.
 * 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.

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

 * Old Brewer's Yard, Shelton Street, London
 * Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London
 * BBC Television Centre (Puppet Theatre)
 * Ealing Television Film Studios, Ealing Green, Ealing
 * Lime Grove Studios (Studio D), Lime Grove, London

Production errors

 * 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.

Continuity

 * This directly follows on from DW: The Enemy of the World. The Doctor is seen to have first a bandage, then a scar on his left cheek in Episode 1; a wound he sustained in that story.
 * This is a sequel to DW: The Abominable Snowmen, which also featured Yeti, the Great Intelligence, and Professor Travers.
 * The Yeti appear again in DW: The Five Doctors and MA: Downtime.
 * Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart appears again in DW: The Invasion as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The events of this story are said in the latter serial to have been the catalyst behind the creation of UNIT.
 * DW: Remembrance of the Daleks makes reference to the events in this story.
 * MA: Who Killed Kennedy makes reference to this story, revealing the government's cover story was that there had been a major nerve gas leak.
 * The Doctor and companions go to London in search of Professor Travers in DW:The Invasion, only to find that he has gone to America with daughter Anne.
 * PDA: The Face of the Enemy depicts an alternate reality where the Great Intelligence's takeover attempt was thwarted by a benevolent version of The Master, who sacrificed his TARDIS to destroy the web.

Timeline

 * This story occurs after DW: The Enemy of the World
 * This story occurs before ST: Father Figure

DVD Release
The surviving episode (Episode 1), plus clips from Episodes 2, 4 & 5 were released as part of the Lost in Time set.

Released:
 * Region 2 1st November 2005


 * PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1353


 * Region 4 2nd December 2005
 * Region 1 2nd November 2005


 * NTSC - Warner Video E2082 (Troughton 2 disc set) / E2083 (Box set)

VHS releases
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:
 * UK November 2003


 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV7335


 * US October 2003


 * NTSC - Warner Video E1853

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


 * Editing of surviving episodes for VHS and DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.

Novelisation and its audiobook

 * Main article: Doctor Who and the Web of Fear


 * Novelised as Doctor Who and the Web of Fear by Terrance Dicks in 1976.