The Web Planet (TV story)

The Web Planet was the fifth story of Season 2 of Doctor Who. It is unique in Doctor Who history as the only television story where there are no humanoid characters aside from the regulars.

As with the Voord before them, the creatures of Vortis were designed to be memorable, as the show was yet to produce a monster to rival the Daleks. Web had the highest average viewing figure for the Hartnell era with a rating of 12.6 million.

Synopsis
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.

The Web Planet (1)
The TARDIS is forced to land on a desolate, uninhabited planet, dragged down by some invisible force. The Doctor discovers, once the ship has landed, that it has had all its power taken away from it as well, with only the scanner left working. The Doctor begins to work his magic at the console, but can't make the motors work even though the energy is available. While they are fixing the TARDIS, Vicki hears an ultrasonic noise which causes her great distress. The Doctor suspects that she can hear it due to her relative young age.

The source of the noise is revealed to be some form of bi-peadal ant-like creature emitting loud beeping noises as a means of communication. Unbeknownest to the travellers two of these creatures, accompanied by a smaller species, attack the TARDIS causing it to rock wildy - much to it's inhabitants' surprise.

Barbara takes Vicki, who is most perturbed by the noise and the battering of the TARDIS, to bed whilst The Doctor, resigning himself to not being able to sort his ship out, asks Ian to come and explore the planet. Ian and The Doctor don Atmospheric Density Jackets, inform Barbara of their plan and set off, using the Doctor's ring and a device in the TARDIS to open the door without power. Left to their own devices, Barbara and Vicki have a conversation about Vicki's futuristic schooling.

Out on the planet, Ian and The Doctor discover some very strange goings on. Ian takes his gold pen out of his suit jacket, only for it to literally disappear out of his hand. The echoes of their voices voices seem to take on lives of their own and linger for much longer than normal echoes. Ian confides in The Doctor that he feels he is being watched. The Doctor states the only way to prove that theory is to go exploring.

Meanwhile back in the TARDIS, Barbara is tidying up when she seems to lose all the strength in her arm, which appears to be dragging her out of the door. Just as she reaches the door she regains control. Scared, she goes to sit with Vicki, where the sensation happens again. Vicki,thinking she is joking, laughs and Barbara leaves her.

Outside Ian and The Doctor discover a large stone pyramid that is obviously not natural and has been built by some sort of creature. The two marvel at this. They discover a pool of what Ian thinks is water and is about to wash his hands in, when The Doctor, borrowing Ian's tie, discovers it's acid. They decide to head back to the TARDIS, when Ian sees some sort of light in the acid. As The Doctor inspects it, the ant creature scuttles away, beeping. The Doctor and Ian head back.

Whilst Barbara is alone she has again lost power of her arm and has been dragged out of the door, after using the console to open the door. The beeping wakes Vicki and as she enters the console room, she loses control of her limbs and calls out for Barbara.

The Doctor and Ian, hearing the echo, rush to the TARDIS, but Ian gets caught up in a net made of webs which lifts him off the ground. Ian orders The Doctor to leave and help Vicki. As he approaches the TARDIS, it begins to move. As he round the corner, the TARDIS has gone.

The Zarbi (2)
The Doctor returns to Ian lying prostrate on the floor. He wakes him to inform him that the TARDIS has gone. They men set off to look for the ship.

Meanwhile, on another part of the planet ,Barbara is being led by the unseen force that forced her to leave the TARDIS. As she walks, she is accosted by a large, moth-like creature. It leads her into a cave where two more of the creatures wait. They take off Barbara' bracelet and throw it into the acid, which awakens Barbara from her trance. She tries to escape but is detained by the creatures.

Meanwhile, Vicki uses the TARDIS's scanner to discover that it is the ant-like creatures that are controlling the ship - using their minds to drag it to another place on the planet.

On the trail of TARDIS, Ian stumbles across a chrysalis. On close inspection, The Doctor discovers that is from the Menoptera species. This, combined with the rock formations implicit on the planet, leads The Doctor to believe they are on the planet Vortis.

Back in the cave of the Menoptera, the moth-creatures discuss what to do with Barbara. They say they need to kill her, as a creature they refer to as the Zarbis will extract the information of their whereabouts and hunt them down. Overhearing this, Barbara uses a stick to help her break out, and escapes onto the Vortis surface.

Whilst The Doctor and Ian search for the TARDIS, they are accosted by the ant-like creatures. Ian tries to fight back, but The Doctor urges him not to. The Doctor states that he has never before seen these creatures, so they should be treated cautiously. The creatures herd the men towards their den. Little do they know that this is where Vicki and the TARDIS have been brought. Once the ship has been brought to a halt, Vicki goes out and explores her surroundings. No sooner is she out of the TARDIS than she is set upon by the ant-creatures. One of them keeps her penned in in the corner whilst the other tries to explore the TARDIS, but as soon as it enters the TARDIS, the creature is distressed and leave. When Vicki is joined by The Doctor, he is indignant that someone has tried to board his ship and tries to tell the creatures that his TARDIS is not to be boarded.

Back in the cave of the Menoptera, the moth-creatures try to send a signal to the rest of their species, warning them the Zarbi and a being they call the Animus are stillon the planet. They are interrupted by an attack by the Zarbi, led by Barbara. She wears a metal harness that controls her in the same fashion as the bracelet did earlier. Whilst the Zarbi attack the rest of his species, one of the Menoptera removes the harness from Barbara's neck and informs her those they don't kill are taken to the Crater of Needles where they are forced to work against their will and in great pain. As he explains this, he is set upon by the Zarbi and killed.

Back at the den of the Zarbi, The Doctor is trying to communicate with them. An alarm starts to sound. A cylinder falls from the ceiling onto the head of The Doctor proclaiming "Why do you come now?" &nbsp

Escape to Danger (3)
The disembodied voice is hostile towards The Doctor assuming that he is an emissary from the Menoptera. As a show of force the voice fires a laser beam towards the TARDIS, however Vicki, in her efforts to stop the ship from moving previously re-aligned the Fluid Link, which enables the ship's shields to combat the attack. the Doctor manages to convince the voice that he is not part of the Menoptera force. The voice asks if he has a way of moniotring the stars to which the Docotr replies in the affirmative. The voice agrees to free the travellers if he will help them garner information on the Menopterans. The Doctor asks the voice, which he refers to as the Queen Ant, where Barbara. The voice tells The Doctor that she is in The Crater of Needles. The Doctor and Ian are allowed into the TARDIS to bring the equipment out to the Zarbi. While they are inside the Doctor hatches a plan whereby Ian should go and find Barbara if the oportunity shows itself. Once The Doctor has got the equipment outside the power that the Zarbi use to control the TARDIS also stops this piece of equipment from working. The Doctor speaks to the voice and says that he will need this power relinquished. The voice agrees but warns the Doctor that if it is betrayed they will be killed. As the power is restored to the ship the Zarbi also power down which enables Ian to escape.

As Ian searches for Barbara he comes across a Zarbi. He tries to sneak past it but the Zarbi rounds on him. Ian kills the Zarbi but as he tries to escape gets caught in a web which triggers an alarm. The other Zarbis are awoken and go to fetch Ian. As they try and kill him the laser beam from the smaller species allows Ian to break free. As he runs from the Zarbis he is saved by a Menoptera who hides him from the pursuing masses.

Ian's capture means the other travellers back at the TARDIS have lost the trust of the disembodied voice. The Doctor has uncovered a message from the Menopteran forces saying they are hovering over the Crater of Needles. The Doctor decides to repress this information from the Zarbi. When The Doctor sends Vicki in to get a piece of equipment she returns with the wrong box. This box contains a specimen of a spider. As Vicki returns this to the TARDIS she discovers that the Zarbi are afraid of the specimen.

Ian and his Menopteran saviour, Vrestin lay low and discuss the state of Vortis. Ian learns that Vortis used to belong to the Menoptera. The Zarbi were an indigenous species to Vortis with which the Meoptera lived at piece with however they were made militant by a dark power that Vrestin names the Animus. The Menoptera were powerless against the Zarbi and fled the planet to a nearby moon. The Menoptera are now trying to reclaim the planet that was once theirs. They discuss the Crater of Needles. Vrestin states to Ian that the Menoptera that are taken to the Crater have their wings pulled off and are forced to work til they are killed. Vrestin offers to show Ian the way to the Crater of Needles however on the way there they are set upon by Zarbi. As they escape they hide in a cave. As they do Vrestin slips and falls causing a cave in, trapping Ian and the Menoptera. &nbsp

Crater of Needles (4)
Ian and Vrestin find themselves in an underground cave. No sooner have they dusted themselves down than they are surronded by an unknown creature.

Meanwhile at the Crater of Needles Barbara is struggling under the immense workload that the Zarbi put them under. She has befriended a veteran Menoptera who explains what the Menoptera are forced to do. He explains that they are forcing a raw material into an acid stream which draws it to the main base of the Zarbi, called the Carsinome, and causes it to grow more and more over the face of Vortis. The Menoptera explains that the Animus lives at the centre of the Carsinome. The Menoptera informs Barbara that the Menoptera's primary aim was to free the Zarbi from the Animus' power but have since been opressed by them.

Back at the Carsinome, The Doctor and Vicki discuss when best to use the tool of the spider to their best advantage. The Doctor states that he would like to use it in order to escape. The Zarbi accost Vicki and use the mind harness to hold her hostage whilst The Doctor talks to the Animus. They ask him for all he has learnt from his device. The Doctor informs them that the Menoptera are forming on the planet Pictos. However he feigns that he knows no more thant that. The Animus warns The Doctor that if he doesn't present more information to them soon then they shall kill Vicki. No sooner has The Doctor been released from the Animus' tube than an alert is summoned calling the Zarbi to arms against a potential Menoptera attack.

This call to arms is evident at the Crater of Needles. The workers are all herded into their quartes whilst the Zarbi supervisors go to protect Vortis. Here Barbara and the Menoptera discuss the fact that somehow the Zarbi have found out that the Menoptera attack is imminent. This is a big problem because the only success that the Menoptera were to have was through the advantage of suprise. They decide to overpower the single Zarbi and the lesser species, revealed to be called a Lavae-Gun, and warn the Menopteran force of this danger. They break free from their quarters and kill their guards.

In the underground cave the creatures that are holding Ian and Vrestin hostage appear to be primitive grub-like creatures. They bind their captives hands together with some form of natural adhesive. They are mistrustful of strangers from the surface level, which they describe as evil. They say that they are to consult their oracle which they refer to as 'The Casm of Lights' as to whether they should leave or die.

At the Carsinome the Doctor is thinking of a way to overpower the Zarbi. Using his walking stick he inspects the harness that the Zarbi use to brainwash their captives. He discovers that it is made entirely of gold. He speculates that their must be a way of overpowering whatever force it is that controls the gold. In experimentation he tries to use the TARDIS instruments. It seems to have worked but draws the attention of the Zarbi. A Zarbi holds Vicki prisoner whilst The Doctor converses with the Animus. The Doctor tries to blame a piece of his equipment for the explosion however the Animus seems to be able to draw information from the equipment now. He discovers the landing point of the Menoptera and states that for such betrayal The Doctor and Vicki must die. The Zarbi places the harnesses onto them until they have dealt with the Menoptera.

The grubs return to Ian and Vrestin with the news that they are to be slaughtered. However Vrestin states that he is a creature similar to them. He says if they were to join him on the surface they too would grow into a strong and mighty creature as him. They seem doubtful but when Vrestin shows them his wings they start to worship him as some form of God.

Up on the plateau the spearhead of the Menoptera land, Barbara and her Menoptera warn the spearhead of the oncoming danger however it is too late and the rest of the Menopteran army land. The Zarbi set about them seemingly making very lightwork of their slaughter.

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Invasion (5)
Barbara and a few Menoptera survive the massacre, and manage to hide in one of the Menoptra's old temples. There they try, but fail to radio the main force and warn them that their weapons are useless against the Zarbi. Meanwhile, the Doctor works out that the Animus uses gold as a conductor to channel a mesmerising force. He counteracts this and uses the hidden power of his ring to control one of the Zarbi. The Doctor escapes with Vicki and his captive Zarbi, and meets up with Barbara and the Menoptera. They devise a plan to attack the Carsinome, with the Menoptera acting as a diversionary force whilst the Doctor and Vicki try to reach the Animus with the Isop-tope device, a living-cell destructor.

The Centre (6)
The Doctor and Vicki make their way back to the Carsinome, where they are taken to the centre to the Animus, a great, spider-like creature. They are mesmerised and made helpless by the Animus. Meanwhile, Barbara and the Menoptera attack the Carsinome from the outside, using the Doctor's ring to control a larvae gun, the Zarbi's living weapon. At the same time, Ian, Vrestin and the Optera try to dig their way to the Animus from below. They all make it to the centre and to the Animus where, with a singular act of willpower, Barbara uses the Isop-tope device on the Animus, destroying it. In the end, with the Zarbi free from the control of the Animus and the Menoptera and Optera free to live on Vortis, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki leave in the TARDIS.

Cast
The Menoptera The Optera
 * The Doctor - William Hartnell
 * Ian Chesterton - William Russell
 * Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill
 * Vicki - Maureen O'Brien
 * Zarbi operators / The Zarbi - Robert Jewell, Jack Pitt, Gerald Taylor, Hugh Lund, Kevin Manser, John Scott Martin
 * Animus Voice - Catherine Fleming
 * Vrestin - Roslyn De Winter
 * Hrostar - Arne Gordon
 * Hrhoonda - Arthur Blake
 * Prapillus - Jolyon Booth
 * Hlynia - Jocelyn Birdsall
 * Hilio - Martin Jarvis
 * Hetra - Ian Thompson
 * Nemini - Barbara Joss
 * Other Cast - Jane Bowman, Ken McGarvie, Len Russell (all uncredited)

Crew

 * Writer - Bill Strutton
 * Director - Richard Martin
 * Producer - Verity Lambert
 * Script Editor - Dennis Spooner
 * Designer - John Wood
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Elisabeth Dunbar
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Gillian Chardet
 * Costumes - Daphne Dare
 * Film Cameraman - Peter Hamilton
 * Film Editor - Gitta Zadek
 * Insect Movement - Roslyn De Winter
 * Make-Up - Sonia Markham
 * Production Assistant - Norman Stewart
 * Special Sound - Brian Hodgson
 * Studio Lighting - Ralph Walton
 * Studio Sound - Ray Angel
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Producer - Verity Lambert
 * Director - Richard Martin

Story notes

 * This story was originally entitled The Zarbi and was made under the working title The Centre of Terror.
 * The Centre was initially titled Centre of Terror. The novelisation restores this title for the sixth chapter.
 * The first and so far only television story in which all the characters, other than the regulars, are entirely non-humanoid.
 * Robert Jewell, Jack Pitt, Gerald Taylor, Hugh Lund and Kevin Manser are credited as Zarbi Operators for The Web Planet and The Zarbi, and under the heading 'The Zarbi' for Escape to Danger to The Centre. They are billed as The Zarbi in Radio Times for The Zarbi to The Centre.
 * Roslyn de Winter (Vrestin), Arne Gordon (Hrostar), Arthur Blake (Hrhoonda), Jolyon Booth (Prapillus), Jocelyn Birdsall (Hlynia) and Martin Jarvis (Hilio) are credited under the heading 'The Menoptera'. Roslyn de Winter is credited as Menoptra Vrestin in Radio Times for Escape to Danger.
 * Ian Thompson (Hetra) and Barbara Joss (Nemini) are credited under the heading 'The Optera' for Crater of Needles and Invasion. Ian Thompson is credited as Optera Hetra in Radio Times for The Centre.
 * Jacqueline Hill does not appear in Escape to Danger as she was on holiday while it was filmed. She is not credited in this episode's closing credits and later complained to the production team about this, but her request for her credit to be reinstated for overseas sales of the story was not acted upon.
 * Noted choreographer Roslyn De Winter was hired to create the distinctive movements and stilted speech of the Menoptera. She was so successful that the production team asked her to take on the role of the Menoptera Vrestin (which she accepted).
 * The costumes for all of the aliens who appeared in this story were created by Daphne Dare.
 * Believed lost in the BBC's early 1970s purge, negative film prints of all six episodes were recovered from BBC Enterprises in the late 1970s. These prints appear to have stemmed from a 1973 sale to Algeria and as a result the final episode was amended so that the "Next Episode" caption referred to The Space Museum instead of The Lion, as the next story, The Crusade was not sold to Arab countries. There were also some edits to the first episode. Unedited prints of all six episodes were also discovered in Nigeria in 1985.
 * The music soundtrack, although from stock, is a highly unusual one, created by a group called Les Structures Sonorés. They produced music on glass tubes. This music was reused in Galaxy 4.

Ratings

 * The Web Planet - 13.5 million viewers
 * The Zarbi - 12.5 million viewers
 * Escape to Danger - 12.5 million viewers
 * Crater of Needles - 13.0 million viewers
 * Invasion - 12.0 million viewers
 * The Centre - 11.5 million viewers

The first episode of the serial gained the highest number of viewers for any Doctor Who episode in the 1960s.

Myths

 * The misty effect over the planets surface was created by applying Vaseline to the camera lens (The effect was actually created with the assistance of special camera lenses, although on the DVD production subtitles it says that Vaseline was then smeared over these special lenses.)
 * The butterfly creatures in the story are called the Menoptera (The correct spelling is Menoptera)

Filming locations

 * The story was filmed at Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London

Production errors

 * In Escape to Danger one of the Zarbi runs directly into the camera.
 * In Crater of Needles as Ian is buried in a rock fall someone can be heard laughing. It appears to be Vrestin "laughing," who is buried with Ian.
 * For most of the story shadows can be seen across the sky.
 * There are some late cues for the actors as some shots start with them standing still waiting for the order to move.
 * A Zarbi's abdomen clangs on the studio floor.
 * One of the imprisoned Menoptera, judging by its gestures, is merrily chatting to a Zarbi guard.
 * In episode two, when Hroonda is killed, his wings fall off.
 * For five seconds in episode two, nothing appears to be happening in 'Web HQ'.
 * The subtitles on the DVD release erroneously spell the Optera's name for the Animus as "Poidirac" rather than "Pwodarauk," which is the correct spelling used in both the camera scripts and Bill Strutton's novelization of the story.
 * In The Centre a Menoptera refers to "the planet Pictos" when it is a moon.
 * In the second story, the Doctor refers to 'Light Years' as 'Light Earths', before correcting himself and finishing the sentence.

Continuity

 * The Doctor makes four known visits to Vortis. Although The First Doctor tells Ian he has never been to Vortis before, he previously visited it in DWA: The Lost Ones and returns in DWA: The Lair of Zarbi Supremo. The Second Doctor again returns to Vortis in MA: Twilight of the Gods. The Fifth Doctor also re-visits Vortis in BFA: Return to the Web Planet.
 * In DW: Bad Wolf the Face of Boe is stated to be the oldest living inhabitant of the Isop galaxy.
 * It is revealed in NA: All-Consuming Fire that the Animus was actually a Great Old One, one of several supremely powerful creatures that escaped the destruction of the prior universe by shifting into a later universe. The Great Old Ones are from the Cthulhu mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft and expanded on by other writers. Specifically, the Animus was identified as Lloigor, a Great Old One created by August Derleth and Mark Schorer.
 * Other examples of Great Old Ones include the Great Intelligence (DW: The Abominable Snowmen), The Nestenes (DW: Spearhead from Space), Fenric (DW: The Curse of Fenric) and Cthulhu (NA: White Darkness).


 * In the Doctor Who Annual 2006 it is revealed that the Animus (here called the Greater Animus) was destroyed during the Time War.
 * Barbara is wearing the bracelet she was given by Nero in DW: The Romans. Vicki was unaware Barbara and Ian went to Rome and so questions this.
 * In the first episode The Doctor uses Ian's "old Coal Hill School tie" to test a pool and discovered it was acid. At the end, Ian describes the destroyed tie as black with thin Emerald stripes.

Timeline

 * This story takes place after DW: The Romans.
 * This story takes place before DW: The Crusade.

DVD releases
Released as Doctor Who: The Web Planet. Released:
 * Region 2 3rd October 2005
 * PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1355


 * Region 4 3rd November 2005
 * Region 1 5th September 2006

Contents:
 * Tales of Isop - The original cast and crew recall the making of this story, featuring William Russell, Maureen O'Brien, Martin Jarvis, Verity Lambert, Richard Martin, John Wood and Sonia Markham.
 * The Lair of Zarbi Supremo - William Russell reads the short story from the first Doctor Who Annual.
 * Doctor Who Annual - The first ever Doctor Who Annual from 1965 is presented in its entirety (DVD-ROM only - PC/Mac)
 * Spanish soundtrack - An option to view Episode 6 in Spanish.
 * Give-a-Show Slides - A set of 1960s Doctor Who slides, based on The Web Planet.
 * Photo Gallery
 * Production Subtitles
 * Audio Commentary (moderated by Gary Russell): William Russell, Verity Lambert, Richard Martin and Martin Jarvis

Rear Credits:
 * Starring William Hartnell, with William Russell, Jacqueline Hill and Maureen O'Brien
 * Written by Bill Strutton
 * Produced by Verity Lambert
 * Directed by Richard Martin
 * Cover by Clayton Hickman

Notes:
 * Editing for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.

Video releases
Released as Doctor Who: The Web Planet over two separate VHS cassette cases.

Released:
 * UK September 1990
 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV4405


 * US August 1994
 * NTSC - CBS/FOX Video 8142
 * NTSC - Warner Video E1265

Notes: The 'Next Episode' caption has been removed from The Centre, which features an American TV Movie compilation version of the closing credits – i.e. featuring the cast and production crew of the entire story – and not those as originally broadcast in the UK. These credits bill Martin Jarvis (Hilio) as Captain Hilio and Catherine Fleming (Animus Voice) as Voice of the Animus. Whether this inclusion was a big mistake, or to overcome clearance problems with a short piece of incidental music originally played at the end of the episode, remains unclear.

Novelisation and its audiobook

 * Main article: Doctor Who and the Zarbi


 * The Web Planet was the second serial to be novelised, with an adaptation by the serial's author, Bill Strutton, published as Doctor Who and the Zarbi by Frederick Muller in 1965. In 1973, it was one of three Muller novelisations republished by Target Books, launching its long-running series of novelisations. This novel introduced the concept of the "Zarbi Supremo", a vast Zarbi with a role similar to that of a queen bee.
 * A 2005 audiobook, read by William Russell, was released in the boxset Travels in Time and Space, alongside Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (the novelisation of The Daleks) and Doctor Who and the Crusaders (the adaptation of The Crusade).