The Web Planet is an imaginative and ambitious attempt to create an alien world run by insects. The moth-like Menoptera are trying to reclaim the planet that is being controlled by the ant-like Zarbi under the influence of the evil Animus. The plot devise is typical for early Hartnell stories. The TARDIS crew lands, then becomes separated, then the TARDIS is stolen, then the Doctor and his companions help the good guys triumph, then they reunite and retrieve the TARDIS and leave. 

However, there are a number of interesting ideas: a totally alien world without any humanoid inhabitants or visitors (other than the TARDIS crew), the evolution of intelligent insects, and the ability of the Animus/Zarbi to control gold objects and those in contact with gold. I also liked the attempt to give the Menoptera insect-like movements. 

The story suffers from too much padding and too little story to sustain all 6 episodes, but the novel ideas make it worth viewing. There is one biological problem with the Menoptera and Zarbi. Giant insects and insect-like creatures existed on prehistoric earth only during periods when the oxygen levels in the atmosphere we about 50% greater than our current levels. The reason is that the insect respiratory system is very effective at small sizes but not efficient at larger sizes. Increased oxygen levels allow them to over come this problem that normally limits the size of insects. The problem is that the alien planet has a thinner atmosphere than earth, so large insect-like life wouldn’t be possible. 

Visually the Web Planet looks like a high school play. The sets, Menoptera costumes, the Zarbi (plastic ants with human hind legs), and Zarbi larvae are awful and look amateurish. Some reviewers say that it was quite good for 1965 but it just doesn’t hold up 42 years later. I disagree because the visuals do not hold up to productions from the 1950s and 1960s. Alien insects with good visuals were seen in Them, First Men in the Moon, and the Outer Limits episode The Zanti Misfits. 

It isn’t just the low budget special effect that let the production down. Scenes set in the atmosphere of the alien world were shot with special filters that were smeared with Vaseline. This made the camera lenses distort the images with the intention to show that the alien atmosphere was different from earth. I understood this only after I watched the documentary that accompanies the DVD. Although I like the reason that they did this I just think that it looks like bad filming. 

The Web Planet is probably the most ambitious of the Hartnell years. But the comical costumes and props make this story primarily of interest to longtime fans who really want to see every existing episode. If this was the first 6 episodes of Doctor Who that someone watched, then it is likely that it would their last. It is interesting to note that the viewing audience in Britain peaked during the early episodes of The Web Planet and then dropped throughout the 6 episodes. The audience for Doctor Who was never this high again until a decade later. The story line is imaginative and interesting enough to make The Web Planet a great candidate to be redone with post-Jurassic Park CGI effects. 

** out of 4.

So here we have another Doctor Who story that I had never seen, and in this case, unlike ‘The Time Meddler’, I was not particularly optimistic about this story. In the end, I feel that the fact that it took so long for ‘The Gunfighters’ to be released on video is the main reason that it has such a poor reputation.

I actually rather enjoyed it. There, I said it. All things considered, it wasn’t a bad little comedy-historical. The characters were, in general, not too badly done, although some of the acting was rather wooden, and I will be a happy man if I never see Jackie Lane attempting to mime the piano again. Hartnell’s portrayal of the Doctor was interesting – at first he seems to be blundering along, unaware of the real danger, and especially of the danger his companions are in. However, somewhere in the middle he becomes rather more like his normal, serious self, as events unfold around him. This was interesting, and perhaps reflected Hartnell’s approach to the decreasing comedic element as the story progressed. 

In general, the story itself was simple, if incredibly historically inaccurate, and the sets were quite impressive, given the limited size of the studio, and the interiors are sparse but give a feel of the Wild West. It is in the sets, and some of the better-acted supporting characters that this story really becomes tolerable. It is with that horrendously all-permeating song that it becomes a bit tiresome. Not that it is a bad song, well it’s not brilliant, but it just tends to get in the way of the drama and tends to soften the impact of things such as the bartender’s senseless death. 

However, in spite of all that I have complained about, in the end ‘The Gunfighters’ does exactly what it sets out to – give the viewers a fun look at the Wild West and in particular the Earps and the Clantons. It’s only when it takes itself too seriously, like in recreating the infamous gunfight that it falls down. All in all, well worth a look, if only to remove some of the stigma associated with this supposedly awful story.

“The Crusade” is not one of my favourite first Doctor serials. The fact that half of the episodes are missing from the BBC archives does the story no favours, but my problem with David Whitaker’s story is that it is no more than a series of very unfortunate events. Granted, “The Crusade” is a series of well-written and well-acted unfortunate events, but as is the problem with so many Hartnell stories there is nothing more to the plot than the Doctor and his companions trying to escape Palestine in one piece. Comparing his story to “The Aztecs,” for example, really highlights its shortcomings. Although that serial is also based around the premise of the Doctor and his companions trying to get back to the TARDIS alive, it is a much more intriguing story as it explores Barbara actively trying to change history – something that by this point in her travels, she knows she cannot do.

That said, I think that the production standards of “The Crusade” are higher than in any of the earlier Hartnell historicals. There isn’t a cloth background in sight; the costumes and make-up jobs are superb and even the scenes set outside (in the desert and the woods, for example) are very convincing for a 1965 studio-bound TV show. Moreover, “The Crusade” should be watched if only for Julian Glover’s brilliant portrayal of King Richard the Lionheart. Glover manages to imbue the ruthless crusader with a surprisingly sympathetic side, depicting him as a tortured soul who always does what he believes to be right. Even when we, the audience, disagree with what he is doing – be it waging war on a foreign land or aggressively arranging his sister’s marriage – thanks to Glover’s performance we can still identify with the King’s point of view. Incidentally, Jean Marsh (who would return to the show in 1989’s “Battlefield”) also gives a spirited performance as Lionheart’s sister, Joanna, and I would be doing Walter Randall a great injustice if I did not mention his absolutely malevolent El Akir – possibly the most evil human character ever to appear in Doctor Who. His scarred face masks an even more hideous interior, and in spite of Doctor Who’s family audience, the implications of his deplorable actions (kidnapping, rape etc.) give his character a very real, very nasty side that many (particularly early) Doctor Who villains lack.

Watching “The Lion” and “The Wheel of Fortune” on the “Lost In Time” DVD and also telesnap reconstructions of “The Knight of Jaffa” and “The War-Lords” I think I have managed to get a very good feel for this story, and sadly I think the negative elements outweigh the positive. It’s slightly too depressing to watch Barbara be taken prisoner, escape, be hunted and then finally end up wrapped up the affairs of the Haroun family that El Akir has torn apart. The Doctor’s cringeworthy ‘feud’ with the Earl of Leicester is both tedious and painful to watch, and how on Earth Maureen O’Brien’s Vicki can credibly pass for a boy is beyond me! In fact, of the TARDIS crew I think that Ian is the only character who has a decent outing – he ends up not only saving the day but also being knighted!

Missing from the BBC archives and unavailable on audio CD until recently, “The Savages” is a serial that is often overlooked - a great shame considering that it’s probably better than some of Season Three’s more celebrated stories like “The Celestial Toymaker.”

Ian Stuart Black’s story is notable for three major points. Firstly, it marks Peter Purves’ final appearance as Steven Taylor; the Doctor’s fifth companion deciding to remain behind at the serial’s conclusion to lead the Savages. Having Peter Purves narrate the soundtrack for the CD release seems fitting for Steven’s swansong, and when watched in synch with John Cura’s telesnaps one can really get a good feel for the story. 

The second point “The Savages” is notable for is some very clever writing. In my opinion, Black succeeds here where Emms failed in “Galaxy 4” at hammering home the ‘moral of the story’ – “it’s what’s inside that counts” – without being too cheesy or obvious. In fact, much of this story’s appeal is down the uncertain state of affairs on the planet – it takes quite a while for the audience to realise just exactly who the ‘goodies’ and the ‘baddies’ are. For example, in Episode 1’s (yes; for the first time it’s actually called “Episode 1”) cliffhanger Dodo screams at the mere sight of a Savage inside the Elders’ city, whereas later in the story we see a female savage, Nanina, actually look after an injured guard who we saw mistreating her earlier in the story, clearly demonstrating which group has the moral high ground. The ending of the story is also a lovely little piece of storytelling; the Doctor impregnating Jano, the leader of the Elders, with his very own conscience and thus using him to free the Savages from the oppression of the Elders. Not only is the ending a clever finale to the serial, but it is also highly amusing to see Frederick Jaeger’s impression of William Hartnell as he plays Jano infused the Doctor’s consciousness. “Hmm…”

Thirdly, the aforementioned sexy savage Nanina (Clare Jenkins) is close to naked throughout. Seriously! She makes Leela look over-dressed. In one of the telesnaps you can actually see her arse! I’m not for a moment suggesting that such a thing marks the difference between an average story and a good one, but hey – every little helps! In all seriousness though, “The Savages” is a very enjoyable four-parter but it’s never going to be missed as much as the likes of “The Daleks’ Master Plan,” “The Evil of the Daleks” et al. This serial seems to have no reputation whatsoever – good or bad – and so if, like me, you go into it not expecting much I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

A marvel this, that one would not believe

Had one's own eyes not seen it on the screen.

I knew it in its Target-published form;

Novelisations rarely ever matched

The skill of David Whitaker and his pen

A-dipped in poetry and high romance.

However watching this was I surprised.

I played the DVD and there did see

In Shakespeare's tongue, a play of Doctor Who.

'Twas like some kind of challenge; ne'er before

Had I imagined such a thing could be

Yet so it was, with dialogue that sang,

With rhythm, style and language unsurpassed,

With imagery to soar like angels' wings

Transforming even soldiers into bards.

Warmongering fools, as dubbed by Hartnell, still

Did please our ears with poetry on screen.

In fairness I admit one further stab

Has since been made at Shakespeare's verse in Who -

The Trials of Tara, penned by Paul Cornell

And Virgin-published through a Decalog:

'Twas funny, but a limping string of gags

Whose rhythm only bore resemblance faint

To Shakespeare's verse... pentameter, my arse.

However this Crusade did hit the mark,

I never cringed, but in its stead admired

The brave imagination and the skill

That crafted lines like this for what in truth

Could be a weekly treadmill of a show.

Such language could alone have made this great,

But furthermore its story is unique,

In quality and crazy shit alike

Both reaching such a pitch that modern minds

Might reel in wonder, both at Whitaker

And what the sixties saw as children's fare.

Part one, The Lion, feels a trifle slow,

But after that it hardly touches ground

With danger, death, misogny and knives;

Our Barbara wonders should she cut a throat

While El Akir, the villain, gets his kicks

Inflicting rape and degradation foul

Upon his womenfolk, then when he's bored

A-butchering at whim to start anew.

"The only pleasure left for you is death,"

He says, while good King Richard in the script

Did have incestuous subtext with Joanna

Until Bill Hartnell had it taken out.

All hail this crazy bastard Whitaker,

To put this in a children's teatime slot,

Before The Space Museum and The Chase.

The history has points of interest too.

King Richard isn't unrevisionist,

In character at times a spoiled brat,

Which well described the real King Richard too:

At war and schemes a master, yet with men

A diplomatic fool and full of foes,

Whose name throughout the Middle East did live

In infamy for seven cent'ries thence.

Of course the ethnic side presents a snag.

Arabian Central Casting this is not.

Worse yet, this draws attention to itself

By virtue of the story's racial themes.

And Weng-Chiang gets bashed... this story too

Caucasian actors casts in place of those

Who could have played authentically its roles.

This is a shame, and yet I like the script,

Which has great sympathy for Arab views

And Saladin does show in better light

Than reckless childish Richard Lionheart.

Spookily the real King Richard bore

To Julian Glover some resemblance,

The image on his tomb in Fontevrault, France,

Does bear some witness to this claim of mine.

At six foot four, fair-haired and handsome too,

He captured hearts and minds despite his faults.

Overall this story simply rules.

It's bloody dangerous, with shocking death

And irony, as young Sofia runs

To fetch the dagger that so nearly could

Have by the hand of Barbara slit her throat.

Part three, The Wheel of Fortune, also has

An awesome confrontation 'twixt the king

And Marsh's fierce Joanna, which deserves

The rich Shakespearian language it employs.

Part four, The Warlords, is a tragic loss

To TV archives, yet its audio

Kicks arse - especially the desert bandit.

Astonishing this is, in every way.

Again the Hartnell era breaks the rules,

Again unequalled through all Doctor Who.

Let’s begin by getting the positive points out of the way. It’s not dull. Well, OK, it’s a bit dull, compared to the all-action extravaganzas of the twenty-first century, but it’s not, say, The Sensorites. Each episode does noticeably advance the story, while Ben and Polly are lively and engaging. Michael Craze, in particular, gives a terrific performance and the scene in the nightclub is fun.

Oh, and they get rid of Dodo. That’s about it, though.

OK, so the basic plot of a computer gone crazy would not have been quite so clichйd in 1966. It would be unfair to expect the writers to accurately predict future developments in future technology, so we can accept quirks such as a sentient computer capable of independent thought but without anyone having invented the monitor. I think making it capable of telepathy and hypnosis is stretching it a little, though.

The plot is so full of holes that it strains credibility far beyond breaking point, which is particularly frustrating because it has no real excuse. This isn’t a complicated story involving time travelling alien invaders – it’s a straightforward computer-goes-mad scenario. A second draft would surely have resolved most of the problems.

In the long list of improbable events, the most glaring is the impossible ascent of the the Post Office Tower by the reprogrammed War Machine at the end. The dead tramp appearing as front page news only hours after his body was dumped is pretty unlikely. The way the Doctor is instantly accepted by everyone as an authority would be fine if even the smallest suggestion of overcoming some initial difficulty, or explanation of how he was achieving this, was presented on screen, but it isn’t.

All of these, though, are minor annoyances. The crucial problem with the War Machines is that WOTAN’s plans make no sense at all. As has been frequently pointed out, if it’s serious about taking over the world, it’s going a pretty strange way about it. Why not simply wait until it’s connected to all of the computers in the world? Why draw attention to itself by shooting people and leaving their corpses outside its secret warehouse, or trying to capture the Doctor? Why have the secret warehouse and the War Machines at all? How does it get all the War Machine parts – complete with logos – so quickly?

In short, WOTAN doesn’t act like a computer at all, and certainly not a supremely intelligent one. Its attributes appear to be an ability to recognise the Doctor and the TARDIS, a rare knack for hypnosis (so good it can even achieve it over the telephone), and an addiction to insane evil schemes ostensibly aimed at world domination.

Sound like anyone we know? That’s right, the whole thing makes perfect sense as long as you imagine that WOTAN is not in fact a sentient computer at all, but is in fact the Master, hiding under a table.