.jpg "Doctor Who: 'The Web Planet' BBCDVD1355")
- Broadcast:
- 13th February - 20th March 1965
- Doctor:
- William Hartnell
- Companions:
- Ian, Barbara, Vicki
- Adversary:
- Zarbi
- Written by:
- Bill Strutton
- Director:
- Richard Martin
- Music:
- Stock
- Script Editor:
- Dennis Spooner
- Producer:
- Verity Lambert
- Average Viewers:
- 12.5m (13.5, 12.5, 12.5, 13, 12, 11.5)
By coincidence, ahead of watching The Web Planet I read a discussion about least favourite Doctor Who serials and was surprised how often it was mentioned. I could see that it might be disliked because of the experimental lens effect on exterior shots but I couldn't remember anything else that could garner such a response, though I did have a nagging apprehension about it that I couldn't place. It is clearly a story that divides fans as its viewing figures were still very good (the first episode set a new record that wouldn't be matched for ten years) but the Appreciation Index started at 56%, higher than the previous serial, but decreased each week ending on a poor 42% - the lowest ever recorded. The DVD production subtitles quotes a lot from the audience reaction research and it is clear once again that the show was ahead of its time. There will always be people who moan about the little things but it was evident that the audience just didn't understand the story and found it confusing or hard to follow. One BBC executive only saw the fifth episode and complained that it felt like he needed to have watched all the episodes to understand it... which is surely the point of a six part serialised adventure!
The news of the time again reminds us that society was at a turning point with major civil rights marches taking place and leading to violent clashes in Alabama. Controversial activist Malcolm X was assassinated, 3500 US Marines became the first active American troops in Vietnam, while Gambia was given independence from the UK. On the lighter side of things, Canada's new flag was inaugurated, Goldie the golden eagle escaped from London Zoo for 12 days, and Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest (beating Great Britain by just 6 points). There was cause for cheers when Alexey Leonov became the first man to walk in space, but sadness at the deaths of Nat King Cole and Stan Laurel. In the charts, The Kinks had their second number one with "Tired Of Waiting For You" followed by the year's biggest seller "I'll Never Find Another You" by The Seekers. Tom Jones's debut single "It's Not Unusual" went to number one and the Rolling Stones had their third chart topper with "The Last Time" (which it wasn't!) In the cinemas were Lord Tom, Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors starring Peter Cushing and Roy Castle who would shortly appear in the first Dalek movie, and Kiss Me, Stupid.
When we left the Doctor at the end of The Romans, the TARDIS had materialised unexpectedly and was instantly being dragged down by some kind of force...
The news of the time again reminds us that society was at a turning point with major civil rights marches taking place and leading to violent clashes in Alabama. Controversial activist Malcolm X was assassinated, 3500 US Marines became the first active American troops in Vietnam, while Gambia was given independence from the UK. On the lighter side of things, Canada's new flag was inaugurated, Goldie the golden eagle escaped from London Zoo for 12 days, and Luxembourg won the Eurovision Song Contest (beating Great Britain by just 6 points). There was cause for cheers when Alexey Leonov became the first man to walk in space, but sadness at the deaths of Nat King Cole and Stan Laurel. In the charts, The Kinks had their second number one with "Tired Of Waiting For You" followed by the year's biggest seller "I'll Never Find Another You" by The Seekers. Tom Jones's debut single "It's Not Unusual" went to number one and the Rolling Stones had their third chart topper with "The Last Time" (which it wasn't!) In the cinemas were Lord Tom, Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors starring Peter Cushing and Roy Castle who would shortly appear in the first Dalek movie, and Kiss Me, Stupid.
When we left the Doctor at the end of The Romans, the TARDIS had materialised unexpectedly and was instantly being dragged down by some kind of force...
