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Doctor Who - The Web Planet [1965]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

One of the most widely-watched of all the '60s-era Doctor Who serials, The Web Planet (1965) puts the first Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions in the middle of a war between two alien races--the moth-like Menoptra and a hostile race of ant creatures known as Zarbi--for possession of the planet Vortis. With the help of a grub-esque people called the Optera, the Doctor discovers the Zarbi's hidden weapon--the seductively voiced spider creature the Animus, which plans to ensnare the Time Lord and thwart his assistance to the Menoptra. An estimated 13.5 million viewers tuned in to watch all six episodes of The Web Planet, which manages to overcome its unfortunately awkward creature costumes (which are grim even by Doctor Who standards) to deliver a dramatic and suspenseful story with a subtle touch of social commentary; Hartnell is at his flinty best as the Doctor, and gets solid support from William Russell, Jacqueline Hill, and Maureen O'Brien as his fellow time travelers. The DVD includes the usual abundance of new and archival extras: in addition to commentary by Russell, Martin Jarvis (who played Menoptra prince Hilio), producer Verity Lambert, and director Richard Martin, there is a 40-minute making-of featurette (with Hill, Lambert, and others among the many interviewees), and Russell provides the narration for "The Lair of the Zarbi Supremo," a short story based on the serial that was taken from the first Doctor Who Annual (that periodical is also included on the disc in PC-ROM format). A crudely illustrated but historically interesting film strip version of the serial, as well as the usual text-only production notes track and photo gallery, round out the supplemental features. --Paul Gaita


not as bad as it could have been
Review date: 2008-10-14 Rating: 6 out of 10

Having bought this with expectation of it being a bit rubbish, I was pleasantly surprised. It's a good example of weird 1960s experimental TV. Maybe the Optera are a bit too experimental, but all is explained when you watch the documentary - they were bunged in at the last minute to pad the story out. And it shows. This story comes so close to being brilliant. If it were 4 episodes, the pace would be better as mentioned in another review. It may have enraged purists but I think a new shorter edit should have been considered for this release. The costumes of the Zarbi and Menoptera are very good given the limitations of the time, the zarbi being particularly effective in the more overhead shots.

The sets are very well realised, it's a shame though that a solution could not be found to the wooden clumping sound when anyone walked around. But then, who's to say that Vortis rocks don't make that noise when walked on? And the smeared lighting gives an effective alien quality to the surface scenes.

The sound effects and the ethereal music are unusually good for the era. The calls of the Zarbi are quite unsettling and although obviously electronic warblings, the radiophonic workshop have made them sound as if they could be of some outlandish organic origin. Some thought has been given to the way the menoptera speak, as mentioned in the documentary, there's a poetic quality to a lot of their dialogue that adds to the impression of them having a culture rather than just being "creature of the week".

The acting is good and the story is interesting.

Because of some limitations and despite others, the story has an atmosphere of otherness. And at least the team tried to make a truly alien world, something noticeably lacking in the new series. This was a valiant attempt to imagine something out of the ordinary and the new series, as much as I love it, could desperately do with taking a few risks in it's settings.



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Reviews


"Hartnell's Web"
Review date: 2008-05-07 Rating: 8 out of 10

Come to a magical land where bumblbees are suffering due to the bullying of giant ants who were put up to it by a nasty talking web. Great Uncle Billy comes from a magic box to put it all right.
To be fair I don't think a fairy tale was ever intended, as Bill Strutton's script reads more like a social polemic akin to H. G. Well's original "Time Machine" novel. Unfortunately the execution is where it falls flat as the epic was beyond resources and expertise at the time. Much of what is intended as frightening, is actually rather twee!
The Menpotra are a decent costume design, easily recognisable as something between man-sized bees and butterflies. With the insect movement of Roslyn de Winter-largely fluttery hand gestures, they do convince as alien, Quite impressive with wings spread. The flying is more hit and miss as some shots show actors unable to cope with kirby wires.
The Zarbi are a solid looking giant ant-again easily recognisable for what was intended. Friends a few years older have said they were scared by them as children. There are clear visibilty problems as some career about and one crashes into the camera!
There are Zarbi grubs that fire venom which are wooodlouse like, with a touch of the Magic Roundabout's Dougal and Optra. The Optra are Menpotra who lived underground and evolved into flightless grubs. The costume is not very good and has 6 arms, the 4 false ones not even padded to look like there's something in them-lazy! They also have no proper legs to the costume leaving actors to hop!
Slow, padded and less gripping than the cancer metaphors could have made it, there are still great performances especially from the regulars e.g Barbara's arm out of her control and Hartnell on seeing the Tardis gone. Also Catherine Fleming has a great voice as the Animus.

What has bumped the DVD's score up to a 4 is the extras and in particular classic documentary "Tales of Isop"! Many of the cast plus crew tell us how the story was made capturing its spirit and what it was hoped it could be too. Watch for Martin Jarvis's Hartnell impression!

We also get an episode in Spanish, projector slides telling the story in 14 frames and a commentary where Verity Lambert publicly states she likes the new Who for what may have been the 1st time.
A great package but for diehard fans only

Historical Glare of the Zarbi DVD-O
Review date: 2007-10-18 Rating: 6 out of 10

If your a new fan or an old one returning The Web Planet isn't exactly the best place to start as it might turn you off 60's black and white stories or William Hartnell's Doctor in particular. The best thing to do is to start with The Beginning set and then maybe you'll be ready for this story because you really need to be a Doctor Who fan to see it (being a fan of past period TV shows is a help as well.)

It's very ambitious for it's time and so doesn't always hold together especially for a modern audience. The picture and sound are top notch as always on the DVD's and the extras are as strong as ever with a terrific documentary about the making of the story and an informative commentary by the people behind the story.

So I'd recommend this story but only after you have watched enough of the series that this story would intrigue you as a curio of a interesting if not always successful side-step early in the series history.

One for ambition
Review date: 2007-10-06 Rating: 2 out of 10

I suppose the makers' ambitions should be applauded, and no doubt this was appealing to very young viewers back in the 1960s. But now, frankly, it looks ridiculous. It's often unintentionally funny, such as the zarbi that runs into the camera, or the ludicrous, jumping 'optera', or the wood louse that looks like Dougal from The Magic Roundabout. I found it often embarrassing to watch. This is one for those who must have or see every episode available, but hardly recommended for the general fan.

Planet of the Bug eyed monsters.(Literally)
Review date: 2007-05-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

Some reviewers have mentioned that this story is slow,but stories were told at a slower pace in the sixties,to give the character's more time to develop.
And the production values may be dodgy by 21st Century standards if you want Real why not just take a walk out your front door.
I also think this story has a very interesting premise.
(A story told about a world of Insect's from the view point of Insect's.)
Why should all salient life forms be mammalian in origin?
~~~~
It's not a picture problem when the shots on the surface of Vortis look blurry they did that by putting Vaseline on the camera lens to create an "alien world look".
(A low tech solution but a good try.)
Yes it has definitely got poor production qualities like most early Who does, but SO WHAT! just immerse yourself in an interesting story.
This is the only story in "Who's" history where the only Human characters in the story were the Tardis crew.
(This story spent most of series 2's budget.)
One of the "extras" on the disc is a "Laser" beam effect of the "Venom grub/Larvae gun" firing at a Menoptera I wish they had put it in the story as an "optional" effect.(And that's my only criticism.)
There must have being some kind of conspiracy among TV Sci-fi writers in the 60's,about having insectoid life forms beginning with the letter Z. The Outer Limits had it's Zanti's,and Doctor Who had it's Zarbi's.
~~~~
Extras on disc:-
commentary by cast,producer,Director.
Tales of Isop-a making of documentary.
"The lair of Zarbi supremo" -William Russell reads a story from the 1965 Dr Who annual.
(Which i've still got.)
Spanish soundtrack episode 6.
DVD ROM/PC Mac:-The 1965 Dr Who annual.Written in a adult style for a Childrens Annual by David Whitaker(Uncredited).Doctor Who's first story editor.
Give a show slides .(Projector show cartoons.)
Photo gallery.
Production subtitles.
Digitally remastered picture and sound quality.
~~~~
Episode 1~ The Web Planet
Episode 2~ The Zarbi
Episode 3~ Escape to Danger
Episode 4~ The Crater of Needles
Episode 5~ The Invasion
Episode 6~ The Centre.
Originally Broadcast BBC1:~13/2/65-20/3/65
~~~~
Episodes didn't have single story episode titles until 1966's The Savages.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Jacqueline Hill
William Russell
William Hartnell
Maureen O'Brien

Creators:
William Hartnell (Primary Contributor)
William Russell (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503135522
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2005-10-03
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 147 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1965
Language: English (Original Language)

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