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The Web of Fear

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Synopsis

Londoner’s Flee

After narrowly avoiding being caught up in a web-like substance on its journey through space, the TARDIS arrives in the tunnels of the London Underground railway system. Only to find that the web is also in the tunnels - as is the Great Intelligences Yeti.

How has this happened? The team learn that the impending disaster was triggered nearly forty years before, after their previous encounter with the Intelligence. Professor Travers accidentally reactivated a Yeti, thus giving the Intelligence the ammunition it needed to plan another invasion attempt. The aim is simple: the Intelligence wants to drain The Doctor’s mind. Army forces, led by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, help The Doctor and his team race against time to stop them in their mission. Can they make it?

Source: BBC Audio

General Information

Season:	Five
Production Code:	QQ
Story Number:	41
Episode Numbers:	192 - 197
Number of Episodes:	6
Number of Incomplete/Missing Episodes:	1
Percentage of Episodes Held:	83%
Production Dates:	December 1967 - February 1968
Broadcast Started:	03 February 1968
Broadcast Finished:	09 March 1968
Colour Status:	B&W
Studio:	Ealing Television Film Studios and Lime Grove (Studio D)
Location:	Old Brewer's Yard and Shelton Street (Covent Garden, London) and stills of other famous London landmarks.

Writers:

Henry Lincoln and Mervyn Haisman

Director:

Douglas Camfield

Producer:

Peter Bryant

Story Editor:

Derrick Sherwin

Editors:

Colin Hobson and Philip Barnikel

Production Assistant:

Gareth Gwenlan

Assistant Floor Manager:

Roselyn Parker

Designer:

David Myerscough-Jones

Costume Designer:

Martin Baugh

Make-Up Designer:

Sylvia James

Cameramen:

Alan Jonas and Jimmy Court

Lighting:

Clive Leighton

Visual Effects:

Ron Oates

Fights Arranged By:

Derek Ware

Incidental Music:

From Stock

Special Sounds (SFX Editor):

Brian Hodgson

Studio Sounds:

Ray Angel

Title Sequence:

Bernard Lodge

Title Music:

Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Delia Derbyshire

Yeti Originally Created By:

Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln

Number of Doctors:

The Doctor:

Patrick Troughton (The Second Doctor)

Number of Companions: 2The Companions: Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) and Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield) Number of Acquaintances: 1The Acquaintance: Nicholas Courtney (Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart) (Joins and Departs) Guest Cast: Jack Watling (Travers) Additional Cast: Tina Packer (Anne Travers), Frederick Schrecker (Julius Silverstein), Rod Beacham (Corporal Lane), Richardson Morgan (Corporal Blake), Ralph Watson (Captain Knight), Jon Rollason (Harold Chorley), Jack Woolgar (Staff Sgt. Arnold), Stephen Whittaker (Craftsman Weams), Bernard G. High (Soldier), John Levene (Yeti), John Lord (Yeti), Gordon Stothard (Yeti), Colin Warman (Yeti), Jeremy King (Yeti), Roger Jacombs (Yeti), Joseph O'Connell (Soldier), Derek Pollitt (Driver Evans)Setting: London Underground (1970s) Villains: The Great Intelligence and Yeti

The Episodes

No.	Episodes	Broadcast (UK)	Duration	Viewers (Millions)	In Archive
192	Episode 1	03 February 1968	24'53"	7.2	16mm telerecording
193	Episode 2	10 February 1968	24'38"	6.8	16mm telerecording
194	Episode 3	17 February 1968	24'34"	7.0	Missing
195	Episode 4	24 February 1968	24'50"	8.4	16mm telerecording
196	Episode 5	02 March 1968	24'19"	8.0	16mm telerecording
197	Episode 6	09 March 1968	24'51"	8.3	16mm telerecording

Total Duration

2 Hours 28 Minutes

Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions)

7.6

Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)	84.00% (Position = 10 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2003)	656 Points (Position = 19 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)	83.36% (Position = 23 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)	85.50% (Position = 16 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023)	Position = 5 out of 21

Archives

Until 2013 only episode 1 of this story existed as a 16mm telerecording. All the other episodes were thought as being lost except for some New Zealand censor clips, from episodes 2, 4 and 5, which had been recovered. Then in 2013 it was announced that five episodes had been discovered, along with all six episodes of "The Enemy of the World", at a television station in the Nigerian city of Jos. For this story the episodes discovered were episodes one, two, four, five and six. Unfortunately, episode three is still missing. Telesnaps (off-air camera photographs) from this story also exist in the BBC Archives.

Notes

This story - which marks the return of the Yeti, the Great Intelligence, and Professor Travers (played again by Jack Watling) – is a sequel to the popular story "The Abominable Snowmen" that was shown earlier in the season.

This story follows directly on from the events of "The Enemy of the World". Reference is made to Salamander being sucked out of the TARDIS and The Doctor is seen to have a plaster on his head - later this is removed and a small scar is visible.

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (aka The Brigadier) makes his first appearance in this story (but with the rank of Colonel) in episode three. Played by Nicholas Courtney (who played a different role, Bret Vyon, in "The Daleks' Master Plan"). Nicholas Courtney was due to play Captain Knight in this story until actor David Langton pulled out). Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, later to be promoted to Brigadier (in "The Invasion") would go on to be the longest-running non-regular and one of the most memorable characters in the shows' long history.

The part of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart was originally to be played by David Langton. But when he pulled out before recording Nicholas Courtney (who was originally cast as Captain Knight) was given the part instead.

The Colonel's debut is actually in episode two, when only his boots are seen walking through the tunnels. For this sequence, the part was played by an uncredited Maurice Brooks. Maurice Brooks carried out this role to avoid the BBC having to hire Nicholas Courtney for an extra week. Nicholas Courtney joined the cast in studio on the 27th February 1968.

Anne Travers, Professor Travers’ daughter, also makes an appearance in the Virgin Books' The Missing Adventures novel "Millennial Rites", which also features the Great Intelligence.

John Levene also makes his second appearance as one of the Yeti. John Levene later went on to play regular character Sergeant Benton - one of the regular members of UNIT during the seventies.

Jack Watling, as the older Professor Travers, was achieved with the use of heavy make-up.

Patrick Troughton took a week's holiday during the rehearsals and recording of episode two. Consequently, The Doctor appears only in the reprise from episode one, and The Doctor's first meeting with Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart actually takes place off screen.

The design of the Yeti is significantly different from those in this story's predecessor, "The Abominable Snowmen". The scenes in Julius Silverstein's private museum, in the first episode, marked the only appearance of an original Yeti costume in this story. Once inhabited by the control sphere, this Yeti ‘transformed’ into one of the new-style outfits. The Doctor describes the subsequent Yeti as ‘Mark II’. As well as the change in their appearance the Yeti can now roar, have glowing eyes when attacking, and carry web guns. Several other props were reused from the previous Yeti story. These included control spheres and the model Yeti.

Aiming for the utmost authenticity, Director, Douglas Camfield, hoped to carry out some location filming in the London Underground, specifically the Aldwych platform and the entrance to Covent Garden. The BBC duly wrote to London Transport seeking permission but as London Transport demanded an exorbitant fee, and restricted filming to just a handful of overnight hours, the decision was made to replicate the Underground in the studio using sets designed by David Myerscough-Jones. The Underground sets proved to be so accurate that midway through the story's broadcast the BBC were accused of illegally filming on London Underground property without permission or payment. London Transport were eventually convinced that what they were seeing was in fact David Myerscough-Jones' very convincing sets.

Various tube stations within or on the Circle Line, (including Covent Garden, Charing Cross, Piccadilly Circus, Holborn, Goodge Street, Cannon Street and Monument) were represented in this story.

When talking about 'underground trains', The Doctor says that this is 'a little after your time, I think, Victoria'. However, as Victoria Waterfield comes from 1866 he is wrong as the Underground line between Farringdon Street and Edgeware Road opened in 1863.

In this story the events in "The Abominable Snowmen" are said to have taken place in 1935, which Professor Travers is heard to say was over forty years previously (possible an approximation).

The TARDIS is seen to become trapped in space by the Great Intelligence's web like material - which it seems the Great Intelligence can create anywhere and which has properties which interfere with the TARDIS systems. It is also indicated that the Great Intelligence can observe The Doctor's travels.

"The Web of Fear" is the first hint of the future of Doctor Who in the 1970's.

The stock incidental music accompanying the Yeti attack at Covent Garden in episode four is the same as that previously used as a theme for the Cybermen.

The final few moments of the closing credits of each episode (except for episode six) were displayed over a pulsating web instead of the regular black screen.

A trailer for this story was recorded, featuring the Second Doctor. It included a special warning advising young viewers that they might find "The Web of Fear" scary and suggesting that they watch the programme with their parents. It was broadcast at the conclusion of episode six of the previous story "The Enemy of the World" on the 27th January 1968.

The Seventh Doctor refers to this adventure in "Remembrance of the Daleks", asking his companion Ace if she remembers ‘the Yeti in the Underground’.

This is the last on-screen appearance in Doctor Who for the Yeti - except for a brief appearance in the 1983 Twentieth Anniversary Special "The Five Doctors". The Yeti would also return in the video spin-off story "Downtime".

For a number of years only the first episode of this six part story existed in the BBC Archives. All six episodes had been initially lost in the BBC's stock clearance of the 1970s and so all were reported missing from the BBC Film and Videotape Library following an audit in 1978. However, in 1978 a 16mm film of the first episode was discovered on the floor of a loading bay at BBC Enterprises. Of the remaining episodes all were missing except for some New Zealand censor clips, from episodes two, four and five.

In 2003, episode one of this story, along with episodes one and three of "The Faceless Ones" were the final episodes of Doctor Who to be released on VHS by BBC Worldwide.

Episode one was also shown during BBC Four's "London Underground" season in 2007.

Five episodes, of this six part story, where then discovered, along with all six episodes of "The Enemy of the World", at a television station in the Nigerian city of Jos in 2013. For this story the episodes discovered were episodes one, two, four, five and six. Unfortunately episode three is still missing.

Along with "The Enemy of the World" the newly discovered episodes were promptly released on iTunes, with episode 3 included as a tele-snap reconstruction. A Limited Edition DVD release of this story quickly followed in February 2014.

First and Last

The Firsts:

The first appearance in Doctor Who of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (aka The Brigadier) played by Nicholas Courtney.

Derrick Sherwin's first involvement in the show as Story Editor.

The Lasts (Subject to Future Stories):

The last story involving The Yeti - until the Twentieth Anniversary Special "The Five Doctors"

Episode one was included in the final Doctor Who VHS release by BBC Worldwide.

The Plot

WARNING: May Contain Spoilers

Hide Text

The Yeti Comes Alive

After Salamander, the evil dictator The Doctor and his companions encountered in the previous story ("The Enemy of the World"), is ejected from the TARDIS, while the doors were still open, the time travellers are left clinging onto the central console. Eventually Jamie McCrimmon manages to move himself to a position where he can reach and operate the door controls which then close. With The Doctor back in control of the TARDIS he materialises it in space. But to the horror of The Doctor and his companions Jamie and Victoria Waterfield, a strange web-like substance begins to cover the exterior. To free the TARDIS, The Doctor carries out an emergency dematerialisation which frees the time machine from the strange web and they arrive on a London Underground station called Covent Garden. Strangely there are no people about.

On investigation they find that the whole station is deserted and the entrance gates locked. The Doctor also discovers that there is no power in the railway lines and so it is safe for them to investigate in the tunnels. It is not long before they discover a cable running down the tunnel. The Doctor follows the cable to another station (Charing Cross) where they are connected to crates of explosives. The Doctor then watches from hiding as two Yeti appear and start to spray a web like substance over the crates.

Meanwhile back in the tunnels Jamie and Victoria have followed the cable in the other direction. They are soon discovered by a group of soldiers, who are laying the cable, and are taken to an Army underground base at Goodge Street, commanded by a Captain Knight. There they discover that the London Underground has been sealed off due to it being infiltrated by a strange web and large hairy creatures – which Jamie and Victoria recognise as being Yeti. When they discover that Captain Knight is about to blow up the tunnel, that they last saw The Doctor in, they are forced to tell him about The Doctor – but it is too late to stop the setting off of the explosives. However, to the relief of Jamie and Victoria the explosives do not go off. It seems that the explosion had been neutralised by the Yeti's web.

Victoria's New Look
Victoria's New Look

Jamie and Victoria then meet Professor Travers who they originally met in Tibet. They learn that the current crisis was precipitated when Professor Travers accidentally caused one of the Yeti, that had been kept in a museum, to be reactivated, opening the way for the Great Intelligence to make another invasion attempt.

With the report that the web is once more moving through the tunnels engulfing the whole of the Circle Line so entrapping central London - and, a patrol returning having failed to locate The Doctor, Jamie decides to accompany another soldier so as to find The Doctor. However, they are soon attacked by a group of Yeti.

The TARDIS is Attacked
The TARDIS is Attacked

Back at the base, Victoria overhears Professor Travers’ daughter, Anne, speculating that The Doctor might be behind the Yeti emergency and so heads off alone to the tunnels to look for The Doctor herself. With the Yeti in control of the tunnels and the web spreading ever closing the Army underground base eventually becomes surrounded. Victoria though is able to find The Doctor along with a Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart who takes command of the base. Then, while The Doctor and Anne work on a way to control one of the Yeti spheres, and with everyone else occupied, Professor Travers is kidnapped by a Yeti.

After an attempt to reach the TARDIS fails, and another attempt to blow up the tunnels is thwarted again by the Yeti, The Doctor, with the help of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and Captain Knight, go above ground and attempt to obtain some electronic components from a nearby shop so that The Doctor can build a control box that can be used to control a Yeti. But they are soon attacked, by the Yeti and Captain Knight is killed.

With so many things going wrong The Doctor suspects that someone within the Army underground base is working against them - either voluntarily or because they are being controlled by the Great Intelligence. Then, as the group ponders what to do next, the Yeti burst into the Army underground base with Professor Travers, whose mind has been taken over by the Great Intelligence. Using Professor Travers the Great Intelligence informs them that it had brought The Doctor here so that his memories and knowledge can be drained. And that unless The Doctor surrenders himself his friends will be killed. To make sure of The Doctor's co-operation, Victoria is taken to the Great Intelligence's control centre at Piccadilly Circus.

The Doctor and Jamie
The Doctor and Jamie

The Doctor has little choice but to agree to the Great Intelligence's terms, but before he heads for Piccadilly Circus he and Anne Travers finish work on their control sphere which will now make its Yeti follow their voice commands. While The Doctor and Anne Travers go looking for a suitable Yeti, that they can place their adapted control sphere in, Jamie and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart set out to rescue Victoria.

They all end up being herded by the Yeti to Piccadilly Circus where, in the central ticket hall, they discover an enormous glass pyramid that is used to manifest the Yeti. Having no further use for Professor Travers the Great Intelligence abandons its control over him. It is then that it is revealed that a Staff Sergeant called Arnold has been the Great Intelligence’s human agent – so enabling the Great Intelligence to know the human’s every move.

The Doctor is then forced to enter the pyramid so that his mind can be drained. Fearing that The Doctor is about to be killed Jamie manages to break away and grabs a microphone that controls the Yeti – and so activates the Yeti with the adapted control sphere. The pyramid is destroyed in the ensuing scuffle along with the Yeti control spheres. With all the Yeti deactivated everyone is happy except for The Doctor. He explains that he had managed to sabotage the conversion headset which, if the device had been used, would have drained the Great Intelligence instead – but now the Great Intelligence is free once more.

With the Yeti defeated, and the web rendered harmless, The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria slip away and head back to the TARDIS leaving Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart to clear up the mess and return London and the Underground back to normal.

Londoner’s Flee

Professor Travers and Anne

Jamie and Victoria

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and The Doctor

Yeti in the Underground

Yeti on the Streets of London

UNIT Soldiers

A Yeti Control Sphere

Quote of the Story

'It's more than likely that we won't be able to defeat this menace. And that London, in fact the whole of England, might be completely wiped out'

Professor Travers

Release Information

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Code Number	Cover Art	Remarks
VHS	The Troughton Years	June 1991	BBCV 4609	Photo	Includes a clip from episode 1 Introduced by Jon Pertwee
CD	30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop	1993	BBC CD 871	Photo-montage	Sound effects
CD	The Web of Fear	March 2000		Photo-montage	Narrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) Triple CD Release
CD	Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume One - The Early Years 1963-1969	June 2000	WMSF 6023-2		Music and sound effects
MP3	The Abominable Snowmen/The Web of Fear	May 2003		Photo-montage	MP3 format Narrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) Double release including "The Abominable Snowmen"
CD	Yeti Attack	July 2003		Photo-montage	Narrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) Audio box set including "The Abominable Snowmen"
VHS	The Reign of Terror Box Set	November 2003	BBCV 7539	Photo-montage	Episode 1 only Part of "The Reign of Terror Box Set" (BBCV 7335)
DVD	Doctor Who: Lost in Time	November 2004	BBCDVD 1353	Photo-montage	Episode 1 only Also includes censor clips, recovered in New Zealand, from episodes 2, 4 and 5
CD	The Web of Fear	August 2012		Photo-montage	Part of the "Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes: Collection Five 1967 - 1969" Box Set Narrated by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon)
CD	The 50th Anniversary Collection	December 2013		Photo-montage	Original Television Soundtracks
DVD	The Web of Fear	February 2014	BBCDVD 3867	Photo-montage	Includes a reconstucted version of the missing episode 3
DVD	The Web of Fear	August 2021	BBCDVD 4459	Photo-montage	Includes an animated version of episode 3.
Blu-Ray	The Web of Fear	August 2021	BBCBD 0521	Photo-montage	Includes an animated version of episode 3.
Blu-Ray	The Web of Fear	August 2021	BBCBD 0522	Photo-montage	Limited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook. Includes an animated version of episode 3.

In Print

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Publisher	Author	Cover Art	Remarks
Novel	Doctor Who and the Web of Fear	August 1976	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks	Chris Achilleos	ISBN: 0-426-11084-6 (Purple Logo Cover)
Novel	The Doctor Who Omnibus	1977	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks		Book Club Associates edition. Released along with "Doctor Who and the Space War" and "Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen".
Novel	Doctor Who and the Web of Fear	August 1978	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks	Chris Achilleos	ISBN: 0-426-11084-6 (Blue Logo Cover)
Novel	Doctor Who and the Web of Fear	1983	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks	Andrew Skilleter	New cover reprint. ISBN: 0-426-11084-6
Novel	The Web of Fear	December 1993	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks	Alister Pearson	Virgin new cover reprint. ISBN: 0-426-11084-6
Novel	Doctor Who and the Web of Fear	April 2016	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks	Chris Achilleos	BBC Reprint. ISBN: 978-1-78594-036-1
CD	The Web of Fear	August 2017	Target No. 72	Terrance Dicks	Chris Achilleos	Audio version of the Target Novel read by David Troughton.

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time)	Issue 41
Doctor Who Magazine - Nostalgia	Issue 115 (Released: August 1986)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 211 (Released: April 1994)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 212 (Released: May 1994)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 213 (Released: June 1994)
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive	Issue 235 (Released: February 1996)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team	Issue 305 (Released: June 2001)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team	Issue 306 (Released: July 2001)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction	Issue 568 (Released: October 2021)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction	Issue 569 (Released: November 2021)
Doctor Who Magazine Special - Archive	1984 Winter Special (Released: 1984)
Doctor Who Classic Comics - Telesnap Archive	Issue 18 (Released: March 1994)
Doctor Who Classic Comics - Telesnap Archive	Issue 19 (Released: April 1994)
Doctor Who Classic Comics - Telesnap Archive	Issue 20 (Released: May 1994)

Photo Gallery

The Doctor and Companions/Acquaintance

The Second Doctor

Jamie McCrimmon

Victoria Waterfield

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart

On Release

Troughton Years VHS Video Cover

VIDEO

Sound Effects CD Cover

AUDIO

Soundtrack CD Cover

AUDIO

Audio - Volume 1: The Early Years

AUDIO

MP3 Release Cover

AUDIO

Yeti Attack CD Cover

AUDIO

VHS Video Cover

VIDEO

Lost In Time DVD Cover

VIDEO

The Lost TV Episodes: Collection Five CD Cover

AUDIO

The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover

AUDIO

DVD Cover

VIDEO

DVD Animated Version Cover

VIDEO

Blu-Ray Animated Version Cover

VIDEO

Limited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook Animated Version Cover

VIDEO

In Print

Original Target Book Cover (Purple Logo)

NOVEL

Book Club Associates Edition

NOVEL

Original Target Book Cover (Blue Logo)

NOVEL

Reprinted Target Book Cover

NOVEL

Reprinted Virgin Book Cover

NOVEL

Reprinted BBC Book Cover

NOVEL

Target Audio CD Cover

Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 41

Doctor Who Magazine - Nostalgia: Issue 115

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 211

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 212

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 213

Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 235

Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 305

Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 306

Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 568

Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 569

Doctor Who Magazine Special - Archive: 1984 Winter Special

Doctor Who Classic Comics - Telesnap Archive: Issue 18

Doctor Who Classic Comics - Telesnap Archive: Issue 19

Doctor Who Classic Comics - Telesnap Archive: Issue 20

Who's Who

Who Me

Episodes of the
Second Doctor

Season 5

References

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