The Web of Fear

New Companion Introduction

Runtime

150 minutes

Story Type

Time Travel

Present

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

Base Under Siege, Body Possession, Earth Invasion

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, England, London, London Underground

Synopsis

The TARDIS narrowly avoids becoming engulfed in a cobwebby substance in space. It arrives in the London Underground railway system, the tunnels of which are being overrun by the mysterious web, produced by the Great Intelligence's robot Yeti.

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6 Episodes

Episode 1

First aired

Saturday, February 3, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

7.2 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The TARDIS becomes trapped in space before ending up in an underground station of a mysteriously deserted London.

Episode 2

First aired

Saturday, February 10, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

6.8 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

Jamie and Victoria are reunited with Travers before Jamie joins the soldiers in attempting to find out what has happened to the Doctor.

Episode 3 Missing

First aired

Saturday, February 17, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

7 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The Doctor and Victoria are taken back to the Goodge Street base by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart where the Doctor becomes convinced there is a traitor in their midst.

Episode 4

First aired

Saturday, February 24, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

8.4 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

With Travers having been captured by the Yeti, the Doctor attempts to find a way to gain control of the robots while Lethbridge-Stewart tries to recover the TARDIS.

Episode 5

First aired

Saturday, March 2, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

8 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

Victoria and Travers are held prisoner by the Great Intelligence, who is planning to drain the Doctor's mind.

Episode 6

First aired

Saturday, March 9, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

8.3 million

Appreciation Index

Synopsis

The Doctor and his friends are held prisoner by the Intelligence and their only hope lies with Jamie, Arnold and a reprogrammed Yeti.

Characters

Second Doctor

Patrick Troughton

Jamie McCrimmon

Frazer Hines

How to watch The Web of Fear:

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Lost in Time

The Web of Fear

The Web of Fear

The Web of Fear [Steelbook]

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11 reviews

Probably the best Base Under Siege of Troughton's era; claustrophobic and eerie with the very present way in which their opportunities are literally cut off one after the other with the interference of the Great Intelligence. I found this story to be much better developed than its predecessor, The Abominable Snowmen, possibly due to the longer runtime giving the narrative more room to stretch itself out. I also found the way the story played with our suspicions of various characters over the course of six episodes to be incredibly suspenseful (even though with the benefit of hindsight, we're at least certain that it can't be ~~the Brigadier~~ Col. Lethbridge-Stewart).

6-and-7

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Review last edited on 23-05-25

You know, at least this serial kept my attention unlike some of the other Second Doctor base-under-siege stories. The Brigadier gets a very good start, as well. I enjoyed it fine, but it's nothing that great.

Azurillkirby

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Review last edited on 14-03-25

This review contains spoilers!

Nice to have a sequel to a previous story. The return of the Yeti, Travers and the Great Intelligence are all good. As a fan of continuity, it's also nice to have the introduction of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who of course we will see features heavily with the third Doctor and have run ins with more incarnations. This story can be slow at times in the earlier episodes but still enjoyable. Interestingly they used the Cybermen theme tune from their previous two stories in the battle between the Yeti and the soldiers.

Scottybguud

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Review last edited on 13-03-25

The Abominable Snowmen 2: Less Yellowface And More Guns

The Web of Fear is a mostly acceptable Doctor Who story that doesn't really do anything special. I like the atmosphere created, more or less - the museum at the start was nice if let down immediately by the antisemitism, and the paranoia created by not knowing who the traitor was is knocked a bit when you know that the Brig (sorry, Colonel) is going to be a major recurring character. Also, the fungus subplot is never really solved?

I did like how the story played with trust. Neither the audience nor the characters can trust what anyone says - we can't even trust the Doctor. The ending, when all the plans come out, was really fun

greenLetterT

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Review last edited on 12-03-25

Click here to translate

“Volunteer ? That’s a dirty word, that is.”

J’adore, mais j’ai des sentiments assez partagés.

Même si c’est au final un épisode assez cliché (et problématique), la réal’ de Camfield fait du métro londonien un espace insondable et flippant, et le voir envahi de toiles d’araignée et de grosses peluches est vraiment magique même des décennies après.

Mais ce qui frappe en plus c’est son ton assez désespéré : tout le monde est coincé face à une situation vraiment étrange et impossible.

Mais du coup c’est tout le temps hyper tendu, et je peux carrément oublier les limites évidentes de l’exercice.

Dogtor

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Review last edited on 17-11-24