El Sandifer points out that we have to engage with this story in the way that audiences would've in 1964. That if you try to watch the whole batch at once you'll find yourself bored, that it can be tedious, but if you meet it on it's terms you might find something else entirely. One of the most talked about Hartnell stories, the Web Planet is once again Doctor Who experimenting. Experimenting in tone, form, and finally in monsters. If you go in hoping for a sweeping adventure you will be disappointed. But, if you go in stoned and with a pure heart you will find yourself transported to a place like no other. Alien landscapes and visions, things you've never seen and couldn't imagine. I'm not joking when I say it has more in common with James Cameron's Avatar than it does with modern Doctor Who. This is a story that transports you to a place you can't imagine, and it is absolutely unlike anything else. Star Trek could never.

📝2/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

"The Web Planet: Ants, Butterflies, and Missed Potential"

Plastic mega ants, humanoid butterfly creatures, and a mysterious, disembodied voice—The Web Planet is ambitious, surreal, and utterly unforgettable. It’s a story that swings for the fences, but whether it succeeds depends entirely on your tolerance for bizarre 1960s sci-fi.

A Strong Start That Loses Its Way

The opening moments offer glimmers of promise, with some delightful character beats, such as Barbara and Vicki’s touching exchange in Part 1. The barren alien world of Vortis is introduced with an eerie, dreamlike quality enhanced by Vaseline-smeared lenses and unsettling sound design. The first episode manages to maintain intrigue and suspense, but the momentum quickly unravels.

The narrative bogs down in Parts 3 to 5, with excessive filler material and a lack of engaging plot. By the end of Episode 2, the story still hasn’t defined its central conflict or villain. Instead, viewers are treated to long, tedious sequences of characters aimlessly wandering or interacting with the often ridiculous Zarbi. The pacing issues make The Web Planet a slog to get through, especially for modern audiences.

Bold Concepts, Questionable Execution

At its heart, this is a war story between two alien factions—the Menoptra and the Zarbi—over their planet, Vortis, manipulated by the mind-controlling Animus. It’s a classic Doctor Who trope of resistance against oppression, but here, the plot is overshadowed by overly ambitious concepts that the production can’t fully realize.

The Menoptra are one of the serial’s rare triumphs. Their alien movements, speech patterns, and unsettling otherworldly presence are impressive, with a standout flying sequence in Part 4 that still looks great for its time. However, the Zarbi, giant ant-like creatures, are more laughable than menacing, hindered by clunky designs and poorly choreographed movements (including infamous moments of actors bumping into cameras). The Optera, with their awkward movements and grating voices, are even less convincing.

The Animus is an intriguing idea—an unseen, malevolent force controlling Vortis with a chilling vocal performance by Catherine Fleming. Unfortunately, the payoff falls flat when she finally appears as an underwhelming, web-covered prop. The villain would have been far more effective if left as a disembodied voice.

The Good, the Bad, and the Plain Strange

The production team deserves credit for attempting something as ambitious as The Web Planet. The alien landscapes, eerie soundscapes, and experimental visuals showcase the creativity and ingenuity of the 1960s Doctor Who crew. However, these strengths are often undermined by glaring weaknesses. The overuse of lens flares obscures the action, while the Carsinome set design is as baffling as its name suggests.

The cliffhangers—usually a Doctor Who hallmark—are underwhelming, save for the tension-filled one in Part 5. The alien sound effects, though adding to the alien atmosphere, are grating and headache-inducing by the end.

Characters Left Adrift

The regular cast does their best with limited material. Barbara is sidelined for much of the story, disappearing completely in Part 3, while Vicki struggles to establish her role as the new companion. The Doctor gets a few witty lines (Hartnell’s “drop this hairdryer or whatever it is!” being a highlight), but overall, the cast is underused.

The guest characters fare no better. The Menoptra are intriguing but fail to emotionally connect with the audience, while the Zarbi are more comical than threatening. The supporting cast never rises above being mere plot devices.

A Cautionary Tale in Overreaching

The Web Planet is a textbook example of Doctor Who aiming high but faltering under the constraints of budget and technology. It’s a bold, experimental story with moments of brilliance but ultimately fails to sustain its six-episode runtime. While its ambition and creativity are commendable, the lack of narrative focus, uneven pacing, and production missteps make it a frustrating experience for many viewers. In the end, The Web Planet is an intriguing misfire—a fascinating relic of Doctor Who’s willingness to experiment, even when the results are far from perfect.

Even if though this is one of my least favourite Doctor Who stories, I can still pick out good moments. When the people in bee's pyjamas start flying - it looks spectacular, the Zarbi are beautifully designed and when Vicki and The Doctor get covered in a web it is genuinely shocking.

These moments are exceptions though. The main issue is that the story could have been told in three episodes, not six. The poor quality visuals bothered me in a way it hasn't in the previous stories, it was to be fair, very ambitious though, too ambitious on the budget they had.

For the third story in a row Vicki's character is bothering me, she is very, very similar to Susan - I don't see the point in creating a new character only to give them such a generic role.

The Web Planet is one of those stories I wish I could recommend but fully recognize its flaws basically make it unsalvageable.

I like the story enough and even find the insect aliens charming in their own way. There's clearly a concerted effort to make things look and feel alien that I fully appreciate. However, those sound effects are pretty much going to drive any viewer a little crazy. It's a real shame, too, because I'm always down for sci-fi weirdness and if it weren't for that sound design, I'd be a lot more generous to The Web Planet, even going so far as to call it halfway decent. As it exists though, it really just serves as a curiosity for fans with very limited entertainment value.

This episode is a lot, yet also very little. It’s a difficult one to pin down.

We land on the Planet Vortis, which looks completely desolate. But there is more going on than meets the eye. Without the party noticing, there is a battle of survival between 2 species: The Zarbi and the Menoptra. Let's talk about them first.

This is an aspect of the story that immediately hinders it a bit. We have two kinds of creatures, which are unique and interesting at a glance, but their abilities and underlying motivations are not presented as well as they could be.

Part of it might be the costume design. This is an episode that is notorious for its clash between ambition and budget. I have to say, it is mostly harmless. I don't think this story looks particularly bad. It's just that it has way more to tell with the same amount of resources. The only real problem that it leads to, is on the Zarbi end. Their designs are fine and definitely look the part, but they have no expressiveness. They don't talk much either, so it is very hard for them to 'earn their place' so to speak. They have no real way of showing us what makes them special. Other characters often have to tell us their deal, which can be distracting and come across as exposition.

The Menoptra fare a little better on that front. Their design is relatively strong. The black and white of the screen gives them a very distinct look. Especially in their faces. They also have the benefit of being humanoid and able to speak, which makes them easier to understand.

After their introduction, the story tries to build up a lot of different aspects and ideas onto the foundation of these two species: There's the Carnisome, the Operta, the Animus, the larvae gun and more. Problem is, the foundation of this story wasn't all that strong and needed a lot of explaining on the Zarbi side. All these elements add another aspect that needs to be explained. This can turn into a bit of an infodump at times. Like building a house on sand, it starts to slip.

It turns into a lot of unnecessary "Tell, don't show" moment. Those can be linked to budget, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. It's more a matter of dividing time. The story is 2 hours long, and can feel quite padded. What if those padded parts we're more explicit showcases of the elements we have in the story? Show us how the Zarbi are controlled, and how they act without control. Reinforce the prior relationship between the two species by giving them a conversation. These events would establish this planet a little more. The extra aspects can be added after that. Instead we have some neat things like the larvae guns, which are fun I suppose, but does not add much to the story. It takes up time that could be used better.

Characterwise the story has a minor snippets. The Doctor running around the planet in the first episode is a treat. It shows some newfound joy and establishes the planet, which is a treat to the eyes anyway. The banter with Ian is fun too. Barbara and Vicki connect a bit and talk about their different origins. Good stuff, but nothing really new or interesting.

A small highlight for me was the cliffhanger with the doctor at the end of episode 1. We've seen him worried about the loss of his tardis in the audio's a few times, but it doesn't happen on screen that often. It's just a snippet, but it adds layers.

Other than that, there's not much more to say about this episode. It's a very divisive one, and I can see why. I do think the production issues are overstated. It looks fine. Great at times even. It's just a story that comes with a million ideas, that should've been a bit more picky about which ones to show and which ones to talk about.

Maybe it'll come across more clearly in the novel, which I just got a few days ago, but that's a story for another time. For now, we have a flawed but ambitious story. And while I can look down on flaws, I can't ever shun ambition. There are true, unfiltered ideas here. That doesn't necessarily make the story good, but at the very least, it makes it interesting. And that's worth something.