The Dalek Invasion of Earth

Despite its title, this serial concerns the Dalek occupation of Earth, rather than the Dalek invasion. In this, it strikes an original note, as there are plenty of films about flying saucer invasions, but very few films about what the flying saucer people do after they've turned up and knocked down the Statue of Liberty and burned down the White House.

There is a very effective sense of bleakness about Dalek Invasion. The characters find themselves in an utterly hostile, yet not unfamiliar environment, harassed at every turn by Robomen, Daleks, flying saucers, hungry dogs, collaborators, crocodiles and spivs. The scenes of a silent London remind me of the 80s Day of the Triffids series. Indeed, the scene where Barbara drives her truck into a group of Daleks is remarkably similar to a scene in Day of the Triffids, where a truck runs over a bunch of triffids. I actually found myself looking at the credits to see if David Maloney had any involvement.

There are two things that are not so effective. The long, lumbering plot with it's grab bag of Terry Nation action sequences and the rather weak direction of Richard Martin. In the rather unworldly atmosphere of the first Dalek serial, Richard Martin worked alright. However, he was much less adept at the more realistic action drama of this story. The fight scenes are simply terrible. This is a story that simply cries out for Douglas Camfield.

The final scene of the departure of Susan is moving, especially for me, as I am one of the few fans of Susan. However, it is hard not to feel Dr. Who's actions were a bit drastic and heavy handed.

The Daleks are perhaps less interesting than they were in the first Dalek sequel. They have become a generic space conquering race, the likes of which we would see rather a lot of in Doctor Who. The obvious difference from later Daleks, however, is their reliance on satellite dishes to move about in the open (in contrast to the city-bound Daleks of the first serial). Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood offer a good explanation for this, arguing that the more familiar space Daleks adapted a number of Skaro city Daleks to boost their forces.

What do we make of the Daleks bizarre plan to turn the Earth into a spaceship? When we considered Inferno, we connected that to that story to the theory that the planet Earth is constructed on a hole in the universe and that beneath lies an entrace into the hellish Yssgaroth universe. I pointed out that in Inferno, the Primord mutants appeared to be under some kind of psychic direction. The Yssgaroth vampires were trying to break out into this universe. I would suggest that something similar is happening in this story. The Daleks are being telepathically manipulated by the Yssgaroth into drilling into the Earth's core. Their Dalek minds are being fooled into thinking that they can turn the Earth into a spaceship, when actually they are breaking out a far more terrible enemy.

The Time Meddler

Douglas Camfield is regarded as one of the greatest of Doctor Who's directors and rightly so. What strikes the viewer of The Time Meddler is that it appears to be largely filmed on location, unlike most other Hartnell stories. This is an illusion, however, for this story was filmed entirely in studio. The appearance of lush location filming is achieved through the realistic sets, the moving sky effect and the generous use of stock footage. The Time Meddler's strong visual impact is a testimony to Camfield's brilliance, a brilliance let down only by some clumsy fight scenes.

The Time Meddler is hugely important in setting the direction of later stories. For the first time, we see one of the Doctor's own people and discover that the TARDIS is not unique. In this serial, historical and science fiction elements are mixed for the first time, something that caused a lot of confusion for many viewers at the time. This was a significant innovation for Doctor Who. What is perhaps unfortunate is the fact that this innovation came to be seen as the essential way for Doctor Who to deal with historical themes. Thus, true historicals came to be rejected in the Troughton era. The Doctor Who pseudo-historical has become a predictable genre, with the only real variation being whether the interfering being is a good alien or a bad alien and a lack of any real interest in the historical elements themselves.

The Time Meddler also altered the way in which time worked in Doctor Who. Barring the wobbling of The Space Museum, the show's logic had assumed that the course of history could not be altered. It was not merely objectionable, but impossible. Here in this story, we see a being like the Doctor attempting to alter history and the Doctor appears to believe that he could succeed. In my opinion this was a mistake. While Big Finish have gone to town on stories about altered timelines and the new series has followed suit, such notions appear very infrequently in classic Doctor Who. It has been pointed out by fans that the Doctor appears inconsistent in viewing earth's history as sacred, but freely interfering in the destiny of alien worlds and future human societies. I would argue that the Doctor's willingness to interfere in alien worlds actually supports the idea that history cannot be altered. The reason that the Doctor has no fear of toppling Helen A's tyranny on Terra Alpha is because he knows he cannot change history and his success is already a part of history. If he is unaware of the future of Terra Alpha (and in general, the Doctor shows a limited awareness of future human history), then he can at least try, knowing that he cannot alter history. This flys in the face of the accepted understanding of Pyramids of Mars (I have my own theory to explain the desolate Earth in 1980), but it makes sense of a good deal of classic Doctor Who. The Time Meddler can be blamed for the unfortunate idea that history could be altered at any moment.

The Time Meddler is very much dominated by the two conflicting personalities of the Doctor and the Monk. The Monk is an highly unusual villain in being rather likable and it is hard not to feel a lot of sympathy for him. This is very much enhanced by how unlikable the Doctor comes across in this story. He shakes with rage at the Monk's activity and comes across as a bit of a bully. It is interesting to note just how violent the Doctor is here, brawling and hitting people with clubs. While we are used to liking the Doctor, I rather find the Doctor's meanness in this story very enjoyable.

It is rather striking how manipulative the Doctor and companions come across in this story. They appear to the Saxons as allies, helping them deal with the 'Viking spy.' Yet in reality they are trying to ensure that these people are invaded by Vikings, an event in which they might suffer. The story does not deal with this moral tension at all.

I don't care much for the companions in The Time Meddler. Steven's first appearance as companion proper has him coming across as very thick and obstinate. I have never liked Vicky, but here she comes across as especially bossy and irritating. While we get a good performance from Alethea Charlton's Edith, the Saxon characters are uninteresting and the Vikings very unimpressive. These historical elements of the story lack any real interest in themselves. Yet whatever its faults, The Time Meddler was an important landmark in the history of Doctor Who and is visually quite delightful.

The Crusade

The novelisation of this story, Dr. Who and the Crusaders was in my school library. I really enjoyed reading it at the age of ten, though it was a little more difficult to understand than other Target novels, for instance The Horns of Nimon. As with so many children, a story about knights had instant appeal. The novelisation contained an interesting piece of dialogue, in which the Doctor explained that the TARDIS crew can never change history. Once they land, they are instantly involved in the flow of history. This is how I understand time in Doctor Who. Whatever planet the TARDIS lands on, it's crew don't work against history but perform their allotted role. So when the Doctor goes to Terra Alpha, in The Happiness Patrol, he does not alter history by overthrowing Helen A. The downfall of Helen A was a part of history, the Doctor simply took his place in the tide of history and brought it about. This does not mean that there is no free-will. The Doctor's knowledge of the future is not exhaustive, so he simply does what seems right in the situation, knowing that history will play itself out. That's not how most fans and Doctor Who writers view history in Doctor Who, but I think this makes sense of a lot of stories. As regards The Crusade, if history were not immutable, then the Doctor would surely have been concerned that his involvement in the politics of the court of Richard the Lionheart could alter history. However, he knows that history is immutable and so nothing he does will alter the outcome of history.

Anyway, enough about that. What about the televised serial?

If any story deserved to survive the great wipe-out, The Crusade definitely did. Possibly of all the lost episodes, I think I would most like to see the episodes 2 and 4 of this one rediscovered. The two surviving episodes of this serial reveal just how strong it was, both visually and in the performances. Douglas Camfield is rightly regarded as one of the greatest of Doctor Who directors and in The Crusade he is at his strongest. The Crusade does not attempt to mimic a big movie production, instead what we get is a very theatrical, stagey production that relies on first class acting and exquisite dialogue. It's a very 'talky' story (which is why the audio recordings of the lost episodes work so well without narration), but with such a superb script this works fine. The Crusade tries to hard to be a Shakespeare play and succeeds.

I am a fan who rather likes The Web Planet, yet even I will admit the enormous contrast in quality between this serial and the story prior to it. Perhaps the comparison is not altogether fair. The Crusade was working with familiar historical territory and had access to stock costumes, while The Web Planet required the realisation of an utterly alien world from scratch. Yet one can imagine that Douglas Camfield would have injected some much stronger direction into that serial. The Web Planet suffers not just from the difficulties of realisation, but also from some very clumsy scenes and rather lacklustre performances (though I will always love Roslyn De Winter's plummy voice!).

The Crusade has some remarkably adult features. The regulars are put through some quite terrifying experiences! It's quite disturbing to see Barbara threatened with rape and torture. It must have been quite traumatic for her, having one bloke after another wanting to molest her. It's interesting that younger companions in Doctor Who are never faced with the same level of physical violence that Barbara was so often faced with. One cannot imagine Jo Grant or Zoe ever being threatened with rape. I suppose this is due to those characters being child-identification figures. Maybe the loss of a mature companion, along with the historicals resulted in a certain lack of realism in Doctor Who.

While the villain is an Arab and the Doctor, Ian and Vicky join with the Crusaders, the story avoids taking sides. Richard the Lionheart is not portrayed as a saint and Saladin is given a sympathetic treatment. The Crusades genuinely come across in this serial as the brutal affair that they were.

Together, Julian Glover as Richard and Jean Marsh as Joanna give an absolutely brilliant performance. There is a real subtlety to their work and there is a definite hint of incest in their brother and sister relationship. Odd that Jean Marsh would go on to play Morgaine who also had a dodgy relationship with her brother. The regulars also give some great performances, especially Hartnell, who delivers his delightful lines with such passion. Jacqueline Hill is just so adorable. Perhaps Ian's part in the story is a little dull. Ian does come across here, even more so than other stories, as a bit of a square-jawed hero type.

I have no doubt that if The Crusade were recovered it would go down as one of the greatest of Doctor Who stories.

Planet of the Giants

The original TARDIS crew in a microcosmos.

This story fits in to it's era rather oddly. Not only is it the unusual length of three episodes, but it is neither an historical or "science fiction" First Doctor story. It is also, along with The War Machines, the only First Doctor story set on contemporary Earth after An Unearthly Child.

Despite the lightweight nature of the plot, there are very clear nods to the future of the show. It has an obvious environmental theme, something that would be common in the Pertwee era. Forrester is a kind of villain we don't see much of in the Hartnell era, the self-serving, ruthless capitalist. Yet his type would become very common in the show from the Third Doctor era onwards.

The sets are very well-designed despite not everything being quite to scale. Most of the guest cast performances are unfortunately mediocre. Perhaps it is also disappointing that they never get to interact with the regulars. The regular cast are on top form, even if Carol Anne Ford ends up moaning and whining yet again. Barbara's refusal to admit that she has been affected by the pesticide comes across as a little odd.

At the end of the story, Forrester is led away by the cops. Had this been the Hinchcliffe era, we can be sure that he would have died a gruesome death, probably through his own pesticide. I prefer stories like this where the bad guys don't get killed. There is often far too much death in Doctor Who.

The Romans

Doctor Who does Carry On with a pinch of Ben-Hur

No fan should underestimate the importance of the historical stories. However, the difficulty in terms of appreciating then is that so few survive. I can't help thinking that it is a shame that this one survives and not Marco Polo or The Massacre.

The big problem with The Romans is that it combines a really camp attempt at Carry On style Roman comedy with a very dark set of subplots about Ian and Barbara being taken as slaves. The gulf between the to moods is a little too disorientating for the viewer. I think it would have been better to have come up with a more light-hearted subplot for Ian and Barbara that would have maintained the comedy vibe througout. Personally, I find a lot of the comedy in this serial a bit silly and not that amusing, but I know a lot of fans love it.

The Romans does not make much effort in terms of historical accuracy. The real Nero was absolutely nothing like the buffoon we encounter in this story. Ofc ourse, the same can be said of Peter Ustinov's rather more well known performance. I also wonder how likely it was that slave traders would just pounce on a bunch of strangers in Roman Italy. True, the slave traders know Ian and Barbara are travellers, but it is not inconceivable that they might not be recognised. They seem to be taking a big risk. Slave traders were not kidnappers in general, but traded in men and women taken in war or the children of slaves.

Hartnell gives a very manic performance. It is very easy to see in this story the wild, immature side of the First Doctor. I like to think of him as a 'teenager in an old man's body,' the very reverse of the Davison and Smith Doctors. Maureen O'Brien has a few nice moments of interaction with Hartnell, but as usual her performance is far from convincing.

Ian and Barbara's moments together have often been described as 'post-coital.' Watching this story, it is difficult to doubt that they might have been sleeping together, at least here in the villa, if not on the TARDIS.

The Rescue

"I would have got away with it too, if it hadn't been for that meddling old man and those pesky teachers!"

The Invasion is not the only story in which the TARDIS crew come to resemble those meddling kids in Scooby Doo. The Rescue is pretty much a reproduction of the standard format of Scooby Doo. You have a villain dressing up as a monster ti scare away honest folk who gets unmasked in the end. Unlike Scooby Doo, the villain on being unmasked is not lead away by the police but attempts to kill the Doctor. Thankfully, he is thwarted and comes to a nasty end.

It is a bit of a cliche that Doctor Who is all about men in rubber suits. In this story, for once the monster really is supposed to be a rubber suit.

The Rescue is one of those rare two-part stories in classic Doctor Who. Some of these are two rushed, like The Awakening and King's Demons. This story, like Edge of Destruction works effectively as a two-parter. It is refreshing to see a Dr. Who story without any padding at all.

We are introduced here to the new companion, Vicki. Played by Maureen O'Brien, Vicki seems to be regarded as a much more popular companion than Susan. I find that disappointing. Susan was a bit wet and she could be annoying, but I still liked her. She had a genuinely alien quality about her that fitted in well with her situation as the Doctor's granddaughter. I am not convinced by the way that Vicki becomes a sorty of surrogate granddaughter in place of Susan. I also don't like the way Maureen O'Brien played the part. Too often it seemed like she was not taking the role seriously and she often looked like she was about to start laughing. When her experiences as a child of the future are mentioned, they are played for laughs. It is all a bit too knowing.

William Hartnell puts in a beautiful performance as the Doctor. I just love the moment at the beginning when he asks Susan to open the doors, then falls silent when he remembers Susan is not there any more. It makes me cry! There is a real emotion to Hartnell's performance. He is also pretty impressive when tracking down and confronting Bennett at the end. Jacqueline Hill is as great as ever. She immediately takes on a protective big sister role towards Vicki.

Bennett/ Koquillion is played by Ray Barrett, who was the voice of the mighty Titan, ruler of the undersea, in Stingray. As a massive fan on Stingray, it's really cool to see Ray Barrett in the flesh, even though his performance is a bit wooden. Aside from the unconvincing nature of his deception, fans often wonder why Bennett keeps Vicki alive instead of killing her. It is hard not to imagine that he is subjecting her to some sort of abuse.

The appearance of the natives of Dido at the end is a bit of a deus ex machina. There is no explanation of how they have survived. Still, if we were to see some more of them in this story, we would have needed another episode and I am not sure that was needed for a less consequential story like this.

I really liked Sandy, Vicki's pet giant centipede. A great friendly monster! Shame it had to die when Barbara got her Ripley moment.

The Chase

The Daleks have acquired a time machine and hunt for the TARDIS crew throughout the fourth dimension.

I never watched The Chase when I was a child fan, but I was well aware of it and reasoned that it must be a pretty exciting story given that it is when the Daleks first use time travel. Indeed, the discovery of time travel by the Daleks is a truly momentous point in Doctor Who because it lifts them above the level of every other monster and makes them into near equals to the Doctor. In the BBC Wales series, we see the fruits of this with the far more terrifying and deadly Daleks that have overthrown and eradicated the Time Lords in the mysterious Time War. As momentous as the event is, the mood of The Chase does not register it and we are served the most light-hearted comic affair in the history of the show. It is very difficult to forgive the light tone and lack of seriousness in this story, particularly given that this is a Dalek story. The odd appearance of the Daleks means that if they are not taken seriously in the reactions of the cast, they end up looking ridiculous and lose their power to terrify. On the other hand, it is not lacking in imagination and each episode is very fun to watch.

In episode 1, The Executioners, there is a nice, relaxed atmosphere. We have some pithy enjoyment with the Time-Space Visualizer. Aridius is well conceived with the dunes of Camber Sands. There is a minor continuity error here, with Vicki appearing to have removed her shoes when running up the sand dunes (we see this from the distance and it does look like she is holding her shoes) and has them on again when we see her closer up in the studio. The Aridian costumes are rather unconvincing. I think the Mire Beasts look quite good and are shot effectively. The ploy to attract the attention of the Dalek was camp in a really irritating way.

Episode 2, Flight through Eternity has an absolutely brilliant title but in no way lives up to it. We do have to ask why the TARDIS crew get out at every destination they arrive at when they know they are safe in the ship. Peter Purves makes a cameo appearance as an hillbilly from Alabama visiting the Empire State Building. He is absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately, his mockery of the Dalek completely undermines any impact that Terry Nation's creatures have ever made. The Marie Celeste scene's comic vibe is rather jarring given that the crew and passengers all drown. This seems a little tasteless.

The next story Journey into Terror will be enjoyed by anybody who likes Scooby Doo. The set for this episode is incredibly well designed. Roslyn De Winter makes a brilliant appearance as the Banshee-like Grey Lady. She had been excellent in The Web Planet, even with her un-alien plummy voice. I do wish Roslyn De Winter had made other appearances in Doctor Who, because she had enormous talent. The Daleks are once again demeaned by being defeated by funfair robots.

It seems bizarre that the Doctor would conclude that the TARDIS entering the realm of the human mind is a real possibility. I have a pet theory that the TARDIS does eventually take the Doctor into a realm of psychological terrors. I think it does this in... Inferno! I believe that the Fascist Britain visited by the Third Doctor is not a parallel universe but is some kind of inner dimension in which the Doctor confronts his anxieties about the world in which he lives. Think about it; is it not a bit coincidental that in another universe there would be an almost identical drilling project featuring exactly the same personnel? Why is there no Doctor (because its in his mind.)? The Doctor has seen the destructive capabilities of UNIT in Dr. Who and the Silurians and has real reservations about military organisations. These fears are realised in the Fascist versions of the UNIT personnel. The Doctor is concerned about the consequences of continued drilling and in his psychological world, his fears are realised in the destruction of the earth. I think my theory about Inferno makes perfect sense. Now, back to The Chase.

Inside the Dalek time machine, Vicki witnesses the Daleks create a robot double for the Doctor, played by Edmund Warwick. Warwick looks nothing like Hartnell and fails to copy his mannerisms. The robot double plot is dreadfully cliched and is an unfortunate piece of predictable plotting.



The jungles of Mechannus look dreadfully cheap. Unlike a lot of fans, I think the Fungoids look rather good. Its quite sinister the way they shuffle up to the characters. According to the Missing Adventures novel, The Chrystal Bucephalus, the Fungoids, or Gubbage Cones as they are also known, were once the dominant empire in the galaxy. This suggests that the Fungoids we see are regressive and have lost their former intelligence and civilization.



The Mechanoid city is beautifully designed as a model shot. It looks so ethereal. The Mechanoids are not bad, but their voices are difficult to follow. The fight between them and the Daleks is pretty impressive. A lot of viewers will have noticed in the scene on the roof that Ian puts his hand down Barbara's trousers to keep her from falling off. His hand comes pretty close to her behind on the bus later.

The final episode introduces new companion Steven Taylor, played by Peter Purves. Purves is quite brilliant at playing a man who has been without human company for a long time. He seems a little unhinged and positively deranged when he risks his life at the end to save a teddy bear. It is unfortunate that Steven would lose this lunatic qualuty in his future appearances and just become a standard square-jawed hero (though arguably one better played than Ian). The current regulars give unimpressive performances, with the exception of the ever-brilliant Jacqueline Hill. The regular cast seem like they have given up taking the whole thing seriously.

The departure of Ian and Barbara is the best ever departure from the TARDIS we have seen. It is hearbreaking to hear Barbara plead "We want to go home" like a lost child. Hartnell manages to recover his gravitas and give us some real anger. The Hartnell years were built on scenes like this between Barbara and the Doctor. The final still shots of Ian and Barbara on their return are lovely. If we accept the Virgin Missing Adventures as canon then the two of them married and lived very happy lives together. If you want some fluffy romance, then just read some of the fan fiction about Ian and Barbara.

It's interesting that Barbara is always described as wearing boring old-fashioned clothes. In this story she wears a sleeveless dress with the Aztec-like sandals that have been very popular with young girls in the last couple of years.

I think most would agree that The Chase shows how the format of early Doctor Who was becoming tired and this is reflected in comments by viewers at the time. Doctor Who deserately needed some new ideas and these would come in the next story, The Time Meddler, the first to feature another of the Doctor's people.

The Web Planet

Although my main passion in Doctor Who is for Sylvester McCoy and the New Adventures era, I also have a great love of the Hartnell era. A lot of fans choose to ignore this early period of Doctor Who. You even get some fans who continually bemoan the loss of so many Troughton stories while ignoring the reasonably large stock of Hartnell stories that are extant. Common complaints against the Hartnell era are that stories are too slow and that Hartnell was a terrible actor. The first complaint has some substance, but the second is a little unfair. I think most fans don't give Hartnell enough attention to see how he can shine. So, as I said, I am an huge fan of the Hartnell era and I even like some of the stories that have not dated so well, such as The Web Planet. Oddly enough, when I made the decision to renew my interest in Doctor Who, just over a year ago, The Web Planet was the first DVD I bought and watched.

Part of the charm of the Hartnell era is the sheer diversity of the stories. While fans rave about the brilliance of the Troughton years that they have never seen and are unlikely to see, it must be acknowledged that the Troughton era was very limited in its scope. A format set in of producing endless 'base under siege' stories, and where the base was dispensed with, a monster was usually brought in. The Mind Robber avoids the B-movie format, but in my judgment has a weak narrative and fails in its impact. The production team were so used to the formula that they struggled to do something different. In contrast, the Hartnell years of boundless experimentation. As Miles and Tatwood say in About Time Vol.1, it could have been very different. We could have been served a few wondrous, ratings-grabbing, all-guns blazing Dalek stories and a load of budget saving historical pieces to fill in. Instead, we got quite a few stories that did not fit either of those formats. In The Web Planet we have a truly experimental story in which there is an entirely non-human or even humanoid cast, apart from the regulars. The Web Planet takes the bold step of trying to realise a completely alien world.

The complaint that this serial is far too long is easily understood. There are many parts that are clearly padding and could easily have been trimmed. On the other hand, like all of these slow black and white stories the ready defence is that it was never meant to be watched in one go like a movie. These days we are far too used to fast pacing. There are a few rather formulaic elements in the narrative, such as the splitting up of the companions and separation from the TARDIS. The absence of Barbara from an whole episode (while Jacqueline Hill was on holiday) is rather unfortunate, but this is typical of that era.




One of the phrases that comes up most often in reviews of The Web Planet is 'school play.' Its a fair cop. There is something of the pantomime about some of the costumes. The Menoptera don't look at all like real insects and are easy to laugh at. Worse still, the look of their heads changes during the serial! The Optera are even more hilarious to look at. The Zarbi do look like giant ants- if you ignore their hindlegs and their dreadfully unconvincing movements. Comparison is often made with 50s B-movies like Them! which effectively realised giant insects. I think this is an unfair comparison. Doctor Who in this era was not conceived as a televised B-movie with effects that could be compared to the cinema. So much of BBC output in the Sixties was seen as televised theatre. Audiences were expected to suspend their disbelief. I think deep down, classic series Doctor Who fans also take this theatrical view of the show and are able to suspend their disbelief when watching the show. It is more of an exercise with an Hartnell story like The Web Planet. When the suspension is acheived, great enjoyment can be had of this story.

Despite the weakeness of their costumes, both the Menoptera and the Optera come across through their speech and movement as very alien. Their dialogue, the way they mispronounce the names of the regulars, the grunting of the Optera and the balletic movements of the Menoptera all create a quite magical sense of wonder. Andrew Cartmel complained about Roslyn De Winter's plummy voice ruining the effect, but I thought her lovely plumminess quite added to the charm.

The creation of the lunarlike surface of Vortis and its astra skyline is simply gorgeous. The place is so unearthly. The strange architecture of the temple of light is also great. The use of vaseline on the camera lens to create a blurred view is interesting, but does create awkward viewing. On the whole, the low-budget effects suceeding in creating a sense of atmosphere that is much stronger than the story. In The Web Planet, we feel that we are in a totally alien cosmos. If you let it, you can capture a real sense of dreaminess watching this serial.




The Animus is a brilliant enemy. Choosing to use a woman's voice was inspired and it is a chilling one. A lot of fans complain that the Animus is a bit disappointing when finally scene at the end. I disagree. I think the completely alien appearance of the Animus makes her look rather impressive. We are told that the Animus came to Vortis from an 'astral plane.' This suggests that in its natural form, the Animus is an ethereal, incorporeal entity like the Great Intelligence of the two Yeti stories. According to the New Adventure novel, All-Consuming Fire the Animus is Lloigor, one of the Great Old Ones of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. This idea is of course where I got the URL for this blog.

The Carcinome, the Animus' lair is very well designed and realised; with it's organic growth and it's gun. It may be seen as a prototype for the amazing Axonite spaceship in Claws of Axos. The moment when Vicki and the Doctor are covered in web is also very well done. It might be asked why the Carcinome is not much bigger if it has consumed most of the plant life on Vortis. There is also the question of why the atmosphere of Vortis and its gravity has not changed if the planet is able to draw in new moons through the power of the Animus!

William Hartnell gives a somewhat uneven performance. He is giggling like a lunatic at the beginning and dreadfully unconvincing, but he later returns to form in his interactions with the Animus and the Menoptera. He does spoil this, however, with his ad lib "Drop down that hairdryer." I am disappointed in anybody who found that line funny, as it is a tragic indication that Harnell was not taking this story seriously. In The Web Planet, we continue to see the morally ambivalent First Doctor. When he learns of the conflict between the Animus and the Menoptera, he shows little inclination to take sides; his main concern is the safety of his companions and the return of the TARDIS. He later shows the same concern about getting his ring back. It is refreshing to see these Hartnell stories where the Doctor is not always so inclined to be the hero.

I am not a big fan of Maureen O'Brien's Vicki. I think she is too obviously an attempt to replace Carole Anne Ford's Susan, which does not feel quite right considering the importance of Susan in the beginning. O'Brien's performance here is hardly brilliant and she shows signs of not taking the story seriously. Jacqueline Hill and William Russell nevertheless give this story their best shot. Of the guest cast, Roslyn De Winter, with her posh voice, is the best. She would also appear in The Chase in a very small part. It is a shame she did not appear in other Dr. Who stories. Martin Jarvis also puts in a good first appearance in the show.

Everybody who likes Doctor Who needs to give this story a chance.

The Space Museum

The First Doctor and his companions are in danger of becoming museun exhibits.

The general consensus on this story is that the first episode is brilliant, but after that it becomes a long routine of running down corridors and getting captured. While the story is entertaining enough on a wet afternoon, I can't see much reason to depart from this consensus.

There is a wonderful eerie atmosphere in the first episode. The build-up of peculiar occurences aids this. While the museum is a really dull, featureless looking set, it is portrayed mysteriously enough to generate our interest. The revelation that the TARDIS crew are in danger of becoming exhibits adds intensity to the story.

This is the first Doctor Who (and surpisingly one of the few) stories to explore the complex possibilities of time travel. It appears to be established in the story that the future can be changed.

It is just a bit disappointing that the story fails to deliver a gripping experience. It still has some good elements. The companions have plenty to do throughout the story. In fact, it is Vicky who enables the TARDIS crew to be saved through her aiding the rebels.

The Doctor's interrogation by Governor Lobo is a great scene. Hartnell puts in a great performance here in the triumph of the Doctor's will.

The Moroks are pretty unimpressive. They come across as incompetent and overly bureaucratic, though I think this makes them a little interesting. Governor Lobo's South African accent is a nice touch.

The Xerons are even more dull than the Moroks. Its rather hard to sympathize with them. They come across as a bunch of privately educated pretty boys.

It is interesting how late the pacifist tendency in Doctor Who came in. Back here in the Hartnell era, there was no attempt at a critique of violence in the stories. Here it is Vicky instigating a violent and bloody revolution that wins the day.