Episode 58 (N1): The Web Planet

I've just noticed that I don't own any more of the complete televised stories in this run. From this point, except for two episodes of The Crusade, I will be watching DVDs that Isaac has bought with his own pocket money; fortunately he's letting me do so!

This is also the first serial of the program which credits me for design work - not bad for someone less than a year old, eh? Though I must admit it wasn't actually me, just someone (a bit older) who shares my name. There are a few of us about - I remember a magazine advert that suggested readers should "convert to Canada Dry, like John Wood" - and there's even one buried in the graveyard of the converted church where my children learn circus skills. It still has an effect, seeing the name, even though I don't get confused that they're talking about me. Usually it's fun; the tombstone was a bit creepy.

And speaking of creepy, here we are at the first episode of The Web Planet - which is also called The Web Planet. I've made masses of notes, and there's a lot to say, but much of it applies to the serial as a whole; or at least to the first couple of episodes. We'll see about the rest. So I'm going to split things up, and talk about the direction here, the design work next time, music later on...

Direction, then. This is Richard Martin, of whom I said at the end of season one: his wild moments of genius outweigh his "what were you thinking?" ones. He has said that he thought Bill Strutton's scriptwriting was awful, but that the ideas for the serial were great, and in fact just the sort of thing that Doctor Who should be. So, what does he do about it here? Works darn hard to make this the most totally alien story so far, that's what! Oh, he has his problems (which I will return to at a later date), but these aren't evident to the viewer in the first couple of episodes, at least.

Well, maybe there's one that's visible: the alien atmosphere. Martin asked about getting some special filters for the cameras, to distort the image. Once everyone stopped laughing he came up with an alternative they could actually afford: matte boxes (to protect the lenses) holding sheets of glass smeared with vaseline. I think this works really well, but many people say it looks rubbish.

Perhaps it's all a matter of perspective. I've said before that I come to Doctor Who with the intention of enjoying myself, and this means finding the right way to watch. Sometimes this is easy - I can enjoy any of the 2012 episodes as fast-paced, glitzy, self-aware modern TV, for instance. There's usually more to find than that, but it's enough to get me started. With 1960s episodes - and particularly special effects extravaganzas like these, which really show their age visually - it's harder. There's no getting around the fact that they have obviously got men in ant costumes being filmed with smeary cameras; but actually, you don't have to pay attention to it. Notice the tone, the emotional impact; don't sweat the small stuff.

And tone is where Martin really shines in the first two episodes. Nothing is comfortable about his direction: from the first focus fade, and there are lots of moving camera shots and vertiginous closeups. The choice to film the console scenes from the opposite side of the door is simple, but subconsciously throws us off a little - at least, those of us who have been watching the show for a while. And shooting people's faces through the time rotor is inspired.

Really, Martin wrenches every bit of atmosphere he can out of the script. Fairly early on there's a discussion between Barbara and Vicki in the bendy bed room, covering mundane subjects such as school and aspirin. It is obviously meant as a lighter moment, filling a little more of Vicki's background. What Martin does is to shoot a second conversation, after Barbara's arm has started disobeying her, in almost exactly the same way. The creepiness of the current situation thus poisons the normality of the first conversation. Similarly, the cut from Ian looking around outside, worried, to Barbara tidying up keeps us on our toes. There are lots of other nice touches to the direction - the disappearing TARDIS being caught in webbing, for instance, or the view of the landscape seen through the TARDIS door, which really sells the reality of it - but you get the idea. The rotating console is less effective, but not enough to spoil it.

A lot of the atmosphere does come straight from the script as well, of course. The weird goings-on with the Doctor's ring, the ship's doors opening and closing on their own, the acid pool (though it's rather too similar to Marinus to have a big effect). Even the Atmospheric Density Jackets add to the feeling that we have gone a step further from home territory. By the end, when the Doctor finds the TARDIS gone and everyone is imperilled, a record-breaking 13.5 million viewers are left with no idea how our heroes are going to get out of this one...

Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 13th February 1965
Viewers: 13.5 million
Chart Position: 7
Appreciation Index: 56

Rating:
8.5/10.

Next Time:
The Zarbi.