'WEB' WEEK - DAY 4: TUNNEL VISION!

The light at the end of the tunnel soon gives way to dark fear and terror as the menacing forms of the Yeti attack their prey deep within the confined and shadowy realms of the London underground. A classic scene from the six-part story stunningly captured in modern atmospheric poster form.

The Underground tunnels scenes shot on film at Ealing Studios and video at Lime Grove Studios, created by David Mysercough-Jones and his team, proved so successful and realistic onscreen that even London Underground, then watching the story, had thought that the BBC had illegally filmed on their Covent Garden premises!

As originally seen in 1968.

'WEB' WEEK - DAY 3: CAUGHT IN THE WEB!

Returning to face the threat of the Great Intelligence is an older, more eccentric and cranky Professor Travers (Jack Watling), whose tinkering with a prior deactivated Yeti control sphere restarts the ephemeral terror anew.

The Web of Fear already had a great setting in which to showcase the Doctor's battle against a superb returning enemy (one deliberately out to trap the Time Lord, no less - then a novelty idea for the series) in the Great Intelligence/Yeti, foes, whose popularity saw them come back incredibly quickly within the show's monster-packed fifth season. But the story also, just as importantly, has a terrific set of supporting characters who have their moments to shine alongside our main heroic trio (notably the important return of Jack Watling to the series 'family' as Professor Travers, much to the delight of his real-life daughter, Deborah Watling, playing Victoria Waterfield). Though sadly not all of them make it to the end of the adventure alive, especially with a traitor in their midst...

Travers' daughter Anne (Tina Packer), herself a scientist, runs into the fearsome Yeti.

Deep in the tunnels, the brave but doomed Captain Knight (Ralph Watson) does the best he can in dangerous times.

Soon one of Classic WHO's greatest and enduringly popular supporting characters Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) takes the Doctor captive briefly, as seen for the first time in the missing Episode 3, now being animated.

Conferring with Captain Knight and the Doctor on a daring plan to rescue the TARDIS above surface at Covent Garden.

The obnoxious journalist Harold Chorley (Jon Rollason) chosen to cover the unusual crisis but soon proving himself a fearful coward as the threat underground intensifies.

Adventures was sorry to hear of the recent passing of Ralph Watson on 20th June, 2021.

'WEB' WEEK - DAY 2: GOING UNDERGROUND...

Brilliantly realized in the best swinging sixties design style, the Radio Times magazine exclusively heralded the return of the monstrous Yeti, in their new scarier form against Patrick Troughton's Doctor and friends, as part of this terrific art/preview feature for The Web of Fear, from February 1st, 1968...

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-web-of-fear/

WELCOME TO 'THE WEB OF FEAR' WEEK!

Welcome to our week-long celebration of one of the undisputed greats of the Classic WHO series: Patrick Troughton's second encounter with the Great Intelligence and its Yeti creations: the exciting and genuinely atmospheric The Web of Fear, back on home entertainment format with a Special Edition DVD, Blu-ray and Steelbook release from BBC STUDIOS, available August 16th, 2021. We hope you enjoy our look at the many great elements of the story that would make it so beloved and enduring with fans and viewers of all ages across seven days...

https://www.doctorwho.tv/news/?article=the-web-of-fear-cover-art-special-features-revealed&fbclid=IwAR2b0rS5JR9R5BV04GZChlaFimMLR_RLkkTXW1HYWtFKIfcBzev5OS4Fhb8

Back in 1968, Patrick Troughton would record a special one-of-a-kind preview of the story to viewers, warning them, in character as the Doctor, of the scarier new-look Yeti coming that February. Though lost in its visual form, the surviving audio would be fused with new official animation in 2021...

With the original 1968 story never repeated by the BBC, the only way fans could recreate the then episodes mostly lost classic adventure, written by the talented combination of Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln, was via a pacily written novelisation by Terrance Dicks, published at the beginning of the Target Book range in 1976, featuring a glorious showcase cover, seen above top, provided by the legendary and beloved artist Chris Achilleos...

Superb cover art to the Special Edition release by Lee Binding. Image: BBC STUDIOS.

Get hold of the new Special Edition release, featuring exclusive all-new animation for the missing Episode 3, and a strong array of special features, here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Web-Fear-DVD/dp/B08NYCWS7K/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=doctor+who+the+web+of+fear&qid=1627576868&sr=8-1

More on the release:

https://kooltvblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/going-underground-doctor-whos-web-of.html

HAPPINESS WILL PREVAIL!

Relishing the chance to play such a memorable eighties era Doctor Who villain, whilst also delivering an evil impersonation of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (whom she hated), Sheila Hancock's Helen A., leader of the troubled Terra Alpha colony, was a highlight of Graeme Curry's darkly satirical The Happiness Patrol. Despite such evil though, the Earth leader/despot was at least an animal lover, as seen here cuddling her ferocious 'pet', Fifi! 

SPECIAL ESCORT!

Not willing to let the Cybermen gain use of the Doctor's TARDIS in further disrupting the web of time, Peri is escorted to the vessel by members of the enigmatic Cryon resistance force, deep within the ice tombs of Telos, in a moment from Attack of the Cybermen.

BEYOND THE TRANQUILITY...

The inner mysteries of the Deva Lokan wind chimes and their potentially dangerous dream time effect on an unshared non telepathic human mind are soon revealed to the Doctor, Tegan and leggy Scientist Todd, by the mysterious Karunna/Panna, in a memorable scene (one of so many) from the high-concept sci-fi/Buddhist parable story Kinda, a genuine highlight tale not just from the Fifth Doctor's era, but of the entire Classic Series run.