THE STORY
The TARDIS narrowly avoids being engulfed in a web-like substance in space. The Doctor manages to break the craft free and the time travellers find themselves in the deserted underground tunnels of present day London. The tunnels have been overrun by the web and by the Great Intelligence's roboticYeti. The crisis began when Professor Travers, now forty years after his first encounter with the Doctor in the Himalayas, reactivated a Yeti, which drew the Intelligence to Earth once more. The travellers work alongside the army forces, led by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, and they attempt to resist the alien invasion. Unfortunately, there is a traitor in their midst, a pawn of the Intelligence, and Victoria and Travers are held hostage. The Intelligence aims to drain the Doctor's mind, but when captured, the Doctor reverses the polarities in an attempt to drain the Intelligence's mental power instead. He is however, 'rescued' by his friends before he can do so, and the Intelligence is merely repelled into space. The Doctor and his companions leave the army to clear up the mess.
CAST:
Dr Who (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines), Victoria (Deborah Watling), Professor Travers (Jack Watling), Anne Travers (Tina Packer), Julius Silverstein (Frederick Schrecker), Corporal Lane (Rod Beacham), Corporal Blake (Richardson Morgan), Captain Knight (Ralph Watson), Harold Chorley (Jon Rollason), Staff Sergeant Arnold (Jack Woolgar), Craftsman Weams (Stephen Whittaker), Soldier (Bernard G High), Yeti (John Levene, John Lord, Gordon Stothard, Colin Warman, Jeremy King, Roger Jacombs), Soldier (Joseph O'Connell), Driver Evans (Derek Pollitt), Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), Newspaper seller (Bert Simms).
FACTS:
This story featured the return of
the Great Intelligence and its robotic Yeti, seen previously in 'The Abominable Snowmen', only three stories before.
'The Web of Fear' introduces the hugely popular
character of Alastair Gorden Lethbridge-Stewart, who appeared many
times in the series' history. He holds the rank of Colonel in this
story but is later to be promoted to Brigadier.
The Great Intelligence made two further returns in the Missing Adventure
'Millennial Rites' by Craig Hinton, featuring the Sixth Doctor and Mel, and 'Downtime', a spin-off
video and later novel that also starred the Brigadier, Sarah-Jane Smith and Victoria Waterfield, written by
Marc Platt.
OTHER FORMATS:
The Second Doctor Novelisations
Back to the Second Doctor Programme Guide
Back to 'The Enemy of the World'.