Doctor Who: The Web of Fear

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John
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Doctor Who: The Web of Fear

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This has been lost for so long, apart from Episode 1 which has been around and which was clearly a horror classic in its own right. Then episodes 2, 4, 5 and 6 turned up and all that was left was to recreate Epsiode 3 using an existing soundtrack plus off-air photographs. In the end, this gets us through Ep 3 without too much bother, although it will no doubt be a cause of dismay that this is the episode where Nicolas Courtney first appears as Lethbridge-Stewart. The Yeti return, scarier than the first time, and the setting is a claustrophobic London Undergound. This is Doctor Who at its grittiest best, a small group of people trapped in a battle for survival.

It's dark, not over-lit as colour might well have been, so the black and white serves well to enhance the atmosphere. There's a bit of over-acting from time to time, but generally the script is taut and well observed and the actors deliver it with calm assurance. They are utterly convincing.

The Colonel-to-become-Brigadier is a strong and assured character from the start, military in his outlook, although quite receptive to new ideas in some ways. Nicholas Courtney is excellent in this. Patrick Troughton is delightful, quietly turning events and manipulating the humans into excelling themselves. This Doctor is a catalyst. Frazer Hines delivers a convincingly well meaning but uninformed Jamie. Deborah Watling is the screaming young female, but she shows great bravery whilst racked by fear.

All in all, this well lives up to its memory and its reputation. It follows straight on from The Enemy of the World, also recently found. The reproduction and sound quality are also first class, so a great restoration has been done. 5s
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