The Web of Fear Episode 1

The one where the menace is spreading and Londoners are fleeing...

Picking up right from the end of last week's episode, in which the Doctor's evil double Salamander was sucked out of the TARDIS and into the void, this episode opens full-pelt. There's some great "hanging on" acting from Patrick Troughton and Deborah Watling, and Frazer Hines is particularly good at pretending he's clutching onto the TARDIS wall, then "falling" onto the console. What bothers me most about all this is how the Doctor doesn't seem at all bothered or regretful of the fact Salamander is, as he puts it, "floating around in time and space". Evil he may have been, but surely he didn't deserve that?

We're also treated to another of those marvellous scenes which are becoming a hallmark of Season 5, in which the Doctor expresses childlike glee and enthusiasm for the adventurous life he leads. Previously touched upon in The Tomb of the Cybermen ("Nobody in the universe can do what we're doing") and The Ice Warriors ("Let's go in!"), I adore how Troughton expresses the excitement of the Doctor's peripatetic existence. "I wonder where it'll be this time?" says Jamie, to which the Doctor - in beautifully lit close-up - replies: "Yes, I wonder!" The look on his face says it all. This is how Doctor Who should be - fun, carefree, exciting and surprising - and not the soap opera gloominess it sometimes became in the 21st century.

The Enemy of the World Episode 6

The one where Giles Kent is exposed, and the Doctor finally meets Salamander...

Mary Peach is given lots to do in this closing episode, essentially doing what a companion might do in other stories and eras. Astrid is the one who finds the injured Swann, and promises to help get the people trapped in the bunker back to the surface. She is the one who goes down in the tunnel to the shelter to find them all, and she is the one who breaks it to them that their lives have been an entire lie.

The clash of revelations throughout this episode is breathtaking, and it grows in size until the grand finale. It starts with Swann, just one man, discovering the truth about Salamander as he lies dying in Astrid's arms. Then it's an entire community of people who find out the truth, thanks to Astrid's thrilling infiltration of the shelter. "War? What war?!" she replies, flabbergasted at what she's discovered, and appalled at what Salamander has been doing. Peach is fantastic in these scenes, fending off marauding attackers, and then bursting their bubble by showing them that everything's been a fake - even the anti-radiation scanner.

The Enemy of the World Episode 5

The one where Swann finds out that Salamander's been lying to them all these years...

The first few minutes of this episode serve to neatly summarise the story so far as Kent and Astrid fill Bruce in (for it was his shoes which entered last week) on what's going on. Yet again, Bruce demands evidence of their claims, as the Doctor has for the last five weeks, so although they manage to recruit a key collaborator to their cause, they still have to go through the rigmarole of convincing him. If everybody just believed everybody else on face value, there wouldn't be much story left!

Colin Douglas continues to underwhelm me with his performance. He's about the only cast member who doesn't seem to be giving it their all (and that includes Margaret Hickey and Adam Verney). He's just kind of there, saying his lines, whereas everybody else seems to be revelling in the intricacies and opportunities of the script. Even a minor player like Elliott Cairnes (as the Group Captain) manages to squeeze something more out of what little he has to do (the character has shown clear but suppressed dislike for his boss Benik in both episodes 4 and 5, often just by expression alone).

The Enemy of the World Episode 4

The one where we learn about an entire community kept in the dark beneath ground...

There's something rather wonderful about this story's two strong female characters coming to blows in Kent's office, even if their conversation is some way short of passing the Bechdel Test. In another context these two women could be leads in their own action adventure series. Imagine it: "Ferrier and Fariah", the bold new international espionage series from ITC! Of course, if it were to happen back in 1968 it'd probably have been called something crass like "Ebony and Ivory" or "Black and White", but regardless... wouldn't it have been amazing? And there's no doubt that Mary Peach and Carmen Munroe could have pulled it off magnificently!

We learn a little more about Fariah, who says that Salamander blackmailed her into becoming his servant. I share Kent's curiosity as to what exactly Fariah was being blackmailed about, but the Doctor rather wonderfully draws a veil over it all, saying: "Nobody's perfect." Poor Fariah. Whereas it seems Fedorin's misdeeds were engineered almost entirely by Salamander (and I do love the ambiguity of "nearly every one of those swindles"), whatever secrets lie in Fariah's past are all too true. One can only imagine what they were...

The Enemy of the World Episode 3

The one where Fedorin becomes Deadorin...

Oh, be still my pounding heart - it's Jamie in a rubber uniform! I know it's rather seedy to start a review off with such salacious observations, but it's impossible for me to ignore the fact that Frazer Hines looks very tasty in that costume (thanks Martin Baugh!). I remember feeling similarly impressed with Jamie (and Ben) in rubber wetsuits in The Underwater Menace, but this outfit excels in every way!

Right, enough of that. What's happening with furry-faced Fedorin? I'm wondering how much of the dossier Salamander has on him is true and how much is fabricated, because Fedorin himself gives conflicting evidence. He claims the file is all lies, but also says that Salamander has "found things out" about him. He says they're lies, but as the Mexican tyrant puts it: "Lies... truth... Who knows?" Either way, I'm not sure how secure that file is in Salamander's flimsy wall safe.

The Enemy of the World Episode 2

The one where we get to see for ourselves just how unpleasant Salamander is...

It's remarkable how good an actor Patrick Troughton was. Doctor Who was so lucky to get him, and lucky to have him for so long. He was the consummate British character actor, able to take on almost any role and utterly convince, whether it be bumbling fools, scheming villains, foreign spies, kindly uncles, or magical wizards. He plays two characters in this serial, but actually has to give three distinct performances - the Doctor as himself, Salamander as himself, and then the Doctor pretending to be Salamander.

But even within those three turns, there are nuances to pick out. In episode 1 we see Troughton playing the Doctor trying to perfect the Yucatan accent. Here, in episode 2 we see Troughton playing the Doctor pretending to be Salamander, but with a subtle sprinkling of vulnerability not present in his performance as the actual Salamander. We can see that the Doctor is still himself underneath, struggling a little to stay afloat of the deception. A lot of thought has obviously gone in to every scene Troughton plays, because it would be all too easy just to play "Salamander" here the same way he plays the real Salamander later on. But there's a difference, a weakness in the disguise. Patrick Troughton was simply masterful, a true genius of his art.

The Enemy of the World Episode 1

The one where the Doctor goes for a swim in the sea, survives an attempted assassination, and then impersonates a dictator...

As the episode opens and we see the TARDIS materialise (rather noisily - it sounds like it needs servicing), I can't help feeling instantly grateful that we're actually able to watch this story in whole now, thanks to its recovery in 2013. It still astonishes me that nine whole missing episodes were discovered in a dusty old storage room in Nigeria after 45 years. Doctor Who fans are so lucky to have these episodes back.

I mean, take this first episode, of a story which, before recovery, was overlooked, forgotten, disparaged and maligned by much of fandom. But now we can see it, The Enemy of the World has taken on a whole new lease of life, going from the black sheep of Season 5 to one of the series' all-time highlights. Episode 1 is a tour de force for director Barry Letts, who turns in some stunning location filming with real flair and style. What a pity Barry never got to see it again before he died.

The Ice Warriors SIX

The one where the computers says no...

OK, so I was wrong. Zondal does manage to fire the sonic cannon at Britannicus Base, and some damage is caused to the humans (well, a chandelier slips a bit, and some polystyrene falls from the ceiling). I take it back, Brian Hayles. For once, you did have the courage of your authorial convictions.

What I found most remarkable about episode 6 though, is how Walters suddenly springs out of his box and gets loads of lines, and fair dos, actor Malcolm Taylor grabs his chance and runs with it. Walters has a kind of breakdown by turning against Clent and his reliance on the computer, and threatening to smash it up. Sadly, Taylor's impressive soliloquy - performed with gusto, like Eddie Yeats in hyperdrive - is cut short by Miss Garrett's trigger-happy need to preserve the computer at all costs, and he's gunned down (but only stunned, like Penley last episode).

The Ice Warriors FIVE

The one where Clent and Penley finally come face to face...

I love Doctor Who because it's exciting and escapist, adventurous and daft. I love it for its uniqueness, its joy and fun, and I love it because it's fearless, flexible and ferociously imaginative. But I also love it for the little things, the things others might scoff at or turn away from. Case in point: the way the caption "FIVE" is splendidly skew-whiff at the opening of this episode. It just made me smile with fondness for this rickety old show!

One thing that does frustrate me about Doctor Who sometimes though, are rubbish cliffhanger resolutions like this one (I also moaned about it last episode). At the end of episode 4, Varga had counted up to four and the atmospheric pressure reading had dropped to one-quarter. But in the reprise Varga only manages to reach three, and the reading drops to just halfway, before the Doctor is reprieved. Annoying, false jeopardy. Best I just move on...

The Ice Warriors FOUR

The one where the humans wonder what the Ice Warriors have got, while the Ice Warriors wonder what the humans have got...

Zondal is very eager to fire the cannon and destroy Victoria. Varga flicks the switch and... the cannon retracts, and Varga adds: "Not yet." Oh. It's one of those really bad cliffhanger resolutions where, if we'd stayed watching last week for just a second or two longer, we'd know there was no danger at all. It's like those equally as awful cliffhanger resolutions where the baddie is just about to shoot the goodie, and then someone else runs in and says: "Stop! I need them alive!" It's such a deflating anti-climax with next to no narrative reward at all. It's lazy writing when a situation is contrived just to provide a cliffhanger every 25 minutes, but it actually has no rhyme, reason or, in this case, logic.

Varga would rather Victoria be allowed to report back to the base just long enough to pique the curiosity of the humans, so that they send their cleverest people to the Warriors so that Varga can ask them what sort of reactor they're using (Varga likes asking questions). In turn, the humans are very keen on finding out what sort of propulsion unit the Martian spaceship has, in case it reacts explosively to their ioniser. It's all a bit silly and plodding and mechanical. I mean, the Ice Warriors are 7ft tall monsters with unconquerable might and firepower. Why don't they just smash their way into the base and find out everything they need to know by force? Brian Hayles is treading water terribly here, at the story's midway point.

The Ice Warriors THREE

The one where Penley refuses to save the world...

Varga's Martian army defrosts in good time, but it seems the scaly monster is most pleased to see one particular colleague - Zondal - judging by the amount of times he repeats his name triumphantly. Maybe Varga and Zondal were lovers before the big freeze put their relationship on ice? Or maybe they're brothers? Who knowsssss?

It's in this episode that Deborah Watling topples into the screechy weepy stereotype that I always recall when I think of Victoria. So far I've been pleasantly surprised by how strong-willed Victoria has been, but here she's simply become pathetic and weak. While I realise she is a young, naive and anxious Victorian teenager, the fact there have been several demonstrations of a certain stubbornness in preceding stories makes her collapse into a whimpering mess all the more disappointing. I don't find Watling the strongest actor in the first place, but all she's doing now is squeaking and crying and bringing no edge to the part at all. It may be written that way, but it doesn't take much for a good actor to add nuance and depth to lines and scenes which lack it. Basically, Victoria - belt up!

The Ice Warriors TWO

The one where the Warrior leader comes to life...

It's a shame that any episodes of Doctor Who are missing, but it's a particular shame that the episode in which the Ice Warriors make their proper debut is absent from the archives. The Varga costume is an impressive design, and pairing the 6ft 7in tall Bernard Bresslaw with the diminutive Deborah Watling (reportedly 4ft 11in) is a visual masterstroke.

Bresslaw is excellent as Varga, a creature with a real sense of humour, as demonstrated by his frequent hissing laughter. Varga says his homeworld is the "red planet", which the people of Earth know as Mars, but of course, the Ice Warriors may very well not (seeing as they didn't have a Roman god to name their planet after). It begs the question what they do call their own planet. Surely they can't go around calling it "the red planet", because from their perspective, red would be normal, so why make the distinction?

The Ice Warriors ONE

The one where the Doctor becomes Britain's scientific adviser...

Opera! How refreshing and startling to have a female opera singer opening the episode over various pictures of snowy landscapes. The music is a Dudley Simpson composition, but this gives the story an instant icy blast, and makes it feel like a 1950s B-movie, replacing the theremin with a vocal. Love it! I also like the new way of presenting the story title and episodes ("ONE"!).

The first scene opens on a busy, bustling futuristic control room, with people dressed in crazy patterned clothes milling about a bunch of computers, but in a room which seems to have wood panelled walls. Simpson's music gallops over all of this, and at times is too high in the mix for us to hear what's being said. This is actually a complaint I have of the whole episode, as quite often what people are saying is either muffled or drowned out. Sound director Bryan Forgham seemed to be struggling with the fact director Derek Martinus keeps the characters on the move for a lot of the time.