The Web of Fear Episode 4

The one with the Yeti attack on Covent Garden...

What a bloodbath this episode is! Starting off in the wake of the death of my lovely Weams (episode 3), this installment gets right on with the business by having the savage Yeti cut down both Professor Travers and his doting daughter Anne, before dragging the elderly man's body off with them. It sets the episode's stall out quite plainly, because over the next 25 minutes there will be a lot more loss of life to contend with. Luckily, Anne isn't dead, but we know no such thing about her father.

The abduction and possible death of Travers noticeably rattles the Doctor when he learns of it. As soon as he discovers his old friend Travers has been harmed, perhaps used in some way by the Great Intelligence, Patrick Troughton's entire demeanour alters, making the Doctor introspective, understated and thoughtful. No more histrionics, the Doctor has been slapped in the face by the sheer gravity of what he's facing. The loss of a personal friend rocks him, and he's the only one to react in any noticeable way to the news of the death of Weams.

There's a scene between Patrick Troughton, Nicholas Courtney and Ralph Watson where the three talk about the possibility of a traitor in the camp which is brilliantly acted and directed. Douglas Camfield shows with this episode, more than any, what an exemplary and conscientious director he was. He shoots the Doctor in close-up, picking out every beautiful line and crag on his face thanks to Clive Leighton's perfect lighting, enabling the viewer to see in minute detail just how nuanced and intricate Troughton's performance could be. Troughton lowers his voice to a stern, gravelly murmur, his eyes shifting this way and that (putting me in mind of how William Hartnell knew how to milk a close-up). He makes the Doctor wary and defensive, wily and mercurial as he purposefully "let's slip" information about the TARDIS, perhaps to see whether the Colonel will show a disproportionate interest in his time machine. He's trying to root out the traitor, and it's a case of softly, softly, catchy monkey...

Camfield shows he can do beautifully framed character pieces, making the most of his actors, but also proves he is a master when it comes to the action sequence. The scenes where the Colonel and his men face off against the Yeti on location at Covent Garden are among the best action scenes Doctor Who has ever had. The shots are pacy and edited sharply, with an eye for building situation (by either Philip Barnikel or Colin Hobson - or both!). The Yeti are often shot from below to build their stature, with crash-zooms as they advance along the street to override the modest shortcomings of the costumes. The creatures are almost always shown moving forward, toward the camera or characters, in an unrelenting march of murder. And there seems to be so many of them! I have to say though, that it feels really strange to hear the stock music usually used for the Cybermen here. My mind is expecting silver giants, but my eyes are seeing furry bears!

During this episode we lose Corporal Lane (and we're to assume Staff Sergeant Arnold) in the tunnels, and Corporal Blake and Captain Knight during the Yeti attack on the surface. Knight's death is a particular loss as he wouldn't have died if he hadn't been persuaded by the Doctor to take him to the electrician's shop, against orders. When those two Yeti crash their way into the shop and set upon Knight, and then the Doctor starts bashing hell out of the robot, to no avail, it's heart-in-mouth action - with the Doctor in the thick of it - like no other. The Yeti which stalk the Colonel and Blake are equally as vicious and merciless, dragging Blake down from the crates and violently chopping him dead. By the time the Colonel gets back to HQ, he is visibly shaken by what he's witnessed. "They've gone... all of them," he tells the others, a previously proud and brusque man shattered by such unstoppable carnage. It's a great turn by Courtney in conveying the character's devastation with so few lines. The killings at Holborn might not have affected him much, but the Covent Garden massacre has certainly driven it home.

By the end, a huge share of the supporting cast have been removed, and The Web of Fear really does become that Season 5 stalwart, the base under siege. With everybody not in that room assumed to be dead or gone for good, the small band of survivors (the Doctor, Jamie, Victoria, Anne and Driver Evans) are all that's left to defeat the Great Intelligence (and at this point we're basically being instructed by the writers to suspect Evans of being the traitor). And when the Doctor finds the Yeti device on the Colonel and exclaims: "They bring the Yeti!", what more could you want than for two Yeti to barge their way into the room... Gasp!... with a ghoulish, zombie-like Professor Travers in tow!

First broadcast: February 24th, 1968

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The Yeti attack on Covent Garden is masterfully shot.
The Bad: Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling get literally nothing to do. They are two-thirds of the star cast for goodness sake, why couldn't the writers think of something for them to do?
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★★★

NEXT TIME: Episode 5...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode 1; Episode 2; Episode 3; Episode 5; Episode 6

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-web-of-fear.html

The Web of Fear is available on BBC DVD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Web-Fear-DVD/dp/B00FRL73G6.