13. The Web Planet

And this is the one with the dodge giant ants and big moths. But I love it so! This has to be one of the best realizations of an alien planet and several non-humanoid species ever in the history of the show. Other than our TARDIS crew, there are no other humanoids in this story. Instead we are introduced to several giant insect species (who speak English- the TARDIS is good at translating insect chirps) who populate this moon-esque planetoid.

Despite the Zarbi (the giant ants) having extremely over developed legs (imagine ants on treadmills), the costumes are all amazing. The only shame is that this is still in the black and white era and this production must have looked fantastic in color. The butterfly-like Menoptra must have looked akin to bees in yellow and black stripes. Of the 4 or 5 different insect species we see on Vortis, only 3 speak. I would have been quite amused to hear what the Zarbi had to say about all this!

The surface of the planet is wonderfully illustrated on screen despite being studio-bound and small budgets. All the surface shots are given would we would call today the "JJ Abrams effect"- lots of lens flares. It is very effective to really give that otherworldly feel. It still amazes me what the production crew did then with little resources and even littler money.

Our intrepid travelers are in top form over the course of these 6 episodes. They are all given a fair share of the story, interact well with the indigenous life forms, and each shine with strong characterizations. Vicki is finally given a proper "adventure" and after 13 stories, we find out the true purpose of the Doctor's ring....

This is such a strong story, I am surprised the Doctor never return here. With today's budget and production quality, a return to the Web Planet with Matt Smith would be amazing!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Web_Planet

Next exciting adventure: The Crusade!!