The Web Planet

013 – The Web Planet
Doctor Who serial
The Doctor and Vicki are captured in a web by the Animus.
Cast
Doctor William Hartnell (First Doctor)
Companions Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) William Russell (Ian Chesterton) Maureen O'Brien (Vicki)
Others Catherine Fleming — Animus (voice) Roslyn de Winter — Vrestin Arne Gordon — Hrostar Arthur Blake — Hrhoonda Jolyon Booth — Prapillus Jocelyn Birdsall — Hlynia Martin Jarvis — Hilio Ian Thompson — Hetra Barbara Joss — Nemini Robert Jewell, Jack Pitt, Gerald Taylor, Hugh Lund, Kevin Manser, John Scott Martin — The Zarbi
Production
Directed by	Richard Martin
Written by	Bill Strutton
Script editor	Dennis Spooner
Produced by	Verity Lambert
Executive producer(s)	None
Incidental music composer	by Les Structures Sonores
Production code	N
Series	Season 2
Length	6 episodes, 25 minutes each
Date started	13 February 1965
Date ended	20 March 1965
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → The Romans The Crusade
List of Doctor Who serials

Doctor Who and the Zarbi

Author	Bill Strutton
Cover artist	Chris Achilleos
Series	Doctor Who book: Target novelisations
Release number	73
Publisher	Target Books
Publication date	2 May 1973
ISBN

The Web Planet is the fifth serial of the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 13 February 1965 to 20 March 1965. The serial involves the TARDIS crew landing on the desolate planet Vortis, and allying themselves with its former inhabitants, the Menoptra, as they struggle to win back their planet from the malignant Animus.

An unknown force pulls the TARDIS off course and forces it to land on an unknown planet. Whilst exploring with Ian, the Doctor recognises the planet as Vortis; however, the presence of several moons in the sky of the normally moonless planet puzzles him.

Meanwhile, inside the ship, an unknown force acting through Barbara's gold bracelet draws her outside, leaving Vicki alone. The TARDIS is then pulled by an unseen force across the planet's surface.

In her trance, Barbara walks into a trio of the butterfly-like Menoptra. They remove her bracelet, freeing her of the trance, then debate what to do with her. She escapes, but the Zarbi immediately capture her. Brainwashed through the use of a gold collar, the Zarbi use Barbara to find the Menoptra. The Zarbi take Barbara and the Menoptra called Hrostar to the Crater of Needles, where the Zarbi force them to gather vegetation and drop it into rivers of acid which feed the Animus.

The Zarbi capture the Doctor and Ian and take them to the Carsinome. There they find Vicki and the TARDIS. They also meet the Animus who forces the Doctor to help it track down the Menoptra invasion force. Ian escapes, whilst the Doctor and Vicki try to bide their time.

Ian meets with a Menoptra called Vrestin. He learns that the Menoptra were native to the planet Vortis along with the Zarbi, until a great evil force, the Animus, slowly and gradually took control of the planet through the Zarbi. By the time the Menoptra noticed the danger it was too late, and they had to flee the planet to one of the moons the Animus pulled into orbit around Vortis.

Back in the Carsinome, the Doctor accidentally reveals that the Menoptra spearhead plans to land at a place just north of the Crater of Needles. The Animus uses this information to ambush the spearhead.

The Zarbi soon locate Ian and Vrestin, but they escape when they fall into an underground tunnel. Inside they meet the Optera, descendants of the Menoptra who fled the Animus underground. Ian and Vrestin convince the Optera to join them in fighting the Animus.