Missing Doctor Who London Underground story to be released

Published on 8th December 2020 by ianVisits in Miscellaneous

Set on the London Underground, the Web of Fear is one of those famously lost episode stories from Doctor Who, but a partially restored version is to be released by the BBC.

The TARDIS lands in Covent Garden tube station to find an abandoned London, as London is beset by thick fog, a deadly web-like fungus begins to infest the London Underground…

Broadcast in Feb-Mar 1968, the London Underground sets were reportedly so accurate that the BBC was accused of illegally filming on London Underground property. According to the director, permission was sought from London Transport to film in the Underground but it was more expensive than building stage mock-ups instead.

It also marks the first time that Colonel (later Brigadier) Lethbridge-Stewart appears in the show, although the actor, Nicholas Courtney only got the job because the original actor for the role, David Langton dropped out.

As with many TV shows of the era, films were often discarded as unnecessary clutter, and for many years, it was thought that only Episode 1 had survived, until back in 2013, four of the missing episodes were found in Nigeria.

That leaves just episode 3, for which they have the soundtrack, but not the video.

A DVD with still photos was released by the BBC in 2013, but they’re now releasing a version which will include an animated version of the missing episode. The animated episode has been produced by Big Finish Creative in collaboration with BBC Studios, with animation created by Shapeshifter Studios.

The exact release date hasn’t been confirmed, but they are taking pre-orders now for Blu-Ray or as a special edition.

Tagged with Doctor Who

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5 Comments on “Missing Doctor Who London Underground story to be released”

  1. Might actually watch it. I’m not really into Dr Who but this does sound interesting.

  3. I’ve seen this classic serial on Britbox, as previously available, it’s a really good watch given it was made in a totally different era – the episode with the soundtrack and stills isn’t as incongruous as it sounds, I’m not even sure an animated version would work better.