*[[Tina Packer]] – Anne Travers

*[[Jack Woolgar]] – Staff Sgt.Sergeant Arnold{{efn|Jack Woolgar also supplied the voice of the Great Intelligence, uncredited.}}

The serial is set on the [[London Underground]] railway over forty years after the 1967 serial ''[[The Abominable Snowmen]]''. The plot concerns the incorporeal [[Great Intelligence]] leading the [[Time travel in fiction|time travelling]] [[Second Doctor]] ([[Patrick Troughton]]) into a trap where it can drain the Doctor's mind of his knowledge. The serial marks the last regular appearance of the [[Yeti (Doctor Who)|Yeti]], although they would return for cameos in ''"[[The Five Doctors]]''" and the [[Reeltime Pictures]] spin-off ''[[Downtime (Doctor Who)|Downtime]]''. ''The Web of Fear'' marks the first appearance of [[Nicholas Courtney]] as Colonel [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart]] and is a precursor to later serials involving the [[UNIT]] organisation.

Approximately 40 years after ''[[The Abominable Snowmen]]'', an elderly Professor Travers accidentally reactivates a control sphere. The spherewhich inserts itself into an intact robot [[Yeti (Doctor Who)|Yeti]] from Tibet at a private collection in London and escapes. In the following days, London is beset by thick fog and a deadly web-like fungus. Professor Travers is brought to the [[Second World War]] [[London deep-level shelters|deep-level shelter]] under [[Goodge Street tube station]], where his daughter Anne has asked for his help to defeat the menace.

Moving through the underground train tunnels, the Doctor and his companions encounter the military, who are trying to stem the spread of the fungus by demolishing tunnels with explosives. Explosives laid at [[Embankment tube station|Charing Cross tube station]]{{efn|At the time the story was made, "Charing Cross" was the name of current [[Embankment tube station]], while the current [[Charing Cross tube station|Charing Cross]] was two separate stations – the [[Bakerloo line]] "Trafalgar Square" and the [[Northern line]] "Strand."}} are neutralised by the robot Yeti by smothering the explosion with the fungus. The reappearance of the Yeti signifies to the Doctor that the [[Great Intelligence]] has returned. While others in the shelters are suspicious of the Doctor and his companions, Professor Travers, recognising them from their encounter in Tibet, convinces Captain Knight that the Doctor will be key to defeating the Yeti.

The group are joined by [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|Lieutenant-Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart]] and PrivateDriver Evans, the sole survivors of an ammunition detail which was attacked by Yeti. Lethbridge-Stewart assumes command. The web suddenly speeds up its expansion, engulfing the whole of the [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle Line]] within minutes. Further attempts to use explosives to halt the web are blocked by Yeti attacks, and the military's explosives store is consumed by the fungus. The Doctor discovers a Yeti-attracting beacon at the scene, showing someone at HQ must be in league with the Intelligence. Meanwhile, Harold Chorley, the only journalist allowed to report on the crisis, is told of the TARDIS by [[Victoria Waterfield|Victoria]] and he rushes off to Covent Garden to find it and escape. The base is attacked by Yeti, killing several of the soldiers and knocking out Anne and Professor Travers. The Yeti leave with Professor Travers' unconscious body.

The Doctor informs Lethbridge-Stewart and Knight about the intelligence and the TARDIS; the Colonel decides to recover the TARDIS from Covent Garden station, hoping that it will allow them to escape. The Colonel fails to lead the remaining troops overground to Covent Garden; despite downing several robots in the ensuing battle, all except Lethbridge-Stewart perish. [[Staff sergeant|Staff-Sergeant]] Arnold vanishes into the fungus while delivering a baggage trolley to the Colonel.

The Doctor and Anne plan to build a control box to block the Intelligence's control signal, though the Doctor finds that they are low on components and is escorted above ground by Knight to find more. Knight is killed by a Yeti, though the robots leave the Doctor alone. He discovers a Yeti beacon in Knight's pocket. Later, theThe Colonel returns to HQ alone where the Doctor finds a model Yeti in his pocket, too. Based on this, the Doctor concludes the traitor is still active in HQ. At that moment, two Yeti break in with Professor Travers, who is possessed by the Great Intelligence.

A dishevelled and bleeding Staff- Sergeant Arnold meets the Colonel and Jamie in the tunnels. All threeThey agree to return to HQ to support the Doctor, though they find that he and Anne have left. At that moment, theThe fungus bursts through the walls of HQ, swamping [[Goodge Street tube station|Goodge Street]] shelter. They escape, and meet up with the Doctor and Anne, before the group is ambushed by the Yeti and herded to Piccadilly tube station. Arnold slips away and meets Chorley, who has been wandering the tube network and has become hysterical with fright.

[[David Langton]] was originally cast as Lethbridge-Stewart, but he pulled out before rehearsals and Nicholas Courtney (originally cast as Captain Knight) was given the part instead.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McManus|first=Michael|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nicholas-courtney-actor-known-for-his-long-running-role-as-the-brigadier-in-doctor-who-2226111.html|title=Nicholas Courtney: Actor known for his long-running role as the Brigadier in Doctor Who|date=26 February 2011|website=The Independent|access-date=15 April 2020|archive-date=29 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229000328/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/nicholas-courtney-actor-known-his-long-running-role-brigadier-doctor-who-2226111.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Nicholas Selby]] was also considered for the role, but was not interested in it.<ref name="Howe&Stammers1995">{{cite book |last1=Howe |first1=David J. |last2=Stammers |first2=Mark |title=Doctor Who Companions |date=1995 |publisher=Doctor Who Books an imprint of Virgin Publishing |location=London |isbn=1-85227-582-0 |page=52}}</ref> However, it is an extra named Maurice Brooks who is first seen in the role, his booted feet appearing briefly late in Episode Two.<ref>Anonymous, "The UNIT Story, Part One," ''[[Doctor Who Magazine|Doctor Who Magazine Special]]'', Winter 1991, [[Marvel UK|Marvel Comics, Ltd.]], p. 9.</ref> Actor Nicholas Courtney previously appeared in a different role, that of Bret Vyon, in ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]'' (1965–66).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2009-02-13/the-daleks-master-plan/|title=The Daleks' Master Plan ★★★★★|website=Radio Times|access-date=26 June 2019|archive-date=29 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229000420/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/scifi/doctor-who-guide/2009-02-13/the-daleks-master-plan/|url-status=live}}</ref> Actor Richardson Morgan went on to appear in the Fourth Doctor serial [[The Ark in Space]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-ark-in-space/|title = The Ark in Space ★★★★★}}</ref>

Episode 3 of ''The Web of Fear'' was originally among the discovered episodes, but went missing in the months between the discovery of the films and their return to the BBC. Morris later said it was most likely the episode had been sold to a collector by a member of staff.<ref name=web3_missing>{{cite web|title=Whatever Happened to Web of Fear 3 ?|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2015/09/whatever-happened-to-web-of-fear-3.html|website=Doctor Who News|access-date=27 September 2015|archive-date=29 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229000336/https://www.doctorwhonews.net/2015/09/whatever-happened-to-web-of-fear-3.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2003, Episode 1 of this story and episodes 1 & 3 of ''[[The Faceless Ones]]'' were the final episodes of ''Doctor Who'' to be released on [[VHS]] by [[BBC Worldwide]]. Episode 1 and the surviving clips were released on [[DVD]] in the United Kingdom in November 2004 in the three-disc ''[[Lost in Time (Doctor Who)|Lost in Time]]'' set.{{factcitation needed|date=December 2021}}

On 11 October 2013, the newly recovered episodes were released on iTunes along with the original episode 1 and a reconstruction of episode 3 from telephotos and the original soundtrack. This version was also made available on [[Virgin Media]]'s on demand service, together with numerous other stories, as part of the show's 50th anniversary commemoration.{{factcitation needed|date=December 2021}}

On 23 November 2020 it was announced that ''The Web of Fear'' will be released in 2021 on DVD and Blu-ray with the missing Episode 3 now animated.<ref>{{cite web |title=Classic Doctor Who story The Web of Fear is coming to Blu-ray |url=https://www.seenit.co.uk/classic-doctor-who-story-the-web-of-fear-is-coming-to-blu-ray/ |website=SEENIT |publisher=MayorWatch Publications Limited |access-date=23 November 2020 |date=23 November 2020 |archive-date=29 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229000321/https://www.seenit.co.uk/classic-doctor-who-story-the-web-of-fear-is-coming-to-blu-ray/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Part-missing adventure 'The Web of Fear' to be completed with new animation |url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news/?article=the-web-of-fear-new-animation |website=Doctor Who TV |access-date=23 November 2020 |archive-date=29 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229000334/https://www.doctorwho.tv/news/?article=the-web-of-fear-new-animation |url-status=live }}</ref> The special edition was released on 16 August 2021.<ref>{{factcite web|url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/the-web-of-fear-cover-art-and-special-features-revealed|title='Doctor Who: The Web of Fear' cover art and special features revealed|publisher=BBC|date=December13 June 2021|accessdate=20 August 2024}}</ref>

*{{IsfdbISFDB title|id=10648|title=Doctor Who and the Web of Fear}}