Doctor Who Rewind - Planet Of Giants

Doctor Who Rewind
Planet of Giants, (Or Honey I shrunk the Doctor.)

A new series, and our TARDIS regulars have brand new clobber. Ian looks like he's attending a job interview, Susan looks like she's doing a stint as a farm hand, Barbara has transformed into some kind of hospital porter, and Hartnell has a brand new cape. Perhaps the cast had received a pay rise at the start of the new series.

Yet again the TARDIS is up the spout and a malfunction results in a, small, problem! Yes size does matter, as the crew find out when they venture outside and find some rather curious clues as to their predicament.

A dead ant. Nothing strange about that, except it's the size if a small family car! A large packet of seeds, and a box of matches that's so big you could open a newsagents in it.

So the crew know they are on Earth, but when and where remains a mystery. More intrigue follows when a giant dead earthworm is discovered and a pile of seeds covered in a smelly substance. Then a humongous blast rockets through the air (which we the audience know is a gunshot). A man has been shot. Something then, is defiantly afoot.

When the Doc climbs a rock he sees a house in the distance. It appears the TARDIS has landed in the middle of some crazy paving in a garden.

Unfortunately Ian and Barbara get separated from the others when they take refuge in the briefcase of a giant normally sized human.

What follows is a story about the dangers of pesticides, dodgy greedy power crazed government officials, and an elderly couple (the local bobby and his wife, the telephone exchange operator) and, the frustrations of trying to get noticed when your only an inch high.

What's apparent about this story from the start is that the set design, for its time, is very well done. Giant matches, telephones and a pretty authentic looking sink complete with overflow pipe which provides a sanctuary for Susan and the Doc when they get trapped.

What's also apparent is that despite being nice to look at, the actual sub plot really doesn't have enough going on in it to keep the viewer entertained. It's as if all the energy and attention of the episode went into the problem of showing on screen, how small the crew were, and there just wasn't enough left for the actual story.

This series two opener was broadcast as a three part story, but was originally written as a four parter. When head of drama viewed episode 4 he ordered it to be edited together with episode three because he felt that the story was just not moving along fast enough.

On the DVD I watched the original story has been recreated as episodes 3 and 4. Ingeniously this has been done by using existing footage and some newly added scenes, these have been dubbed over by adding dialogue from original surviving actors Carol Ann Ford (Susan) and William Russell (Ian) and other actors (some rather good) voicing the parts of Barbara, the Doctor and the other smaller parts.

The result is crude and by no means seamless but it does give you an appreciation of how this story was supposed to be. But, to be honest, it doesn't make it any the more exciting or interesting.

There is some great acting here as well. For instance when Barbara gets infected with the pesticide and falls ill. You really do feel that she's going to keel over at any moment. In fact, I started feeling a bit queasy myself when watching.

Also there's a great Hartnell moment when he gets all excited about making a fire (in order to make an explosion to get the humans attention). He rubs his hands in glee, his eyes sparkle mischievously, and he gets very excited at the prospect of a bit of arson.

When the crew finally make it back to the safety of the TARDIS and regain their rightful proportions, no one is more released than poor old Barbara. Physically though, this must have been one of the most exhausting stories to make, with so many seemingly everyday obstacles to overcome. I expect everyone breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally in the can.

Next time of Doctor Who Rewind - it's the first time one of the Doctors evil enemies makes a return visit. Can you guess who?