The episode opens with the Doctor, Vicki and Ian persuading King Richard to help them rescue Barbara – in blank verse too, which does means the Doctor says oddly out of character things like, ‘Methinks a fair bargain, sire’. His manipulative flattery, which was so amusing when deployed against Nero, here comes across as glib sycophancy because the tone of the story is so much more serious (even if the Doctor seems determined to treat it all as a big joke).

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After the amazing restorations of earlier Hartnell episodes, the incredibly ropy print of The Lion is a bit of a shock. Almost as shocking as seeing a bearded Julian Glover and some beardy men chatting in blank verse after six weeks of nothing but insect people.

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The Doctor looks genuinely terrified at the start of the episode, as the Animus’ hairdryer descends, but he remains defiant, refusing to be subjected, or terrorised. In Season Two, he’s largely been a deceptively active character in comparison to the more traditionally “mature” lead he played in the first season. He’s been engaging in fisticuffs, and generally getting almost as much physical stuff as William Russell. But under the influence of the Animus he seems to be aged, and rendered suddenly doddering. In context, it’s quite disturbing, and it makes the Animus seem like one of the most dangerous enemies yet.

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After a couple of weeks where she’s been relegated to feeding the Doctor lines, Vicki finally gets her mojo back, freeing the Doctor from the Animus’ power and leading their escape from the Carsenome. Along the way, she picks up Zombo the Zarbi, presumably as some kind of replacement for Sandy the Sand Beast.

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The design of The Web Planet is largely pretty impressive. Early on in this episode there’s a shot of a vast arena seen through a fluttering web, with the surface of Vortis stretching to the horizon. It has a scale beyond even Skaro or Marinus.

This , and Strutton’s world-building, is admirable – even if you don’t particularly like the story. Although Barbara and Hrostar have to share some exposition dialogue about the Animus and its control of the Zarbi, the man-in-a-moth-suit also reveals that the Zarbi have mutilated him so he will never fly again, which is weirdly upsetting.

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Hartnell gets his first chance to impress for a few weeks as he confronts the disembodied voice of his captor. Accused of being the vanguard of an invasion fleet, he defiantly grips his lapels and goes on the offensive, high-handedly lecturing the voice. What’s really impressive is his ability to dominate the TV screen, narrowing his eyes or darting them back and forth, taking it all in. He may fluff his way through a couple of scenes, but his physicality and presence are amazing.

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With the Doctor finally taking the situation seriously, the serial seems to be moving from “exploring a weird environment” to actually telling a story where the planet’s features (acid pools, thin atmosphere, strange creatures) that were mildly threatening last week start to be actively menacing.

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The episode opens with a recap of Hartnell’s very fluffed lines at the end of Inferno. ‘Dragged down to what,’ asks Ian. We then cut to a sci-fi planetscape with moons and constellations in the sky, which looks like it’s come straight from the cover of a Doctor Who Annual. The TARDIS materialises, and the roaming camera rather neatly switches to a view on the scanner screen. The interior of the Ship is much bigger this week as well (with a new science station bit in one corner, and a little medical bay), and everyone has changed costumes and hairstyles.

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The episode starts with a rather dramatic assassination attempt on the Emperor, who brilliantly uses Barbara as a human shield while seeming to quite enjoy the resulting carnage. As Nero, Derek Francis has been amazing value for money through these episodes: capricious, with a murderous insanity demonstrated in the opening scene when he stabs a soldier to death for not fighting hard enough. His playful but brutal personality feels like it captures this story in microcosm.

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Ian continues to be menaced by stock footage – this week, of very docile-looking lions. Meanwhile, the Doctor bluffs his way through Tavius’s conspiracy. This leads to a hilarious moment where the Doctor declares he must get to the bottom of it and Vicki says, ‘see you later’ and wanders off to do her own thing – which involves an encounter with the poisoner Locusta. It emphasises how different from Susan she is – it’s hard to imagine Susan showing such independence from her grandfather.

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