Planet of Giants

Planet of Giants takes a clever idea, an externalization of the TARDIS's spacial abnormality, and manages to muddle it with a mundane murder plot. The concept of the crew being shrunk is great and works more often than not. However, the environmental conspiracy isn't very engaging and the involvement of our tiny heroes really doesn't make a lot of sense. Each episode gets a little less interesting but thankfully at 3 episodes it ends without dragging along too far beyond its welcome.

This story from writer Louis Marks is rather like a 50s sci-fi movie and is fun, interesting and impressive in the first two parts before falling a bit flat in the third episode. It has very good effects for its time especially considering the low budget.

The TARDIS and its crew get miniaturised due to a strange side effect of the TARDIS doors opening before materialisation. It leaves them in a contemporary Earth setting but tiny (about an inch tall) making the normal world into an alien one. There is also a sub plot about the development of a dangerous pesticide and gangster like efforts to bring it to market despite its deadly side effects.

All this is a very interesting idea, the main cast and script are good and the first two episodes are well executed apart from one improbable moment when they stumble upon some giant ant eggs which they clearly would have seen before they fall over them. This was a problem caused by the small size of the set and is pretty forgivable. These first two episodes are entertaining and impressive overall, it is the last part with its slightly jumbled and unsatisfactory conclusions which rather let it down. However, even this final part is not bad at all and overall this story is good fun and a good adventure if not top quality for the series.

My Ratings: Episode 1 - 8.5, Episode 2 - 9, Episode 3 - 7.5

Overall: 8.33/10

An ambitious start to Season 2 that finds the Doctor and his companions shrunk as a result of an accident while the TARDIS was in flight. In many ways, this was an episode where it felt like the show's reach exceeded its grasp as the limits of budget come into play here where the plot is quite limited as to what they can do shrunk. Mostly, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan ended up trying to get back to the TARDIS while also trying to reveal a murder. The story did portray both interesting problems and solutions and it gave Barbara a chance to shine at her heroic best, refusing to return to the TARDIS to be treated for poisoning so they could work to expose the murderer.

This is the first Doctor Who story with a strong ecological plot as the story deals with a pesticide that kills too indiscriminately. The science, much like the story is a little too simple. Still, this isn't a bad story, and has some fun moments.