Planet of Giants

Dear Gary—

Planet of Giants—another story that could not be done by any other than William Hartnell’s Doctor.  The Doctor, in attempting to sidestep the TARDIS from the 18^th Century back into the 20^th, lands our heroes in yet another predicament. The TARDIS doors open during materialization (which we learn is the most dangerous moment of the flight), and the resulting space pressure causes them to shrink, TARDIS and all. Now, while these initial moments are steeped in Doctor Who science fiction, the succeeding adventure contains no gimmicks, no gadgets, no aliens. It is pure adventure with our travelers using nothing but their wits to maneuver their way through this very human (if giant) world of danger they have stumbled into.

It is also interesting, Gary, that the human story of intrigue and murder carries on oblivious to the presence of the Doctor and his diminutive companions. It would have been so easy (and lazy) of the writers to fall back on the typical storyline of giant humans capture miniaturized heroes for nefarious purposes. But no, the nefarious purposes of the humans in this story are outside of the Doctor’s sphere. That is what makes this story so compelling. We are interested (at least I am interested) in the independent plots and schemes going on above the Doctor’s head just as much as we are in the Doctor’s plight.

I’m going to stretch a point here, Gary, and say that this journey of the Doctor’s to be restored to full height is a journey of personal growth as well. William Hartnell is magnificent as always as he sputters about, fussing and fuming that his old reliable TARDIS has let him down again, despite his vehement protests to the contrary. And then what a touching little moment when he calms down and apologizes to Barbara, “I always forget the niceties under pressure.” What a sweet moment of self-recognition. I may be wrong, but I think this is the first sincere apology the Doctor offers with no coercion or reluctance or compelling circumstance. A simple ‘I’m sorry’ for the mere act of being himself, his gruff, rude self.

As usual, the first impulse the Doctor has is one of curiosity. He encounters huge dead earthworms and a bewildering maze that seems to have been built with some purpose in mind, and he is determined to discover the secrets behind these mysteries. When he does realize the truth, that he and his companions have shrunk, his next motivation is his standard one of self-preservation. He must return to the TARDIS and be restored to full size. He continues to be intrigued by the strange world around him; “What an awe inspiring sight,” he says of a dead bee that has fallen at their feet.  But, he decides, they must leave this little mystery and get back to the ship.

Of course, there is a stumbling block to their return to the TARDIS. Ian has been separated from the group, and first they must find him before they can escape. The Doctor has come a long way from the times when he was willing to leave Ian and Barbara in danger, or when he would occasionally threaten to put them off his ship. He has in several episodes shown concern for these hijacked hitchhikers and risked his own life in order to come to their rescue, so this is not a first. But it does solidify this gradual transformation of his. Barbara and Ian are important to him. Ian is lost and he must be found. They do find him but again are separated. Barbara and Ian rather stupidly hide in the same briefcase that had carried Ian away initially, and they find themselves indoors, leaving the Doctor and Susan behind.

I can’t help but digress here, Gary, for something that I know you would appreciate. I find it irritating that the cover art on the VHS cassette depicts a menacing cat. I understand why they did this, but the cat in the story does not present a very real danger. The cat in fact quickly loses interest in our tiny heroes and runs off. The cat does not take on the rather obvious and cliché villainy that our cover art would have us believe. The cat only serves as a minor diversion to keep our adventurers from returning too soon to the TARDIS and allowing for the separation of Ian and Barbara from the group.

But back to our story. Ian and Barbara are trapped inside and the Doctor and Susan are faced with the puzzle of how to get themselves inside. They find a drain pipe that they can crawl up, and the frailty of William Hartnell’s Doctor, who is after all an old man, becomes a significant obstacle. I love how they never shy away from the Doctor’s physical limitations in these William Hartnell stories. It is something that is lost with future Doctors.  However, the Doctor does not let this stop him. “I’m not going to give up before I try,” he tells a worried Susan.  They must think of the other two, he tells her. After all, there are “only the two of us to help them.” Wow, a resounding turnaround from our Doctor of the junk yard.

Once the four are reunited, a subtle change takes place. After determining the facts of the larger world around them, that a man has been murdered and that an insecticide is being manufactured that kills indiscriminately and will eventually harm human life, the Doctor decides that something must be done to expose and stop the scheming humans who are so far removed from his present realm. Initially, the Doctor had stated that while normally he would not hesitate to help there wasn’t much he could do given his diminished size. In itself this is a startling statement.  From what I have seen of the Doctor up to this point, he would not normally offer help with no hesitation. In each prior story he has ended up helping only to further his own ends. The closest he came to a more altruistic view was toward the end of The Sensorites. This is the first hint that the Doctor would actually volunteer to right a wrong that he stumbles upon.  Now that the four are together again and they are faced with a treacherous journey back to the TARDIS, the Doctor decides that first something must be done to prevent the insecticide from being made.

We know, of course, that Barbara has in the mean time become infected and will die if not returned to normal size; and we expect of Barbara that she will keep this knowledge to herself rather than worry and distract the others. However, when the others do come to realize this they still remain on task. “We must find a way to stop it.” They know they risk losing one of their own, yet they continue with their tiny efforts. Ian and Susan are naturally hesitant, but Barbara’s selflessness and the Doctor’s determination carry them on for the greater good. As the Doctor had mused earlier in the story, “The destruction of the life force is frightful,” and they must do everything in their diminished capacity to stop it. Escape to the TARDIS and the recovery of their friend become secondary.

And of course they do succeed, as we know they will, with a little help from our nosy phone operator; and they make their way back to safety and to normal size; but they are altered, at least the Doctor is altered, in outlook. The larger world now has more meaning than the insular world of the TARDIS.

The larger world . . . a journey to the stars . . . swirling echoes of time and space . . . . As ever, Gary . . . .