Misplaced Pages

#818181

73-610: The Web Planet is the fifth serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who . Written by Bill Strutton and directed by Richard Martin , the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in six weekly parts from 13 February to 20 March 1965. In the serial, the First Doctor ( William Hartnell ) and his travelling companions Ian Chesterton ( William Russell ), Barbara Wright ( Jacqueline Hill ), and Vicki ( Maureen O'Brien ) ally themselves with

146-528: A copy of the Doctor Who Annual 1965 , and an audio commentary by Russell, Martin, Lambert, Jarvis, and Gary Russell . BBC Audio released an audiobook of the serial in November 2005, read by William Russell. The serial was released as a vinyl record by Demon Records on 13 December 2019, with linking narration by Maureen O'Brien. The serial was released on Blu-ray on 5 December 2022, alongside

219-401: A costly 16 minutes due to several production problems leading to seven retakes; among the problems were broken costumes, actors walking through shots, scenery problems causing actors to forget their lines, and a cast member speaking unprompted. The third episode, recorded on 5 February, was beset by similar problems, including a delay in the delivery of some sets, camera failures, and a delay with

292-531: A demand on episodes to be run in order, without which story arcs stretching over many episodes may be difficult for new viewers to delve into. Desperate Housewives also falls into the category while each season involves a new mystery that spans an entire season (and on one occasion, half the season) while planting hints throughout the episodes until the climax in the finale. To a lesser extent, series such as House and Fringe may also feature ongoing story arcs, but episodes are more self-encapsulated and so

365-405: A different story, though the concept is also nothing new. In the 1960s, ABC aired the first real breakthrough nighttime serial, Peyton Place , inspired by the novel and theatrical film of the same name. After its cancellation, the format went somewhat dormant until Norman Lear produced Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in 1976. In 1977, ABC created another comedy soap (aptly called Soap ). Although

438-1243: A disadvantage at major awards shows such as the Primetime Emmy Awards . Such shows generally have to submit an atypical self-contained episode in order to gain recognition. Despite this, since 2000, every winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series has been a Serial Drama: The West Wing (2000–2003), The Sopranos (2004, 2007), Lost (2005), 24 (2006), Mad Men (2008–2011), Homeland (2012), Breaking Bad (2013–2014), Game of Thrones (2015–2016, 2018–2019), The Handmaid's Tale (2017), Succession (2020, 2022), and The Crown (2021). In terms of DVD sales, however, strongly serialized shows often perform better than shows which are strongly procedural. 24 (Season 6 ), Lost (Season 4 ), Heroes (Season 2 ), True Blood and even ratings minnow Battlestar Galactica (Season 4.0 ) sell significantly more units than hit procedurals such as CSI (Season 6 ), NCIS (Season 3, Season 5 ), CSI: Miami (Season 4, Season 5 ) and Criminal Minds (Season 2, Season 3 ). Serialized shows tend to develop

511-465: A half hour trick when all the audience know the secrets already"; Lambert responded that the comedic trailer was intentional to take "the curse out of the Zarbi" for younger viewers. The serial was broadcast on BBC1 in six weekly parts from 13 February to 20 March 1965. Viewership increased from the preceding serial, reaching a series-high of 13.5 million viewers for the first episode. The ratings dropped for

584-507: A major reduction in serialized storytelling. To highlight the situation, in the 2006–2007 season, no fewer than five high-concept serials were introduced, including Jericho , Kidnapped , Vanished , The Nine , and Drive , all of which experienced fairly quick cancellation due to low ratings. In 2010 and 2011, more high-profile, high-cost serials failed to achieve success, including V , The Event , and FlashForward . Some reviewers have also noted that serialized dramas are at

657-512: A more serial structure, and now there are a much wider range of shows in serial form. The serial began with the advent of movie serials of the early 20th century. With the emergence of television and subsequent decline of the movie-going audience, production of movie serials ceased due to the decreasing revenues. But the serial lived on, moving instead to the small screen and the world of Broadcast syndication television reruns . The television serial format as known today originated in radio, in

730-485: A negative effect on ratings by making entry more difficult for new viewers as well as confusing fans who have missed an episode. Networks see them as riskier than dramas that focus on a self-contained story of the week. Tom O'Neil of the Los Angeles Times notes: "They're chancy because these shows are hard to join midway through." As of 2012 CBS has not aired a serial drama in many years, in part because of

803-558: A particularly popular format for children's serials on the radio. Guiding Light and such other daytime television program serials such as Search for Tomorrow , Love of Life , The Secret Storm , As the World Turns , The Edge of Night , The Doctors , Another World , Dark Shadows , One Life to Live , and All My Children were popular in the Golden and Silver Ages of television and still are today. Aside from

SECTION 10

#1732779601819

876-533: A radio or television production with a continuously evolving, unified plot and set of characters, spread over multiple episodes. In the United States, daytime soap operas have long had a serial structure. Television mini-series also commonly come in a serial form. Starting in the mid-1970s, series with soap opera-like stories began to be aired in prime time (e.g. Dallas , Dynasty ). In the 1990s, shows like The X-Files and The Sopranos began to use

949-520: A serial subplot . Shorter serial programs known as telenovelas (and earlier, radionovelas ), originating and often produced in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin America , have become popular worldwide. The term "serial" refers to the intrinsic property of a series – namely its order . In literature, the term is used as a noun to refer to a format (within a genre ) by which

1022-673: A series composed of mostly standalone episodes. According to Todd A. Kessler , the second season of Damages will be less serialized in order to render the show more accessible to new viewers. Tim Kring , creator of Heroes , has also suggested that his show may move away from serialized storytelling: "I think the show needs to move towards [standalone episodes] in order to survive." Networks also discourage complex story arcs because they are less successful in reruns, and because standalone episodes can be rerun without concern for order. Entertainment Weekly and Chicago Tribune have expressed concern that declining ratings may lead to

1095-436: A show if they have missed some episodes. Cheers co-creator Les Charles regrets helping to make serialization common: "[W]e may have been partly responsible for what's going on now, where if you miss the first episode or two, you are lost. You have to wait until you can get the whole thing on DVD and catch up with it. If that blood is on our hands, I feel kind of badly about it. It can be very frustrating." Another problem

1168-436: A story is told in contiguous (typically chronological ) installments in sequential issues of a single periodical publication. More generally, "serial" is applied in library and information science to materials "in any medium issued under the same title in a succession of discrete parts, usually numbered (or dated) and appearing at regular or irregular intervals with no predetermined conclusion." The term has been used for

1241-405: A total of 15,762 episodes air on CBS. Some of the characters in soap operas have been portrayed as long-suffering (a common theme even in some of today's serials along with the social and economical issues of the day). Children's adventure serials were more like film serials , with continuing characters involved in exploits with episodes that often ended in a cliffhanger situation; Westerns were

1314-462: A week on WENR in Chicago during the early 1930s was credited as the "great-granddaddy of the soap operas" by radio historian Francis Chase, Jr. One of the other shows that helped pioneer the daytime soap opera/serial was The Guiding Light , which debuted on NBC radio in 1937, and then switched to CBS Television in 1952. The Guiding Light 's final episode aired on September 18, 2009, having

1387-607: Is pulled by an unseen force across the planet surface. Barbara is drawn into a trio of the butterfly-like Menoptra who free her of the trance by removing the bracelet. She escapes but is captured by the ant-like Zarbi who use her to find the Menoptra. The Zarbi take Barbara and Hrostar (Arne Gordon), a Menoptra, to the Crater of Needles to drop vegetation into acid rivers which feed the Animus (voiced by Catherine Fleming). The Zarbi take

1460-479: Is that many fans prefer to record these shows and binge watch the whole season in one session. These viewers are not included in TV ratings as they are much less likely to watch commercials than live viewers. The move away from live viewing and toward DVR or internet-streaming services has hurt many shows' prospects because there are fewer or no commercials and they may be fast-forwarded or out-of-date. Concerned about

1533-656: The Bradford Playhouse and Film Theatre on 8 June 1984. British Satellite Broadcasting screened the serial between July and September 1990, and it was broadcast in episodic form on UK Gold in December 1992 alongside a compilation version. The first episode was criticised by Peter Black of the Daily Mail , who described the main characters as "the dullest quartet in fiction". Comments from younger viewers read on Junior Points of View were mixed; some found

SECTION 20

#1732779601819

1606-815: The Fourth Doctor ( Tom Baker ). A paperback edition was published by Target Books in May 1973, with illustrations by Chris Achilleos ; Achilleos was disappointed by the BBC's insistence that the cover artwork resemble the television counterpart. The Target paperback was reissued several times: with a revised logo in August 1978, with Alister Pearson 's artwork in January 1990, and by BBC Books in April 2016 with Achilleos's cover and Wood's illustrations. A facsimile edition of

1679-582: The West End alongside Martin's girlfriend Suzanne Neve . Jolyon Booth, cast as Prapillus, was an old friend of Martin's, while Jocelyn Birdsall, cast as Hlynia, had worked with Martin on stage in 1952. Maureen O'Brien enjoyed working with Martin— The Web Planet was their first collaboration—due to his intelligence and their shared political outlook. Model filming for the serial began on 4 January 1965 at BBC Television Film Studios on Stage 2 and lasted for several days. It included several model shots, including

1752-613: The bird's-eye view shots were achieved by using mirrors. Several of the shots featuring Barbara were filmed in advance from 6–7 January to accommodate for Hill to take a holiday; she missed rehearsals of The Romans to film these. Rehearsals for the first episode began on 18 January at the London Transport Assembly Rooms in Wood Green , and weekly recording for the serial began on 22 January. The second episode's recording session, on 29 January, overran by

1825-454: The 21st century in the United States. In the 1990s, American serial dramas included Twin Peaks , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5 . The trend continued in the 2000s with 24 . Cable networks also produced serial dramas such as The Sopranos , Battlestar Galactica , Dexter , The Wire , Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul . Series such as Buffy

1898-533: The Animus has pulled into orbit. The Doctor accidentally reveals the Menoptra spearhead plan to land near the Crater of Needles, giving the Animus the opportunity to ambush them. Ian and Vrestin meet the Optera, descendants of the Menoptra who fled underground, and convince them to help fight the Animus, digging upwards beneath the Carsinome. At the Crater of Needles, Barbara and Hrostar fail in their attempt to warn

1971-516: The Doctor and Ian Chesterton ( William Russell ) to the Carsinome where they find Vicki and the TARDIS. The Animus forces the Doctor to help track down the Menoptra invasion force. Ian escapes and meets a Menoptra called Vrestin (Roslyn de Winter). He learns the Menoptra and the Zarbi are native to the planet. The Animus has taken control of the planet, and the Menoptra have fled to one of the moons that

2044-433: The Menoptra and the spearhead is massacred. The Doctor deduces that the Animus uses gold to channel its mesmerising force and counteracts it to control a Zarbi and escape with Vicki. They meet Barbara and the Menoptra and devise a plan to attack the Carsinome. The Doctor and Vicki are taken by the Zarbi to the Animus, a great spider-like creature. Barbara and the Menoptra attack the Carsinome from outside while Ian, Vrestin, and

2117-511: The Menoptra representing free enterprise and the Zarbi communism . Martin hired a mime artist to develop choreography for the serial, and forwent a traditional score in favour of prerecorded stock music . The Web Planet premiered with 13.5 million viewers, the highest in the series to date; it maintained high viewership across the six weeks. Reviews were mixed, with praise directed at its choreography and action, and criticism towards its costumes and confusing story; retrospective reviews applauded

2190-412: The Menoptra, the former inhabitants of the planet Vortis, as they struggle to win back the planet from the malignant Animus (Catherine Fleming) and its Zarbi slaves. When crafting an idea for the serial, Strutton recalled a memory as a child of watching two bull ants fighting, which he linked with his two sons fighting each other. Story editor Dennis Spooner found the narrative to be multilayered, with

2263-610: The Optera reach the Animus from below. They defeat the Animus with the Isoptope, a cell-destroying weapon devised by the Menoptra. The Zarbi return to their docile state, and the planet turns to its purer state. The Doctor and his companions leave in the TARDIS, and the creatures of Vortis promise to tell stories of their saviours. In 1964, Australian writer Bill Strutton viewed Doctor Who and decided that he wanted to write for it, although he had no knowledge of science fiction . After his agents at Associated London Scripts contacted

The Web Planet - Misplaced Pages Continue

2336-531: The Optera; Thompson had worked with Martin in the past, and Joss was an experienced dancer from Australia. Thompson and Martin collaborated to create the creatures' dialogue and behaviour. Arne Gordon, who ran an antique stall in Portobello Road , was cast by Martin as she had large eyes suitable for an insect. Martin also cast Martin Jarvis as Hilio, having met him during his performance of Poor Bitos in

2409-447: The TARDIS being moved across Vortis and the establishing model shot of the TARDIS's materialisation; the one-third scale prop created for The Romans was used. Martin wanted to use a greased neutral-density filter on shots of Vortis to capture its thin atmosphere, but found that the optical glass was too expensive, opting for a cheaper alternative; two special lenses were fitted, both of which broke at some point during production. Some of

2482-516: The Vampire Slayer , Veronica Mars , Homicide: Life on the Street , The Good Wife , The X-Files and Damages fall somewhere between, featuring self-encapsulated plots that are resolved by the end of each episode, but also having overarching plots that span multiple episodes. The more serialized its storytelling, the less likely a show is to fare well in repeats. The format places

2555-438: The advent of DVRs, television networks shunned serials in prime time as they made broadcast programming reruns more difficult and television producers shunned them because they were tougher to go into broadcast syndication years down the road. Serials contrast with episodic television, with plots relying on a more independent stand-alone format. Procedural drama television programs are commonly episodic, sometimes including

2628-407: The appointment of set and effects designer John Wood; Wood welcomed working on the show as it allowed more freedom than other programmes. He used Strutton's descriptions to create sketches for the eight-foot Zarbi; he wanted them to be believable while disguising the human element. They were also based on suits of armour for balancing. Lambert was enthusiastic about the design, though other members of

2701-561: The crew received for a violent scene in The Edge of Destruction (1964) as her reasoning. A special trailer for The Web Planet , filmed on 4 February 1965, features the Zarbi arriving at the BBC Television Centre before being shown to their dressing rooms. The trailer, screened on BBC1 on 6 February 1965, upset Martin, who felt that it undersold his work and made him feel "like a conjurer about to do an elaborate two and

2774-584: The day, as in The Web Planet . All guest characters in the serial are non-humanoid. Casting interviews for The Web Planet took place on 8 December 1964. Martin wanted special choreography for the insects, hiring Australian mime artist Roslyn de Winter to develop the delivery of the Optra and the hand gestures of the Menoptra; de Winter was also cast as Vrestin. For the Menoptra, the production team sought actors with dancing experience; one actor who auditioned

2847-489: The dialogue and found the scripts too short, working with new story editor Dennis Spooner on amendments. Martin overspent the serial's budget to achieve the desired visuals, which led to conflict with the cost-conscious Lambert. To account for the high cost of the props and costumes, Martin forwent a traditional, original score, instead using recordings of musique concrète performances arranged by Jacques Lasry and François Baschet for Les Structures Sonores ; Martin found

2920-404: The episode "exciting and hair-raising", while others complained about the "pointless, noisy, bleeping" of the Zarbi. Following the broadcast of the second episode, Patrick Skene Catling of Punch wrote that the serial was guilty of "ludicrous bathos ". After the third episode, Bill Edmund of The Stage and Television Today described the lighting effects as "pointless and annoying". Following

2993-641: The fifth episode, the Sunday Mirror received a complaint from A. N. Thompson that the show was "slipping" due to its newly-comedic nature. At the BBC Programme Review Board in March 1965, Alasdair Milne said that the series was "difficult to follow, unless one watched every edition"; at the following Review Board, controller of programmes Huw Wheldon said that the serial was going well, while BBC1 controller Michael Peacock felt that

The Web Planet - Misplaced Pages Continue

3066-424: The following episodes, with the final two hitting 12 million, but they were still considered successful, ranking among the top 20 programmes for each week; the first episode ranked joint 18th in the national charts, with an estimated viewership of 5.45 million households. The Appreciation Index began well but fell rapidly, dropping below 50 for the first time; the final episode set a new record low of 42. The serial

3139-459: The form of children's adventure shows and daily 15-minute programs known as soap operas (so-called because many of these shows were sponsored by soap companies, such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble ). Soap operas were specifically engineered to appeal to women (with the intention of increasing sale of soap). They usually ran from Monday through Friday at the same time every day. A show called The Smith Family which ran only one night

3212-418: The fourth episode; during recording on 12 February, the seaweed emanated an overpowering vegetable smell under the hot studio lights. William Russell was absent from rehearsals for the fifth episode on 16 February to film for the subsequent serial, The Crusade . Hartnell's granddaughter Judith Carney (later Jessica Carney) visited the studio during the fifth episode's recording on 19 February. The final episode

3285-493: The full nature of the story hidden and revealing elements episode by episode, to encourage spectators to tune in to every episode to follow the plot. Often these shows employ recapping segments at the beginning and cliffhangers at the end of each episode. The invention of recording devices such as VCRs and DVRs along with the growing popularity of streaming services has made following this type of show easier, which has resulted in increased success and popularity. Prior to

3358-487: The idea with Lambert, and Whitaker officially commissioned the story, Doctor Who and the Webbed Planet , on 28 September 1964. Richard Martin was assigned to direct the serial. Although disappointed with the scripts, Martin observed that they were as close to a fantasy adventure as Doctor Who should get; he felt that they had visual potential, but that the available studio facilities would limit it. He disliked

3431-405: The last of the 1980s nighttime soaps ended during the first years of the following decade, then a second wave came with series like Beverly Hills, 90210 , Melrose Place , Models, Inc. , Savannah and Central Park West . But as the 1990s came to a close, the primetime soap as an official format gradually faded away, where it largely seems to remain as of the middle of the first decade of

3504-431: The most underrated classic Doctor Who serials, noting that it "is a joy for being so different" even if "the ambition might outstrip the execution". In 2012, Neela Debnath of The Independent found the story "enjoyable" with ambitious writing that "lacks impact given the poor quality of the visuals". In 2015, Twelfth Doctor actor Peter Capaldi said that "the ambition and imagination was great but they just didn't have

3577-458: The name of the Zarbi. Other names originated from an encyclopedia: the Greek word Lepidoptera inspired Menoptera (later Menoptra) and Optera; and Carcinoma inspired Carsinome (later Carsenome). Spooner made edits to the script towards the end of 1964; he found the narrative to be multilayered, with the Menoptra representing free enterprise and the Zarbi communism . Spooner also made edits to tie

3650-465: The original 1965 hardback was released by BBC Books in November 2016. The book was translated and published in other countries: Doctor Who en de Zarbis , translated into Dutch by M. Hohage, was published by Unieboek BV Bussum in 1974; and Doutor Who e os Zarbi , translated to Portuguese by Eduardo Nogueira and Conceicao Jardim with cover art by Rui Ligeiro, was published by Presenca in 1986. Serial (radio and television) Serials rely on keeping

3723-463: The production team, Strutton was invited to discuss his story idea with producer Verity Lambert and story editor David Whitaker . They asked him to avoid robotic monsters due to the success of the Daleks . Strutton recalled a memory as a toddler, watching two bull ants fighting inside an empty kerosene can; he linked this memory with his two sons, aged six and four, fighting each other. He discussed

SECTION 50

#1732779601819

3796-598: The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica , showrunner Ronald D. Moore was also pressured to make episodes more stand-alone. This move resulted in negative criticism from both fans and critics, and Moore revealed in the Season 3 finale podcast that the network finally accepted that standalone episodes simply do not work for the story he is trying to tell. Moore has also stated that the network was reluctant to greenlight Caprica mainly because story-arc-heavy series notoriously have difficulty in picking up new viewers, as compared to

3869-586: The resources to deliver". The Zarbi received several pieces of merchandise as toy manufacturers hoped that they would become as popular as the Daleks; they featured in several comic strips and in related merchandising in 1965. The serial was originally released on VHS as a double-tape set in September 1990. It was released on DVD by BBC DVD in October 2005, with special features including a making-of documentary,

3942-434: The rest of the show's second season as part of The Collection . Strutton was approached by Frederick Muller Ltd to create a novelisation of the serial, which he wrote in three weeks; Doctor Who and the Zarbi was published as a hardback in September 1965, with illustrations by John Wood. It was republished in December 1975 by White Lion, retaining Wood's original artwork except for the cover painting, which instead depicted

4015-568: The serial as "a noble experiment" despite its mixed execution; he praised the costumes for the Zarbi, but criticised the Menoptra suits, alien voices, blurred lens, and Strutton's unoriginal scripts. In 2008, Mark Braxton of Radio Times acknowledged the costume design efforts and "superbly atmospheric" sets, though felt that they had not aged well; he felt that the story had an "almost total absence of excitement", but enjoyed its ambition and deeper meaning about good versus evil . In 2009, Den of Geek ' s Cliff Chapman ranked The Web Planet among

4088-468: The serial into the preceding one, The Romans ; the golden bracelet used to make Barbara fall under the influence of the Animus was a gift from Emperor Nero in The Romans . Two of the Menoptra were renamed: Roster became Hrostar, and Papillus became Prapillus. The show's main designers, Raymond Cusick and Barry Newbery, asked for a third designer to be allocated to the production block, leading to

4161-467: The serial's ambition despite its outdated visuals. The Web Planet was later novelised and released on VHS and DVD. The TARDIS is forced to land on a planet which the First Doctor ( William Hartnell ) recognises as Vortis, but he is puzzled by the presence of several moons around the normally moonless planet. A force acting through Barbara Wright 's ( Jacqueline Hill ) gold bracelet draws her outside, leaving Vicki ( Maureen O'Brien ) alone. The TARDIS

4234-402: The serial's imagination and ambition, but noted that it was "slow and silly looking" by modern standards. In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker said that the story's ambition "may be seen as its great strength or its great weakness, depending on the spirit in which it is approached". In A Critical History of Doctor Who (1999), John Kenneth Muir described

4307-475: The series fall into a more conventional drama category. Fringe has experimented with "myth-alones", a hybrid that attempts to advance the story arc in a self-contained episode. In addition, it has been noted that the use of cliffhangers is still prevalent in adventure shows; however, they are now typically used just before a commercial break and the viewer need only wait a few minutes to see its resolution. In addition, many series have also made extensive use of

4380-576: The series had too much " mumbo-jumbo " and that the character names were difficult to follow. In April, The Scotsman ' s Peggie Phillips considered the serial to be a flop. An audience report prepared following the serial's broadcast indicated satisfaction with its conclusion and choreography, but confusion regarding the action and criticism of the costumes and blurred lens. Retrospective reviews were mixed. In The Discontinuity Guide (1995), writers Paul Cornell , Martin Day , and Keith Topping praised

4453-442: The show goes on, by its nature, it might find itself becoming a little more serialized." Early in their runs, shows such as Lost , Buffy , Angel , Dollhouse and Torchwood put greater emphasis on the "story-of-the-week", but over time story arcs begin to dominate. In contrast, Alias became more focused on standalone stories in later seasons, because of pressures by network executives. Complex story arcs may have

SECTION 60

#1732779601819

4526-767: The show was controversial for its time (with a homosexual character among its cast roster), it was (and still is today) a cult classic. The success of Dallas popularized serial storylines on prime-time television. Its end-of-season cliffhangers , such as " Who shot J. R.? " and "Bobby in the Shower?", influenced other shows like Dynasty (ABC's answer to Dallas ), Knots Landing , Falcon Crest , The Colbys , Flamingo Road , Hotel , The Yellow Rose , Bare Essence , and Berrenger's . There were some serial shows such as Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere that did not officially fit into this category, but were nonetheless ratings hits season after season. While

4599-407: The social issues, the style and presentation of these shows have changed. Whereas in the 1950s and 1960s the drama was underscored with traditional organ music, and in the 1970s and the 1980s a full orchestra provided the score, the daytime dramas of today use cutting-edged synth-driven music (in a way, music for soaps has come full-circle, from the keyboard to the keyboard). The nighttime serials are

4672-519: The sounds extraterrestrial, as they were created using glass rods and steel. Lambert edited the final episode as Martin had departed for a holiday shortly after its recording; she edited out a shot of the Carsenome web dissolving, explaining in a memo to Martin that "I thought nobody would know what on earth was happening". The scripts were due on 13 November; Strutton wrote them while in the process of relocating homes. Strutton's wife Marguerite created

4745-466: The studio lighting; the recording overran by 37 minutes. The recording had finished so late that the dressing room lights were switched off by studio management, forcing the crew to exit in darkness. Following the recording, Lambert asked Martin to avoid allowing the actors to alter their dialogue, noting that major changes should be suggested at readthroughs with Spooner present. Fifteen bags of seaweed from Cornish Manures were requested as set dressing for

4818-777: The success of its non-serial procedurals . Marketing for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) emphasized its episodes being standalone, which cast and crew described as being similar to Star Trek: The Original Series . Scott Collins of the Los Angeles Times stated that "serialized storytelling ... though popular with hard-core fans and many critics, requires more dedication from viewers and has almost certainly tamped down ratings for many shows". He quoted an ad executive who states that close-ended story lines "[make] it easier for new viewers to tune in and figure out what's going on". According to Dick Wolf , serialized elements also make it more difficult for viewers to return to

4891-519: The team were hesitant regarding its practicality. Four costumes were constructed by Shawcraft Models; light Styrofoam was originally suggested for construction, but fibreglass was used instead. The outfits were modelled on Robert Jewell , and they took around 30 minutes to don. For a shot of the Temple of Light, Wood was inspired by the Aztec temples of Central America. The script for the third episode

4964-433: The toll on ratings of complex story arcs, networks sometimes ask showrunners to reduce serialization. Network executives believe that standalone episodes serve as a better jumping on point for new viewers, although this may result in a conflict with regular watchers who tend to prefer more focus on story arcs. Alias began as a more serialized show but later became more stand-alone under network pressure. During season 3 of

5037-400: The traditional end-of-episode cliffhanger format. This is most common in season finales which often end in a cliffhanger that would only be resolved in the next season's premiere. Over the course of its run, a show may change its focus. Matt Cherniss, executive vice president of programming at Fox says: "Sometimes early on, being a little more episodic allows more people into the room. And as

5110-492: Was Peter Purves , but Martin felt that his talent would be wasted in the role and kept him in mind for later. Catherine Fleming, who voiced the Animus, stood on set with a microphone and a script to read her lines. The three established Dalek operators—Jewell, Kevin Manser , and Gerald Taylor—were cast as the main Zarbi, alongside John Scott Martin in his first appearance on the series. Ian Thompson and Barbara Joss were cast as

5183-561: Was believed to have been wiped in the early 1970s and presumed missing until negative film prints of all six episodes were recovered from BBC Enterprises in the late 1970s. Unedited prints were also discovered in Nigeria in 1984. The fourth episode was shown on 29 October 1983 at the National Film Theatre as part of the 20th anniversary event Doctor Who: The Developing Art ; it was also screened at regional events like

5256-466: Was recorded on 26 February, and the session overran by 15 minutes due partly to sound problems necessitating a major retake. For the final episode, the crew treated the set more carelessly to achieve the damaged look they were seeking, as they knew it would not be used again. Throughout filming of the serial, at the insistence of Lambert, Martin avoided showing much detail for the more brutal visuals, such as deaths; Lambert retrospectively cited criticism that

5329-490: Was structured to omit Barbara, as Jacqueline Hill was scheduled to take a week's holiday; she retained a credit in Radio Times , but not on-screen, as was common when the regular cast was absent. Hill formally complained on 1 March 1965 and requested that her credit be reinstated for overseas sales, but this was not acted upon. Lambert felt that Barbara's occupation as a schoolteacher meant that she should often work to save

#818181