Out of the countless ways in which the Doctor's adventures have been produced for insatiable ‘Doctor Who' fans, the short stories in the Christmastime annuals tend to be the most overlooked. Kudos then, to BBC Audio for delving into the archives to bring us ‘Doctor Who: Caught in the Web & Other Stories'. This collection of stories features each of the first six Doctors, lifted unedited from the pages of vintage ‘Doctor Who' annuals. They are breathed new life by narrators with a strong connection to each classic era.
The annuals in the 1980s (for full disclosure, when I was a child) tended to be a much more accurate depiction of the Doctor's adventures than those from earlier decades. The show's producer, John Nathan-Turner, ensured in-house creative control. The stories in the earlier annuals were often wild, putting it bluntly! This collection brings to life those stories, some offbeat, others closer to home, and presents them as an audio experience to a whole new audience.
Many fans may never have read the originals, or at least not for many decades, so much of these adventures, decades old though they are, can be experienced as if they are new. While the stories in the annuals aren't the best plots the show had to offer, these cherry-picked outings have plenty of intriguing ideas to recommend them.
First up is Maureen O'Brien, reading ‘The Devil Birds of Corbo' from the 1967 annual. In those early years, it's always ‘TARDIS' rather than ‘the TARDIS', and the Doctor is referred to throughout as ‘Doctor Who'. Once your ears tune in to this, the story is well-written, if rather florid. The ‘Devil Birds' come across like pterodactyls, though on Corbo, there are human-like inhabitants, split into two tribes who each live in fear of the birds. The Doctor must find out why the birds in the cliffs are attacking the inhabitants and ensure they can emerge from their existence of fear. It is a strong concept with a good moral message, and Maureen O'Brien's impersonation of William Hartnell's First Doctor is terrific. Neat references to plot devices from the series, such as the atmospheric density jacket from ‘The Web Planet' will delight fans. As the longest segment on this release, it gets ‘Doctor Who: Caught in the Web & Other Stories' off to a great start.
Read by David Troughton, the Second Doctor adventure ‘Grip of Ice' comes from the ‘Doctor Who' annual 1970. Like a lot of early ‘Doctor Who', it has a strong environmental theme. The Doctor and his companions Jamie and Zoe realise there's a scientific reason behind the cold conditions, and they turn out to be much closer to home than they realise. As with the recently-released ‘The Mind Trap‘, David Troughton gives a wonderful performance when giving voice to the part his father so memorably played. It's like hearing Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor all over again. The character is still referred to as ‘Doctor Who' throughout, though there is something oddly endearing about this.
The next instalment, ‘Caught in the Web', gives its name to this release, but it's also a Third Doctor story from the 1971 annual. It is brought to life by impressionist Jon Culshaw, known for his unnervingly accurate take on Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. His mimicry of Jon Pertwee isn't quite as accurate. Though his take on Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, originally played by Nicholas Courtney, is very good. The clipped tones and intonation are spot on. By the time of the 1970s, the annuals were becoming stranger and stranger, and this is one story, even though it features the Brigadier, is quite odd, even if the premise is a riff on the Troughton story ‘The Web of Fear'. Eerily, the monsters are giant spiders – something a few years later that the Third Doctor would face on television.
Next up is ‘The Eye-Spiders of Pergross' from the notoriously surreal 1977 annual. This one is read by Geoffrey Beevers, who played the Master in the Tom Baker serial ‘The Keeper of Traken'. He was also married to Caroline John, who played the Third Doctor companion Liz Shaw. The Doctor, Sarah and Harry arrive on the planet Pergross in the far future, where they soon discover that the local population lives in fear of strange creatures known as Eye-Spiders. The creatures use a powerful hypnotic gaze to paralyse victims before dragging them away. So far, so scary, and this is easily the weirdest, most unsettling adventure, in-keeping with the psychedelic annual it featured in. Beevers, cast as the Master owing to his skill as a voice artist, is a strong narrator.
The Fifth Doctor adventure is ‘Winter on Mesique' from the ‘Doctor Who' Annual 1984. Companions Tegan and Turlough complete the TARDIS crew. It is read by David Banks, who made a huge impact on the show during the Peter Davison era for playing the Cyber Leader in ‘Earthshock' and ‘The Five Doctors'. After a gap of seven years, the Cybermen were back with a bang. By this time, John Nathan-Turner was ensuring that the stories in the annuals were stylistically closer to the television show. ‘Winter on Mesique' certainly sounds and feels like a Fifth Doctor adventure, though the premise is similar to the Second Doctor story, finding the TARDIS crew arriving on a world locked under icy conditions. It is a classic ‘Doctor Who' morality tale, with the apparently threatening Sasquatch-like creatures not entirely to be feared.
The final recording is ‘Day of the Dragon' from the 1985 annual. The story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri, and is narrated by Nicola Bryant. When Colonel Lathom appears to have died from spontaneous human combustion, the Doctor must explain his hypothesis. However, Sarah the maid believes there to be dragons in the cellar, who may have gotten to the ill-fated Colonel, explaining his charred remains. With a creepy old house and a complex plot, ‘Day of the Dragon' is a strong story to go out on, containing all of the ingredients of classic ‘Doctor Who', and a healthy amount of body horror, in-keeping with the mid-80s era of the show. Nicola Bryant does a great job of bringing her classic era companion to life, though her dragon roars are unintentionally amusing.
‘Doctor Who: Caught in the Web & Other Stories' is an enormously enjoyable repository of overlooked ‘Doctor Who' stories that were conceived during the eras they represent. The audiobook kept me going during a long car journey. The gallop through each of the first six incarnations of the Doctor is a fantastic way of recognising how the show changed over the two decades in which these stories were written. Ably brought to life by talented voice artists with a strong connection to the show (all but Jon Culshaw played significant roles in the classic series), and well-produced with sound and music effects, ‘Doctor Who: Caught in the Web & Other Stories' is hugely nostalgic. It provides some love and limelight to an intriguing range of neglected short stories. Strongly recommended as a treat for fans of the original era of ‘Doctor Who'.
Narrators: Maureen O'Brien, David Troughton, Jon Culshaw, Geoffrey Beevers, David Banks and Nicola Bryant Duration: 148 mins Published by: Penguin Random House Audio for BBC Audio Publication date: 5th February 2026 Buy ‘Doctor Who: Caught in the Web & Other Stories'
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