10 Doctor Who Episodes That Had The Balls To GO THERE

10. The Web Planet

When Sydney Newman first brought his exciting new sci-fi show to Verity Lambert, he had one important rule. "No bug-eyed monsters!" Or BEMs for short. He wanted Doctor Who to lean on the more serious, educational side. But then, along came the Daleks, and that rule was quickly thrown out the window for giant ants and moths.

Before Doctor Who had the budget to render alien worlds convincingly, 1965’s The Web Planet ambitiously attempted a six-part story set on the alien world of Vortis, featuring a cast composed entirely of giant insects.

Without a single human extra in sight, the cast performed in heavy, unwieldy costumes, communicating in clicks, buzzes, and opera-esque pitch shifts. Vaseline was smeared on camera lenses to create a spooky atmospheric effect. While it's easy to poke fun at the wobbly sets and unconvincing costumes today, the ambition on display is staggering.

We're thrown directly into a truly unearthly environment, demanding that we accept giant ants and moth-people as tragic, compelling characters.

Has it aged well? Not so much. But it still remains weird, otherworldly, and wildly brave television for its time.