The classic series enters its second season with a story which had a long gestation. A story about shrinking the TARDIS crew was originally planned as the very first story, but we finally get a version a year later. Giant insects, cats and poison cause our travellers trouble.
Watch all three episodes on BBC iPlayer:
Or via the official DVD (which also contains an edit of the original 4 part version):
Add your number rating out of 10:
I think this story often goes underappreciated and I get it, especially with the story it precedes, but itâs pretty good! Not a standout story but itâs an early production design success, some of these sets are genuinely brilliant, especially the sink.
They had the right idea cutting it down to 3 episodes though, it doesnât come out unscathed, but having watched the 4 part reconstruction it wasnât great. The CGI cat is really funny though, RIP.
The Doctor Who story with the best cliffhanger ever!
IAN: Barbara, heâs standing at the sink. I can see him standing at the sink. Heâs turned the tap on!
Planet of Giants is a sadly forgotten story coming, as it does, before the blockbuster of a Dalek Invasion of Earth.
But there is a lot in this story to appreciate.
First off are the amazing sets. The garden and laboratory writ large are astonishingly good and how amazing is the fly that confronts Barbara.
I have a huge fondness for Hilda and Bert - two very ordinary people caught up in a Doctor Who adventure without knowing theyâre even in a Doctor Who adventure.
Itâs actually a rather clever little story because the guest characters are never aware of the TARDIS travellers and yet there is still jeopardy and interaction.
Definitely not the greatest story ever but one which deserves a bit more attention than it gets. I do always find it odd, though, that this basic premise was what was planned to open the series originally - set in a school laboratory in that case. It never struck me as a typical Doctor Who story so would have been an odd one to begin with.
I also like the extended episodes on the DVD as a curiosity - although they definitely donât add anything to the story except the tragic tale of the cat!
âNormal environment that seems huge because the characters are smallâ is one of my absolute favorite settings so just for that this one has my heart, and I think itâs generally a really good story even if not an absolute standout.
This is definitely one of my favorites of the First Doctor serials.
I just enjoy the setting a lot.
I also like that this is one of the few âsidewaysâ adventures that the series did in the early days when the stories were supposed to fall into one of three categories - past, present and future. It seems a few of the âsidewaysâ stories never made it to screen like The Hidden Planet and beyond this one, The Edge of Destruction, the first episode of The Space Museum and The Celestial Toymaker itâs a âgenreâ that more or less gets forgotten about.
I really love the concept of this story and itâs definitely one of my fav first Doctor eps so far.
I am very bad with gauging distances, but it sometimes looked to me like some of the items seemed off to me compared to each other and the characters. But this episode was a prime example for why I love the practical effects.
What I didnât get was why Barbara doesnât tell the others that she had contact with the poison?
It might seem odd but isnât that exactly what we do in real life sometimes. I started having (what turned out to be) my first migraine whilst watching Boom and it took me a good 20 minutes before I told my wife something was wrong.
People often ignore or hide health issues to either hope that pretending theyâre not there will make them go away or so as to not worry their friends and family. I think Barbaraâs reaction is very human and relatable.
And in a world where no Doctor Who story can exist without begatting a sequel or two, the events of this story continue in two Lethbridge-Stewart stories - House of Giants and The Grandfather Infestation.
This is going to be so much fun!
I am gonna get out my popcorn and rewatch.
Will I be placed in a penalty box if I decide to change my review of it during the week? 
More fans should change their reviews on stories because all too often our first reaction isnât always a fair reflection on a storyâs quality.
Sometimes your feelings about a story kinda bounce, too. My first impression of Orphan 55 was actually pretty good, then I started thinking about it and it went way down, then I started remembering the things I liked about it, and it went back up a bitâŚ
I really enjoy this serial. The overall story with the scientist doesnât really matter, as it feels more like a character piece, like Edge of Destruction, than an adventure. The acting is top-notch, with special mention of Jacqueline Hill.
I give it a solid 3.5/5 (7/10)
Pretty good Story, but not one I see myself revisiting too often. I think the best way to describe this one is with the word âCharmâ. I really like the set design, it is impressive for its time and even today! It was also probably the right call to cut this story down a bit. Our Villain Forester is a bit nonsensical to some extent, but I would lie if I said I didnât enjoy him.
Iâve always enjoyed this story for what it was. I do think the cut episode harms the overall story and it is a massive shame some parts of the genuinely impressive sets arenât really used at all because of it but overall a very fun little story
7/10 for me
Carole Ann Ford remembers working on the story:
Verity Lambert talking about the story:
Season 2 starts off with a harmless three-part story that once again experiments with the showâs premise. Itâs a fun mystery box during the first half of Part 1, after which the rest of the serial sees our heroes escape various dangers while trying to get back to the TARDIS. The B-plot with the guest cast is completely unnecessary. And then we get the showâs first environmental message, as the script takes a clear stand against pesticides.
By now, the regulars are absolutely brilliant and emit excellent warmth. The rest of the cast is superfluous. As mentioned earlier, the production design is surprisingly solid, and the sound design and music are outstanding as well. The two cliffhangers are pretty bad, though, and the entire Barbara thing has always bothered me because itâs so uncharacteristic for her at this point in her travels.
I give it a strong 
6/10
Agree with most of what has been stated above, especially @MrColdStream on the environmental message and this was in the 60âs !
Enjoyed this much more than my first time around.
