C11S05 Planet of the spiders
Synopsis
At a Tibetan retreat in the English countryside, a group of men are using ancient meditation rituals to tap into a mysterious alien power. They unwittingly create a bridgehead between Earth and Metebelis 3, a planet where the 'Two Legs' are oppressed by giant spiders. The creatures are desperate to recover the blue jewel that the Doctor gave to Jo Grant as a wedding gift.
Now the Doctor must risk everything and return to Metebelis 3 to face the awesome power of The Great One, who plans to use the crystal to enslave all of human kind...
Cover notes
Following the departure of Katy Manning at the end of Season 10, and the tragic death of Roger Delgado in the Summer of 1973, Jon Pertwee had decided it was now time to leave the series. Producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks would also be stepping down from their roles.
Planet of the Spiders is an indulgent finale to the Third Doctor's time on Earth, drawing together several plot threads from previous stories, embellishing the continuity of the Time Lords, and preparing the way for a new era of Doctor Who.
The continuation of the Mike Yates story arc, following his ignominious departure at the end of Invasion of the Dinosaurs, is particularly satisfying. By contrast, the Brigadier is mainly used for comic relief, although it is a pleasure to witness his camaraderie with the Doctor as they enjoy an afternoon of questionable entertainment at a variety show. Yates and the Brigadier aside, UNIT is scarcely in evidence. Instead, the Bond-style chases provide the physical action sequences, granting Jon Pertwee one last indulgence as he zips around the English countryside in a variety of exotic vehicles.
As the true identity of K'anpo is finally revealed, we are afforded a tantalising insight into the early life of our favourite Time Lord, but there is no chance to explore this as the Doctor is forced to acknowledge the error of his ways and returns to face The Great One, even though he knows it will cost him dearly.
His sacrifice brings redemption and re-birth, delivering a genuinely emotional farewell to the Third Doctor.
Cast
| The Doctor | Jon Pertwee | listed as Doctor Who |
| Sarah Jane Smith | Elisabeth Sladen | |
| Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart | Nicholas Courtney | ep. 1,2,6 |
| Mike Yates | Richard Franklin | |
| Sergeant Benton | John Levene | ep. 1,2 |
| Professor Clegg | Cyril Shaps | ep. 1 |
| Lupton | John Dearth | |
| Barnes | Christopher Burgess | |
| Moss | Terence Lodge | |
| Land | Carl Forgione | ep. 1,2,4,5,6 |
| Keaver | Andrew Staines | ep. 1,2,4,5,6 |
| Cho-je | Kevin Lindsay | ep. 1,2,3,5,6 |
| Tommy | John Kane | |
| policeman | Chubby Oates | ep. 2 |
| soldier | Pat Gorman | ep. 2 |
| man with boat | Terry Walsh | ep. 2 |
| Hopkins | Michael Pinder | ep. 2 |
| tramp | Stuart Fell | ep. 2 |
| Spider voice | Ysanne Churchman | ep. 2,3,4,5,6 |
| Spider voice | Kismet Delgado | ep. 2,3,4,5,6 |
| Arak | Gareth Hunt | ep. 3,4,5,6 |
| Sabor | Geoffrey Morris | ep. 3,4,5 |
| Neska | Jenny Laird | ep. 3,4,5 |
| Rega | Joanna Monro | ep. 3,4,5 |
| Tuar | Ralph Arliss | ep. 3,4,5,6 |
| Guard Captain | Walter Randall | ep. 3,4,5 |
| Spider voice | Maureen Morris | ep. 3,4,5,6 |
| Guard Captain | Max Faulkner | ep. 5 |
| K'anpo | George Cormack | ep. 6 |
Crew
| Written by | Robert Sloman | |
| Title music | Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop | |
| Title sequence | Bernard Lodge | |
| Incidental music | Dudley Simpson | |
| Special sound | Dick Mills | |
| Film Cameraman | Fred Hamilton | ep. 1,2 |
| Film Sound | John Gatland | ep. 1,2 |
| Film Editor | Bob Rymer | ep. 1,2 |
| Visual effects designer | Bernard Wilkie | listed ep. 1,3,6; probably all |
| Costume designer | L. Rowland-Warne | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Make-up | Deanne Turner | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Studio Lighting | Ralph Walton | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Studio Sound | John Holmes | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Fight arranger | Terry Walsh | ep. 4 |
| Script Editor | Terrance Dicks | |
| Designer | Rochelle Selwyn | |
| Producer | Barry Letts | uncredited |
| Director | Barry Letts |
DVD Extras
| Elisabeth Sladen Nicholas Courtney Richard Franklin Barry Letts Terrance Dicks |
commentary track | |
| The Final Curtain | After five years playing the Doctor, Jon Pertwee had decided to move on... and with him the production team that had guided the show through his time with Doctor Who. | |
| John Kane remembers... | John Kane played the gentle, slow-witted Tommy, reborn throuogh the power of the Metebelis crystal. Now an accomplished writer and series creator, Kane looks back on his memories of the story. | |
| Directing Who with Barry Letts | Barry Letts is perhaps most famous as a producer of Doctor Who, but he was also responsible for directing some of the show's best-loved stories. Barry looks back on his career as a director in this documentary. | |
| Now and Then | A trip back to some of the locations used during production of this story. | |
| Planet of the Spiders omnibus edition | The omnibus edit of the story, presented unrestored. | |
| Omnibus trailer | ||
| photo gallery | ||
| Radio Times listings |
Commentary
| serial code : | ZZZ |
| episode count : | 6 |
| initial broadcast date : | 1974-05-04 |
| DVD release date : | |
| DVD SE release date : | |
| BluRay release date : | |