DramaActionAdventureScience FictionTV Movie

Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders

The blue crystal that the Doctor took from Metebelis III in a previous adventure is desperately sought by the Eight Legs, a race of mutated spiders, as the final element in their plan for universal domination. With help from an old mentor, the Doctor realises the only way to foil the plot is to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Doctor must risk death to return to the cave of the Great One and save the universe.

Release Date : 1974-06-08

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : BBC

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : The Doctor

Original Name : Jon Pertwee

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Doctor

Original Name : Tom Baker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sarah Jane Smith

Original Name : Elisabeth Sladen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Original Name : Nicholas Courtney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mike Yates

Original Name : Richard Franklin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergeant Benton

Original Name : John Levene

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lupton

Original Name : John Dearth

Gender : Male

Character Name : Land

Original Name : Carl Forgione

Gender : Male

Character Name : Keaver

Original Name : Andrew Staines

Gender : Male

Character Name : Moss

Original Name : Terence Lodge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barnes

Original Name : Christopher Burgess

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tommy

Original Name : John Kane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cho-Je

Original Name : Kevin Lindsay

Gender : Male

Character Name : K'anpo

Original Name : George Cormack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Professor Clegg

Original Name : Cyril Shaps

Gender : Male

Character Name : Policeman

Original Name : Chubby Oates

Gender : Male

Character Name : Soldier

Original Name : Pat Gorman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man with Boat

Original Name : Terry Walsh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hopkins

Original Name : Michael Pinder

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tramp

Original Name : Stuart Fell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sabor

Original Name : Geoffrey Morris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tuar

Original Name : Ralph Arliss

Gender : Male

Character Name : Arak

Original Name : Gareth Hunt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Neska

Original Name : Jenny Laird

Gender : Female

Character Name : Rega

Original Name : Joanna Monro

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guard Captain

Original Name : Walter Randall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guard Captain

Original Name : Max Faulkner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Spider Voice

Original Name : Ysanne Churchman

Gender : Female

Character Name : Spider Voice

Original Name : Kismet Delgado

Gender : Male

Character Name : Spider Voice

Original Name : Maureen Morris

Gender : Female

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-06-24

Whilst the "Doctor" (Jon Pertwee) and the "Brigadier" (Nicholas Courtney) are doing some experimentation with a scientist with strong clairvoyant skills, "Capt. Yates" (Richard Franklin) manages to interest "Sarah Jane" (Elisabeth Sladen) in some curious goings on at a country retreat run by a kindly old Buddhist. Of course, the two topics soon become one as those doing the meditation manage to tap into some intergalactic spiders whose aim is to find a missing blue crystal - that the "Doctor" has had for years - so as to augment the power of their supreme leader and enable her to rule the cosmos. The spiders are wily old things and they manage to use the ambitious "Lupton" (John Dearth) to try to track down their missing gemstone and the rest of this six part drama sees our dynamic duo try to find a way to deal with the conspiratorial arachnids, loads of ESP and some serious amounts of voltage. It's good to (briefly) see the return of "Bessie" and there's plenty of outdoor action with car and helicopter chases and even an hovercraft. Whatever happened to them? The spiders are not the most realistic, no, but the production designer has managed to do quite well hiding the strings and the magnets and the use of electricity is a tad reminiscent of the duel at the end of the "Raven" (1963). The denouement is tinged with sadness and opportunity - and this is one of the better stories from series eleven.