50 Years of Doctor Who: 377 Planet of the Spiders Part Two

EPISODE: Planet of the Spiders: Part Two
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 377
STORY NUMBER: 074
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 11 May 1974
WRITER: Robert Sloman (and Barry Letts uncredited)
DIRECTOR: Barry Letts
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 8.9 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Planet of the Spiders
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"I have come to give you the power you seek!"

The spider claims to have come to give Lupton power, jumping on his back and merging with him. The Doctor reviews his recording's of Clegg's thoughts seeing nothing but Spiders. Sarah leaves the monastery to warn the Doctor while Mike seeks out the Abbot. The spider detects the crystal as the Doctor looks into it. The Doctor is entranced by the crystal but is brought round by the smell of Benton's coffee. First Tommy, then Lupton, prevent Mike from seeing Abbot K'anpo. The next morning Sarah tells the Doctor her story, but he only starts listening when she mentions the spider. He tells her how he obtained the crystal from Metebelis 3. Lupton enters UNIT HQ stunning Benton with an electrical bolt. Seeing the crystal through the lab door's window the spider transports it to Lupton's hand and he runs off. Stealing the Whomobile he is pursued by the Doctor, Brigadier & Benton in Bessie leading to a pursuit on land, in the air and on water. As the Doctor's hovercraft catches up with Lupton's boat he finds the boat empty and Lupton vanished.

Deary me. You're enjoyment of this episode almost 100% depends on if you're ten or not. Jon Pertwee had always had a love of vehicle and, where possible working them into Doctor Who stories. Here his love is indulged with a chase involving the Whomobile, making it's second appearance now in it's final form, Bessie, a police car, a gyro-copter, a boat and a hovercraft that Jon Pertwee liked so much that he ordered one for his holiday home in Ibiza. They've obviously had a lot of fun making it but at 12 minutes it's far far too long and is basically an indulgence. Then right at the end the villain teleports away rendering the entire chase pointless. Ok you could argue the spider needed time to recharge it's energies after teleporting the crystal earlier in the episode but.....

There's a nice little touch in the episode though when The Brigadier rings the UNIT Medical Officer:

BRIGADIER: Doctor. Doctor? Good grief. Sergeant Benton?
BENTON : Yes, sir?
BRIGADIER: Oh, there you are. Looks as if we have an emergency on our hands. I can't get him to come round. Damn silly idea. Thought so all along. Give me the M.O. Quickly. Oh, is that you, Sullivan? Get over to the lab straight away.
DOCTOR: Absolutely beautiful.
BRIGADIER: What's that, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Oh, the smell of that coffee. Thank you, Sergeant.
BRIGADIER: Forget it, Sullivan.
DOCTOR: You know, I've always said that next to Mrs Samuel Pepys you make the finest cup of coffee in the world.
BENTON: Thank you very much, Doctor. Actually the secret of it is, is to get the water
BRIGADIER: Yeah. Look, never mind the dratted coffee.

In the next story we will meet Doctor Harry Sullivan: it's nice little touches like this between stories that make you feel that the show is being thought about behind the scenes on a scale larger than a single story!

I don't usually comment on the effects but the CSO'd electrical bolt on location is rather good

But the original effects work on the Whomobile flying where it turns gold is dreadful.

This was fixed for the DVD but the compilation version of this story, included on disc 2, contains the original effect still.

The spider voice heard in this episode is provided by Ysanne Churchman who had previously Voiced Alpha Centauri in Curse of Peladon & Monster of Peladon. She's famous for playing Grace Archer, the character killed off in the long running BBC radio soap opera the same night that ITV launched.

The policeman involved in the car chase is Chubby Oates, a well known comedian. I didn't think I'd seen him in anything else but a quick run down his CV on IMDB reveals he was in the first episode of Morning Sarge, The New Constable, as Bobby. Morning Sarge is one of those programs forgotten by many but I recall it being rather good. I can see two other Doctor Who alumni have appeared in it too - Kinda's Lee Cornes and Battlefield's Ling Tai.

The voice of the Policeman's Control talking him on the radio is producer Barry Letts.

Most of the rest of the cast is a series of cameos for the extras and stuntmen that have helped make the Third Doctor stories: Pat Gorman, regular extra, plays the Soldier who is working on Whomobile. Previously he was a Freedom Fighter/Rebel in Dalek Invasion of Earth, a Planetarian in Mission to the Unknown: Delegate Detective thinks he's Sentreal the black Christmas tree, a Greek Soldier in The Myth Makers, a Guard in Massacre, a Worker in The War Machines, a Monk in The Abominable Snowmen, a Guard in The Enemy of the World, a Cyberman in The Invasion, a Technician in The Seeds of Death, a Military Policeman in The War Games episode two, the Silurian Scientist in The Silurians, a Technician in The Ambassadors of Death, a Primord in Inferno, the Auton Leader in Terror of the Autons, a Primitive and Long in Colony in Space, a Coven Member in The Dæmons, a Guard & Film Cameraman in Day of the Daleks, a Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, a UNIT Soldier in The Three Doctors, a Presidential Guard and Sea Devil in in Frontier in Space, a Global Chemicals Guard / 'Nuthatch' Resident in The Green Death, a UNIT Corporal in Invasion of the Dinosaurs and a Guard in The Monster of Peladon. He returns as the Gate Guard in Robot part one, a Thal Soldier in Genesis of the Daleks, a Cyberman/Dead Crewman in Revenge of the Cybermen, a Guard in The Seeds of Doom, a Soldier/Brother in The Masque of Mandragora, a Chancellery Guard in The Deadly Assassin, a Medic in The Invisible Enemy, a Kro in The Ribos Operation, the Pilot in The Armageddon Factor, a Thug in City of Death part one, a Gundan in Warriors' Gate, a Foster in The Keeper of Traken, Grogan in Enlightenment, a Soldier in The Caves of Androzani, a Slave Worker and a Cyberman in Attack of the Cybermen. Of those it' easiest to spot his face in Abominable Snowmen, Planet of the Spiders, Robot and The Armageddon Factor! He's got several Blake's 7 appearances to his name as a Scavenger in Deliverance, Federation Trooper / Rebel in Voice from the Past, Trantinian planet hopper Captain in Gambit, Death Squad Trooper in Powerplay, Federation Trooper in The Harvest of Kyros & Rumours of Death, Hommik Warrior in Power, Helot in Traitor and a Federation Trooper in Games & Blake. We was also in Adam Adamant Lives! as a Guard in More Deadly Than the Sword, a Man at Club in Beauty Is an Ugly Word, a Coven Member in The Village of Evil, a War Office Guard / TA Soldier in D for Destruction and an S.S. Guard in A Sinister Sort of Service. He appears once in The Prisoner as a Hospital Orderly in Hammer Into Anvil and just once in Doomwatch as Man in Hear No Evil. His Porridge appearance in the second Christmas Special The Desperate Hours is another easy spot: he's the Prison Officer who comes into the loos as Fletcher and friends are sampling the contraband home brew. He was in two episodes of The Sweeney as a Flying Squad Officer in Thou Shalt Not Kill (director: D Camfield) & Latin Lady, and two The Tomorrow People stories: Worlds Away as the Vesh Hunter and War of the Empires as a US Marine. In the BBC The Day of the Triffids he played a Blind Man in episode 5 while in Douglas Camfield & Robert Holmes adaption of The Nightmare Man he played The Killer with Camfield using him again as a Legionnaire in Beau Geste. He was in The Professionals five times: as a Golfer in Killer with a Long Arm, a CI5 Agent in Close Quarters & Servant of Two Masters, a Security Man in Weekend in the Country and the Police Superintendent at inquest in Discovered in a Graveyard. He's a Policeman again in The Young Ones: Interesting and towards the end of his career Russell T Davies uses him in Dark Season as a Heavy.

Pertwee's regular stunt double Terry Walsh is the Man with Boat. He was a Militiaman in The Smugglers, a Soldier in The Web of Fear, a UNIT Soldier in The Invasion, The Ambassadors of Death & Inferno, in the last of which he also played a Technician and an RSF Soldier, an Auton Policeman & Unit Soldier in Terror of the Autons, a UNIT Motorcyclist in The Mind of Evil, a Primitive, Colonist & IMC Guard Rogers in Colony in Space, Castle Guard Barclay & a Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, an Overlord Guard in The Mutants, the Window Cleaner in The Time Monster and a Guard in The Green Death. a Warehouse Looter in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Jack, an Exxilon & a Zombie in Death to the Daleks and The Guard Captain & a Guard in The Monster of Peladon. He returns as a Bouncer in Robot, Zake in The Sontaran Experiment, a Thal Soldier, Muto and Kaled Scientist in Genesis of the Daleks, a Vogan in Revenge of the Cybermen, a Crew Member in Planet of Evil, the Executioner in The Masque of Mandragora, a Horda Pit Guard in The Face of Evil, Mensch in The Power of Kroll and Doran in The Creature from the Pit.

Walsh stunt doubled for the Doctor in Inferno, Terror of the Autons, Day of the Daleks, Curse of Peladon, The Sea Devils, Carnival of Monsters, Frontier in Space, The Green Death, The Time Warrior, Death to the Daleks, Monster of Peladon, Planet of the Spiders, The Sontaran Experiment, Revenge of the Cybermen, Planet of Evil, The Android Invasion, The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit. He was also the double for The Master in The Sea Devils, the Minotaur in the Time Monster, Mike Yates in The Green Death & Planet of the Spiders, Harry Sulivan in The Sontaran Experiment, Sorenson in Planet of Evil, Chancellor Goth in The Deadly Assassin, Count Grendel in The Androids of Tara and a Stuntman on Power of Kroll. He was Fight Aarranger for The Sea Devils, The Mutants, The Green Death, Death to the Daleks, Monster of Peladon, Planet of the Spiders, The Sontaran Experiment, The Android Invasion, The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Androids of Tara & The Creature from the Pit. He also doubled for The Doctor in the Children In Need Spoof The Dimensions in Time and played the Duelling Guard and a Mercenary in The Ultimate Adventure where he also staged the fights.

He was also in the Adam Adamant Lives! episode - D for Destruction as Watts, which we like because it has Patrick Troughton and a load of control panels in it! In Space: 1999 he was Clan Guard in Journey to Where, the Rescue Eagle Pilot in The Mark of Archanon, a Technician in Space Warp and a Security Guard in The Seance Spectre. He was in Superman II as a KFC Man / French Officer and An American Werewolf in London as the Taxi Driver Who Crashes His Cab. He did stuntwork on The Italian Job, the Roger Moore James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, Superman, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Douglas Camfield & Robert Holmes' The Nightmare Man, the aforementioned An American Werewolf in London, Krull and Robin of Sherwood.

Stuntman Stuart Fell, previously seen (or rather not seen) inside Alpha Centauri, plays the tramp run over by the hovercraft which gave Jon Pertwee an exaggerated story that he'd enjoy telling at conventions for years after. He had previous been a UNIT soldier & Auton in Terror of the Autons, UNIT staff member & a photographer in The Mind of Evil, a UNIT Soldier & Axon in The Claws of Axos, Alpha Centauri in The Curse of Peladon which was his first credited appearance, a Guard, Sailor & Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, a Functionary in Carnival of Monsters and Alpha Centauri once again in The Monster of Peladon. He goes on to play a Wirrn Larvae & Wirrn in The Ark in Space, Double for Styre in The Sontaran Experiment, The Kraal in The Android Invasion part three, the Monster in The Brain of Morbius, Forking peasant / Guard / Acolyte in The Masque of Mandragora, a Policeman, Coolie & the Giant Rat in Talons of Weng Chiang, a Guard in The Sun Makers, a Sontaran in The Invasion of Time, a Shrivenzale in the Ribos Operation, Roga in State of Decay, a Castrovalvan Warrior in Castrovalva, a masked villager in The Visitation and a Cyberman in The Five Doctors plus he did stunts in Terror of the Autons, was fight arranger in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, more stunts in The Ribos Operation & Full Circle and served as fight arranger again in State of Decay. In Blake's 7 he was Dortmunn in Mission to Destiny, a Subterron in Project Avalon, a Goth Warrior in The Keeper, a Sarran in Aftermath, a Labourer in The Harvest of Kyros, a Guard in City at the Edge of the World, a Federation Trooper in Rumours of Death, a Guard in Moloch, a Gunman in Death-Watch, a Link in Terminal & Rescue and a Hommik Warrior in Power plus he was the stunt coordinator for Project Avalon, The Keeper, Aftermath, Volcano, The Harvest of Kyros, City at the Edge of the World, Rumours of Death, Moloch, Death-Watch, Terminal, Rescue & Power. He plays a man in the Doomwatch episode Spectre at the Feast. He's in The Empire Strikes Back as a Snowtrooper and does stunts in Return of the Jedi. He also does stunt work on the Roger Moore James Bond films For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy & A View to a Kill. And so much more.

However Hopkins, the man driving the hovercraft, is played by Michael Pinder, the owner of Pindair the firm that made the Hovercraft.

The chase sequence starts at Le Marchant Barracks in Devizes, Wiltshire. Yes, Doctor Who has gone to Devizes (one for my Swindon readers).