Doctor Who: Planet of the Spiders

Planet of the Spiders starts with ex-UNIT member Mike Yates calling in Sarah Jane to help him investigate strange goings on at a monastic retreat, run by a mysterious Tibetan monk K'anpo and his kindly assistant Cho-je, while the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and the Brig (the late, much lamented Nick Courtney - used her more for comic relief than anything else... and who should be a much better shot in episode 2) investigate psychic activity as part of a pet project of the Doctor's.

Soon the two story strands join together as at the retreat a man named Lupton, with a band of followers, summons a large telepathic spider from Metebelis 3 and the pair team up to retrieve a large blue crystal, taken by the Doctor from that planet on a previous visit.

The action then jumps partly to Metebelis where the Doctor must use his intelligence and wits (as well as a little Venusian Aikido) free the enslaved human population from the tyranny of the "eight legs" and then face his own fears and "The Great One" (voiced by the late Roger Delgado's wife, Kismet) in the final confrontation.

This seems to me to be one of those serials which is often remembered for the negatives.

Yes, the massively long chase scene involving a gyrocopter, the Doctor’s roadster, Bessie, the Whomobile, a speedboat and a mini-hovercraft is a huge indulgence for Jon Pertwee in his final story, because of his love of speedy vehicles, and it could have been finished to the same effect in seconds rather than the 11 minutes it takes.

Yes, the CSO (Colour Screen Overlay - the bluescreen effect) is rather ropey at times, though this isn't unusual for the time.

Yes, the acting from some of the villagers once the story reaches Metebelis is, at times, abominable including a fluffed line William Hartnell would be proud of (one pace forward, Jenny Laird).

But what about the good things in this serial… lets just have a look at some of those.

The return of Mike Yates is a rare use of a character who has actually changed during his time on the show because of events in other serials… a proper personal story arc, and it also makes sense as part of the plot.

The well captured atmosphere in the retreat of deception and conspiracy and, counteracting the poor ‘Metebelan villager’ actors (who were, it must be said, hampered by stilted dialogue trying to show they’re backwardness) are pretty solid performances from all the supporting characters in the scenes set on Earth.

The special effects, barring the already mentioned CSO problems, are simple but extremely effective - the mental energy bolts look good (and line up with the live action) and the spider models are actually rather well made, especially since I believe the design team were advised not to make them too scary for the children (they're much better when they’re not moving I must confess, but compare them to the rubber toyshop ones appearing some 6 years later in the Tom Baker serial Full Circle and they’re masterpieces of terror!)

Lupton is a fantastic character; he’s not an arch-villain, he’s a sales executive upset by poor treatment from his company (I think many of us can relate to that) who just takes advantage of the chance to get the power to get his own back. He’s also played intelligently and believably by John Dearth with some great lines and real personality and it's a shame he’s mostly sidelined as the plot concentrates on the spiders as the real bad guys (well girls) as serial progresses.

The pacing is generally good and instead of just using the usual idea of splitting the 6 part story into two mini sub stories of 4 and 2 episodes, it combines this technique with splitting the story between Earth and Metebelis to keep everything moving along… OK it is helped a bit by that long chase scene and some very long reprises in the latter half but still, it works.

The plot is well structured, introducing new aspects and small twists as well as slowly but remorselessly raising the stakes right up to the end. Also the writing has some lovely lines for many of the characters - for example the rather non-PC treatment of the loyal but mentally 'backwards' Tommy (a surprisingly important character) is brilliantly countered by one of his lines after he's looked into the crystal.

Add to this the fact that Jon is obviously having a ball resulting in a good performance (rather than his sometimes criticised 'phoning it in' ones of some serials near then end of his run) especially as the serial, and his time as the Doctor, reaches its climax… an end faced bravely and stoically rather than lamenting his impending 'death'.

Elisabeth Sladen, too, is on top form as companion Sarah Jane Smith given full rein for the part as she plays the investigator, friend, liberator, and prisoner, all the while never losing her faith in the Doctor... and her smile as she hears the Doctor described as "quite naughty" by K'anpo lights up not only the screen but the whole room where you're watching.

Overall I think the positives far outweigh the really rather minor negatives and if the memory cheats, as Who fans are often told, then Planet of the Spiders is one that has suffered because of it rather than being remembered more fondly (as is the case for some other serials) because it really is a cracking adventure and a worthy send off for Jon Pertwee's Doctor.

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This review is dedicated to the memory of Elisabeth Sladen who died this week; in fact I heard the tragic news of her passing whilst I had the DVD of this serial paused on her name credit at the end of episode 2. Widely believed, rightly so, to have played the finest companion the Doctor ever had she will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

RIP Elisabeth Sladen 1946-2011.