Planet of the Spiders DVD
Number of Discs: 2
DVD Number: BBCDVD1809
Certification: PG
Duration: 150 minutes
Release Date: 8 Apr. 2011
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..
Disc 1
Commentary
Commentary by Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Barry Letts (Producer & Director), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor).
Production Subtitles
Text commentary by Nicholas Pegg providing cast details, script development and other information related to the production of this story.
Coming Soon
A preview of Mannequin Mania. The trailer for this story is available on Revisitations 2 DVD. (1’34” | 4:3 | 2011)
Disc 2
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 throughout his time with Doctor Who. With actors Jon Pertwee and Richard Franklin, producer/director Barry Letts, script editor Terrance Dicks, designer Rochelle Selwyn, visual effects assistant Mat Irvine, and actor and author Mark Gatiss. Narrator: Glen Allen; Archive Material & Stills Courtesy of: BBC Television, BBV, Tropicana Holdings, Richard Bignell, Mat Irvine; Interviewers: Simon Guerrier, Toby Hadoke, Jonathan Morris; Second Unit Camera: Steve Broster; Script Editor: Nicholas Pegg; Thanks to: William Baggs, Ian Levine, Jim Sangster, Doctor Who Magazine; Executive Producer: Dan Hall; Producer: Ed Stradling. (37’47” | 16:9 | 2011)
John Kane Remembers…
John Kane played the gentle, slow-witted Tommy, reborn through the power of the Metebelis crystal. Now an accomplished writer and series creator, Kane looks back on his memories of the story. Executive Producer: Dan Hall; Producer: Ed Stradling. (12’46” | 16:9 | 2011)
Directing Who: 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. Camera: Steve Broster; Thanks to: Jim Sangster, Doctor Who Magazine; Colourist: Jonathan Wood; Executive Producer: Dan Hall; Producer: Ed Stradling. (14’43” | 16:9 | 2011)
Now & Then
A trip back to some of the locations used during production of the story. Thanks to: Chuck Foster, Paul Kilduff; Producer: Richard Bignell. (7’10” | 4:3 | 2011)
Planet of the Spiders Omnibus Edition
The omnibus edit of the story, presented unrestored. (105’18” | 4:3 | 1974)
Omnibus Trailer
Trailer for the omnibus edit of the story. (1’41” | 4:3 | 1974)
Photo Gallery
A selection of rare and previously unpublished photographs from the recording of this story. BBC Radiophonic Workshop Archive: Mark Ayres; Music: Dudley Simpson; Special Sound: Dick Mills. Thanks to: BBC Photograph Library, Derek Handley, Ralph Montagu, Colin Young, Tony Clark; Producer: Paul Shields. (5’46” | 4:3 | 2011)
Radio Times Billings
Episode listings for this story from the BBC magazine Radio Times in PDF format.
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