Planet of the Spiders

A tear, Sarah Jane...?

Six episodes (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six)
First broadcast May 4 to Jun 8 1974
Average audience for serial: 9.02m

An episode by episode review of this story can be found at Time Space Visualiser.

REGULAR CAST

Jon Pertwee (The Doctor) Jul 7 1919 to May 20 1996 (heart attack) Click here to see Jon Pertwee's entry on Spearhead from Space

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Feb 1 1946 to Apr 19 2011 (pancreatic cancer) Click here for Elisabeth Sladen's entry on The Time Warrior

Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart) Dec 16 1929 to Feb 22 2011 (cancer) Click here for Nicholas Courtney's entry on The Daleks' Master Plan

Richard Franklin (Mike Yates) Jan 15 1936 to Dec 25 2023 Click here for Richard Franklin's entry on Terror of the Autons

John Levene (Benton) Born Dec 24 1941 Click here for John Levene's entry on The Web of Fear

GUEST CAST

Ralph Arliss (Tuar) Born Sep 11 1947
Career highlights
Ralph made his earliest appearance in Paul Temple (1970), followed by roles in The Troubleshooters (1972), The Asphyx (1973), The Sweeney (1976), Survivors (1977), Love for Lydia (1977), The Devil's Crown (1978), Quatermass IV (1979), The Day Christ Died (1980), The Lost Tribe (1980), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Dempsey and Makepeace (1985), Boon (1992), Retrace (1996-98), The Bill (1999), Grange Hill (2002) and Leonardo's Dream Machines (2003).
Facts
Ralph is also involved in political training for the UK Green Party. In 2003 Ralph was involved in a failed campaign to make Dorset a Genetically-Modified (GM) crop free zone. Ralph stood for the party in Dorset North in the 2005 UK General Election, coming fifth with 2.1% of the vote. His wife is actor Belinda Davison.

Christopher Burgess (Barnes) Dec 15 1926 to Aug 25 2013
Doctor Who credits
Played: Swann in The Enemy of the World (1967-68)
Played: Professor Philips in Terror of the Autons (1971)
Played: Barnes in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Christopher's first credited role was in In a Backward Country (1958), followed by Who Killed Menna Lorraine? (1960), Suspense (1963), This Man Craig (1966), Sherlock Holmes (1968), Menace (1970), Crown Court (1973), The Growing Pains of PC Penrose (1975, as Inspector Fox), Treasure Island (1977), Danger UXB (1979), Together (1980), Jane Eyre (1983), Jossy's Giants (1986-87, as Albert Hanson), Shadow of the Noose (1989) and Can You Hear Me Thinking? (1990).
Facts
Christopher spent his final years as one of 40 male pensioners (or "Brothers") living at the London Charterhouse almshouse.

Ysanne Churchman (Spider voice [Lupton's spider]) May 14 1925 to Jul 4 2024
Doctor Who credits
Played: Alpha Centauri (voice) in The Curse of Peladon (1972), The Monster of Peladon (1974), Empress of Mars (2017)
Played: Spider voice in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Ysanne made her debut aged 13 in Gallows Glorious (1938), followed by roles in Craven House (1950), Murder in the Cathedral (1951), The Railway Children (1951 & 1957), Sara and Hoppity (1962), Space Patrol (1964), Swizzlewick (1964), Rainbow City (1967), Z Cars (1968), Sadie, It's Cold Outside (1975), Madame Bovary (1975), Beasts (1976), 1990 (1978), Artemis 81 (1981), Ghost in the Water (1982), Alice in Wonderland (1986), Starlings (1988), Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) and Oliver Twist (1999). She is a prolific voice artiste best known for playing Grace Archer in radio soap The Archers (1952-55), as well as being the voice for Children's Hour on BBC Radio.

George Cormack (K'anpo) Aug 8 1907 to May 27 1983
Doctor Who credits
Played: Dalios in The Time Monster (1972)
Played: K'anpo in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Scotsman George's earliest credit was in Count Albany (1938), followed by The Smallest Show on Earth (1957), Robbery Under Arms (1957), A Matter of WHO (1961), The Massingham Affair (1964), The Walrus and the Carpenter (1965), The Borderers (1970), Paul Temple (1971), Adam Smith (1972), Demons of the Mind (1972), Victorian Scandals (1976), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978), The Feathered Serpent (1976-78) and Penmarric (1979).

John Dearth (Lupton) Oct 16 1920 to Mar 17 1984
Doctor Who credits
Played: Voice of BOSS in The Green Death (1973)
Played: Lupton in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
John's career began with The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956), then Onion Boys (1957), Look Back in Anger (1958), The Voodoo Factor (1959), The World of Tim Frazer (1960), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Strongroom (1962), The Runaway (1963), Esther Waters (1964), Mr Rose (1968), Vienna 1900 (1973), Angels (1976), Treasure Island (1977) and Kessler (1981).
Facts
His daughter was the late actor Lynn Dearth (Sons and Lovers, 1981), who was married to fellow actor David Gwillim.

Kismet Delgado (Spider voice [Queen]) Sep 27 1929 to Aug 18 2017
Career highlights
Kismet also appeared as a hotel receptionist in a 1975 episode of Dixon of Dock Green, but also performed under her maiden name of Shahani in Bikini Baby (1951), The Alien Sky (1956) and The Three Princes (1959).
Facts
Kismet was Master actor Roger Delgado's wife for 17 years until his tragic death in 1973, after which she married another actor, William Marlowe, who appeared in The Mind of Evil (1971) and Revenge of the Cybermen (1975).

Stuart Fell (Tramp) Born 1942 Click here for Stuart Fell's entry on The Curse of Peladon

Carl Forgione (Land) May 3 1944 to Sep 10 1998 (cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Land in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Played: Nimrod in Ghost Light (1989)
Career highlights
Cricket fan Carl's earliest role was in The Wars of the Roses (1965), followed by Dixon of Dock Green (1972), Big Zapper (1973), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Blake's 7 (1978), Don't Forget to Write! (1979), The Borgias (1981), Sorry! (1986), Star Cops (1987), South of the Border (1990), Coronation Street (1991), The Day Today (1994), Fist of Fun (1995), Knowing Me, Knowing You (1994-95) and The Moonstone (1996).
Facts
Carl (real name Carlo, due to his Italian father) was first diagnosed with cancer in 1995. There is a lovely tribute site to Carl by his school friend Harper John here.

Pat Gorman (Soldier) May 10 1933 to Oct 9 2018 Click here for Pat Gorman's entry on The Invasion

Gareth Hunt (Arak) Feb 7 1942 to Mar 14 2007 (pancreatic cancer)
Career highlights
Gareth's earliest role was in Frontier (1968), followed by For the Love of Ada (1972), Harriet's Back in Town (1973), Bless This House (1974), Space: 1999 (1975), The World is Full of Married Men (1979), That Beryl Marston! (1981), Minder (1982), Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984), Gabrielle and the Doodleman (1984), The Lady and the Highwayman (1989), The Castle of Adventure (1990), Side By Side (1992-93), Sooty & Co. (1994), Fierce Creatures (1997), Animal Ark (1997-98), Parting Shots (1998), EastEnders (2001), Powers (2004), New Tricks (2006) and The Riddle (2007). Gareth is best known for his role as Mike Gambit in The New Avengers (1976-77), as well as footman Frederick Norton in Upstairs, Downstairs (1974-75) and various TV commercials for Nescafe coffee in the 1980s in which he famously shook coffee beans in his hand.
Facts
In 1957 Gareth (born Alan) joined the Merchant Navy, but after six years he jumped ship while in New Zealand and worked in a car plant for 12 months before the law caught up with him and he was jailed for three months in a military prison. His aunt was actress Martita Hunt, best known for playing Miss Havisham in the 1946 adaptation of Great Expectations. Gareth suffered a heart attack in December 1999, and collapsed while performing on stage in July 2002, before being diagnosed with cancer in 2005.

John Kane (Tommy) Born Oct 27 1945
Career highlights
John was the youngest actor ever to become an Associate Member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1965, aged 20. His career has taken in acting, writing and teaching drama. His first acting credit was in 1972's Villains, followed by roles in Son of the Bride (1973), The Gathering Storm (1974), Z Cars (1975), Devenish (1977), Rings on Their Fingers (1978-79), The Dick Emery Christmas Show (1980), The House on the Hill (1981), Paradise Postponed (1986), Prick Up Your Ears (1987), A Cowboy on Jupiter (1989), The Chief (1994), Pie in the Sky (1995), Bob Martin (2000), Seven Wonders of the Industrial World (2003) and Foyle's War (2007). He also had a regular role as Dr Andrew Mackenzie in the sitcom Doctor on the Go (1975-77). His writing work includes Scott On... (1972), The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972), Funny Ha-Ha (1974), The Kids from 47A (1973-74), A Little Bit of Wisdom (1974-76), Four Idle Hands (1976), The Feathered Serpent (1976-78), Marti (1977), Cloppa Castle (1978-79), Smuggler (1981), Dick Turpin (1980/82), Me and My Girl (1984-85), Never the Twain (1983-88), Terry and June (1979-87, which he also created), The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986), All in Good Faith (1985-88), Daisies in December (1995) and The Murder in China Basin (1999).
Facts
He has also acted as publicist on various productions, and wrote the novel on which the 2000 production Best Actress was based. His children include actress Susy Kane and comedy writer Simon Kane, and his wife is opera singer Alison Warner.
In 2014 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with John here.

Jenny Laird (Neska) Feb 13 1912 to Oct 31 2001
Career highlights
By the time Jenny was in Doctor Who she was already an acting veteran of some 40 years, having debuted in The Morals of Marcus (1935), followed by Passenger to London (1937), Hay Fever (1938), Murder on the Second Floor (1939), Just William (1940), The Lamp Still Burns (1943), Black Narcissus (1947), The Long Dark Hall (1951), Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder (1954), Face in the Night (1957), Village of the Damned (1960), The Forsyte Saga (1967), The Onedin Line (1972), 1990 (1978), The Masks of Death (1984) and Inspector Morse (1991). Jenny also wrote a comedy play called And No Birds Sing, which was adapted for TV twice, in 1951 and 1958.
Facts
Jenny was married to American actor and director John Fernald (son of Broadway star C B Fernald), and together they had a daughter, actress Karin Fernald. Until 1965, RADA awarded a Jenny Laird Prize for acting in a minor role, which one year was won by one Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), and another by Jan Chappell (Cally in Blake's 7).

Kevin Lindsay (Cho-je) Apr 17 1924 to Apr 26 1975 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Linx in The Time Warrior (1973-74)
Played: Cho-je in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Played: Styre in The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
Played: The Marshal in The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
Career highlights
Australian Kevin's earliest credit was in One Got Fat (1963), followed by roles in Love Story (1966), Mr Rose (1968), Paul Temple (1969), War and Peace (1972) and Eleanor (1974). Kevin died of a long-standing heart condition nine days after his 51st birthday, and less than two months after his appearance as Styre in Doctor Who.

Terence Lodge (Moss) Born Nov 10 1936
Doctor Who credits
Played: Medok in The Macra Terror (1967)
Played: Orum in Carnival of Monsters (1973)
Played: Moss in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
His CV also includes An Age of Kings (1960), The Avengers (1963/64), The Baron (1966), Germinal (1970), Jason King (1972), Barlow at Large (1975), Angels (1983), David Copperfield (1986), Hands of a Murderer (1990), The Bill (1995) and London's Burning (1995).
Facts
His birthname was Terence Ronald John Michael Stockting (incidentally, a Terence Stockting wrote a few episodes of TV soap Compact in 1964 - could that have been the same man?). Terence, who in 1959 wrote a stage play called Who's Who performed at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, briefly left the acting industry in the mid-1970s, but returned in the early 1980s. He finally retired in the late 1990s, reportedly after a negative experience on the soap Family Affairs.
In 2015 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Terence here.

Joanna Monro (Rega) Born 1956
Career highlights
Debuted in The View from Daniel Pike in 1973, followed by The Brontes of Haworth (1973), Monster Cafe (1994), Dream Team (1998-99), People Like Us (1999), Emmerdale (2001), Confessions of a Diary Secretary (2007), Doctors (2010), Sink (2017) and Not Going Out (2018). She also had regular roles as Anna Newcross in over 100 episodes of medical drama Angels (1978-81), and appeared in many episodes of children's sketch series Fast Forward (1984-86). Joanna was also one of the presenters on light-hearted consumer programme That's Life! between 1982-84, recognition from which saw her make appearances on game shows such as Punchlines (1984), Blankety Blank (1984), The Adventure Game (1986) and Weakest Link (2008, in which she proved herself to be the strongest link and won over £14,000 for breast cancer research).
Facts
She is married to actor Granville Saxton, and her parents were actors Sonnie Hale and Frances Bennett.
In 2018 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Joanna here.

Geoffrey Morris (Sabor) Jun 28 1902 to Mar 1 1989
Career highlights
Debuting in Jean's Plan (1946), Geoffrey's CV includes Once Upon a Dream (1949), African Gold (1965), Detective (1968), Clinic Exclusive (1971), New Scotland Yard (1972), War and Peace (1972) and Fawlty Towers (1975), A Portrait of Nadine Gordimer (1976), as well as playing the vet in a number of episodes of Follyfoot (1972-73).

Maureen Morris (Spider voice [Great One]) Born Sep 17 1941
Career highlights
Maureen's earliest credit was for The Newcomers (1967), after which she appeared in Middlemarch (1968), The First Churchills (1969), The Moonstone (1972), Within These Walls (1975), Famous Five (1978), The Omega Factor (1979), The Tripods (1985), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988) and Strathblair (1993).
Facts
Maureen is married to George Gallaccio, who was a production manager on Doctor Who between 1974-76 and went on to become a prolific drama producer. The couple's daughter, Anya Gallaccio, is an award-winning artist who was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2003 (the year Grayson Perry won), and who in 2006 was on the Independent newspaper's Pink Power list of 100 most influential gay and lesbian people.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Maureen here.

Chubby Oates (Policeman) Dec 23 1942 to Nov 10 2006 (stroke*)
Career highlights
Chubby's other credits include Adventure Weekly (1968), Dixon of Dock Green (1973/75), Killer's Moon (1978), The Famous Five (1978), Cribb (1980) and Mornin' Sarge (1989).
Facts
After leaving school, Chubby (real name Arthur) worked as a reporter on the South London Observer where he shared an office with a young Kelvin MacKenzie, future editor of The Sun, and taught the budding journalist to type. In 1968 he co-wrote A Pictorial History of Female Impersonation. Chubby, who in 1997 suffered a stroke while on stage in Margate but bravely recovered, was a well known pantomime dame and "ugly sister" and was also well established as a comic on the London Soho clubland circuit.
*Some sources claim Chubby died of diabetic complications and a heart attack after performing at a showbiz luncheon, but his obituary in The Stage cites a stroke.

Michael Pinder (Hopkins) Born Mar 10 1940
This is Michael's only known work.

Walter Randall (Guard captain) Jun 26 1929 to May 5 2006
Doctor Who credits
Played: Tonila in The Aztecs (1964)
Played: El Akir in The Crusade (1965)
Played: Hyksos in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Patrolman in The Invasion (1968)
Played: Harry Slocum in Inferno (1970)
Played: Guard captain in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Dancer/ actor Walter's long career began in Rock You Sinners (1958), then Nudist Paradise (1959), Man from Interpol (1960), The Hands of Orlac (1961), Ghost Squad (1963), Danger Man (1964), All Gas and Gaiters (1967), Trial (1971), Follyfoot (1973), The Double Dealers (1974), Target (1977), The Professionals (1980) and Yes, Minister (1982).
Facts
Former dancer Walter went into partnership with Jon Pertwee in the 1970s, owning a hamburger diner.

Cyril Shaps (Professor Clegg) Oct 13 1923 to Jan 1 2003
Doctor Who credits
Played: John Viner in The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
Played: Lennox in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Played: Professor Clegg in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Played: Archimandrite in The Androids of Tara (1978)
Career highlights
Prolific character actor Cyril's first credit was in 1955's The Vale of Shadows, followed by Quatermass II (1955), Miracle in Soho (1957), Follow That Horse! (1960), Supercar (1961-62, as the voices of Professor Popkiss and Masterspy), The Third Man (1965), Man in a Suitcase (1967), Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1967-70), Please Sir! (1971), The Liver Birds (1971-72), The Onedin Line (1971/73), Freewheelers (1973), Porridge (1975), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Holocaust (1978), Private Schulz (1981), The Young Ones (1982), Running Scared (1986), Dark Season (1991), The Madness of King George (1994), Our Mutual Friend (1998), Doctors (2000), Murder Rooms (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) and The Pianist (2002).
Facts
Starting out as a child radio broadcaster at the age of 12, Cyril was also one of the voices of Mr Kipling in those "exceedingly good" cake commercials. One of Cyril's children was Simon Shaps, a sometime director of programmes for London Weekend Television and Granada.

Andrew Staines (Keaver) Feb 11 1937 to Sep 16 2016
Doctor Who credits
Played: Sergeant to Benik in The Enemy of the World (1967-68)
Played: Goodge in Terror of the Autons (1971)
Played: Captain in Carnival of Monsters (1973)
Played: Keaver in Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Andrew's only other screen credits are on Justice (1971) and The Woman in White (1982), although he worked extensively in theatre.
Facts
Andrew was Doctor Who producer Barry Letts' nephew. In 2008 Andrew was interviewed for the British Library's Theatre Archive Project, and had this to say about his time on Doctor Who: "I was in one - Pertwee had been the Doctor for several episodes then - but he had a change of personnel and had Katy Manning as his female sidekick and Roger Delgado as the Master, and then I was in two or three others after that, and then there I was in Jon's final one. They got Tom Baker in on the last day of rehearsal so that he could be transformed from Jon Pertwee - I was very interested, standing on the sidelines and watching them do it. I rather regret that I never went on to do an episode with Tom Baker." A transcript of the full interview can be found here.
In 2016 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with Andrew here.

Terry Walsh (Man with boat) May 5 1939 to Apr 21 2002 (cancer) Click here for Terry Walsh's entry on Terror of the Autons

CREW

Robert Sloman (writer) Jul 18 1926 to Oct 24 2005
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Daemons (1971, under the pseudonym Guy Leopold), The Time Monster (1972), The Green Death (1973), Planet of the Spiders (1974)
Career highlights
Starting out as an actor, Robert subsequently worked for the Sunday Times's circulation department, eventually becoming distribution manager. Robert also co-wrote the play The Tinker, on which the 1962 film The Wild and the Willing, starring (War Doctor) John Hurt and Ian McShane, was based.
Facts
He was a close friend of Doctor Who producer Barry Letts. One Sloman script which never saw the light of day was called The Daleks in London, intended to close Season 9 in 1972, but which was dropped for being too similar to The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964).

Barry Letts (writer, director (uncredited) and producer) Mar 26 1925 to Oct 9 2009 (cancer) Click here for Barry Letts's entry on The Enemy of the World

Terrance Dicks (script editor) Apr 14 1935 to Aug 29 2019 Click here for Terrance Dicks's entry on The Invasion