Back Planet of the Spiders Spanish Planet of the Spiders French Planet of the Spiders Hungarian Планета пауков Russian Planet of the Spiders Turkish Planet Raänidas Volapuk
| 074 – Planet of the Spiders | |||
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| Doctor Who serial | |||
| Cast | |||
Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Barry Letts | ||
| Written by | Robert Sloman Barry Letts (uncredited) | ||
| Script editor | Terrance Dicks | ||
| Produced by | Barry Letts (uncredited) | ||
| Music by | Dudley Simpson | ||
| Production code | ZZZ | ||
| Series | Season 11 | ||
| Running time | 6 episodes, 25 minutes each | ||
| First broadcast | 4 May 1974 | ||
| Last broadcast | 8 June 1974 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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Planet of the Spiders is the fifth and final serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 4 May to 8 June 1974. It was Jon Pertwee's final regular appearance as the Third Doctor, the last regular appearance of Mike Yates, and marks the first, uncredited appearance of Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. This serial introduces the term "regenerate" to explain the Doctor's transformation into another appearance. It also contains the first mention in the series of future companion Harry Sullivan.
A Tibetan monastery in rural England, a stage magician with uncanny powers; these are the strands of the sinister web woven by the Metabilis spiders. The serial is set in England and on the planet Metebelis Three. Failed businessman Lupton (John Dearth) allies himself with a race of giant spiders with psychic powers, who call themselves The Eight-Legs, in order to seize power on Earth.