Dr Who - Planet of the Spiders: DVD Review
Dr Who - Planet of the Spiders
Rating: G
Released by BBC and Roadshow
And so the third Doctor's adventures draw to a close on DVD - and
in some ways, so does some of the supporting talent.
This adventure from the 1970s is the final outing for Jon Pertwee's
Dr before he changed into Tom Baker and sees the Dr investigating a
Tibetan retreat where spooky things are afoot.
Those involved at the retreat seem to be on the verge of summoning
an alien presence - and their very existence causes all kinds of
problems for the Doctor - and could even lead to his undoing.
The six part adventure is a perfect curtain call for Pertwee's man
of action - he's given every moment to shine and seizes it with
both hands; plus with the extras and commentary, it feels like a
ending in many ways with three of the main talents involved sadly
recently dying.
But that doesn't cast a maudlin eye over what's a great story and a
fantastic range of extras as well for fans of the genre; commentary
from Nicholas Courtney, Barry Letts and Elisabeth Sladen who have
now left this earth add a tinge of nostalgic sadness which is hard
to initially shake; but The Final Curtain doco which looks back
over the third Doctor's tenure is sensitively handled and all the
better for it.
Extras: Commentary, docos, reminiscences, an omnibus edition of the
story and the usual informative subtitles make this a superior two
disc release
Rating: 7/10
