Doctor Who

An original prop used in the production of the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.

From the 1974 serial Planet of the Spiders starring Jon Pertwee as The Doctor this is one of the original prop spiders custom made by the BBC Visual Effects Department which was headed up by Bernard Wilkie and included Ian Scoones, Mat Irvine, Richard Conway and Steve Bowman. The spiders seen throughout the serial were realised by a variety of methods and construction techniques, the vast majority being crude vacuum formed examples with a limited number being much more complex, these higher quality principal props were used in close up shots and often designed to serve a specific purpose or movement. 

This spider is entirely custom fabricated with a body of thick latex rubber finished in textured paint and dressed with a variety of real hair, likely horse and cat, this built over a base of plywood. The legs, of similar construction, are hinged to the body and feature an internal metal armature allowing them to be posed as required. The head of the spider features acrylic eyes and fangs with moving pedipalps to the front which are powered by a wind up clockwork motor housed within the body, a hole to the plywood base partially revealing this.

Although the clockwork feature is not seen in use the unique construction of this spider makes its use on screen relatively simple to spot as it must sit on its body rather than its legs which is not possible due to the hinges. Most notably this spider is identical to the one which appears on the mandala in the basement following the incantation led by Lupton (John Dearth) in the episode one cliffhanger with the hinged legs meaning the prop is capable of the movement achieved in that shot when the body is lifted slightly by wires, the legs always remaining in contact with the floor. An identical spider can also be seen later in the council room on Metebelis III and is the only one of this style in the shot, this is highlighted by the screen captures presented here.

The spider measures approximately 24" wide by 17" long including the legs and stands around 6" at the highest point, it remains in excellent vintage condition with the clockwork mechanism remaining in full working order. There is no deterioration to the body and only minor age related cracking to the latex outer of the legs which have hardened with age ensuring its preservation, this meaning it would be inadvisable to pose them. The plywood base of the spider has been hand signed by Elisabeth Sladen who portrayed companion Sarah Jane Smith, this inscribed in black pen.

A seldom encountered and exceptionally desirable artefact from the Pertwee era this represents, without debate, the finest example of an original screen used spider ever offered on the collectors market.

Please note that this lot requires specialist handling and we therefore insist that international shipping arrangements are discussed before purchasing.