Arachnids in the UK (TV story)

Arachnids in the UK
Doctor:	Thirteenth Doctor
Companion(s):	Graham, Ryan, Yaz
Featuring:	Grace
Main enemy:	Mutant spiders, Robertson
Main setting:	Sheffield, 2018
Key crew
Writer:	Chris Chibnall
Director:	Sallie Aprahamian
Producer:	Alex Mercer
Release details
Story number:	279
Premiere broadcast:	28 October 2018
Premiere network:	BBC One
Format:	1x50 minute episode
Official trailer
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Memorable moment
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Behind the scenes video
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Doctor Who television stories
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Arachnids in the UK was the fourth episode in the eleventh series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.

The Thirteenth Doctor finally returns Graham, Ryan and Yasmin to Sheffield, just half an hour after they had left. Notably, these new companions actively choose to travel with her at the end of this episode.

Synopsis

The Thirteenth Doctor finally manages to bring her friends home, but with more time alone on the horizon, she soon discovers that something unnatural has happened to the eight-legged population of Sheffield. Why have they converged on an unopened hotel, and why is there a man going around like he owns the place?

Plot

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
• Graham O'Brien - Bradley Walsh
• Ryan Sinclair - Tosin Cole
• Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
• Robertson - Chris Noth
• Grace O'Brien - Sharon D Clarke
• Najia Khan - Shobna Gulati
• Dr Jade McIntyre - Tanya Fear
• Hakim Khan - Ravin J Ganatra
• Sonya Khan - Bhavnisha Parmar
• Frankie Ellish - Jaleh Alp
• Kevin - William Meredith

Crew

Executive Producers   Matt Strevens and Chris Chibnall

Co-executive producer   Sam Hoyle

Series Producer   Nikki Wilson

Written by Chris Chibnall	Produced by Alex Mercer	Directed by Sallie Aprahamian	Director of Photography Tim Palmer	Production Designer Arwel Wyn Jones	Visual Effects DNEG
Make-up Designer Claire Pritchard-Jones	Casting Director Andy Pryor CDG	Music Segun Akinola	Costume Designer Ray Holman	Edited by Helen Murphy	Special Effects REAL SFX
Scientific Advisor - Dr Niall Doran  Original theme music by Ron Grainer  •  Title sequence by Ben Pickles  •  Music recorded and mixed by Olga FitzRoy

General production staff Head of Production - Radford Neville Executive Producer for the BBC - Ben Irving Production Executive - Ceres Doyle Line Producer - Steffan Morris Production Manager - James DeHaviland Supervising Location Manager - Iwan Roberts Location Manager - Lyn Moses Unit Manager - Jac Jones Production Co-ordinator - Sandra Cosfeld Assistant Production Co-ordinator - Jessica Elise Evans Production Assistant - Alexandra Bahiyyih Wain Production Secretary - Jade Stephenson Executive Assistant - Caroline Cook Unit Drivers - Sean Evans, Paul Watkins, Jolyon Davey Unit Medic - Glyn Evans Business Affairs - Carol Griggs, Steve Robson Production Accountant - Laurence Parker Assistant Accountants - Helen Searle, Kate Barber-Williams Script department Series Script Editor - Sheena Bucktowonsing Script Editor - Fiona McAllister Assistant Script Editor - Hannah Mason Camera and lighting department 1st Assistant Director - Seth Adams 2nd Assistant Director - Delmi Thomas 3rd Assistant Director - Christopher J Thomas Assistant Directors - Lauren Pate, Sion Eirug Script Supervisor - Nicki Coles Camera Operator - Mark McQuoid ACO Focus Pullers - Jonathan Vidgen, Elhein De Wet Grip - John Robinson Assistant Grip - Ash Whitfield Camera Assistants - Gethin Williams, Drew Marsden, Cai Stephens Gaffer - Mark Hutchings Best Boy - Andy Gardiner Electricians - Bob Milton, Gawain Nash, Andrew Williams, Gareth Sheldon	Art department Supervising Art Director - Dafudd Shurmer Assistant Art Director - Lissa Lamona Art Department Assistant - Georgia Reece Art Department Co-ordinator - Isabelle Kennedy Art Department Accountant - Karen Evans Production Buyer - Vicki Male Petty Cash Buyer - Kayleigh Powell Trainee Buyer - Georgia Reece Set Decorator - Joelle Rumbelow Set Designers - Julia Jones, Zsofia Ekler Storyboard Artist - Michael Collins Concept Artist - Darren Fereday Graphic Designer - Richard Wells Standby Props - Matthew Ireland, Cerys Lewis Standby Carpenter - Paul Jones Prop Hands - Atiff Tahir, Scott Howe, Richard Barker Standby Art Director - Harry Trow Rigging - Shadow Scaffolding Standby Rigger - Colin Toms HOD Painter - Steve Fudge Chargehand Painters - Mark Reece, Lloyd Reece Storeman - Charlie Malik Prop Master - Nick Thomas Props Chargehand - Stuart Rankmore Prop Fabrication - Penny Howarth Specialist Prop Maker - Nick Robatto Construction Manager - Mark Painter Workshop Manager - Mark Hill Workshop Assistant - Chris Slocombe Construction Chargehands - Dean Tucker, John Sinnott Construction Drivers - Jason Tylke, Darren Bousie Practical Electrician - Matthew Dunford Scenic Artists - Jeremy Duckham, Gemma Dorie Carpenters - Terry Horle, Joseph Painter, Mat Ferry, Tim Burke, Jonathan Tylke, Campbell Fraser, Chris Daniels, George Rees Costume department Assistant Costume Designers - Emma Burnand, Simon Marks Costume Assistants - Ian Fowler, Andie Mear, Jenny Tindle, Holly Williams	Make-up and prosthetics Make-up Supervisor - Emma Cowen Make-up Artists - Allison Sing, Amy Riley, Charlotte Giles Junior Make-up Artist - Hanna Lewis-Jones Movement Stunt Co-ordinators - Derek Lea, Dani Biernat Stunt Performer - Gary Kane Casting Casting Associate - Ri McDaid-Wren Casting Assistant - Louis Constantine General post-production staff Post-production Co-ordinator - Claire Rees Assistant Editors - David Davies, Hayley Williams On-line Editors - Geraint Pari Huws, Christine Kelly Special and visual effects VFX Editor - Martyn Western Creature Effects & Prosthetics - Millennium FX Colourist - Gareth Spensley Head Modelmaker - Lee Radford Sound Sound Recordist - Deian Llŷr Humphreys Dubbing Mixer - Howard Bargroff Sound Maintenance Engineers - Tam Shoring, Christopher Goding Dialogue Editor - Darran Clement ADR Editor - Matthew Cox SFX Editor - Harry Barnes Foley - Bang Post Production

Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.

References

People

• Frankie is the wife of Robertson's niece.
• The Doctor mentions an incident involving stopping an airplane with a pencil-thick strand of spider-web and Amelia Earhart.
• Robertson is running for President in 2020 in America.
• The Doctor is wearing a bum bag.
• The Doctor notes how Yaz's dad collects junk like stamps.
• The Doctor likes conspiracies.
• The Doctor used to be a sister in an aqua hospital which turned out to be a training camp for the Quiston Calcium Assassins.
• Ryan's dad sent him a letter apologising for not being around.
• Anna was on the admin team of the scientists.
• Robertson at first thinks the webs are an eco-protest.
• Robertson, Ryan and Graham have Arachnophobia.
• Ryan and Graham suggest to Robertson that the spiders could be an espionage plot by the Russians.
• The Doctor calls Robertson "dude".
• The spiders are cocooning people.
• The Doctor muses that The Spider Mother in the Ballroom could be the title of "the best novel Edith Wharton never wrote".
• The Doctor says she used to have sisters.
• The Doctor states Ed Sheeran is a person a lot of people talk about today.
• Ryan remarks Stormzy is popular in Sheffield's grime scene.
• Donald Trump is said to be the current sitting President of the United States.
• Jack Robertson was featured in Fortune Global 500.
• Sonya thinks Yaz and Ryan are romantically attached. Najia also makes that assumption of her daughter and the Doctor.
• Graham is tired of grieving.
• The Doctor calls her friends "fam" before settling on Team TARDIS.

Locations

• Yasmin Khan and her family live in Flat 34 at Park Hill. Anna, the neighbour two doors down, lives in Flat 27.
  • A sign on Yaz's floor points the way to Norwich Street.
  • They have sales offices in some parts.
• A Stagecoach Supertram is seen travelling to the destination Malin Bridge. Another is travelling to Meadowhall.
  • It has The Sheffield College written on a window.
• Sheffield Hallam University can be seen from Graham's house.
• Graham's house is number 36.
• A map of Sheffield shows districts within and around the city. Areas include Boulder Hill, Brightside, Burngreave, Catcliffe, Cathedral, Darnall, Fir Vale, Firth Park, Grimesthorpe, Hillsborough, Kelham Island, Longley, Longley Park, Loxley Estate, Manor Castle, Middlewood, Orgreave, Parkwood Springs, Parson Cross, Pitsmoor, Sheffield Park, Shirecliffe, Shiregreen, Stannington, Templeborough, Tinsley, Wadsley, Wadsley Bridge, Walkley, Wincobank, Wisewood, Wood Hill and Worrall.
  • Malin Bridge is also shown, although "Malin" is crossed by the marker pen when the Doctor draws on the map, leaving just "Bridge".
• Jack Robertson's hotel is located just north of Parkwood Springs.
• The Doctor says the spider ecosystem in South Yorkshire has been disrupted.

Species

• Giant spiders, and their mother have infested Robertson's hotel.
• Jade and Anna are studying arachnids and arthropods.
  • One of the spiders is given the Latin name Hirsutus.
• Spider-web can be as strong as kevlar, as indicated by Jade.
• The Doctor says that she and the others are like flies.

Businesses

• Najia briefly works as General Manager for Robertson Luxury Hotels.
  • Robertson says that it is only one in a very successful chain of hotels which is only one small part of his business portfolio.
    • The one in Yorkshire used to be a coal mine.
• Royal Mail have delivered a parcel which needs collecting from Flat 27.
• JLR Disposal gets rid of waste.
• On the bottle the Doctor carries it says Trapex Export.
• Robertson says he's gonna get into the White House by any means.

Music

• Ryan plays "Know Me From" to attract the spiders.

Technology

• Robertson's hotels use escalators to get between floors.
• Robertson has an airplane waiting for him to leave in.
• The Doctor uses the psychic paper to identify herself to Robertson as a "problem-solver".
• Jade uses an HP laptop.
• The spider lab has a Herasafe machine.
• Kevin has a gun, which Robertson takes.
• Robertson's panic rooms have thumb and eye scanners.

Food and beverages

• The Doctor agrees to come for tea in Yaz's flat.
• The Khan family has cornflakes, apples, cinnamon rolls and shished chicken.
• Hakim offers to cook pakora - a dish which Yaz states that he's terrible at.
• Graham and Grace had a bowl of lemons and pears.
• Anna has tins of chick peas, baked beans, crisps (including nacho crisps), Organic Raspberry Burst tea, bovril, garlic and vinegar in her flat.
• After saying she eats danger for breakfast, the Doctor says she prefers cereal or croissants or a little portuguese thing.
• Robertson has food and water in his panic rooms.
• Yaz says there's no more bread.

Chemicals

• The spiders don't like the acetic acid in vinegar.
• The spider carcasses have been reanimated and grown to giant size due to toxic waste of methane, sulphide and trichloroethylene.
• The spiders' pheromones caused disruption in the normal spiders' behaviour.
• The Doctor uses peppermint and tea tree oil diluted with water as a spider repellent.

Story notes

• This story introduced the new version of the Time Vortex, providing an in-depth view of the TARDIS flying through it.
• While the Doctor says in this episode she's never had a flat before, previous stories such as PROSE: Verdigris and PROSE: Endgame indicate otherwise.
• The plot of the episode is similar to the films Ice Spiders and Eight Legged Freaks due to using both the themes of scientific blunders from the former and toxic waste mutating normal sized spiders from the latter.
• The title of this episode is a play on the Sex Pistols song title Anarchy in the UK.
• Almost every science fiction fact about spiders mentioned or done in the episode has its ground in real-world science.
• Internationally renowned zoologist and conservationist Dr Niall Doran was consulted for this episode.

Ratings

• 6.43 million (UK overnight)
• 900,000 (US figures)

Filming locations

• Sheffield
  • Park Hill flats
  • Supertram bridge over Commercial Street and Park Square
• Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

to be added

Continuity

• The Doctor returns her companions to Sheffield half an hour after they left. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
• The Doctor once more refers to her TARDIS team as "fam". (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) Sarah Jane Smith had previously told the Tenth Doctor that he had the biggest family on Earth in the form of his companions. (TV: Journey's End)
• The Doctor calls her group "Team TARDIS." (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS)
• The Doctor's bemusement to Ryan if she is being weird in public resembles the Tenth Doctor's similar aside to Rose Tyler about whether he acts rude. (TV: Tooth and Claw)
• Najia Khan's wary attitude to the Doctor echoes that of other mothers of companions such as Jackie Tyler, (TV: Aliens of London) Francine Jones (TV: The Lazarus Experiment) and Sylvia Noble. (TV: The Sontaran Stratagem)
• The Doctor reiterates her dislike of guns, (TV: The Sontaran Stratagem, The Doctor's Daughter, The Impossible Astronaut, The Curse of the Black Spot, Into the Dalek, The Doctor Falls, The Ghost Monument)
• The Doctor uses her psychic paper. (TV: The End of the World, et al.)
• Graham is still grieving over Grace O'Brien. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
• The Doctor has previously met large arachnid-like creatures, such as the Great One of the Eight Legs, (TV: Planet of the Spiders) the Lobri, (COMIC: Ground Zero) a friendly Hysperon spider, (PROSE: The Scarlet Empress) the Racnoss, (TV: The Runaway Bride) and spider germs, (TV: Kill the Moon) as well as a large spider of unknown origin (COMIC: Dr. Who in the Spider's Web) and giant spiders of a jungle planet. (COMIC: The Psychic Jungle)
• The Doctor had encountered arthropods which had been mutated to giant size by toxic waste dumped by an unscrupulous company in an abandoned coal mine once before. (TV: The Green Death)
• The Doctor states she calls people dude now, having introduced the word to humanity several years earlier than they were supposed to have had it. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice)

Home video releases

DVD releases

to be added

Blu-ray releases

to be added

Digital releases

to be added

External links

• Official Arachnids in the UK page on the Doctor Who website