Spyder's Web
Spyder's Web was a British crime drama television series produced by ATV for ITV and broadcast in 1972.[1] It starred Anthony Ainley as Clive Hawksworth and Patricia Cutts as Charlotte "Lottie" Dean as two secret agents working for the mysterious Spyder organisation in the interests of the British government.
| Spyder's Web | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Starring | Patricia Cutts Anthony Ainley Veronica Carlson Roger Lloyd-Pack |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company | ATV |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 21 January – 14 April 1972 |
In common with many other such series of the time, Spyder's Web adopted a tongue-in-cheek approach to its subject matter. The Spyder organisation used as its cover a down-at-heel film company, Arachnid Films, and only Dean and Hawksworth were in on the secret; the company's other employees, Wallis Ackroyd and Albert Mason, believed the cover to be genuine. Indeed, Dean claimed to have won awards for her documentaries. Hawksworth, the "action man," was a knowing caricature of the steely-eyed, jutting-jawed heroes of former times, and was alleged to have been "steeped in Bulldog Drummond from an early age." (His response: "We were just good friends.") Five of the thirteen episodes were written by Roy Clarke who went on to create Last of the Summer Wine.
The programme ran for just one series, and was released on DVD by Network in 2011; only two episodes exist in colour.
Cast
- Patricia Cutts – Lottie Dean[2]
- Veronica Carlson – Wallis Ackroyd[2]
- Anthony Ainley – Clive Hawksworth[2]
- Roger Lloyd-Pack – Albert Mason[2]
Episode list
| Episode no. | Title | First transmission (UK) | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Spyder Secures a Main Strand" | 21 January 1972 | Dennis Vance | Roy Clarke |
| 2 | "The Executioners" | 28 January 1972 | James Gatward | Alfred Shaughnessy |
| 3 | "Romance on Wheels" | 4 February 1972 | James Gatward | Roy Clarke |
| 4 | "The Hafiz Affair" | 11 February 1972 | Dorothy Denham | Roy Clarke |
| 5 | "Life at a Price" | 18 February 1972 | Dennis Vance | Frank Driscoll |
| 6 | "Emergency Exit" | 25 February 1972 | David Wickes | David Ellis |
| 7 | "Red Admiral" | 3 March 1972 | John Cooper | Alan Hackney |
| 8 | "Lies and Dolls" | 10 March 1972 | Dennis Vance | Alfred Shaughnessy |
| 9 | "Things That Go Bang in the Night" | 17 March 1972 | Ian Fordyce | Marc Brandel |
| 10 | "An Almost Modern Man" | 24 March 1972 | Dennis Vance | Roy Clarke |
| 11 | "Nobody's Strawberry Fool" | 31 March 1972 | John Cooper | Robert Holmes |
| 12 | "The Prevalence of Skeletons" | 7 April 1972 | Ian Fordyce | Marc Brandel |
| 13 | "Rev Counter" | 14 April 1972 | Dorothy Denham | Roy Clarke |
References
- Tise Vahimagi, British Film Institute, ed. (1994). British television: an illustrated guide. Oxford University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-19-818336-5.
- "Spyder's Web". IMDB. Retrieved 13 November 2011.