A Conversation for 'Spyder's Web' - the Television Series

Edited Guide Writing Workshop: A87924333 - 'Spyder's Web' - the Television Series

Post 1

Bluebottle

Entry: 'Spyder's Web' - the Television Series - A87924333
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

A idiosyncratic spy-fi series that was not strong enough to succeed. Think of it as Bargain Basement 'Avengers'.

<BB<


A87924333 - 'Spyder's Web' - the Television Series

Post 2

SashaQ - happysad

Very interesting that this series was contemporary with The Persuaders! Fascinating the differences, though - that is impressive in a bad way that there were no overseas sales at all... Good to see a woman in the lead role smiley - ok

The Spinning the Web section starts well, but then seems a bit mixed up - eg the definition of ATV might need to be moved up, and you might be able to rejig things so you start with the Making Of, then move to broadcast, and then the mention of 'lack of interest in the UK' etc.

"the backers demanded that she take amphetamines to slim down" - what is a backer? That is a shocking demand... What a shame she was not able to do the role justice, and what a shame that the role of Blanche wasn't enough to help her smiley - blue

Fascinating plotline about the Isle of Wight smiley - laugh What accent do the people have? RP?

Strong conclusion - sounds like they wanted to be different from the other Spy-Fi series, in having 4 regular characters rather than 2, but struggled to get it to work given the lack of chemistry...

smiley - ok


A87924333 - 'Spyder's Web' - the Television Series

Post 3

Bluebottle

The main difference when comparing this series to 'The Persuaders!' is how cheap it looks. If you were purchasing a British television series for broadcast on your network, why would you choose one with an unknown cast that doesn’t have the style and sophistication and is filmed in studio on videotape with only occasional exterior locations, when you could buy the glamour of 'The Persuaders!'?

It's a fair cop about the spinning the web smiley - spider section smiley - handcuffs - I've rearranged it into chronological order so it should make more sensesmiley - ok.

I've changed 'backer' to 'investor'. Unfortunately it seems common for investors to dictate that lead actresses need to be 'sexier' or slim down – it happened with 'The New Avengers' that the foreign investors didn't think Joanna Lumley was sexy enough for the role… But the backers have the money that supports the rest of the production and can always say 'I'm not going to invest in this film if you don't do what I say' and so can easily hire and fire the cast.

With the final episode, except for the vicar who speaks in the C of E RP way that vicars do, it seems as if the supporting cast were told 'just speak in a regional accent, any region will do'. The main rebel sounds almost exactly like Harry H Corbett from 'Steptoe and Son' while others have Yorkshire or Lancashire accents – but at least we're spared Dick van Dyke.

It was a positive step that the main character was female (the series definitely passes the Bechdel Test – although if one of the requirements was for the conversation to be other than Lottie asking Wal to make her smiley - coffee it would probably struggle) but sadly Patricia Cutts wasn't up to the responsibility at this stage of her career. It would be unfair to blame the series' failure on her, though – while it is possible 'Spyder's Web' may have been more successful if a better actress had been cast, for the show to have succeeded it probably needed to have been made five years earlier. When made, 'Spyder's Web' was a cheap example of an increasingly out-of-fashion genre.

<BB<


Key: Complain about this post

Edited Guide Writing Workshop: A87924333 - 'Spyder's Web' - the Television Series

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more