 This is the fourth story of Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11). It was written by showrunner and Executive Producer Chris Chibnall and directed by Sallie Aprahamia.
In this story The Doctor finally returns her three travelling companions, Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan, home, just half an hour after they were accidentally teleported away by The Doctor at the end of the first story of the season, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth".
Finding themselves back in Sheffield, The Doctor and her travelling companions discover a serious problem is roaming around the city in the form of giant spiders.
This story guest stars Chris Noth and Shobna Gulati, with Sharon D. Clarke reprising her role as Grace O'Brien – who was killed in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth".
This story introduced the new version of the Time Vortex, providing an in-depth view of the TARDIS flying through it.
The title of this story is a play on the Sex Pistols' song title Anarchy in the UK.
Almost every science fiction fact about spiders mentioned or done in this story has its grounds in real world science.
Internationally renowned zoologist and conservationist Dr Niall Doran was consulted for this story.
The Doctor uses the psychic paper to identify herself to Jack Robertson as a ‘problem-solver’.
After saying she ‘eats danger for breakfast’ The Doctor says she ‘prefers cereal or croissants or a little Portuguese thing’.
While The Doctor says in this story she's never had a flat before. However, previous stories have indicated otherwise (see the BBC Books' The Past Doctors Stories novel "Verdigris" written by Paul Magrs and the BBC Books' The Eighth Doctor Stories novel "Endgame" written by Terrance Dicks).
The Doctor reiterates her dislike of guns, (see "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky", "The Doctor's Daughter", "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon", "The Curse of the Black Spot", "Into the Dalek", "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls", "The Ghost Monument").
The Doctor is seen using her psychic paper (see "The End of the World").
The Doctor once more refers to her companions as ‘fam’ (see "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"). Former companion Sarah Jane Smith had previously told the Tenth Doctor that he had biggest family on Earth in the form of all his companions (see the 2008 story "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End").
After calling her friends ‘fam’ The Doctor then settles on calling them ‘Team TARDIS’.
The Doctor's bemusement to Ryan, if she is being weird in public, resembles the Tenth Doctor's similar aside to Rose Tyler, in the 2006 story "Tooth and Claw" about whether he acts rude.
Graham is seen still grieving over the death of Grace O'Brien that occurred in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth").
Najia Khan's wary attitude to The Doctor echoes that of other mothers of companions such as Jackie Tyler, (in the 2005 story "Aliens of London/World War Three") Francine Jones (in the 2007 story "The Lazarus Experiment") and Sylvia Noble (in the 2008 story "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky").
The Doctor has previously met large arachnid-like creatures, such as the Great One of the Eight Legs in the 1974 story "Planet of the Spiders") the Lobri (from the comic strip story "Ground Zero), a friendly Hysperon spider, (from the BBC Books' The Eighth Doctor Stories novel "The Scarlet Empress" written by Paul Magrs), the Racnoss (seen in the 2006 "The Runaway Bride") and spider germs (seen in the 2014 story "Kill the Moon") and a large spider appeared in the comic strip stories "Dr. Who in the Spider's Web" and "The Psychic Jungle".
Spider-web can be as strong as kevlar, as indicated by Jade.
A map of Sheffield is seen showing districts within and around the city. Areas seen include: Boulder Hill, Brightside, Burngreave, Catcliffe, Cathedral, Darnall, Fir Vale, Firth Park, Grimesthorpe, Hillsborough, Kelham Island, Longley - including Longley Park, Loxley Estate, Manor Castle, Middlewood, Orgreave, Parkwood Springs, Parson Cross, Sheffield Park, Shirecliffe, Shiregreen, Stannington, Templeborough, Tinsley, Wadsley, Wadsley Bridge, Walkley, Wincobank, Wisewoodand Wood Hill. Jack Robertson's hotel is located just north of Parkwood Springs.
The plotline, where creatures have been mutated to giant size by toxic waste dumped by an unscrupulous company in an abandoned coal mine, has been used once before (see the 1973 Third Doctor story "The Green Death").
The plot of this story 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 Doctor mentions an incident involving stopping an airplane with a pencil-thick strand of spider-web. The Doctor also mentions Amelia Earhart.
The Doctor muses that ‘The Spider Mother in the Ballroom’ could be the title of ‘the best novel Edith Wharton never wrote’.
At the end of this story Graham, Ryan and Yasmin actively choose to travel with The Doctor at the end of this story.
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The Firsts:
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Sallie Aprahamian.
The first time that The Doctor calls her travelling companions ‘Team TARDIS’.
The first time that Graham, Ryan and Yasmin actively choose to travel with The Doctor in the TARDIS.
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