大象传媒

Hidden amongst the long grass a spider is busy spinning. But this is no ordinary spider and it鈥檚 no ordinary web that she鈥檚 spinning. Alison Steadman plays Sandra the sun-loving spider and her 鈥榓lter ego鈥�, Patsy, in a funny tale written by Lynne Truss about an eight legged femme fatale.

Sandra is a Nursery web spider, and as for the spinning; well she just can鈥檛 help herself 鈥淥h, Sandra, how many more times, my love? You are not a loom!鈥� she cries. In fact, as she explains, she doesn鈥檛 even have to make webs. Other spiders have to make webs to catch their dinner, but not the Nursery Web spider; she simply hunts down her prey, jumping out and surprising them, 鈥渋ts much more energy efficient and leaves more time for sitting in the sun admiring your own legs鈥�.

Nevertheless she is very good at spinning which is just as well, because her web makes a perfect 鈥榯ent鈥� or nursery in which to look after her young. Spinning also takes her mind off things, like her recent unfortunate encounters with male suitors who dupe her with their gifts, fake accents and cheating ways.

The result is 鈥減regnant with no dinner鈥� and a family of over 100 spiderlings; quite a handful for a spider who never really wanted to be a mother. And so, Sandra sits by her nursery web, sharing her troubles with us and her 鈥榓lter ego鈥�, Patsy when she鈥檚 not being interrupted by the 鈥淪pider Relationship Councillor鈥�. With wildlife sound recordings by Chris Watson and expert advice from Dr Tim Cockerill, arachnophobes beware as on the eve of Halloween, a Nursery web spider takes to the airwaves, to reveal what life is really like in amongst the long grass!