How does something so small turn something so large such as humans into a quivering mess?

Thankfully, while channel grazing Foxtel this week the answer was delivered via SBS in the form of a courageous English presenter named Professor Alice Roberts and a BBC Four program called Spider House.

Spider House was designed to show that our arachnid friends are not the fearsome, blood-sucking murderers many will have you believe but actually play an important role in your home.

Professor Roberts tested her bravery levels by spending the night sleeping in the Spider House with an army of creepy crawlies going about their business.

The documentary also included a group of people who suffer from arachnophobia taking part in a spider familiarisation program designed to quell their fears.

The program concluded with each participant having a picture taken holding a Mexican tarantula named Agnes that makes your regular house huntsman look like a minnow.

Spider House should have been compulsory viewing for all  those spider serial killers out there.

Hate to be a spider living at our house.

It's fair to say one half of the household (hint - it ain't me) lives life by the motto ''see spider, kill spider''.

Now when it comes to white-tails and red-backs I can kind of understand such thinking, but those poor, innocent huntsman and daddy-long-legs - so desperately misunderstood.

It's sad really that you feel the need to tell a huntsman to run for his or her life every time you see one.

The best part of Spider House was that it finally put to rest that age-old urban myth about the number of spiders we swallow in our sleep each night.

The myth will have you believe the number is anywhere between one and a 100 but the truthful answer is - what a surprise - zero. 

The spider expert interviewed by Professor Roberts in the Spider House explained that as soon as a spider feels your skin, it will actually head for the hills, not your mouth.

Bet it's the same for that other age-old myth the daddy-long-legs is the most venomous spider on the planet but its fangs aren't big enough to break human skin.

Phew, now we've debunked those myths you can get a better night's sleep and perhaps leave that huntsman or daddy-long-legs in the corner to get rid of all those bitey insects instead.

Oh, you can also now go back to using your shoes to protect your feet, the broom to sweep the floor and that can of Mortein for those annoying flies.

For those brave enough, part two of Spider House will screen on SBS One at 8.30pm on Tuesday.