The Curse of Peladon (TV story)

Synopsis
The Doctor and Jo make a test flight in the TARDIS and arrive on the planet Peladon. Seeking shelter, they enter the citadel of the soon-to-be-crowned King Peladon, where the Doctor is mistaken for a human dignitary summoned to act as Chairman of a committee assessing an application by the planet to join the Galactic Federation.

The other committee members - Alpha Centauri, Arcturus and the Martian Lord Izlyr and his Warrior subordinate Ssorg - have already arrived, but are disconcerted by the death of one of the King's advisors, Chancellor Torbis. High Priest Hepesh, who opposes the union with the Federation, attributes Torbis's death to the Curse of Aggedor, the sacred beast of Peladon. Other incidents occur and the Doctor concludes that a saboteur is at work.

At first he suspects the Ice Warriors, but the guilty parties are eventually revealed to be Hepesh and Arcturus. Arcturus has convinced Hepesh that the Federation would only exploit Peladon for its mineral riches, whereas this is in fact his own race's intention. Arcturus is destroyed with a blast from Ssorg's sonic gun, but Hepesh escapes into a network of tunnels beneath the citadel, where he foments rebellion amongst the guards. The rebels storm the citadel and take the King prisoner.

Hepesh then orders Aggedor - a real beast he has been using for his own ends - to kill the Doctor. The Doctor, however, has tamed Aggedor, and it is Hepesh who dies.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Jon Pertwee
 * Jo Grant - Katy Manning
 * King Peladon - David Troughton
 * High Priest Hepesh - Geoffrey Toone
 * Chancellor Torbis - Henry Gilbert
 * Delegate Izlyr - Alan Bennion
 * Sub-delegate Ssorg - Sonny Caldinez
 * Delegate Alpha Centauri - Stuart Fell
 * Voice of Alpha Centauri - Ysanne Churchman
 * Delegate Arcturus - Murphy Grumbar
 * Voice of Arcturus - Terry Bale
 * Grun - Gordon St. Clair
 * Aggedor - Nick Hobbs
 * Guard Captain - George Giles
 * Amazonia - Wendy Danvers

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Ros Anderson
 * Costumes - Barbara Lane
 * Designer - Gloria Clayton
 * Fight Arranger - Terry Walsh, PROFILE
 * Film Cameraman - Fred Hamilton, Peter Sargent
 * Film Editor - Michael Sha-Dyan
 * Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
 * Make-Up - Sylvia James
 * Producer - Barry Letts
 * Production Assistant - Chris D'Oyly-John
 * Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
 * Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
 * Studio Lighting - Howard King
 * Studio Sound - Tony Millier
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Visual Effects - Bernard Wilkie, Ian Scoones

Story Notes

 * Working titles for this story included: The Curse and then Curse Of The Peladons.
 * Jon Pertwee sings the Venusian Lullaby to the tune of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".
 * This story was an allegory of the UK's accession to the Common Market - a highly topical issue at the time of its original transmission.
 * David Troughton, playing King Peladon, shared a flat with future Doctor Colin Baker at this time. Three decades later, Troughton would again guest star on Doctor Who in Midnight.

Ratings

 * Part 1 - 10.3 million viewers
 * Part 2 - 11 million viewers
 * Part 3 - 7.8 million viewers
 * Part 4 - 8.4 million viewers

Myths

 * The natives of the planet Peladon are called Pels. (They are not called by this name here.)
 * Izlyr is an Ice Lord. (Although he is referred to as a Lord, the term 'Ice Lord' is never used.)

Filming Locations

 * BBC Television Centre (Puppet Theatre and Studio 4), Shepherd's Bush, London

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
Perhaps, as the higher ranking martian of the two, Izlyr is the only one allowed the privalige of sleep, wheras Ssorg would be expected to remain on guard in order to protect his superior.
 * Do Izlyr and Ssorg share a bed? (There's only one bed in the Ice Warrior's room)

Continuity

 * There are three sequels; DW: The Monster of Peladon (which is a sequel to this story), BFA: BFA: Bride of Peladon (which follows chronologically) and NA:'' Legacy (which follows on from all chronologically).
 * The Ice Warriors previously appeared in DW: The Ice Warriors and The Seeds of Death (in both cases the antagonists).
 * The Doctor previously uttered his Venusian Lullaby in DW: The Dæmons.
 * PDA: The Face of the Enemy occurs co-current with the events of this story.

DVD, Video and Other Releases
Video Releases

Released as Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon

Released:


 * UK August 1993
 * Australia November 1993
 * US September 1995

Target Novelisations

 * Novelised as Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon in 1975 by Brian Hayles.