The Monster of Peladon (TV story)

The Monster of Peladon was the fourth story of Season 11 of Doctor Who. It was the Third Doctor's penultimate story. It was notable for being a sequel to The Curse of Peladon, and for firmly establishing the Doctor's fondness for the planet of Peladon. Although it is the last televised story, as of 2011, to take place on Peladon and feature the Ice Warriors, the location and monsters would be reused in several stories told in other media.

The story was memorable for its obvious pro-labour, pro-feminist themes.

Synopsis
The Doctor returns to Peladon fifty years after his last visit, to find Queen Thalira, daughter of the late King Peladon, on the throne. A tense labour dispute between Pel nobility and miners is worsened when apparitions of their deity Aggedor attack and kill several miners. The Galactic Federation desperately needs trisilicate for its war against Galaxy 5 and sends in brutal Ice Warrior troopers to ensure production. The Doctor discovers a devious plot at the heart of Aggedor's appearances.

Plot
The Doctor brings Sarah to the Citadel of Peladon to introduce her to his friend the King, but accidentally arrives fifty years later to find his daughter Queen Thalira on the throne. They find a very tense situation between the Galactic Federation, Pel miners, and Pel nobility. The Federation is at war with Galaxy 5, and desperately requires trisilicate for the war effort. The miners feel exploited, their way of life having not improved in the half-century since Peladon joined the Federation. Leadership of the miners is divided between the centrist Gebek and the hotheaded Ettis. Tensions rise further when the image of Aggedor begins to appear at random, attacking and killing miners. Chancellor Ortron takes this as a sign that their deity is displeased with alien intrusion in the affairs of Peladon.

Ettis convinces the miners to strike and seizes a Federation armoury, while Gebek appeals for calm and negotiation. The Doctor suspects that someone is creating the appearances of Aggedor in order to further destabilise trisilicate production, but finds himself at odds with both the miners and Ortron, having only his old friend Alpha Centauri, and Thalira's recollection of her father's stories for support. Ortron has the Doctor and Sarah thrown into a pit to face the real Aggedor, but the Doctor calms the great beast with his Venusian lullaby as he did fifty years earlier. Sarah urges Thalira to stand up for herself against the male-dominated nobility.

Eckersley, an Earthling overseeing the trisilicate production, calls in a Federation security force to restore order. The security force are Ice Warriors, led by Azaxyr, who utilise harsh means to force the miners to work on pain of death, and ruthlessly kill several miners. This however unifies the miners and nobility against the Ice Warriors. The isolated Ettis goes mad and attempts to blow up the Citadel, at the cost of his own life. Azaxyr uses the attack as an excuse to impose martial law, killing Ortron as he attempts to flee.

Through the Doctor and Sarah's investigation, Eckersley and Azaxyr are revealed as Galaxy 5 operatives, hoping to turn the tide of the war by controlling the trisilicate supply. The Doctor gains control of the mechanism creating the Aggedor apparitions and uses it against the Ice Warriors. The real Aggedor appears and kills Eckersley as he attempts to kidnap Thalira, but unfortunately expires in the process. Their gambit on Peladon defeated, Galaxy 5 sues for peace. Thalira and her new chancellor Gebek commit themselves to a new beginning for Peladon, while the Doctor and Sarah slip away.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Jon Pertwee
 * Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
 * Thalira - Nina Thomas
 * Eckersley - Donald Gee
 * Ortron - Frank Gatliff
 * Gebek - Rex Robinson
 * Azaxyr - Alan Bennion
 * Sskel - Sonny Caldinez
 * Ettis - Ralph Watson
 * Voice of Alpha Centauri - Ysanne Churchman
 * Body of Alpha Centauri - Stuart Fell
 * Vega Nexos - Gerald Taylor
 * Preba - Graeme Eton
 * Blor - Michael Crane
 * Guard Captain - Terry Walsh
 * Aggedor - Nick Hobbs
 * Miner - Roy Evans
 * Miner - Max Faulkner

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Roselyn Parker
 * Costumes - Barbara Kidd
 * Designer - Gloria Clayton
 * Film Cameraman - Keith Hopper
 * Film Editor - William Symon
 * Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
 * Make-Up - Elisabeth Moss
 * Producer - Barry Letts
 * Production Assistant - Marcia Wheeler
 * Production Unit Manager - George Gallaccio
 * Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
 * Special Sounds - Dick Mills
 * Studio Lighting - Ralph Walton
 * Studio Sound - Tony Millier
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Visual Effects - Peter Day

Ice Warriors

 * Despite Izlyr's assertion that the Ice Warriors have renounced their warlike ways, there still exist some break-away groups, including those led by Azaxyr, who yearn for warfare.

Individuals

 * Alpha Centauri is now a Galactic Federation ambassador.

Music

 * The Doctor uses a Venusian lullaby to subdue Aggedor, again.

Organisations

 * Galaxy 5 is at war with the Federation.

Minerals

 * Trisilicate is a vital component of circuits and heat shields.

Story notes

 * This story had the working title Return To Peladon.
 * Elisabeth Sladen is credited as Sarah Jane in Radio Times for Parts Two, Four and Five.
 * Radio Times credits Stuart Fell (Body of Alpha Centauri) as Alpha Centauri, Ysanne Churchman (Voice of Alpha Centauri) as Alpha Centauri's Voice, and Roy Evans (Miner) as Rima.
 * This is the last on-screen appearance of the Ice Warriors, though they did reappear in various novels (NA: Legacy, Theatre of War, Happy Endings, GodEngine, The Dying Days) and audio dramas (BFA: Red Dawn, Frozen Time, BFBS: The Dance of the Dead) to name a few.
 * In an attempt to recapture the feel of The Curse of Peladon, the same director and designer were assigned to this story and many of the props that still existed (including the Alpha Centauri and Aggedor costumes) were re-used. The Ice Warrior costumes were all originally made for the 1960's episodes.

Ratings

 * Part One - 9.2 million viewers
 * Part Two - 6.8 million viewers
 * Part Three - 7.4 million viewers
 * Part Four - 7.2 million viewers
 * Part Five - 7.5 million viewers
 * Part Six - 8.1 million viewers

Myths

 * Azaxyr is an 'Ice Lord'. (The term is never used.)

Filming locations

 * Five days at the Ealing Television Film Studios from January 14th to 18th 1974 filming footage set in the mines.
 * Two day session in BBC Television Centre Studio 8 from January 28th and Tuesday the 29th 1974 filming footage set in the temple and the pit.

Production errors

 * Lip-reading the Doctor at the end of episode one results in the line, "What the bloody hell is it?" Actually, he appears to be saying, "What the blazes is it?"
 * In episode four we get a clear look at stunt double Terry Walsh when, as the Doctor, he throws Ettis.
 * In Part Six, the hole in the door vanishes along with the Aggedor statue.
 * When Aggedor dies, Nick Hobbs's skin shows as the trousers detach from the boots.
 * Alpha Centauri's costume has many problems. The inner-lining is frequently visible, the actor's neck is repeatedly shown, and in Part 1 the actor's feet come out from underneath.

Continuity

 * This is a sequel to DW: The Curse of Peladon. NA: Legacy and BFA: The Bride of Peladon are sequels to both this story and The Curse of Peladon.
 * Sarah Jane Smith references bringing freedom to miners on Peladon in SJA: The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith.
 * The Ice Warriors use hand-held sonic weapons similar to the built-in weapons they had in their appearances in DW: The Ice Warriors in 1967 and DW: The Seeds of Death in 1969.
 * In DW: The Seeds of Death, the Ice Warriors skin was immune to bullets, but now a simple sword can kill them. (Perhaps it's a single powerful strike instead of small repeated strikes that punctures an Ice Warrior's armour.)
 * In Part Five, while Sarah Jane Smith believes the Doctor is dead, as she speaks with Thalira and Ortron, she refers to a previous conversation she had with the Doctor. "That's what the Doctor used to say. There's always a chance. That while there's life...". Unable to finish, Sarah walks away. This foreshadows the Doctor's final words to Sarah Jane in the following story DW: Planet of the Spiders, before he regenerates into his fourth incarnation.

Timeline

 * This story takes place after BBCR: The Ghosts of N-Space.
 * This story takes place before EDA: Alien Bodies.

DVD release

 * This story was first released on DVD in the UK on 4 January 2010 as part of the Peladon Tales Boxset. The two disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:
 * Commentary by Nina Thomas (Queen Thalira), Donald Gee (Eckersley), Ralph Watson (Ettis), Stuart Fell (Alpha Centauri), Barry Letts (Producer), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor) and Toby Hadoke (Moderator).
 * Commentary by Rob Shearman (Fan/Writer), Mark Aldridge (Fan), Kate Du-Rose (Fan) and Philip Newman (Fan).
 * The Peladon Saga – Part Two
 * On Target – Terrance Dicks
 * Deleted Scene
 * Where Are They Now?
 * Coming Soon Trailer
 * Radio Times Billings
 * Production Subtitles
 * Photo Gallery
 * Easter Egg: 32-second clip from BBC News 27 May 1973, "Jon Pertwee Races Lord Montagu." To access this hidden feature, press left at Where Are They Now? on the bonus disc menu.


 * Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.