The Curse of Peladon

The Curse of Peladon takes the Doctor and Jo away to the titular planet, a civilisation at an apparently European mediæval level of development, which is joining the galactic federation. However, there are elements in this society that oppose this and the mythical figure of Aggedor seems to be angered.

The plot of the story seems to be simple, with the Doctor helping to ease Peladon into the modern world and solve the mystery of Aggedor. However, the story manages to be utterly gripping from start to finish, purely because it does what it does utterly flawlessly. Brian Hayles’s script is fantastic, with the plot constructed very efficiently. The dialogue is beautiful- scenes that would seem clunky if written by a lesser writer are carried out with real elegance and wit. The characterisation is spot on. Peladon comes off as being progressive and merciful, without seeming weak. Hepesh is painted as being the antagonist, but we can see his motives, despite his adherence to primitive ritual and prejudice against aliens. In the most wonderful of twists, the Ice Warriors are brought back- but not as the villains. The presentation of a past enemy of the Doctor as now being benevolent is a welcome and mature development in the world of Doctor Who.

However, the appeal of the story is not merely in its deceptively simple story. In addition to the Ice Warriors, we have Alpha Centauri and Arcturus, a pair of wonderfully designed and realised aliens. Alpha Centauri is a one–eyed hermaphrodite hexapod (I can imagine the awkward explanations parents would have tried to give at the time!) with a shrill feminine voice, courtesy of Ysanne Churchman and Arcturus is realised as a kind of tentacled skull in a perspex dome. The interaction between the delegates is also well written.

Lennie Mayne directs very atmospherically, getting great performances from the cast and overseeing some very creative camerawork and interesting compositions. A case in point is the revelation of Ssorg, the Ice Warrior. He lumbers onscreen from the right to the left in a very simple, but hugely effective shot. Every shot has obviously been created to be interesting and effective. The design throughout is excellent, from the castle through to the costumes, and very well lit, with the castle being lit as if burning torches are the only light source.

The cast is superlative. Alan Bennion makes Izlyr both a menacing Ice Lord and a benevolent character. I love the scene when he privately admits to Jo that he finds Alpha Centauri annoying. Then there is David Troughton. He is acclaimed today as one of the finest actors in the country (I have personally seen him be utterly fantastic in roles as varied as Richard II and Captain Hook) and he is thoroughly excellent here. Jon Pertwee has to play detective, fighter and politician here, and does that with humour and aplomb, fighting with Grun, King Peladon’s champion and taming Aggedor with a Venusian lullaby. Katy Manning is truly fantastic here, Jo showing initiative and diplomatic skills. Her budding romance with Peladon is beautifully written and both Troughton and Manning are well up to it. Lennie Mayne clearly knows exactly how to motivate this fantastic cast to give the best possible performance.

I don’t personally think The Curse of Peladon is the best Doctor Who story of all time. It is, however, pretty close and, as a Doctor Who story, utterly perfect.

NEXT: The Sea Devils