Serial YYY · Classic
Series Episodes 370 375:
The Monster Of Peladon
The TARDIS returns to Peladon fifty years after its first visit, and
Queen Thalira, daughter of King Peladon, is now the head of state. The
Galactic Federation desperately needs trisilicate -- in which Peladon is
rich -- to wage a war against the oppressive Galaxy Five. But this has
sparked dissension amongst Peladon's miners, inflamed by the
manifestation of the ghost of Aggedor, the Sacred Beast of Peladon, to
condemn the Federation. As Chancellor Ortron schemes for power, Alpha
Centauri is convinced to summon help. When the Ice Warriors arrive, the
Doctor is again suspicious of them; but is he repeating past
mistakes?
Brian Hayles' The Curse Of Peladon,
broadcast as part of Doctor Who's ninth season in early 1972, had
proved popular with both the production team and audiences alike. When
planning began for Season Eleven, producer Barry Letts and script editor
Terrance Dicks agreed to approach Hayles regarding a sequel. Letts and
Dicks would be preoccupied with their new science-fiction programme,
Moonbase 3, and had decided to rely on established writers for
Doctor Who that year. On January 4th, 1973, Hayles was
commissioned to write a storyline under the title “Return To
Peladon”. Letts asked Hayles to include a feminist element, while
Dicks felt that the evocative culture of Peladon presented an
opportunity for Doctor Who to delve into political intrigue.
Hayles originally approached “Return To Peladon” as a
continuation of the previous adventure, taking place only slightly later
in the reign of that serial's King Peladon. In this version of the
story, Ortron and Eckersley were working together to make Peladon an
independent world which would reap the profit from the demand for
trisilicate. Thalira was one of the king's advisers; they had been due
to marry, but she rejected him after he fell in love with Jo Grant in The Curse Of Peladon. Sarah's struggle to
adjust to the alien cultures active on Peladon led her to become
romantically involved with Eckersley.
Originally, Thalira was one of King Peladon's advisers,
who was going to marry him prior to his affair with Jo Grant
Hayles' six scripts were commissioned on July 12th. Letts and Dicks soon
grew concerned that “Return To Peladon” was becoming too
complex, and Hayles worked with them to streamline the plot. In the
process, the setting was shifted forward fifty years, with Thalira
becoming the late King Peladon's heir. The title was amended to The
Monster Of Peladon.
By late November, Dicks was still unhappy with Hayles' work. Given that
the writer had now produced two radically different versions of the
scripts, it was agreed that Hayles would be paid for his work and Dicks
would complete the serial himself; this would be Hayles' final
contribution to Doctor Who. The Monster Of Peladon
consequently underwent numerous alterations; for instance, the Ice
Warriors were originally defeated when the Doctor managed to transmit
word of their treachery to the Federation, who blockaded and threatened
to destroy the Ice Warrior planet. A casualty of the rewrites was a
one-week delay to the serial's pre-filming at the BBC Television Film
Studios in Ealing, London. This change of schedule meant that fewer
facilities would be available to The Monster Of Peladon at
Ealing, and one day would have to be shaved from the schedule.
Letts made a conscious effort to reassemble as much of the crew of The Curse Of Peladon as possible for The
Monster Of Peladon. Most notably, Lennie Mayne returned as director,
having also worked on The Three Doctors in
the interim. Stuart Fell and Ysanne Churchman would again be Alpha
Centauri's body and voice, respectively, while Nick Hobbs was hired to
reprise his role as Aggedor. Various props, costumes and set elements
from the earlier Peladon story were also reused, resulting in tight
continuity between the two serials.
The Monster Of Peladon also saw the addition of a new member to
the Doctor Who production team. The position of production unit
manager had been newly created within the BBC to handle many of the
financial aspects of a programme. The first production unit manager
assigned to Doctor Who was George Gallaccio who, over the past
year, had been a production assistant on Planet Of
The Daleks and Invasion Of The
Dinosaurs.
The abbreviated pre-filming for The Monster Of Peladon was the
first recording for Doctor Who in 1974, taking place at Ealing
from January 14th to 18th. Mayne's focus was on material in the tunnels
and caverns of the Peladon mines. Jon Pertwee had been hampered by
chronic back problems throughout the production block, and his condition
had now become so acute that stuntman Terry Walsh filled in for him
whenever any physicality was required. Unfortunately, this was
particularly evident in the fight between the Doctor and Ettis at the
end of Episode Four; Mayne was forced to try to distract the viewer by
having Pertwee dub over some lines of dialogue. While recording the
destruction of the sonic lance on the last day at Ealing, Ralph Watson
-- who played Ettis -- was temporarily blinded when a magnesium flare
accidentally ignited in his face.
Studio recording proceeded in the usual manner, with two-day sessions
held every fortnight. The first two blocks took place on Mondays and
Tuesdays, starting on January 28th and 29th at BBC Television Centre
Studio 8 in White City, London. The Monday was dedicated to Episode One,
with the establishing shot of the Citadel being the same one which had
appeared in The Curse Of Peladon. Cast as
Thalira's handmaiden was Mayne's wife, Frances Pidgeon. On the Tuesday,
cast and crew concentrated on Episode Two, but also completed Episode
Three scenes in the temple, the throne room and the pit. The second
studio block, on February 11th (for Episode Three) and 12th (for Episode
Four), was held in TC6. This was also the venue for the final session,
although the recording days on this occasion were a Tuesday and a
Wednesday: February 26th (for Episode Five) and 27th (for Episode
Six).
- Doctor Who Magazine #216, 31st August 1994, “Archive: The
Monster Of Peladon” by Andrew Pixley, Marvel Comics UK Ltd.
- Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #2, 5th September 2002,
“The Show Must Go On” by Andrew Pixley, Panini Publishing
Ltd.
- Doctor Who: The Complete History #21, 2017, “Story 73:
The Monster Of Peladon”, edited by John Ainsworth, Hachette
Partworks Ltd.
- Doctor Who: The Handbook: The Third Doctor by David J Howe and
Stephen James Walker (1996), Virgin Publishing.
- Doctor Who: The Seventies by David J Howe, Mark Stammers and
Stephen James Walker (1994), Virgin Publishing.
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Original Transmission
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Episode 1 |
Date |
23rd Mar 1974 |
Time |
5.30pm |
Duration |
24'59" |
Viewers (more) |
9.2m (23rd) |
Episode 2 |
Date |
30th Mar 1974 |
Time |
5.30pm |
Duration |
23'26" |
Viewers (more) |
6.8m (55th) |
Episode 3 |
Date |
6th Apr 1974 |
Time |
5.30pm |
Duration |
24'47" |
Viewers (more) |
7.4m (42nd) |
Appreciation |
64% |
Episode 4 |
Date |
13th Apr 1974 |
Time |
5.30pm |
Duration |
24'50" |
Viewers (more) |
7.2m (37th) |
Episode 5 |
Date |
20th Apr 1974 |
Time |
5.31pm |
Duration |
23'56" |
Viewers (more) |
7.5m (42nd) |
Episode 6 |
Date |
27th Apr 1974 |
Time |
5.31pm |
Duration |
23'48" |
Viewers (more) |
8.1m (30th) |
Cast
Doctor Who |
Jon Pertwee (bio) |
Sarah Jane Smith |
Elisabeth Sladen (bio) |
Eckersley |
Donald Gee |
Thalira |
Nina Thomas |
Ortron |
Frank Gatliff |
Gebek |
Rex Robinson |
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 |
Miners |
Roy Evans |
Max Faulkner |
Azaxyr |
Alan Bennion |
Sskel |
Sonny Caldinez |
Crew
Written by |
Brian Hayles (bio) |
Directed by |
Lennie Mayne (bio) |
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Fight Arranger |
Terry Walsh |
Title Music by |
Ron Grainer & |
BBC Radiophonic Workshop |
Title Sequence |
Bernard Lodge |
Incidental Music by |
Dudley Simpson |
Special Sound |
Dick Mills |
Film Cameraman |
Keith Hopper |
Film Sound |
John Gatland |
Film Editor |
William Symon |
Visual Effects Designer |
Peter Day |
Costume Designer |
Barbara Kidd |
Make Up |
Elizabeth Moss |
Studio Lighting |
Ralph Walton |
Studio Sound |
Tony Millier |
Script Editor |
Terrance Dicks (bio) |
Designer |
Gloria Clayton |
Producer |
Barry Letts (bio) |
Working Titles
Return To Peladon |
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