C11S04 The monster of Peladon
Synopsis
When the TARDIS lands 50 years after its first visit to Peladon, the Doctor and Sarah discover a troubled planet ruled by the late King's daughter. Peladon is at the centre of a war - and the Galactic Federation desperately needs a mineral found in the mines. But why is the ghost of Aggedor killing miners and why can't everyone be trusted? Queen Thalira needs the Doctor's help to find out...
Cover notes
As the title implies, The Monster of Peladon features a planet the Doctor has been to before. This sequel to The Curse of Peladon cost-effectivly reuses many of the monster costumes, props and sets from the first story, and the same director and designer also came back to work on the six-part tale.
The story is a blatant parody of the 1973 miners' strike and the first draft of Brian Hayles' script was originally set while King Peladon still rules the planet. However, unhappy with several elements, producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks decided to move the story to 50 years after The Curse of Peladon, lose the King and introduce Queen Thalira as King Peladon's daughter and heir.
This monster-packed story saw the fourth and final appearance of the Ice Warriors in Doctor Who. The lumbering, breathless Martians had first been introduced when Patrick Troughton was the Doctor in The Ice Warriors (1967) and The Seeds of Death (1969). They returned for the first Peladon story, surprising the Doctor (and viewers) when it turned out they had given up violence and joined the Galactic Federation.
The Monster of Peladon is the penultimate story of the Jon Pertwee era. Trips to alien planets in the TARDIS are rare for the Third Doctor, so it's ironic that he should return to two he has already visited for his last couple of adventures. His next and final story, Planet of the Spiders, sees a return to Metebelis III, where more monsters are waiting...
Cast
| The Doctor | Jon Pertwee | listed as Doctor Who |
| Sarah Jane Smith | Elisabeth Sladen | |
| Eckersley | Donald Gee | |
| Thalira | Nina Thomas | |
| Ortron | Frank Gatliff | ep. 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Gebek | Rex Robinson | |
| Ettis | Ralph Watson | ep. 1,2,3,4 |
| Voice of Alpha Centauri | Ysanne Churchman | |
| Body of Alpha Centauri | Stuart Fell | |
| Vega Nexos | Gerald Taylor | ep. 1 |
| Preba | Graeme Eton | ep. 1.2,4 |
| Blor | Michael Crane | ep. 1 |
| Guard Captain | Terry Walsh | ep. 1.2,3,4 |
| Aggedor | Nick Hobbs | ep. 2,3,6 |
| miner | Roy Evans | ep. 3,4 |
| Azaxyr | Alan Bennion | ep. 4,5,6 |
| Sskel | Sonny Caldinez | ep. 4,5,6 |
| miner | Max Faulkner | ep. 6 |
Crew
| Written by | Brian Hayles | |
| Title music | Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop | |
| Title sequence | Bernard Lodge | |
| Incidental music | Dudley Simpson | |
| Special sound | Dick Mills | |
| Fight arranger | Terry Walsh | |
| Film Cameraman | Keith Hopper | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Film Sound | John Gatland | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Film Editor | William Symon | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Visual effects designer | Peter Day | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Costume designer | Barbara Kidd | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Make-up | Elizabeth Moss | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Studio Lighting | Ralph Walton | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Studio Sound | Tony Millier | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Script Editor | Terrance Dicks | |
| Designer | Gloria Clayton | |
| Producer | Barry Letts | |
| Director | Lennie Mayne |
DVD Extras
| Nina Thomas Donald Gee Ralph Watson Stuart Fell Barry Letts Terrance Dicks |
commentary track | |
| ep. 4 | Robert Shearman Mark Aldridge Kate Du-Rose Philip Newman |
fan commentary track |
| The Peladon Saga - part two | Cast and crew recall the making of both Peladon stories. Part two looks at the characters and monsters featured in the stories. | |
| Deleted scene | A recreation of a deleted scene based on a surviving audio recording | |
| Where are they now? [1980] | David Jacobs interviews actress Ysanne Churchman, who provided the voice for alien ambassador Alpha Centauri in both Peladon stories, in this extract from the 1980 television series. | |
| On Target - Terrance Dicks | Writer and script editor Terrance Dicks novelised many Doctor Who stories for the Target book range over the years. | |
| photo gallery | ||
| Radio Times listings | ||
| BBC Enterprises sales literature on this story and a studio floor plan |
Commentary
| serial code : | YYY |
| episode count : | 6 |
| initial broadcast date : | 1974-03-23 |
| DVD release date : | |
| DVD SE release date : | |
| BluRay release date : | |
| part of the Peladon Tales boxset | |