The Curse of Peladon: How Doctor Who Got Political in the ’70s
Before Brexit, there was Peladon. Classic Who dives into politics, paranoia, and palace intrigue in this moody Pertwee tale.
Plot Summary:
Diplomats of the Galactic Federation will lose an important treaty with a primitive planet unless an Earth ambassador called the Doctor can solve an ancient mystery.
Notable for:
Hayles wrote 2 stories: one for Ice Warriors, another cheaper story: this was combined
David Troughton previously appeared in Enemy of the World as a guard. He was in the War Games as well. He also played the professor in Midnight.
Katy Manning really lived her character, being smitten with David Troughton.
At the time the UK was about to enter the EEC, but in the DVD commentary Dicks dismisses that this was a deliberate mirroring — “just in the air.” Hayles died in 1978, so his perspective is unavailable.
Although there are film sequences, the story didn’t have any outdoor filming.
The whole premise (multiple delegates, a whodunnit, and a tug-of-war over mining rights) is arguably a retread of Star Trek’s Journey to Babel.
Pete commentary:
The Curse of Peladon is a tight political thriller with vague parallels to real-world diplomacy. Plus it has great costumes, a monster with an interesting backstory (even if the actual monster is uninteresting), and some fun misleads. There are a few clichés (like the mute “champion,” Grun), but it holds your attention throughout, and even when the whodunnit question is answered, you’re still invested in the characters and want to see how they deal.
The Shakespearean vibe of the whole affair is very welcome, with a lot of dialogue playing out in throne rooms and castle corridors, and the story advancing often through two or three people talking behind closed doors. Tapestries, torches, caves, men with swords—this is a D&D fan’s dream.
Lots of palace intrigue right off the bat. There’s a chancellor and a high priest, and they’re bickering, each trying to persuade the king, and one dies right away. You get what they’re doing immediately, and the game’s afoot. Textbook.
Galactic Politics
The story is about traditional/conservative forces (led by Hepesh) allying with a foreign power (Arcturus) to block joining an interstellar alliance (the Galactic Federation) so they can keep a strict religious regime intact while still benefiting financially. They do this by undermining their leader and when that doesn’t work they attempt to seize power through violence. It’s a solid story that can certainly be seen through the lens of today—lots of echoes in the isolationist vs. globalist debates that continue to dominate much of international politics. Brexit has some pretty obvious parallels (minus the civil war).
Peladon is clearly steeped in tradition and the “old ways”—for one, it’s a full-on monarchy. With all the swordplay, you get the sense they are/were a low-tech planet that has been thrust into being “space-aware” by virtue of their mineral wealth.
Tons of religious/ceremonial, “you can’t do this or you’ll be killed” rules. I don’t get the sense this is a condemnation of any particular religion, but more of a setting-enhancer to emphasize the more “allegiance to tradition” religiosity that pervades the script.
I like that the delegates are all from planets close to Earth. You get the sense that this could be the early days of Earth’s colonial period, though there’s nothing to date the story otherwise. Most episode guides place it around the year 3500.
At one point Alpha Centauri says “Raise them from barbarism”—echoes of colonialism.
That said, Alpha Centauri honestly seems like the most sensible when it doesn’t want to interfere in local politics.
Isn’t it weird that two of the four delegates have the same name as their planet of origin? I would have liked a line that mentions that names for individuals aren’t a thing everywhere in the universe.
Speaking of… King Peladon of Peladon? 🤷🏻♂️
Great Aliens
I frickin’ love how ambitious the story is with its many aliens and their costumes. Alpha Centauri is truly nuts—the product of a kind of cyclops fever dream, but with a voice that alludes to high-strung characters like C3P-0. Arcturus is Dalek-like without being a Dalek, and is just about enough voice modulation that we will tolerate.
Best of all are the Ice Warriors. Who knew they looked so brilliantly colorful! The Ice Lord Izlyr in particular has great red lenses on his very green helmet. The Blu-ray really brings them out in all their glory.
It’s a nice mislead that the Ice Warriors aren’t the bad guys, though the twist is a bit simplistic by modern standards. What makes it great, though, is that we see the Doctor being somewhat flawed, strongly suspecting the Ice Warriors based on his past experiences and showing some prejudice to Jo: “I know the Ice Warriors, Jo. They're a savage and a warlike race.”
Arcturus is a variation on the “brain in a jar” alien that works decently, though why is he armed? Why does Ssorg have a huge rifle? (And how does he pull the trigger with his Lego hands?) It’s a strange diplomatic contingent where everyone is packing.
Also, why isn’t there some kind of diplomatic immunity for the Doctor et al.? Being sentenced to death for accidentally entering a particular religious temple is nuts.
Peladon and Jo
David Troughton is quite good as Peladon. You immediately sympathize with him, and his dramatic tears are believable. His skirt-and-boots outfit is a little, uh, bold, but it’s not distracting, and it doesn’t take away from his good looks. Apparently Katy Manning did not have to act much to be smitten with him, and Jo’s, “Doctor, present me to the hottie over there” line is a nice moment. Not just because there’s obvious sexual tension, but it allows Jo a moment to show her sophistication at being able to play along with the charade that they’re Earth delegates.
Nicely directed scenes between the pair: the script has lots of dialogue, obviously. And there’s a nice mix of shots—two-shot, close-ups and extreme close-ups, especially with Jo and King Peladon. In one of their conversations in ep 2, there’s a shot that begins on their hands, emphasizing the connection forming between them.
I like the scene when Peladon proposes to Jo. Not only is it really well directed, but it’s a nice bit of cluelessness on the part of Peladon. You also sympathize with the whiplash that Jo is experiencing.
It’s kinda nuts that Peladon has no idea there are catacombs and secret doors in a castle he’s lived in his entire life. He must have had a very sheltered childhood (which tracks, since he’s royalty).
The Doctor and Jo
Nice episode for Jo, stepping up to the occasion and playing along competently at being a princess when the moment calls for it.
Love the Venusian lullaby, callback to The Daemons. Hard to place the music, but it’s God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
Great exchange between the Doctor and Jo when they rib each other for getting a little too into their roles as a “chairman delegate” and princess. Grace said it was “such a NuWho convo”
Doctor calling Jo an “idiot” is harsh, but he quickly acknowledges she was brave. It works, for the time.
Etc.
So what was Arcturus’s and Hepesh’s plan at the end of ep 3? Arcturus shoots the Doctor—who is still thought to be the official Earth delegate—in plain view of everyone. Doesn’t that basically unmask the entire evil plot. Does he then shoot Jo, Ssorg, Izlyr, King Peladon, and anyone else? It seems like that’s the only way forward here: kill everybody and make up any story you want. Makes sense, but really, really risky.
Who builds a castle on a cliff? I suppose you can headcanon that by presuming Peladon has a history of warring factions/nations, and the castle was one of the most well-defended.
Also, does the sun ever come out on Peladon?
The wigs on Peladon are out of control.
Jo is going out for a night on the town with Yates?! Holy cow—kind of a outlier data point on the whole “Yates is gay” narrative. Still figuring himself out, I suppose. Of course, it's just an excuse to get Jo into a “royal” outfit. Her eyelashes are fierce.
The torch-activated secret doors do well at taking a great kid fantasy and making it part of the plot.
Aggedor actually looks pretty good. The bear-like creature costume looks like something that could believably kill quite easily. And they paid nice attention to the “wet” nose.
The big sword fight at the end is really impressive as a piece of “theater” combat.
The cutting of the ep 3 cliffhanger is so bad, you need the Doctor to explain what happened
Poor Peladon—Aggedor ends up killing both of his advisors/mentors.
Time Lords again!
What did Pete’s family think?
Grace liked it. She enjoys seeing the Third Doctor and Jo, and she was never bored.
Four Questions to Doomsday - Pete
Why did the Randomizer take us here? It’s a contrast with the current era of Doctor Who, which always seems to be upping the stakes, threatening all of reality or killing everyone in the universe. This is relatively lower stakes, and it uses its time well to flesh out more characters and their relationships.
Also, in contrast to Earthshock, impersonating someone official helps the Doctor a lot here. You can see why he started carrying psychic paper.
What if the evil plot had succeeded? Say Aggedor doesn’t kill Hepesh, but kills the Doctor instead. He regenerates into Tom Baker, and Hepesh forces all the delegates off the planet. The Doctor and Jo have to either find the TARDIS or hitch a ride with Izlyr or AC. Hepesh eventually makes a deal with some other nefarious power for mining rights.
Where's the Clara splinter? Echoing governess Clara, Peladon Clara helped keep young Peladon blissfully unaware of the secret doors in his own castle.
Dalek, Ogron, Professor Hayter, Viscount Banger, Fixed Point in Time, Lady Cassandra, or Zarbi? A very competent Dalek. Great looking, well plotted and paced, with plenty of fun and just the right amount of politically flavored content to get your mind working.