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73) THE MONSTER OF PELADON

23 March - 27 April 1974

Average Viewing Figure: 7.7M

Plot

The Doctor returns to Peladon, and finds out the Beast of Aggedor is once again responsible for a series of murders

Cast

Jon Pertwee (The Doctor), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Donald Gee (Eckersley), Nina Thomas (Thalira), Frank Gatliff (Ortron)

Rex Robinson (Gebek), Ralph Watson (Ettis), Ysanne Churchman (Voice of Alpha Centauri), Stuart Fell (Alpha Centauri)

Alan Bennion (Azaxyr), Sonny Caldinez (Sskel), Gerald Taylor (Vega Nexos), Graeme Eton (Preba), Michael Crane (Blor)

Terry Walsh (Guard Captain), Nick Hobbs (Aggedor), Roy Evans (Miner), Max Faulkner (Miner)

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Uncredited Cast

David Cleeve, Kevin Moran, Alan Lenoir, Terence Denville (Ice Warriors), Frances Pidgeon (Handmaiden), Roy Brent, Paul Phillips

Ifor Owen, Ivan Santon, John Cannon, Chris Holmes, Bill Haydn, Tom O'Leary, Eden Fox (Miners), David Rolfe, Derek Chafer

Steve Ismay, Pat Gorman, Gordon Black, Chris Hodge, Tony Lord, Bob Blaine (Guards)

Crew

Brian Hayles (Writer), Terry Walsh (Fight Arranger), Ron Grainer (Title Music), Bernard Lodge (Title Sequence)

Dudley Simpson (Incidental Music), Dick Mills (Special Sound), Keith Hopper (Film Cameraman), John Gatland (Film Sound)

William Symon (Film Editor), Peter Day (Visual Effects Designer), Barbara Kidd (Costume Designer), Elizabeth Moss (Make-Up)

Ralph Walton (Studio Lighting), Tony Millier (Studio Sound), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor), Gloria Clayton (Designer)

Barry Letts (Producer), Lennie Mayne (Director)

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Uncredited Crew

Gordon Phillipson (Grams Operator), Jim McAllister (Film Sound Assistant), Ben Wade (Film Camera Assistant), Sid Marker (Grips)

Jack Walsh, Tommy Dawson (Technical Managers), George Gallaccio (Production Unit Manager), Michael Turner, Nick Lake (Vision Mixers)

Tom Kingdon, Esther Nordin (Floor Assistants), Roselyn Parker (Assistant Floor Manager), Carole Bisset (Director's Assistant)

Marcia Wheeler (Production Assistant), Sarah Newman (Production Secretary)

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Broadcast

Number of Production Days: 10

Filming Locations

  • Ealing Film Studios: Stage 3A

  • Television Centre: Studio 6

  • Television Centre: Studio 8

Deaths

  • Eckersley [killed by Aggedor]

  • Ortron [shot and killed by Sskel]

  • Ettis [killed when a self-destruct mechanism on a sonic lance is activated]

  • Azaxyr [stabbed by a Peladonian Guard]

  • Sskel [accidentally killed by Azaxyr]

  • Vega Nexos [killed by Eckersley's heat ray device]

  • Preba [shot and killed by an Ice Warrior]

  • Blor [killed by Eckersley's heat ray device]

  • Aggedor [killed by Eckersley]

  • Miner [stabbed by Ettis]

  • Miner [killed by an Ice Warrior]

  • Ice Warrior [killed by Eckersley's heat ray device]

  • Ice Warriors [killed after temperature rises]

  • Miner [killed by Eckersley's heat ray device]

  • Miners [killed by Ice Warriors]

  • Guard [killed by Sskel]

Production Days

  • 10 Days between Monday 14 January - Wednesday 27 February 1974

Production Errors

  1. For such a primitive society, its a marvel that the Miners have central heating 

  2. The Doctor is almost knocked down when he open a secret passageway door. Again

  3. During the fight sequence in episode four, Terry Walsh is clearly doubling for The Doctor in the scene 

  4. When Aggedor is killed and dies, the costume detaches at the trousers and boots showing Nick Hobbs skin

  5. The Miner, (Max Faulkner) plays seems to die, twice in the same episode

  6. If many people know Aggedor to be alive, why is he referred to as a spirit?  ​​​

Working Titles

  • Return to Peladon

Verdict

The Monster of Peladon does not live up to its counterpart and dives into far too many storylines – feminism, workers rights, exploitation of smaller powers all which do not mesh together to create a cohesive story. There is far too much bickering and yelling going, silly swords fights, running back and forth and unnecessary killing. The story is beyond bland where everything which made The Curse of Peladon work is sadly missing in this rehash. There are far too many obvious villains and the return of the Ice Warriors is sadly ruined before they actually appear. There is a lot of same characters from before, the mute King’s (or this in case Queen’s champion), a disgruntled advisor and of course squeezy voiced Alpha Centauri who is somehow more annoying than before. He serves nothing more than an elaborate innuendo joke and his antics get tiring pretty quickly. There appears to be a plot hole where the people of Peladon refer to Aggedor as a spirit but many of whom know full well he is indeed alive. Maybe Peladon has a different definition for Spirit. The cast range from mediocre to bland. When the only highlights to the production are the recycled sets from The Curse of Peladon then something is  wrong. **

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