371 The Monster of Peladon Part Two

EPISODE: The Monster of Peladon: Part Two
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 371
STORY NUMBER: 073
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 30 March 1974
WRITER: Brian Hayles
DIRECTOR: Lennie Mayne
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 6.8 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Peladon Tales: Curse of Peladon & Monster of Peladon
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"The decision is no longer yours or mine, your Majesty. The girl and the Doctor have gone to face the judgement of Aggedor!"

Gebek digs the Doctor out with Eckersley's sonic lance to dig the Doctor out. Hearing an alarm Sarah searches for the Doctor. The Doctor promises to help the miners. Lost in the tunnels Sarah glimpses someone in the Federation refinery but is attacked by it's defence system. The Doctor believes the Aggedor he's seen is a product of technological trickery. Eckersley & Alpha Centauri rescue Sarah with the shadowy figure again seen in the refinery. Ortron wants the miners revolt crushed and the Doctor, who he thinks is a traitor, killed. Alpha Centauri & Sarah are seized by Ettis and threatened to allow his miners access to the armoury and Federation weapons. Ettis takes Sarah as a hostage, and escaping she is seized by Ortron's guards. The Doctor comes to rescue her but he too is seized. They are both sentenced to be cast into a pit under the temple where they encounter Aggedor.

Those who remember Curse of Peladon may already have spotted the flaw in Orton's plan! Here's his claim in the previous episode:

ORTON: Right from the day Chancellor Hepesh died, I served your father loyally. I worked for the things he believed in. Progress, civilisation, the Federation.

Surely then he would have known how Hepesh died?

Apart from that ..... Oh dear, lets play the escape & recapture game again. I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who didn't know what it was in the refinery as it's absolutely obvious especially if you've seen the previous Peladon story.

I do worry that the guard helping his injured comrade outside the refinery, who I think is Guard Captain Terry Walsh, hadn't followed his direction too well as his manner of speech is modern English and doesn't fit with any of the other Peladon natives at all!

Plenty of other guards in the episode and story too:

We'll assume you know who Pat Gorman is! Last seen as a UNIT Corporal in Invasion of the Dinosaurs he's back as a Soldier in Planet of the Spiders. But just in case you don't, and since we've not had them yet this season, now's a good time for a ceremonial reading of his full Doctor Who credits: he was a Freedom Fighter/Rebel in Dalek Invasion of Earth, a Planetarian in Mission to the Unknown: Delegate Detective thinks he's Sentreal the black Christmas tree, a Greek Soldier in The Myth Makers, a Guard in Massacre, a Worker in The War Machines, a Monk in The Abominable Snowmen, a Guard in The Enemy of the World, a Cyberman in The Invasion, a Technician in The Seeds of Death, a Military Policeman in The War Games episode two, the Silurian Scientist in The Silurians, a Technician in The Ambassadors of Death, a Primord in Inferno, the Auton Leader in Terror of the Autons, a Primitive and Long in Colony in Space, a Coven Member in The Dæmons, a Guard & Film Cameraman in Day of the Daleks, a Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, a UNIT Soldier in The Three Doctors, a Presidential Guard and Sea Devil in in Frontier in Space, a Global Chemicals Guard / 'Nuthatch' Resident in The Green Death and -a UNIT Corporal in Invasion of the Dinosaurs He returns a Soldier in Planet of the Spiders, the Gate Guard in Robot part one, a Thal Soldier in Genesis of the Daleks, a Cyberman/Dead Crewman in Revenge of the Cybermen, a Guard in The Seeds of Doom, a Soldier/Brother in The Masque of Mandragora, a Chancellory Guard in The Deadly Assassin, a Medic in The Invisible Enemy, a Kro in The Ribos Operation, the Pilot in The Armageddon Factor, a Thug in City of Death part one, a Gundan in Warriors' Gate, a Foster in The Keeper of Traken, Grogan in Enlightenment, a Soldier in The Caves of Androzani, a Slave Worker and a Cyberman in Attack of the Cybermen. Of those it' easiest to spot his face in Abominable Snowmen, Planet of the Spiders, Robot and The Armageddon Factor! He's got several Blake's 7 appearances to his name as a Scavenger in Deliverance, Federation Trooper / Rebel in Voice from the Past, Trantinian planet hopper Captain in Gambit, Death Squad Trooper in Powerplay, Federation Trooper in The Harvest of Kyros & Rumours of Death, Hommik Warrior in Power, Helot in Traitor and a Federation Trooper in Games & Blake. We was also in Adam Adamant Lives! as a Guard in More Deadly Than the Sword, a Man at Club in Beauty Is an Ugly Word, a Coven Member in The Village of Evil, a War Office Guard / TA Soldier in D for Destruction and an S.S. Guard in A Sinister Sort of Service. He appears once in The Prisoner as a Hospital Orderly in Hammer Into Anvil and just once in Doomwatch as Man in Hear No Evil. His Porridge appearance in the second Christmas Special The Desperate Hours is another easy spot: he's the Prison Officer who comes into the loos as Fletcher and friends are sampling the contraband home brew. He was in two episodes of The Sweeney as a Flying Squad Officer in Thou Shalt Not Kill (director: D Camfield) & Latin Lady, and two The Tomorrow People stories: Worlds Away as the Vesh Hunter and War of the Empires as a US Marine. In the BBC The Day of the Triffids he played a Blind Man in episode 5 while in Douglas Camfield & Robert Holmes adaption of The Nightmare Man he played The Killer with Camfield using him again as a Legionnaire in Beau Geste. He was in The Professionals five times: as a Golfer in Killer with a Long Arm, a CI5 Agent in Close Quarters & Servant of Two Masters, a Security Man in Weekend in the Country and the Police Superintendent at inquest in Discovered in a Graveyard. He's a Policeman again in The Young Ones: Interesting and towards the end of his career Russell T Davies uses him in Dark Season as a Heavy.

Derek Chafer had been a Saxon in The Time Meddler, a Greek Soldier in The Myth Makers, a Guard in The Massacre, a Lynch Mob Member in The Gunfighters, a Cyberman in The Moonbase, a Guard in Fury from the Deep, a Cyberman in The Invasion, a Technician in Seeds of Death, an Issigri HQ Miner in The Space Pirates, a UNIT Soldier in Doctor Who and the Silurians episode, a Military Policeman & UNIT Soldier in Ambassadors of Death, a Prisoner in The Mind of Evil, a Primitive in Colony in Space, a Guard in The Curse of Peladon, a Warrior in The Mutants and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks. He returns as a Soldier/Armourer/Brethren Guest in The Masque of Mandragora, a Leviathan Guard in Ribos Operation, a Gracht Guard in Androids of Tara, a Skonnan Elder in Horns of the Nimon, Doctor Body Parts/Pangol Doctor in The Leisure Hive and a Gundan in Warriors' Gate. And on the way the production paperwork will; spell his names several different ways! He was in Doomwatch as a man in Project Sahara, Re-Entry Forbidden & The Red Sky and played a man in the missing third season Out of the Unknown episode 1+1=1.5.

Regular extra Steve Ismay had been a BBC3 TV Crewmember in The Dæmons, a Guerilla & Stills Cameraman in Day of the Daleks, Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, Varan's Bodyguard in The Mutants a Presidential Guard in Frontier in Space and a Security Guard in The Green Death. So far he's been in every story this season playing a UNIT Soldier in The Time Warrior and an Army Soldier in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, an Exxilon and an Exxilon Zombie in Death to the Daleks and he completes this by playing a Metebelis 3 Guard in Planet of the Spiders! He then returns as a Guard in The Deadly Assassin, a Leviathan Guard in Ribos Operation, a Gracht Guard & one of Zadek's Guards in The Androids of Tara, would have been a "Space Monster" in Shada, possibly a Cyberman, then plays a Citizen in Full Circle, a Cyberman in Earthshock and a Security Guard in Time Flight. He had been Man in the Doomwatch episode The Islanders & Flood, and then appears in The Sweeney as a Policeman in Cover Story, a Driver in Golden Boy and a Villain in Stoppo Driver. In Porridge he played a Prison Warden in A Night In and a Gardener in Happy Release while in The Tomorrow People he was in a Vesh Rebel in Worlds Away and an SIS Sergeant in The Dirtiest Business. In Blake's 7 he plays a Scavenger in Deliverance, a Guard in Dawn of the Gods, a Convict in Moloch and a Hommik in Power.

Bob Blaine had previously been a Gatekeeper in Ambassadors of Death, an Auton Daffodil Man in Terror of the Autons, a Prisoner & UNIT Soldier in The Mind of Evil, a Colonist & IMC Guard in Colony in Space, a Chateau Guard in The Sea Devils, a UNIT Trooper in The Time Monster and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks.

David Rolfe made his Doctor Who debut in the previous story as an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks. He's back as a Crew Member in Planet of Evil, a Courtier in The Masque of Mandragora, one of the Doctor's Body Parts & a Pangol/Doctor in The Leisure Hive.

Chris Hodge was previously an Airport Passenger in The Faceless Ones.

Somewhere in the miners this episode is stuntman Max Faulkner: he gets a speaking role later in the story. The story is that while Curse of Peladon is based on the UK's entry into the European Common Market, Monster is inspired by the Miner's strikes that occurred during the early 70s.

370 The Monster of Peladon Part One

EPISODE: The Monster of Peladon: Part One
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 370
STORY NUMBER: 073
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 23 March 1974
WRITER: Brian Hayles
DIRECTOR: Lennie Mayne
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 9.2 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Peladon Tales: Curse of Peladon & Monster of Peladon
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"I've been meaning to pay a return visit to Peladon for ages!"

On the planet Peladon, miners are menaced by the spirit of Aggedor and Federation mining expert Vega Nexos is slain. The miners, fearing Aggedor, refuse to work and use Federation equipment which the Federation need them to use to mine enough Trisilicate to win their war with Galaxy Five. The Doctor & Sarah arrive and are chased by guards who think they're spies and then are arrested for violating the temple of Aggedor. They are taken to the throne room of Queen Thalira, the daughter of King Peladon, where they are recognised by the Doctor's old friend Alpha Centauri who vouches for them. Disgruntled miner Gebek comes to the citadel to speak with the Queen to put his view that the aliens should be sent home. Militant miner Ettis leads miners to the citadel to try and seize Federation weapons. They take engineer Eckersley hostage but the Doctor frees him and takes the captive Ettis to the Queen. Chancellor Ortron demands Ettis & Gebek's execution but the Doctor allows them to escape. The Doctor believes Aggedor's appearances are caused by trickery and asks to investigate. The Queen's champion Blor takes the Doctor to where the apparitions were seen but the miner Ettis sets off explosives sealing them in a cave. Aggedor appears and disintegrates Blor.

Back to Peladon we go. Same tunnels as before, but a new Queen on the throne and some disorder amongst the miners. Is this the first time that Doctor Who has done a direct sequel to a story? Not just brought the monsters back, but the same location and some of the same characters? Hmmm. Yes. Ish. Web of Fear is a sequel to the Abominable Snowman (Yeti & Travers) and The Invasion is in turn a direct sequel to Web of Fear, and the Auton stories Spearhead from Space & Terror of the Autons but none are quite the same league as this/

So as you'd expect with a direct sequel there's some returning personnel: Writer Brian Hayles & Director Lennie Mayne were both present for the earlier Curse of Peladon as were those responsible for Alpha Centauri:

Inside the Alpha Centauri costume is regular stunt man Stuart Fell. Curse of Peladon was his first credited appearance having previous been a UNIT soldier & Auton in Terror of the Autons, UNIT staff member & a photographer in The Mind of Evil and a UNIT Soldier & Axon in The Claws of Axos. He then appeared as a Guard, Sailor & Sea Devil in The Sea Devils and a Functionary in Carnival of Monsters, before appearing as Alpha Centauri again here. He goes on to play the Tramp in Planet of the Spiders part two, who the Doctor drives the hovercraft over, and a Guard later in the same story, a Wirrn Larvae & Wirrn in The Ark in Space, Double for Styre in The Sontaran Experiment, The Kraal in The Android Invasion part three, the Monster in The Brain of Morbius, Forking peasant / Guard / Acolyte in The Masque of Mandragora, a Policeman, Coolie & the Giant Rat in Talons of Weng Chiang, a Guard in The Sun Makers, a Sontaran in The Invasion of Time, a Shrivenzale in the Ribos Operation, Roga in State of Decay, a Castrovalvan Warrior in Castrovalva, a masked villager in The Visitation and a Cyberman in The Five Doctors plus he did stunts in Terror of the Autons, was fight arranger in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, more stunts in The Ribos Operation & Full Circle and served as fight arranger again in State of Decay. In Blake's 7 he was Dortmunn in Mission to Destiny, a Subterron in Project Avalon, a Goth Warrior in The Keeper, a Sarran in Aftermath, a Labourer in The Harvest of Kyros, a Guard in City at the Edge of the World, a Federation Trooper in Rumours of Death, a Guard in Moloch, a Gunman in Death-Watch, a Link in Terminal & Rescue and a Hommik Warrior in Power plus he was the stunt coordinator for Project Avalon, The Keeper, Aftermath, Volcano, The Harvest of Kyros, City at the Edge of the World, Rumours of Death, Moloch, Death-Watch, Terminal, Rescue & Power. He plays a man in the Doomwatch episode Spectre at the Feast. He's in The Empire Strikes Back as a Snowtrooper and does stunts in Return of the Jedi. He also does stunt work on the Roger Moore James Bond films For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy & A View to a Kill. And so much more.

Meanwhile the voice of Alpha Centauri is provided by Ysanne Churchman who also returns in the same role in The Monster of Peladon then voices some of the eponymous monsters in the Planet of the Spiders before returning in the new series episode Empress of Mars as Alpha Centauri's voice after a 40 year absence!. She's most famous for voicing Grace Archer, the character killed off in the Radio Soap Opera the night ITV was launched.

Shall we say we'll be seeing some more of Curse's cast before this story is out and leave it at that for now ;-)

Alpha Centauri's engineer friend Eckersley is played by Donald Gee who was Major Ian Warne in the awful Space Pirates, coincidentally the penultimate second Doctor story as this one is the penultimate Third Doctor story. He has a recurring role inWhatever Happened to the Likely Lads%3F as The Vicar and appears in Yes Minister as Reporter Alex Andrews in The Skeleton in the Cupboard.He played Radagast the Brown in the BBC Radio The Lord of the Rings alongside his Space Pirates co-star Jack May, who played General Hermack in the Doctor Who story, as Theoden. Other Doctor Who personnel involved include Gerard Murphy (Richard in Silver Nemesis) as the Narrator, Bill Nighy (the guide in Vincent & The Doctor) as Sam, David Collings (Mawdryn in Mawdryn Undead) as Legolas, Peter Howell (The Investigator in the Mutants) as Saruman, Philip Voss (Acomat in Marco Polo & Wahed in The Dominators) as the Lord of the Nazgûl, Michael Spice (the voice of Morbius in The Brain of Morbius and Magnus Greel in The Talons of Weng-Chiang) as A Nazgûl/Háma and Stephen Thorne (Azal in the Daemons, Omega in the Three Doctors and an Eldred in Hand of Fear) as Treebeard. It's fab, buy the CDs.

The slain Federation miner Vega Nexos, made famous by the Doctor Who cards given away with Weetabix in the 1970s is played by Gerald Taylor here making his final Doctor Who appearance. He first appeared in the sixth episode of Doctor Who, The Daleks part 2: The Survivors as a Dalek, a role he repeats in Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Chase, Mission to the Unknown, Dalek Masterplan, Power of the Daleks, Evil of the Daleks and the Dr. Who and the Daleks film. He was in The Web Planet as a Zarbi and The War Machines as a War Machine and the Voice of Wotan. His first on screen appearance as a human was as Damon's Assistant in The Underwater Menace and he can be seen again as the Baker's Man in The Dæmons. He's also in one of the currently missing Out of the Unknown second season episode The Naked Sun as a robot.

Playing Queen Thalira is Nina Thomas: she's in The Sweeney episode Tomorrow Man as Caroline.

Chancellor Ortron is played by Frank Gatliff. He's got an Out of This World on his CV playing The Commander in Pictures Don't Lie. He also appears in The Tomorrow People AS Father Martin O'Connor in Secret Weapon: Not Quite a Sleeping Beauty and Blake's 7 as Dastor in The Harvest of Kairos.

The Queen's Champion Blor is played by Michael Crane who returns as a Muto in Genesis of the Daleks. In Blake's 7 he's Mall in Powerplay.

Somewhere in this episode is Thalira's Guard Captain played by regular stuntman Terry Walsh. He was a Militiaman in The Smugglers, a Soldier in The Web of Fear, a UNIT Soldier in The Invasion, The Ambassadors of Death & Inferno, in the last of which he also played a Technician and an RSF Soldier, an Auton Policeman & Unit Soldier in Terror of the Autons, a UNIT Motorcyclist in The Mind of Evil, a Primitive, Colonist & IMC Guard Rogers in Colony in Space, Castle Guard Barclay & a Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, an Overlord Guard in The Mutants, the Window Cleaner in The Time Monster, a Guard in The Green Death, a Warehouse Looter in Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Jack, an Exxilon & a Zombie in Death to the Daleks. He returns as the Man with Boat in Planet of the Spiders, a Bouncer in Robot, Zake in The Sontaran Experiment, a Thal Soldier, Muto and Kaled Scientist in Genesis of the Daleks, a Vogan in Revenge of the Cybermen, a Crew Member in Planet of Evil, the Executioner in The Masque of Mandragora, a Horda Pit Guard in The Face of Evil, Mensch in The Power of Kroll and Doran in The Creature from the Pit.

Walsh stunt doubled for the Doctor in Inferno, Terror of the Autons, Day of the Daleks, Curse of Peladon, The Sea Devils, Carnival of Monsters, Frontier in Space, The Green Death, The Time Warrior, Death to the Daleks, Monster of Peladon, Planet of the Spiders, The Sontaran Experiment, Revenge of the Cybermen, Planet of Evil, The Android Invasion, The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit. He was also the double for The Master in The Sea Devils, the Minotaur in the Time Monster, Mike Yates in The Green Death & Planet of the Spiders, Harry Sulivan in The Sontaran Experiment, Sorenson in Planet of Evil, Chancellor Goth in The Deadly Assassin, Count Grendel in The Androids of Tara and a Stuntman on Power of Kroll. He was Fight Aarranger for The Sea Devils, The Mutants, The Green Death, Death to the Daleks, Monster of Peladon, Planet of the Spiders, The Sontaran Experiment, The Android Invasion, The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Androids of Tara & The Creature from the Pit. He also doubled for The Doctor in the Children In Need Spoof The Dimensions in Time and played the Duelling Guard and a Mercenary in The Ultimate Adventure where he also staged the fights.

He was also in the Adam Adamant Lives! episode - D for Destruction as Watts, which we like because it has Patrick Troughton and a load of control panels in it! In Space: 1999 he was Clan Guard in Journey to Where, the Rescue Eagle Pilot in The Mark of Archanon, a Technician in Space Warp and a Security Guard in The Seance Spectre. He was in Superman II as a KFC Man / French Officer and An American Werewolf in London as the Taxi Driver Who Crashes His Cab. He did stuntwork on The Italian Job, the Roger Moore James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, Superman, Superman III & Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Douglas Camfield & Robert Holmes' The Nightmare Man, the aforementioned An American Werewolf in London, Krull and Robin of Sherwood.

369 Death to the Daleks Part Four

EPISODE: Death to the Daleks: Part Four
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 369
STORY NUMBER: 072
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 16 March 1974
WRITER: Terry Nation
DIRECTOR: Michael Briant
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 9.5 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Death To The Daleks
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"Fight it! It's an illusion! It's an illusion! You have no substance! No truth! You do not exist! You do not exist!"

The Doctor & Bellal penetrate deeper & deeper into the city passing more tests with the Daleks always one step behind them. As the Daleks destroy one of the traps they witness it restoring itself. The Doctor & Bellal's progress is being monitored when Bellal is taken under the hypnotic influence of the city and tried to attack the Doctor who breaks the hold. Galloway & Hamilton are ordered by the Daleks to climb the beacon to position explosives. Sarah & Jill substitute the stored Parrinium for sand. The Doctor believes they are being subjected to intelligence tests. The final test is a psychological assault which they survive permitting them to enter an inner control room where they find the body of an Exxilon sat at a control console. As they watch it crumbles away in the air current from the open door, the first to penetrate the room in centuries. The city creates anti-bodies to attack them. Hamilton & Galloway set their charges but Galloway retains one. A Dalek discovers Jill missing and self destructs. The Doctor attacks the city's electronic brain but is attacked by the anti-bodies who are quickly distracted by the arrival of the Daleks which allow the Doctor & Bellal to escape. Hamilton & Galloway are ordered to load the Parrinium onto the Dalek ship. The Doctor & Bellal are reunited with Jill & Sarah. The bomb explodes restoring the power supply to the Dalek ship. Galloway hides himself on the Dalek ship. The Daleks tell the Doctor they will fire a plague missile at the planet Exxilon once they are in orbit but Galloway uses the bomb to destroy the Dalek ship killing himself in the process. The Exxilon city crumbles away now it's cut off from power.

The Doctor mourns the city's loss realising the universe is down to 799 wonders.

What is that Dalek on guard duty doing?

DALEK: Human female has escaped. I have failed! Female prisoner has escaped! I have failed! I have failed! Self destruct! I have failed! Destruct! I have failed! Destruct! Failed! Failed! Failed! I, I, I, I, I.

Why oh why does it self destruct when it finds that Jill has escaped?. Deary me. Oh. It's our first "brave the series of traps to reach the inner sanctum".

We started the journey into the city in this last episode but The Doctor & Bellal's trials are mostly contained in this episode.

Bar the Doctor's instinctive reaction to the floor trap at the end of the previous episode I don't have a problem with the idea of the brain teasing tests and traps here.

What I have a problem with is it's repetition wholesale in years to come: It's there in the last episode of the Pyramids of Mars, albeit there with some decent reasoning, the last episode of the Hand of Fear, where we even get an ancient observer at a console crumbling away to dust when disturbed, and the Five Doctor which contains a modified version of the electrified floor seen here.

I'm not sure who's idea it was. Terry Nation's, because he wrote the script? Maybe. But Script Editor Terrance Dicks is responsible for the lifting of the floor sequence in Five Doctors and by this point he's being shadowed by his successor Robert Holmes who wrote Pyramids of Mars and script edited it & Hand of Fear.

BELLAL: Doctor!
DOCTOR: What is it?
BELLAL: Doctor, come here!
DOCTOR: What is it?
BELLAL: Look!
DOCTOR: We haven't got much time.
BELLAL: What is it? What's happening?
DOCTOR: The city is creating antibodies. They're trying to neutralise us. Now keep a very close eye on them. Let me know the moment they're complete.

There's two antibodies seen onscreen. One is series stuntman Terry Walsh and you can see all his credits in part one where he briefly played the spaceman Jack.

His companion is regular extra Steve Ismay who had been a BBC3 TV Crewmember in The Dæmons, a Guerilla & Stills Cameraman in Day of the Daleks, Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, Varan's Bodyguard in The Mutants a Presidential Guard in Frontier in Space and a Security Guard in The Green Death. He's in every story this season playing a UNIT Soldier in The Time Warrior and an Army Soldier in Invasion of the Dinosaurs before this story followed by a Guard in The Monster of Peladon & a Metebelis 3 Guard in Planet of the Spiders! He then returns as a Guard in The Deadly Assassin, a Leviathan Guard in Ribos Operation, a Gracht Guard & one of Zadek's Guards in The Androids of Tara, would have been a "Space Monster" in Shada, possibly a Cyberman, then plays a Citizen in Full Circle, a Cyberman in Earthshock and a Security Guard in Time Flight. He had been Man in the Doomwatch episode The Islanders & Flood, and then appears in The Sweeney as a Policeman in Cover Story, a Driver in Golden Boy and a Villain in Stoppo Driver. In Porridge he played a Prison Warden in A Night In and a Gardener in Happy Release while in The Tomorrow People he was in a Vesh Rebel in Worlds Away and an SIS Sergeant in The Dirtiest Business. In Blake's 7 he plays a Scavenger in Deliverance, a Guard in Dawn of the Gods, a Convict in Moloch and a Hommik in Power.

There's a lovely touch as the power comes back on following the destruction of the beacon: as the lights come up in the Dalek ship the familiar Dalek control room noise starts. Fabulous.

We've also got a rather nasty insinuation towards the end of the episode:

DOCTOR: Well, don't prolong the agony. It's obvious you mean to kill us. Why don't you get on with it?
DALEK: It is not necessary. You will perish with the rest of the creatures.
DOCTOR: Well, what had you in mind?
DALEK: We have all the parrinium we need. With it, we can force the space powers to accede to our demands. If they do not, millions of people on the outer planets will perish.
HAMILTON: Don't you think Earth will send another mission? Now that the power barrier has been broken, we could have another ship here in less than a month.
DOCTOR: I imagine the Daleks have already taken that into account, Peter.
DALEK: Correct. When our ship is in space, we will fire a plague missile on to the surface of this planet. The plague will destroy

The Daleks intend to contaminate Exxilon by firing a plague missile at the planet. They have form for similar behaviour in Dalek Invasion of Earth, with a plague preceding the invasion:

CRADDOCK: Well, meteorites came first. The Earth was bombarded with them about ten years ago. A cosmic storm, the scientists called it. The meteorites stopped, everything settled down, and then people began to die of this new kind of plague.
DOCTOR: Yes, that explains your poster, dear boy. Germ bombs, hmm?
CRADDOCK: Yes. The Daleks were up in the sky just waiting for Earth to get weaker. Whole continents of people were wiped out. Asia, Africa, South America. They used to say the Earth had a smell of death about it.

Then there's the very nasty virus they created in Planet of the Daleks.

DALEK: The bacteria are multiplying.
DALEK SCIENTIST: We have calculated that after the release of the culture into the atmosphere, it will totally contaminate the planet within the space of one Spiridon day.
DALEK: All plant life will wither and die.
DALEK SCIENTIST: All unimmunised animal life will die within one hour of inhaling the contaminated air.
LEADER: Approved. Continue with preparations.
DALEK: The most virulent form of the bacteria will be ready for release in half a Spiridon day.

So can we then assume that they're the ones responsible for the plague inflicting the galaxy?

It's not a bad Dalek story truth be told: They're devious and nasty plus they look the best the have done in colour so far. It's almost a shame they revert back to the grey in their next appearance from the silver they use here.

This is also the last time until Remembrance of the Daleks that we see them operating without the command or influence of Davros hanging over them.

Novelised by Terrance Dicks in 1978 Death to the Daleks appeared after the novelisation of the subsequent Dalek story, Genesis of the Daleks. The cover to this book was used as a poster by Target in the mid 1980s. Death to the Daleks was the second Pertwee story issued on video tape in 1987, following Day of the Daleks, and was the first story to be issued at the budget price of £9.99, previous releases having cost in the region of £25. It was the last remaining complete Dalek story to be released on DVD.

368 Death to the Daleks Part Three

EPISODE: Death to the Daleks: Part Three
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 368
STORY NUMBER: 072
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 09 March 1974
WRITER: Terry Nation
DIRECTOR: Michael Briant
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 10.5 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Death To The Daleks
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"Our people had created a monster. They tried to destroy it. Instead it destroyed them and drove out the survivors."

Sarah is helped by Bellal, an Exxilon that doesn't share the majority's religious beliefs who shelters her from the pursuing Daleks.

The Doctor is saved from the metal snake creature by the two pursuing Daleks which the snake destroys. The Doctor deduces the snake is a root of the city. Bellal & his friend Gotal take the Doctor to safety. Bellal tells The Doctor of the origins of the city and how it destroyed it's creators. The Daleks make preparations to destroy the city's beacon after exploring the city to gain knowledge. One of the Daleks is destroyed by another city root at a pool in the quarry workings. The Doctor recognises Exxilon markings from an temple in Peru on Earth. The Doctor & Bellal go to the city to attempt to stop the power drain. Jill is sent by the Daleks to assist the Exxilon miners while Galloway & Hamilton are taken for another task. The Doctor sends Sarah to get the Earthmen to load the Parrinium into their ship while the Doctor & Bellal enter the city, gaining entry narrowly in front of two Daleks and brave the brain teasing test & traps within.

You can't beat Daleks in tunnels and they're great during the first part of the episode, thought I note that the first Dalek has orange dome lights when moving but white when attacked.

Another detail that jumped out on me was the badge on the MSC uniforms. It's the Federation Badge from Blake's 7, as seen behind the original series logo.

I doo like the city model, looks fabulous.

BELLAL: Exxilon had grown old before life had even begun on other planets. Our ancestors solved the mysteries of science, built craft that travelled through space. They were the supreme beings of the universe.
DOCTOR: What destroyed their power, war?
BELLAL: No. They created their own destruction. Using all their knowledge, they built a city that would last through all of time.
SARAH: And they succeeded. It looked as though it was built only yesterday.
BELLAL: They used their sciences to make the city into a living thing. It could protect itself, repair itself, maintain itself. They even gave it a brain.
DOCTOR: I see. So the city became an entity, though greater and more powerful than the many small parts that had created it.
BELLAL: Yes, it then had no need of those who had made it. Our people had created a monster. They tried to destroy it. Instead it destroyed them and drove out the survivors. Now we, and the other Exxilons you met, are all that remain.
SARAH: What separates you from the others?
BELLAL: They have made the city their god. They worship and fear it. They even make sacrifices to it.
SARAH: Yes, we almost qualified for that ourselves.
DOCTOR: Yet you don't fear the city, Bellal. Why?
BELLAL: Yes, we do fear it, but we don't worship it. Our aim is to destroy it. Unless we succeed, our race will vanish from this planet.
DOCTOR: Yes. Well, I think the time has come to do something about this city.

DOCTOR: You say that markings like these are cut into the walls of the city?
BELLAL: Yes, these are as I remember them.
SARAH: I saw them too, Doctor. Do they mean anything to you?
DOCTOR: No, not fully. But I do have a rough idea of what they're intended to convey. You see, I've seen them before.
SARAH: Seen them before? Where?
DOCTOR: On the walls of a temple in Peru.
SARAH: Oh, that's impossible!
DOCTOR: Yeah, that's what they said about the Peruvian temple as well. Yes, it's one of Earth's great mysteries, that no primitive man could possibly have built such a structure. Well, now we've solved it.
SARAH: Solved how a temple was built in Peru?
DOCTOR: You say that your ancestors were travelling in space when other worlds were still primitive?
BELLAL: Why, that is true.
DOCTOR: Then they almost certainly visited Earth and taught the people there how to build.
BELLAL: Our city supports itself in two ways. Through roots in the ground and through the air.
SARAH: The air?
DOCTOR: Yes, they must drain their electrical energy from the atmosphere, probably via that beacon.
SARAH: So that's what put the mockers on the Tardis?
DOCTOR: Well, you seem to have a crude grasp of the general idea, yes.

The idea that Earth may have been visited in ancient times by alien astronauts isn't new: it was proposed in 1968 by Erich von Däniken in his book Chariots of the Gods? and later followed up in the BBC Horizon documentary The Case of the Ancient Astronauts in 1978.

I have a question about the ending of this episode: what possessed the Doctor to yell stop when he saw the pattern on the floor? He didn't know it was dangerous..... unless he's encountered something similar before that we haven't seen. And given the number of times he runs into similar traps in the next few years that wouldn't surprise me. Come back next week for some more raving on this subject.

Bellal is played by Arnold Yarrow who had appeared in three episodes of The Andromeda Breakthrough as The President of Azaran. He also worked as a script editor on a number of BBC series including the Z-Cars spin off Softly, Softly and it's spin offs Softly, Softly: Taskforce, Barlow, Barlow at Large and Second Verdict, many of which he also wrote for.

Gotal, the Exxilon accompanying Bellal in the tunnels, is played by Roy Heymann who was previously an Alien Priest in Colony in Space, directed by (you've guessed it) Michael Briant. Heymann also plays Jebal, the Exxilon only seen on location observing the Daleks.

The Exxilon Messenger who reports the Dalek's destruction on the surface is Tex Fuller who returns as a Bodyguard, Soldier, Brethren Member and Stuntman in Masque of Mandragora. He's also in Blake's 7 as a Menial in Ultraworld and The Professionals as Pat Weaver in You'll Be All Right.

All the exterior sequences in this story were filmed at ARC Sand Pits at Gallows Hill, Dorset close to similar sites that are used for The Underwater Menace, Destiny of the Daleks, Caves of Androzani, Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Survival. Throw in Curse on Fenric's Lulworth Cove and it seems that Dorset might be the place to go for a locations visiting holiday!

We looked at the Exxilons used exclusively in the studio last episode: onto those on location and we'll start with those who worked on the studio sessions for episode 1 & 2 and the location sequences for episodes 2-3:

Bob Blaine had previously been a Gatekeeper in Ambassadors of Death, an Auton Daffodil Man in Terror of the Autons, a Prisoner & UNIT Soldier in The Mind of Evil, a Colonist & IMC Guard in Colony in Space, a Chateau Guard in The Sea Devils and a UNIT Trooper in The Time Monster. He returns as a Guard in The Monster of Peladon.

Leslie Bates cast the shadow that falls across the Tardis at the end of the first episode, An Unearthly Child, and then played a Tribesman in the second, The Cave of Skulls. He's a Man at Lop, Mongol Warrior and Mongol Bandit in Marco Polo, a Guard in The Massacre, a Villager at Inn / Pirate in The Smugglers, an English Soldier in The Highlanders, an IE Guard in The Invasion, an 1862 soldier, Confederate Soldier, foot soldier in The War Games, a Waxworks Visitor/Auton in Spearhead from Space, a BBC3 TV Crewmember in The Dæmons, a UNIT soldier in The Three Doctors, a Lunar Guard, Draconian & Williams Guard in Frontier in Space, a SecurityGuard & UNIT Soldier in The Green Death and an Army Corporal & UNIT soldier in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. He returns as a Guard in Planet of the Spiders, a Time Lord in Deadly Asssasin and a Bi-Al Member in Invisible Enemy. In the The Andromeda Breakthrough he was a British Soldier in Gale Warning, in Doomwatch he was a man in Hear No Evil, The Islanders & Flood and in Moonbase 3 he's a Technician in Castor and Pollux. He's also in our favourite Adam Adamant Lives! episode D for Destruction as a TA Soldier.

David Rolfe is on Doctor Who debut here: He's back in the next story as a Guard in The Monster of Peladon then plays a Crew Member in Planet of Evil, a Courtier in The Masque of Mandragor, one of the Doctor's Body Parts & a Pangol/Doctor in The Leisure Hive.

Derek Chafer had been a Saxon in The Time Meddler, a Greek Soldier in The Myth Makers, a Guard in The Massacre, a Lynch Mob Member in The Gunfighters, a Cyberman in The Moonbase, a Guard in Fury from the Deep, a Cyberman in The Invasion, a Technician in Seeds of Death, an Issigri HQ Miner in The Space Pirates, a UNIT Soldier in Doctor Who and the Silurians episode, a Military Policeman & UNIT Soldier in Ambassadors of Death, a Prisoner in The Mind of Evil, a Primitive in Colony in Space, a Guard in The Curse of Peladon and a Warrior in The Mutants. He returns as a Guard in The Monster of Peladon, a Soldier/Armourer/Brethren Guest in The Masque of Mandragora, a Leviathan Guard in Ribos Operation, a Gracht Guard in Androids of Tara, a Skonnan Elder in Horns of the Nimon, Doctor Body Parts/Pangol Doctor in The Leisure Hive and a Gundan in Warriors' Gate. And on the way the production paperwork will; spell his names several different ways! He was in Doomwatch as a man in Project Sahara, Re-Entry Forbidden & The Red Sky and played a man in the missing third season Out of the Unknown episode 1+1=1.5.

Then we have the Exxilons that only appear in the location sequences for episodes 2-3:

Dennis Plenty had previously been a Tavern Customer & a Guard in The Massacre, a Worker / Soldier in The War Machines, an English Soldier in the Highlanders, a Submarine Rating & Naval Base Sailor in the Sea Devils,a Solos Guard & Skybase Guard in The Mutants, Earth, Prison & Presidential Guards in Frontier in Space, a Security Guard in The Green Death and a UNIT Soldier in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. He returns as a Guard in Planet of the Spiders and a Soldier, Brethren member, Entertainer & Guard in The Masque of Mandragora. In UFO he was Lt. David Worth in Identified and one of the SHADO Mobile 1 Personnel in Computer Affair. In Doomwatch he is a Man in Flood and he's in out favourite Adam Adamant Lives! episode D for Destruction playing a RA Camp Guard and appears as a man in a 1901 photo in the later episode Black Echo. His Fawlty Towers episode is A Touch of Class where he plays a PC and he's a Technician in the Moonbase 3 episodes Achilles Heel, Castor and Pollux & View of a Dead Planet. Although he doesn't appear in the final film Plenty served as the model for the original Stormtrooper armour used in Star Wars.

Mike Reynel is on Doctor Who debut. He returns as an SRS Bouncer/SRS Officers/SRS Audience in Robot, a Kaled Scientist in Genesis of the Daleks, a Council Member in Face of Evil and a Guide in The Leisure Hive. In the The Sweeney episode Golden Boy he's a Customs Officer, while in the Sweeney! & Sweeney 2 films he plays a Detective, and in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin he's a Restaurant Patron in Elizabeth's New Admirer. In Blake's 7 he's a Prisoner in Space Fall while in The Empire Strikes Back he plays an Imperial Officer. In Octopussy he's an Auction Patron, in Morons from Outer Space he's the Policeman Collecting Matteson and in he's a Man in Street in A Fish Called Wanda.

Terry Sartain was an Alien Technician / Union Recruit in The War Games, a Warrior in The Mutants, a UNIT Soldier in The Three Doctors, and an Earth Prison Guard / Draconian Guard at Embassy in Frontier in Space. He later plays the SRS Bouncer in Robot, a UNIT Soldier Android in Android Invasion, a Brother in The Masque of Mandragora, a Time Lord in Deadly Assassin, a Customer at Art Gallery in City of Death, a Gundan in Warriors' Gate ad a Cave Crowd Member in Snakedance. In Blake's 7 he was a Crewman in Space Fall and a Hooded Figure in Cygnus Alpha. In Doomwatch he is the Minister's P.P.S. / Man in Club / Man at Palazzo in The Killer Dolphins.

The only identifiable Exxilon on location is the one in the water who the root sets on fire and that's series regular stuntman Terry Walsh, whose credits we listed in episode one.