373 The Monster of Peladon Part Four

EPISODE: The Monster of Peladon: Part Four
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 373
STORY NUMBER: 073
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 13 April 1974
WRITER: Brian Hayles
DIRECTOR: Lennie Mayne
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 7.2 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - Peladon Tales: Curse of Peladon & Monster of Peladon
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"You forget, Doctor, I am your judge, your jury and executioner too. Perhaps."

The Ice Warrior commander Azaxyr arrives and declares martial law. He threatens to kill the miners if they do not work and takes hostages to force them. Ettis leads his miners into the citadel. They storm the throne room but all bar Ettis are killed by the Ice Warriors. The Doctor is sent to negotiate with Gebek to persuade the miners back to work. Sarah is convinced she saw Azaxyr's lieutenant Sskel in the refinery before the Ice Warriors were meant to have landed making them suspicious of the Ice Warriors. Alpha Centauri finds their communications jammed while the miners are persuaded to pretend to cooperate while the Doctor deals with the Martian troops. Locked in the communications room the Doctor increases the heat in the mines to incapacitate the Ice Warriors. The miners rebel against the Martians. The Doctor goes to stop the unhinged Ettis from firing the sonic lance to destroy the citadel. Azaxyr sets the sonic lance to self destruct remotely when activated causing an explosion when Ettis attempts to fire it.

Ah that's better, the arrival of the Ice Warriors instantly adds a spark to proceedings as the fall out with the Doctor and unite the Pels against them. But I've seen Curse of Peladon, I thought the Ice Warriors were meant to be the good guys now?

It's good to see lots of warriors on the screen together: at one stage there's Azaxyr plus four warriors in the throne room.

Sskel is using the Vaaga suit that Sonny Caldinez has used since Seeds of Death but it's be interesting to try to work out which warrior in the Ice Warriors the other costumes are from, some of which appear to be in some disrepair. The warrior behind Gebek at 17:32 into the episode appears to have a flat face where most of the others have make up covering the actor's lower face whereas the one visible at 19:06 appear to have just solid armour covering the lower face which I'm not sure any of the others did before.

And just why are the Ice Warriors using these odd upright hand weapons?

They've still got the sonic disrupters built into the forearms of the costumes and these new weapons produce the same effect the sonic disrupters always did. The Ice Warrior armour looks like it's had a repaint too and is a more vibrant dark green compared to the almost olive green used in Curse of Peladon.

I did enjoy Azaxyr's Judge Dredd impersonation here:

AZAXYR: I am not sure what to make of you, Doctor. I think perhaps it would be safer to accept Ortron's theory and execute you as a spy.
SARAH: You can't do that. We're not under your authority.
ALPHA: Federation regulations do not permit summary execution!
AZAXYR: Must I remind you yet again, Ambassador, here on Peladon I am the law! Yes, I think perhaps it would be safer to order your execution at once.
DOCTOR: Don't I even get a trial?
AZAXYR: Doctor, that was your trial.

Come to think of it there is a certain similarity in design between the helmets of the Mega City Lawman and the Ice Lord.....

So the Ice Warriors are back and that means two familiar acting names are back with us. Alan Bennion plays Commander Azaxyr just as he played Slaar in The Seeds of Death & Izlyr in The Curse of Peladon.

His chief lieutenant Sskel is played by Sonny Caldinez who's been in every Ice Warrior story playing Turoc in The Ice Warriors, an Ice Warrior in The Seeds of Death and Ssorg in The Curse of Peladon as well as the mute Kemel in The Evil of the Daleks. You can also see him in Roger Moore James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun as Kra, Hawaii Five-O as Code #42 in Nine Dragons, Raiders of the Lost Ark as the Mean Mongolian, Neverwhere as the Market man in Knightsbridge and The Fifth Element as Emperor Kodar Japhet.

Both Caldinez and Bennion are making their final Doctor Who appearances in this story.

As per Ssorg in the Curse of Peladon, Sskel's fleeting lines aren't delivered by the actor in the costume but rather by, uncredited, Doctor who's producer Barry Letts. Listen to Ssorg/Sskel, it's obvious when you realise, especially if you've ever heard Sonny Caldinez interviewed on the DVDs!

There's several extra Ice Warriors on screen:

Terrance Denville had previously been a double for Captain Blade in The Faceless Ones, a Cyberman in The Invasion, Foot Soldier & Alien Technician in The War Games, a Waxwork visitor/replica in Spearhead from Space, a Technician & UNIT Soldier in The Silurians, a UNIT trooper in The Three Doctors, a Cyberman again, briefly, in The Carnival of Monsters, a Guard in Frontier in Space, a Spiridon in Planet of the Daleks and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks. This is his last Doctor Who role. He plays a Technician in Moonbase 3 Departure and Arrival, Behemoth and Outsider, appears as a Russian Security Council Member in the Pierce Brosnan James Bond film GoldenEye and appears in the Miranda episode Before I Die as an Old Man.

David Cleeve had been a UNIT Soldier in The Time Warrior He'll be back as a Thal Soldier/Guard in Genesis of the Daleks, a Radiation Suit Man in The Hand of Fear, An Other & Megro Guard in The Sun Makers and a Ceremonial Deon Guard in Meglos.

Kevin Moranhad been a UNIT Troop in The Time Monster, a Draconian in Frontier in Space. a Spiridon in Planet of the Daleks, an army soldier in Invasion of the Dinosaurs and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks. He returns as a Soldier/Brethren Guest in The Masque of Mandragora. In Doomwatch he plays a man in Flood.

Alan Lenoir had been one of Irongron's men in The Time Warrior. In Doomwatch he's a Man in Flood.

So that's Sskell plus 4 warriors, which uses all five of the Ice Warrior costumes made for the original story: Varga, Turoc, Isbur, Rintan & Zondal. But the DWAS Production file thinks that one other supporting artist doubles as an Ice Warrior during part 3: One of Steve Ismay, David Rolfe, Pat Gorman or Tony Lord, all of whom play guards, played the role but nobody knows which one!