The Doctor turns the Aggedor spirit against the Ice Warriors to aid the Peladonians in their battle but Eckersley attacks him with the security system.The Doctor turns the Aggedor spirit against the Ice Warriors to aid the Peladonians in their battle but Eckersley attacks him with the security system.The Doctor turns the Aggedor spirit against the Ice Warriors to aid the Peladonians in their battle but Eckersley attacks him with the security system.
- Director
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- Brian Hayles
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- Donald Wilson(uncredited)
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Did you know
- TriviaAlpha Centauri returned in Empress of Mars (2017) in a cameo, with Ysanne Churchman again providing the voice. In that scene, Alpha Centauri appeared on a view screen and introduces himself to the Ice Warriors and welcomes the Ice Warrior race to the universe.
- GoofsThe Ice Warriors are seen burning through a door, creating a large hole in it. When the Doctor teleports the statue of Aggedor, the door is seen to be solid, with no hole burned in it. When the statue returns, the hole in the door has reappeared.
- ConnectionsFeatured in In Vision: Two Days to the Cup Final (1974)
Featured review
S11: The Monster of Peladon: Overly long with too many clumsy attempts at political allegory/commentary
Fifty years have passed since the Doctor was last on the planet of Peladon and now, by sheer chance, he finds himself here again. This time though he is taken for being an alien saboteur as he finds himself in the planet's mines, which are being extracted by the Federation for a vital element which should tip the course of the galactic war. The Doctor is glad to find that, while all faces have changed, it transpires that the career of Alpha Centauri has clearly stagnated, since he is still there and is able to vouch for the Doctor. This gives him the chance to investigate the odd going-ons which sees the miners (a cross between a glam rock band and a set of badgers) being attacked by a vision of Aggedor (the royal beast). Believing it to be little more than technical trickery, the Doctor and Sarah Jane investigate but soon find themselves in the middle of the miners taking industrial action, the ruling classes seeking to enforce their power, the Federation representatives seeking to push forward for the sake of the war, and the ongoing Aggedor attacks.
Following the so-so Death to the Daleks, this serial doesn't really pick up the pace much. The narrative seems stretched out to fill 6 episodes, and contains a lot of political allegory or commentary regarding women's lib, the miners' strikes, the class system etc; perhaps some of this would have been the height of daring topicality when it was first screened, but now it seemed dated and not particularly interesting or well done. This leaves us with the main narrative which, to be fair, is essentially the usual fare of the Doctor being in harms' way while trying to resolve a faction-based dispute. In this regard the serial is okay, but the 6 episode stretch does take its toll, and it is never as engaging as it really needed to be. The cast are pretty mixed. Pertwee is decent enough, but Sladen seems dumped with a mix of "rise up sister" material alongside the traditional "legging it" material. She is not "bad", but she doesn't seem totally at home, and there is not a great connection between her and Pertwee. The miners and the royalty are fairly functional in their characters and performances, so it is appreciated when the main villains finally show up later – at least they add a bit to edge for a while.
Overall though, it is a fairly ho-hum serial, which has lots going on, but not enough of it really being particularly interesting. The slower pace and feeling of padding doesn't help, and it is hard to shake the feeling that this could have been a much stronger 4- parter, with a bit less politicking along the way.
Following the so-so Death to the Daleks, this serial doesn't really pick up the pace much. The narrative seems stretched out to fill 6 episodes, and contains a lot of political allegory or commentary regarding women's lib, the miners' strikes, the class system etc; perhaps some of this would have been the height of daring topicality when it was first screened, but now it seemed dated and not particularly interesting or well done. This leaves us with the main narrative which, to be fair, is essentially the usual fare of the Doctor being in harms' way while trying to resolve a faction-based dispute. In this regard the serial is okay, but the 6 episode stretch does take its toll, and it is never as engaging as it really needed to be. The cast are pretty mixed. Pertwee is decent enough, but Sladen seems dumped with a mix of "rise up sister" material alongside the traditional "legging it" material. She is not "bad", but she doesn't seem totally at home, and there is not a great connection between her and Pertwee. The miners and the royalty are fairly functional in their characters and performances, so it is appreciated when the main villains finally show up later – at least they add a bit to edge for a while.
Overall though, it is a fairly ho-hum serial, which has lots going on, but not enough of it really being particularly interesting. The slower pace and feeling of padding doesn't help, and it is hard to shake the feeling that this could have been a much stronger 4- parter, with a bit less politicking along the way.
helpful•13
- bob the moo
- Aug 16, 2015
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