Doctor Who Is CLASSIC: The Curse of Peladon

Welcome back to the long awaited return of Doctor Who Is CLASSIC where I post about episodes of Doctor Who from the classic era (1963 to 1989). 

Today's post takes us back to the winter of 1972 featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and Katy Manning as companion Jo Grant. 

It was the show's 9th season during the Doctor's exile on Earth but he makes a foray into space and time to an extraterrestrial world where he must face.... The Curse of Peladon!

The Doctor thinks he's outsmarted the Time Lords and has gotten his TARDIS working again. 

OK, this might get confusing.

• The planet is named Peladon.
• The planet's king is also named Peladon. 
• The planet's favorite pasta dish? Peladon.
• The planet's favorite exercise cycle to work off pounds from their favorite pasta? Peladon. 

The planet Peladon is on the verge of joining the Galactic Federation. 

The king Peladon is big on making this happen but he's got an adviser named Hepesh, a high priest, who is against it. He's a superstitious kind of guy who holds on to power through appeals to religion, magic, nostalgia and the tasty creamy sauce that goes on Peladon pasta. (Yum!) 

Another adviser named Torbis is a bit more forward looking and is backing the king on this matter.

You might think if the planet Peladon is up for joining a big space union thing, it's a world on the cusp of scientific advancement, ready to hook up with a modern universe.

No, it ain't. Peladon is medieval as fuck. Peladon is presented with whatever medieval castle sets the BBC had in storage. Flaming torches light the hallways for crying out loud.

How the hell is a planet like Peladon gonna be part of a space thingy?

What that's what the visiting Federation delegation is going to figure out.  

Alpha Centauri from Alpha Centauri. (Geez! What is with the naming conventions in this episode?) Alpha is big eye ball with a multiple claw arms and a cape. 

Arcturus is an alien crab in a jar on top of some creepy cyperpunk tech.   

Lord Izlyr and Ssorg represent the Ice Warriors of Mars.

And from Earth? The recently arrived Doctor and Jo are assumed to be the Earth delegation and they just roll with it. The Doctor introduces Jo as "Princess Josephine of TARDIS".  Without missing a beat, Jo goes into royal mode.

JO: Doctor, I do not deal through intermediaries. Kindly present us to our royal host.

Peladon the king is suitably impressed. Jo is a strong confident woman who is just sexy cute as hell. 

But as much as "Princess Josephine" is just dripping with allure, the king has other problems. 

Torbis has been killed! 

Hepesh immediately blames the death on the curse of Peladon (the planet, not the king) delivered by the monster known as Peladon Aggredor. 

A variety of suspicious and dangerous shenanigans ensue and the Federation delegates are in a tizzy of a snit that their lives are in danger and maybe Peladon shouldn't be admitted into their clubhouse. 

Exploring tunnels under the palace, the Doctor encounters Aggredor who just a big ol' ball of furry fluff who really likes the Doctor's singing.

But EGAD! 

Hepesh accuses the Doctor of Heresy! Sacrilege! And some other third thing! And the only sentence is DEATH! 

Geez! It's always death.

Jo is pissed off at Peladon the King for not interceding and the King is all "Gee, what can I do?" 

Hey, someone finds a loophole.

The Doctor can answer the charges of heresy, sacrilege and some other third thing with Trial by Wombat! 

<checks notes>

Ahem!

Trial by COMBAT! 

Which of course must end with death so not much of a loophole, huh?  

Hepesh tips his hand and stage a coup against the King. Go back to the OLD ways or DIE! 

But there's more going on that just "Make Peladon Great Again".

Seems old Hepesh was working with Arcturus to keep the planet Peladon out of the Federation and leaving  Peladon's mineral deposits exclusively to Arcturus' planet.   

The Doctor intervenes with Aggedor who kills Hepesh.

Alpha Centari and the Ice Warriors sign off on Peladon joining the Galactic Federation while the Doctor and Jo slip away just as the real Earth delegate shows up.

Hey, it's kind of weird how they showed up on Peladon just all this shit was going down.

The Doctor realizes he may not be as smart as he think he is and the Time Lords sent him to Peladon to sort out this mess.   

Connections to Modern Doctor Who

David Troughton (Patrick's son) who played King Peladon would return to Doctor Who in the modern era as Professor Hobbes in "Midnight".   

Alpha Centauri would appear in the 2017 episode "Empress of Mars". Ysanne Churchman who provided the voice of Alpha in 1972 returned to do the same in 2017.

During production of "The Curse of Peladon", it was noted that Alpha Centauri had a somewhat phallic appearance. So director Lennie Mayne insisted on the addition of a yellow cape to the costume in an attempt to rectify this.

The "Venusian lullaby" the Doctor sung to Aggedor is to the tune of the Christmas carol, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen".

"The Curse of Peladon" serves as an allegory to the issue at the time if Britain should join the European Economic Community.   

"The Curse of Peladon" would get a sequel in 1974 with "The Monster of Peladon" but with Sarah Jane Smith as the companion.

Which I will get to eventually in a future edition of Doctor Who Is CLASSIC!