Doctor Who: The Dæmons: Episode Four starts as the Dæmon Azal (Stephen Thorne) appears before the Master (Roger Delgado) who ask's for the power of the Dæmons to take control of the Earth, Azal is the last of his kind & senses that neither the Master or the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) are of this planet & wants to speak to the Doctor before he decides what to do whether he passes the power of the Dæmons onto the Master or simply destroy the Earth himself. Meanwhile Bert (Don McKillop) has orders from the Master to kill the Doctor before Azal returns...
Episode 24 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during June 1971, directed by Christopher Barry The Dæmons is considered a real highlight of the Pertwee era & I for one find it hard to disagree with that. The script by producer Barry Letts & Robert Sloman under the pseudonym of Guy Leopold is really strong here with a real cinematic Hammer horror film type feel to it, sure there are typical Doctor Who traits but it's just better than a lot of the overly padded stories that marked the Pertwee era. Surprisingly there has been very little repetition (unlike my comments?) & The Dæmons does flow like a proper film although it's not perfect. For instance how does Jo know about the cavern? Why does she suddenly wake up & urgently feel the need to go there? Also why didn't she tell anyone else? She is still part of UNIT isn't she? Don't even get me started on the ultra conveniently placed ladder outside her window which lets her sneak out unseen! This is also the episode where a group of killer morris dancers try to kill the Doctor & Benton! It feels like a scene from The Wicker Man (1973) just to emphasise The Dæmons horror influences.
The production values are high on The Dæmons with some good acting as well, The Dæmons was Roger Delgado's fifth consecutive Doctor Who story playing the Master (his character in The Dæmons is named Magister which is apparently Latin for the word Master) & he puts in a really good performance here & he looks striking in his scarlet red robe in which he performs the satanic rituals (the incantation spoken by the Master to summon Azal was the nursery rhyme Mary had a Little Lamb backwards!). I am happy to report that The Dæmons is a largely Jo Grant free story as she doesn't feature that much, it's all down to personal opinion but I don't like the character or the actress that much. Jon Pertwee is great in The Dæmons & it's an often told rumour that Pertwee considered The Dæmons to be his personal favourite story. The end of this episode also sees the first appearance of the Dæmon Azal who is just a guy in hairy stockings & a disappointingly poor half mask, considering The Dæmons has been so impressive on a production level the way Azal looks brought me back down to the ground with a big thud.
Doctor Who: The Dæmons: Episode Four is another great episode in a great five part story that features action, monsters, the Master, a relatively adult storyline & evil killer morris dancers, what more do you want?
Episode 24 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during June 1971, directed by Christopher Barry The Dæmons is considered a real highlight of the Pertwee era & I for one find it hard to disagree with that. The script by producer Barry Letts & Robert Sloman under the pseudonym of Guy Leopold is really strong here with a real cinematic Hammer horror film type feel to it, sure there are typical Doctor Who traits but it's just better than a lot of the overly padded stories that marked the Pertwee era. Surprisingly there has been very little repetition (unlike my comments?) & The Dæmons does flow like a proper film although it's not perfect. For instance how does Jo know about the cavern? Why does she suddenly wake up & urgently feel the need to go there? Also why didn't she tell anyone else? She is still part of UNIT isn't she? Don't even get me started on the ultra conveniently placed ladder outside her window which lets her sneak out unseen! This is also the episode where a group of killer morris dancers try to kill the Doctor & Benton! It feels like a scene from The Wicker Man (1973) just to emphasise The Dæmons horror influences.
The production values are high on The Dæmons with some good acting as well, The Dæmons was Roger Delgado's fifth consecutive Doctor Who story playing the Master (his character in The Dæmons is named Magister which is apparently Latin for the word Master) & he puts in a really good performance here & he looks striking in his scarlet red robe in which he performs the satanic rituals (the incantation spoken by the Master to summon Azal was the nursery rhyme Mary had a Little Lamb backwards!). I am happy to report that The Dæmons is a largely Jo Grant free story as she doesn't feature that much, it's all down to personal opinion but I don't like the character or the actress that much. Jon Pertwee is great in The Dæmons & it's an often told rumour that Pertwee considered The Dæmons to be his personal favourite story. The end of this episode also sees the first appearance of the Dæmon Azal who is just a guy in hairy stockings & a disappointingly poor half mask, considering The Dæmons has been so impressive on a production level the way Azal looks brought me back down to the ground with a big thud.
Doctor Who: The Dæmons: Episode Four is another great episode in a great five part story that features action, monsters, the Master, a relatively adult storyline & evil killer morris dancers, what more do you want?
