The Curse of Peladon (1972) Review and the brilliance of its absurdity

In 1972, Jon Pertwee had entered his third season playing the Doctor and was well into the swing of the part and his era. The show was just starting to move away from earth and explore other planets across the universe, which took the Doctor to Peladon. Amongst this Britain was about to enter a new stage in its history in its negotiations to join the EEC under Prime Minister Edward Heath’s Conservative Government which later became the EU. Doctor Who managed to reflect these conflicts in a tense political thriller with a lot of absurd and strange characters as the story detailed Peladon’s conflicts in joining the Galactic Federation. Let’s take a look at the story.

The plot of the Curse of Peladon involves the Doctor and Jo landing on the planet Peladon during a test flight of the Tardis and in the middle of a tense political conflict. King Peladon is torn by his loyalties to the High Priest Hepesh and his traditionalist views and in following his ideals as a leader and a king. Amongst the negotiations of Peladon joining the Galactic Federation, there are a number of mysterious circumstances putting them in danger which the Doctor and Jo have to uncover the fault and truth of.

What I love about the overall feel of the Curse of Peladon is the madness of the whole thing. The joy of science fiction is that a writer can relish a madness and bonkers imagination that most genres don’t have room for. There is more flexibility in trying to create something believable because such a vast universe exists with so many different things, creatures, and planets. Most of the time it’s about making the concepts and ideas work within the tone and feel of the story which the writer is trying to create, which Brian Hayles gets the balance of just right in the Curse of Peladon. You have such a mad and absurd combination of creatures and designs and it’s splendid to behold and enjoyable to embrace the silliness of the whole thing. You have Alpha Centauri, Arcturus and even the Ice Warriors fit into the bizarre and absurd quirky feel. All the characters have a memorable look and oddity to them, which defines the feel of the story. However, the Curse of Peladon is not a comedy, in fact it’s quite a serious and strongly played political thriller and the contrast in that is what makes the story work so well.

Having a nuanced and complex political thriller amongst such bizarre characters and odd-looking designs is exactly the right blend which the story needed to thrive. It creates a tremendous sense of fun but with thoughtful and intelligent storytelling. These two elements are a challenge to make work together. The fact that the bizarreness of the creatures on display isn’t drawn attention to or even acknowledged is what makes the story feel organic and believable. The world of Peladon is so well fleshed out and developed that you can easily accept all the elements which go along with it no matter what silliness it involves. It all feels like such a natural part of the society and story that has been created that you don’t feel the need to question even one ingredient.

I love the way the mystery of Aggedor is handled within the story and the danger that is setup of this myth and legend that has a degree of peril involved in it. In a different kind of story, the Doctor would be uncovering the truth behind the monster. However, I love how Aggedor turns out just to be a loveable beast being used for ulterior motives. As it’s Doctor Who you expect beastly creatures to be a thing of evil. I admire the way the Curse of Peladon creates more nuance and complexity with a more level-headed approach to conflict with shades of grey. The subversion and use of Aggedor sums this up with true turmoil coming not from an evil entity but the clashing of different values which is reflective of the real world.

The main villain of the story is Hepesh, the High Priest of Peladon played by Geoffrey Toone. He is portrayed in the writing with a lot of nuance and understandable motivations as you can grasp the direction from which he is coming from internally. Hepesh’s viewpoint comes from trying to maintain traditional values and comes from a place of fear which you can relate to. Geoffrey Toone portrays Hepesh with a conviction and a forceful harshness to his performance but with a sense of belief which makes him feel like a believable and grounded person. There is a sense of history between him and King Peladon that feels very real and developed. Hepesh has a significant influence over the King, which he abuses to his advantage in the honour of his belief system which I enjoy seeing unfold.

Hepesh is very clearly the villain from the start of the story as Geoffrey Toome portrays him with an excellent element of suspicion and danger and he is very much at odds and in conflict with the rest of the characters. This works well to show two sides of Peladon society to personify the main conflict of the story. Hepesh is a very decisive character and the battle he is up against, he feels, is worth fighting for. To him, the traditions of Peladon society are what their world is built upon. Hepesh feels a sense of duty to their history and the values of it and feels that to forget their past would be detrimental. He is fearful of progression because of the heart of their society which he feels could be lost in the process of integration and a loss of identity which mirrors a lot of euroscepticism cleverly. Hepesh’s motivations are based on religious conservatism in maintaining the status quo, contrary to the progressive values of pushing society forward and making things better. Hepesh simply can’t see how the superstition of Peladon’s current values and society have become toxic and the cost of alienation in continuing on their current track. The values of Hepesh also shine a light on the consequences of royalist traditions and the danger of royalty being more concerned with their own sacred practices than their value to society, which has a lot of truth in it. A very complex, understandable and interesting antagonist.

Arcturus is the twist villain of the story played by Murphy Grumbar and voiced by Terry Bale and I like the design and feel of the character a lot. I love the design of this odd-looking green thing which is reliant upon machinery. It brings a lot of individual flavour to the Galactic Federation dynamic of the story. The cold sense of logic of Arcturus is a fitting contrast to the hysteria and sense of panic you get from Alpha Centauri. The twist of Arcturus as a villain feels like it comes out of nowhere and has little impact. There are no clues and breadcrumbs left for the audience to figure it out, which makes the mystery itself feel redundant and incredibly poor. I think Arcturus should have had the time to shine as a villainous character to more concretely develop motivations.

Time to move onto Jon Pertwee and his role as the Third Doctor who at this point was well settled into his character. I didn't appreciate his take on the Doctor for a long time, but now I really love the effortless conviction, commanding presence, and morals of his Doctor, as well as the anti-authority figure he represents. There is a presence, intelligence, and trust you feel in him that just fits Jon Pertwee’s persona. I like the Doctor’s conflict with the Ice Warriors in the story. There is a sense of past and history which exists and is firmly baked into the dynamic and the relationship. It also shows a flaw within the Doctor that as open-minded as he claims to be, the Doctor still has sceptic biases in him which I like. The Doctor, having met the Ice Warriors before, judges their warlike past and jumps to conclusions before he really has any conclusive proof or reason to distrust them in this situation. There is a level-headed coolness to the way the Third Doctor handles situations which I really admire. He remains fixed on his stance and position across the story and simply looks for solutions in negotiation and mediation, which makes him an admirable figure of peace and justice. The way he talks to Hepesh, the way he prods and challenges him and how he tries to influence King Peladon shows him as a very clever character. The Doctor simply tries to challenge others' viewpoints with different perspectives and tries to get people to see things from a different angle. It shows a level of conviction and cunning moral intelligence which you don’t get in any other Doctor.

I also love the bravery you get in Jon Pertwee’s performance when thrust into conflict and into a difficult situation. The Doctor across the story is posing as a man of rank but is naturally a gentlemanly figure fighting an uphill battle. He recognises how Peladon society could be pushed in either direction with the superstitious beliefs it currently inhabits, and recognises the stakes with a believable gravity to his performance. There is a vulnerability to the Third Doctor, as there is in most Jon Pertwee stories, in that he is a man with authority in a place where nobody will listen to him and no control over the situation. The bravery and heroism he has when going up against the King’s Champion puts him in a place of peril where you feel for him. There is also a gentle warmth which is showcased in Jon Pertwee’s performance which I rather enjoy in the scene where he tames Aggedor and also in his relationship with Jo, who he has a lot of time for.

Now I’m gonna have a look at the role of Jo Grant played by Katy Manning. Katy Manning is given some really good character driven substance in the Curse of Peladon in her relationship with King Peladon. You can tell that Jo enjoys playing the role of Princess Josephine which becomes a lot of fun for her and there is a lot of chemistry between Katy Manning and David Troughton. Jo and the King clearly have romantic feelings for one another and there is a closeness and bond that you root for. However, Jo has clearly learnt from the Doctor, and you admire her for this as she will not allow herself to be pushed around by royalty and privilege. There are different moral and ethical standards between Jo and the King which creates interesting conflict and turmoil. I like the fact that Jo simply won’t allow Peladon to use her as a political ally and she makes a stance for herself and her individual human rights. Jo is a warm and loveable person with a sense of hope and belief in Peladon as a king. She continually pushes the King to act on his heart, compassion, values and empathy, which tells us a lot about Jo’s character. She does not want to compromise on what she thinks is right and fights for justice internally in encouraging the King. I also really like the sadness she feels at the end in leaving King Peladon. It’s clear her relationship with Peladon has meant a lot to her, but she also values her home on earth, which would be key to her character.

The role of King Peladon is played by David Troughton, the son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. King Peladon is clearly someone with a lot of sympathy, remorse and affection but feels restricted by the constraints of his society which I like. The traditions and rituals of Aggedor and Peladon dictate his actions and decisions, which he feels trapped by and you feel for the weight and responsibility that lies on his shoulders. There is a solid development in his character as he lacks the strength to do the right thing, and he slowly finds it in himself to do good. It’s encouraging seeing him realise the worth of making way for the future and pushing society forward and using the power he has as a king as a way to better things. He is torn and conflicted between the earth values of his mother and making her proud, and the traditions of Peladon and what is expected of him. I love the progression of him and seeing him turn into this decisive forward thinking and open-minded leader.

There is a lot to love in the characters of the Galactic Federation, but Alpha Centauri is a joy to behold, played by Stuart Fell and voiced by Ysanne Churchman. The design and voice of Alpha Centauri is so utterly insane that it should be preposterous and impossible to take seriously. Yet somehow it makes its way back round to become utterly brilliant as the story embraces the madness and silliness of the design, and you admire the skill to make such a thing work on screen. Alpha Centauri also works very well in the dynamic of characters being the very sensible, paranoid, and hysterical figure who panics in any form of conflict which I enjoy. Alpha Centauri is somehow a loveable figure that you just embrace. The Ice Warriors were a good fit for the story with the silliness of different creatures. Izlyr the leader is played by Alan Bennion and Ssorg is played by Sonny Cardinez. I am a big fan of the Ice Warriors as villains in the Troughton era, but this is my favourite use of them in any Doctor Who story. I like the idea of the Ice Warriors amending their imperialist conqueror like ways and becoming more peaceful. Their reptilian design and performance mixed with a Viking warrior feel means they have always been an odd but appealing monster. The story adds more nuance and complex layers to the Ice Warriors and their culture and values which feels appropriate. I like Izlyr as an unexpected ally. They have a sense of values, trust, loyalty, and a traditional sense of right and wrong where you respect and admire them and I like their relationship with Jo Grant a lot. The story is pushing the Ice Warriors forward by updating them to fit the morally grey nature of the Pertwee era which works incredibly well. A character I just don’t think hits the mark is Grun, played by Gordon Stothard. A physically strong, mute but loveable character certainly has the potential for a meaningful arc. However, I don’t think the performance really makes you feel for him or endears you to him in the way the script intends.

The Curse of Peladon is directed by Lennie Mayne, who would go on to direct the Three Doctors, the Monster of Peladon and the Hand of Fear. First of all, I do think there is a terrific sense of atmosphere created by Lennie Mayne from the beginning in the medieval aesthetic and spooky setting. It’s well utilised and I think the scene of the Doctor and Jo escaping the Tardis on the cliff is very well shot. However, the problem I have with the directing is the lack of ambition in the main Peladon scenes. The pattern and flow of a scene and variety of shots is somewhat predictable. There isn’t much of a personal perspective to anything which makes the story feel detached, so whilst the movement is very natural, the whole thing feels too fixed and lacking urgency in visual storytelling.

So overall, how do I feel about the Curse of Peladon? Personally, I think it’s one of my favourite Third Doctor stories. It feels very refreshing compared to what the Jon Pertwee era had offered before this point in venturing into time and space. It does this in the most creative and ambitious way possible. You have an absurd and bonkers combination of creatures and aliens with Arcturus, Alpha Centauri and the return of the Ice Warriors reforged in a fittingly more nuanced and complex way. I love the way this silliness is merged with a complex and gripping political thriller; It’s all played with a great sincerity, which makes the whole thing click together and succeed. You have a plot that mirrors the struggles of the UK at the time in Britain’s negotiations to join the EEC with meaningful and progressive themes concerning pushing society forward paired with a sympathetic villain through Hepesh. David Troughton also really succeeds in a fulfilling emotional arc coming into his role as king with a fulfilling place for Jo Grant. It does have its weaknesses. Arcturus is poorly set up and handled as a twist villain, and I don’t think Grun works in the intended manner. However, as an insane science fiction adventure and a political thriller with a keen moral message, the story thrives.