The Curse of Peladon Episode Four

The one where Hepesh leads a revolt against the royal house of Peladon...

The first few scenes of episode four feel like one huge info-dump on the part of writer Brian Hayles, who tries to have his characters (principally the Doctor) explain everything that's happened in one long summary and Q&A. Arcturus has been exposed, and destroyed by Ssorg, reduced to nothing more than a gooey green blob with a disgorged eyeball (it's not as if he consisted of very much to start with!).

The Doctor explains that Arcturus and Hepesh were in cahoots, and that Hepesh's ultimate aim was to unseat King Peladon and seize control of the planet for himself, thereby preserving its ancient customs and ridding his beloved people of the Galactic Federation altogether. This doesn't quite ring true with me because at no stage did Hepesh come across as your typical power-mad conspirator. All he really wants is for progress to go away. He is not a man who embraces change; he prefers tradition and custom. He's the sort of man who catches the same bus to work every day for 40 years and always sits on the same seat, reading the same newspaper, and doing the same crossword.

The Curse of Peladon Episode Three

The one where the Doctor fights the King's Champion...

It's not a very appealing pair of options, is it? Death, or trial by combat. Especially when the fella you're fighting is the King's Champion, Grun, who towers over you with arms and legs the size of railway sleepers. It's the best that King Peladon can do for the Doctor, who is accused of sacrilege and seems doomed to perish in some way at the behest of High Priest Hepesh's barbaric beliefs.

There's lots of knowing and accusing looks from Jon Pertwee toward Geoffrey Toone, as it seems the Doctor's sussed out that Hepesh is the fly in the ointment here, the one who's trying to scupper the galactic alliance and keep Peladon in the dark ages. Pertwee's great at these subtle glances and accusatory looks ("You're a wily old bird, Hepesh"), with a tiny smile in the corners of his mouth to express his knowing bemusement (however, I doubt he'll ever better the scene with Fulton Mackay in episode 3 of Doctor Who and the Silurians).

The Curse of Peladon Episode Two

The one where the Doctor is sentenced to death without trial for desecrating a holy temple...

The falling granite statue misses its target thanks to a quick-witted Doctor, but this attempt on the life of a delegate makes everybody very jumpy (particularly Alpha Centauri), and the conference is in danger of falling through. Luckily, the Doctor has taken very easily to his newfound role as chairman of the committee, and pleads with everybody to remain calm and retire to consider the way forward.

In their quarters, the Doctor and Jo have a good chinwag about what they think is going on and who they suspect of trying to scupper the conference. Yet again, the chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning is obvious as the two tease and chuckle their way through the script like old friends just having a good time. They're physically close in frame too, reflecting the "mother hen" nature of Pertwee's portrayal, and it's a delight when Jo prods the Doctor's self-importance by saying: "You love all that chairman delegate stuff, admit it!", and he replies, "Well how do you like being a princess, princess?"

The Curse of Peladon Episode One

The one where Jo becomes a princess...

Thunder and lightning! A gothic castle on a mountainside! Gloomy corridors lit by flaming torches! A man in flowing robes accompanied by bare-chested guards! We're on another planet, and this must surely be the most alien place we've been to since The Dominators. It all looks a bit doomy! It's designed and lit beautifully by Gloria Clayton and Howard King respectively and gets you right into the feel and atmosphere of Peladon. The opening scene might just be an old man walking along some dark corridors, but it feels refreshing and quite exciting after so many stories set on contemporary Earth.

We get straight into a soap opera showdown between traditionalist high priest Hepesh and progressive chancellor Torbis, who disagree fundamentally about the way forward for their people. Peladon is on the cusp of joining the Galactic Federation, but Hepesh fears the unlike and does not trust aliens, believing the planet should maintain its independence. Torbis believes there will be greater prosperity in uniting with neighbouring planets in the galaxy.