Devil's Planet (The Daleks' Master Plan Episode 3)

The one where Zephon gets his comeuppance...

Thank goodness for Blue Peter, huh? Thanks to the BBC's flagship children's magazine programme, we have over a minute and a half of footage from Devil's Planet, an episode which is otherwise lost from the archives. Blue Peter transmitted the clip in 1971, but the mastertape has long since gone. This footage is highly representative of Devil's Planet as a whole, in that it's set almost entirely on the stolen Spar ship, and also features a few Daleks.

But Devil's Planet isn't all that exciting, to be honest. After two episodes of fast-paced thrills and spills, revelations and monstrous alliances, this third episode slows the pace right down and is already a case of writer Terry Nation treading water. The Doctor, Bret, Steven and Katarina have stolen Mavic Chen's Spar and are heading for Earth when the Daleks switch on their remote control and bring the Spar down on the penal planet of Desperus.

Desperus (what a great name for a planet!) would appear to be full of dangerous convicts. Earth simply dumps its criminals on Desperus to rot, as there are no guards or security. The whole planet is a prison, and the inmates are left to their own devices forever. It's a pretty harsh justice, but you'd think it would provide Nation with some ripe opportunities to get our heroes into danger.

Sadly, the Doctor and co barely leave the ship, and the three gruff-sounding convicts outside - Bors, Garge and Kirksen - pose a threat that's never really felt. The convicts advance menacingly on the Spar while Bret affects his repairs, but you never really believe that they will achieve anything, especially as the Doctor seems to be so confident in "repelling boarders". Even the indigenous winged creatures of Desperus, the "screamers", don't come across as well as they might. I've lived in a coastal seaside resort for 20 years and the screamers sound no more menacing than your average seagull (which, to be fair, can be a little menacing!).

Too much time is spent on the Spar doing turbulent "side to side" acting. Too much time is spent at Dalek HQ listening to them bark on about taking control of the Spar. Too little time is spent with the oily Mavic Chen, whose verbal sparring with Zephon is a highlight of an otherwise plodding episode. These two are great adversaries - the Guardian of the Solar System vs the Master of the Fifth Galaxy - and it's a pity that Zephon ends up executed (not exterminated, you notice) by the Daleks. Chen throws the blame for the loss of the taranium core at Zephon, saying it's his fault because he refused to attend the meeting on time. Zephon hits back by accusing the intruders of being from the Solar System, perhaps implicating Chen. But in the end the Daleks find poor old seaweed face negligent, and kill him. It's a shame, because more sparring between Chen and Zephon might have livened things up.

Let's talk about Katarina. Adrienne Hill is given hardly any lines and barely anything to do (I think she's told to watch the door at some point) and this is indicative of how utterly pointless the character is. The production team reportedly had no plans to keep Katarina as a permanent companion, which is just as well because she's useless. "What's the matter with this girl?" asks a perturbed Bret. Katarina's innocence and ignorance renders her redundant to the story. She's even deprived of the First Rule of being the Doctor's companion, which is to ask questions on behalf of the audience. When Steven starts asking questions, the Doctor tells him to be more like Katarina ("She looks and learns") and stop asking questions. There's no value or mileage in a character who has neither the will or permission to engage with the plot.

"You show me so many strange mysteries," says Katarina at one point. "With you, I know I'm safe." And within seconds Katarina gives one of Doctor Who's most ear-splitting screams as she's grabbed by Kirksen, who's hiding in the airlock with a knife. Great cliffhanger.

Oh, and I love how the Doctor has another grumble about the quality of the spaceship he finds himself in. In Trap of Steel he referred to the Drahvins' craft as "old trash", adding: "Seems if I coughed too loudly the whole thing'd fall to pieces!" Here, he has a go at Chen's supposedly "technically perfect" Spar ship: "It's the worst of these out of date and primitive spaceships. One little bump and they all fall to bits! That's why we are stranded on this pimple of a planet." You've gotta love William Hartnell, haven't you?

First broadcast: November 27th, 1965

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: William Hartnell is on top form again, balancing the Doctor's gleeful mischievousness with his short temper. Bret Vyon calls him "grandpa", and he so is!
The Bad: This is a real filler episode in which the story does not advance at all. And it's only episode 3...
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

NEXT TIME: The Traitors...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Mission to the Unknown (prelude); The Nightmare Begins (episode 1); Day of Armageddon (episode 2); The Traitors (episode 4); Counter Plot (episode 5); Coronas of the Sun (episode 6); The Feast of Steven (episode 7); Volcano (episode 8); Golden Death (episode 9); Escape Switch (episode 10); The Abandoned Planet (episode 11); Destruction of Time (episode 12)

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/mission-to-unknown-aka-dalek-cutaway.html

The soundtrack to The Daleks' Master Plan is available on CD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-original-television-soundtrack/dp/0563494174