The Curse of Peladon

Directed by

Runtime

100 minutes

Time Travel

Future

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

Alien Delegates, Authority Figure, By Royal Command, Caste Society, Controlling the Beast, Doctor Who?, Dodgy Parking, LGBTQA+, Mission from the Time Lords, Misunderstood Monster, Political commentary, Religion, Romance, The Doctor Falls

Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!)

Exile on Earth

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Jeweller’s loupe

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Peladon

Synopsis

The Doctor and Jo make a test flight in the TARDIS and arrive on the planet Peladon. Seeking shelter, they enter the citadel of the soon-to-be-crowned King Peladon, where the Doctor is mistaken for a human dignitary summoned to act as chairman of a committee assessing an application by the planet to join the Galactic Federation.

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4 Episodes

Episode One

First aired

Saturday, January 29, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

10.3 million

Synopsis

The Doctor and Jo arrive on the medieval planet Peladon, where the Doctor is mistaken for the Earth Delegate of the Galactic Federation and Jo is mistaken for a princess.

Episode Two

First aired

Saturday, February 5, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

11 million

Synopsis

The Doctor is convinced the Ice Warriors are trying to sabotage the conference but his attempts to prove it see him accused of sacrilege.

Episode Three

First aired

Saturday, February 12, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

7.8 million

Synopsis

The Doctor is sentenced to fight Grun to the death and his attempt to escape leads to an encounter with Aggedor.

Episode Four

First aired

Saturday, February 19, 1972

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

8.4 million

Synopsis

Hepesh's plan has been exposed but he is still determined to prevent Peladon joining the Galactic Federation by leading a rebellion against the King.

Characters

Third Doctor

Jon Pertwee

Jo Grant

Katy Manning

How to watch The Curse of Peladon:

Watch on iPlayer

Blu-Ray

The Collection – Season 9

DVD

Peladon Tales

VHS

The Curse of Peladon (VHS)

Reviews
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8 reviews

This was 100% my favourite classic story so far. For starters, it was nice to have an off world story for the first time in a while, but I also liked the political aspects of it - I really liked the incorporation of the delegates from the different worlds, the drama around Hepesh misleading Peladon and the way the Doctor and Jo incorporated themselves into the situation (also nice how Jo's rather regal outfit was explained in episode one). Overall, a very fun story which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I'm now looking forward to the sequel in the next season.

WhoTheoryYT

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Review last edited on 23-03-25

Outdid my expectations, a lot more fun than I anticipated, I'm not often taken by this type of federal story, but I was this time
Great action sequences, really made the story come alive
I love the setting of Peladon, why has the modern era never visited
King Peladon was hot, so that's always a plus
Felt very alien, the many different species helped to elevate the situation to the next level

KieranCooper

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Review last edited on 18-03-25

This review contains spoilers!

Oh, this one was a great time. Poor Jo missed out on her hot date with Mike Yates, but hey, she got to play princess and steal King Peladon's heart. This type of super fast romance is not something I usually like, because it tends to be too unbelievable. Here though? Those two were just so earnest and genuine (loved David Troughton's performance and fabulous outfit) that I actually do buy it. Thank God Jo has the mind to not stay in Peladon, though. She and the Doctor are such a fun team. There were a lot of great moments, from them improvising their roles as delegate and princess, to the Doctor's trial by combat where he just actually beats the guy up, no particular cleverness involved. Good side characters as well! Alpha Centauri, you're a star! The plot itself is kind of too easy to solve, and the person in a bear costume they used for Aggedor was pretty hard to swallow, but it was a nice location and setup. Oh, and all my love for the Venusian lullaby.

Things that made laugh: "King Peladon of Peladon"; Grun's face in all his reaction shots; the TARDIS dramatically falling down a cliff; the 'Federation' (I half expected Spock's dad to show up at any second).

mndy

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Review last edited on 11-02-25

It’s better then I remember but not by much

Rock_Angel

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Review last edited on 22-11-24

This review contains spoilers!

The Curse of Peladon is an extremely atmospheric story. The faux-medieval trappings really work to build a picture of an alien and yet familiar society. The dark torchlit corridors and almost stifling atmosphere really draw you into the story.

I've always loved Alpha Centauri and the collection of alien delegates are good value (even if Arcturus is a little silly). Having the Ice Warriors turn out to be 'good guys' is a good twist and allows the Doctor to be seen as just as prejudiced as anyone can be. It's a good choice for one of the most arrogant Doctors.

Less successful, maybe, are the rather cuddly-looking Aggedor and Grun, the King's Chamption, who I've never been able to take seriously (especially that silly up camera shot of him when the Doctor finds out it is Grun he'll be facing in combat.

It's a good story for Katy Manning too. Jo gets loads to do including bossing the delegates around, throwing shade at the Doctor while pretending to be a princess and an actually pretty well written romance between her and Peladon.

Good, comfort Doctor Who.

deltaandthebannermen

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Review last edited on 17-10-24