"Doctor Who" The Dæmons: Episode One (1971)

Director:

Christopher Barry

Writers:

Barry Letts (by)
Robert Sloman (by)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (1963)

Original Air Date:

22 May 1971 (Season 8, Episode 21)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Master raises the Devil. The Doctor becomes a wizard.

Plot Keywords:

Devil | Master | Occult | Witch | Village

Cast

Jon Pertwee	...	Doctor Who
Nicholas Courtney	...	Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart
Roger Delgado	...	The Master
Katy Manning	...	Jo Grant
Richard Franklin	...	Captain Mike Yates
John Levene	...	Sergeant Benton
Damaris Hayman	...	Miss Hawthorne
Don McKillop	...	Bert the Landlord
Rollo Gamble	...	Winstanley
Robin Wentworth	...	Prof. Horner
David Simeon	...	Alastair Fergus
James Snell	...	Harry
John Joyce	...	Garvin
Eric Hillyard	...	Dr. Reeves
Jon Croft	...	Tom Girton
Christopher Wray	...	PC Groom
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Earl	...	Villager (uncredited)
Charles Finch	...	Villager (uncredited)
David J. Grahame	...	Villager (uncredited)
Lily Harold	...	Woman in Cloven Hoof (uncredited)
John Holmes	...	Jim (uncredited)
Bruce Humble	...	BBC3 TV Crewmember (uncredited)
Richard Lawrence	...	Villager (uncredited)
Alan Lenoir	...	Villager (uncredited)
Jimmy Mac	...	Villager (uncredited)
Simon Malloy	...	BBC3 TV Crewmember (uncredited)
Ronald Mayer	...	Villager (uncredited)
Bill McClaren	...	Rugby Commentator (archive sound) (voice) (uncredited)
Patrick Milner	...	UNIT Corporal (uncredited)
Roy Oliver	...	BBC3 TV Crewmember (uncredited)
Roy Pearce	...	Villager (uncredited)
Mo Race	...	Woman in Cloven Hoof (uncredited)
Robin Squire	...	BBC3 TV Cameraman (uncredited)
John Tatham	...	Villager (uncredited)
Vic Taylor	...	Villager (uncredited)
Sonnie Willis	...	BBC3 TV Crewmember (uncredited)

Directed by
Christopher Barry

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Barry Letts		by (as Guy Leopold)
Robert Sloman		by (as Guy Leopold)

Produced by
Barry Letts	....	producer

Original Music by
Dudley Simpson

Film Editing by
Chris Wimble

Production Design by
Roger Ford

Costume Design by
Barbara Lane

Makeup Department
Jan Harrison Shell	....	makeup (as Jan Harrison)

Sound Department
Brian Hodgson	....	special sound
Richard Manton	....	film sound (as Dick Manton)
Tony Millier	....	sound: studio

Visual Effects by
Peter Day	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Fred Hamilton	....	film cameraman
Ralph Walton	....	studio lighting

Music Department
Ron Grainer	....	composer: title music

Other crew
Terrance Dicks	....	script editor
Peter Grimwade	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Writing credits
Sydney Newman		(creator) uncredited

Production Design by
Bob Cove		(1970s)
Victor Meredith
Michael Trevor

Makeup Department
Dorka Nieradzik	....	makeup designer (1982, 1984-1988)

Art Department
Peter Brachaki	....	production designer: TARDIS interior

Special Effects by
Mat Irvine	....	special effects (1970s-1980s)
Ian Scoones	....	special effects (1960s-1980s)
Ron Thornton	....	special effects (1980s)
Bernard Wilkie	....	special effects (1960s-1970s)

Visual Effects by
Mitch Mitchell	....	special video effects (1960's-1970's) (as A. J. Mitchell)
Bernard Lodge	....	title sequence designer (1963-1979) (uncredited 1963-1969)

Stunts
Alan Chuntz	....	stunts (1960's-1970's)
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (1960s)
Max Faulkner	....	stunts (1960's-1970's)
Stuart Fell	....	stunts (1970s-1980s)
Alf Joint	....	stunts (1960s-1980s)
Derek Martin	....	stunts (1960s-1970s)
Roy Scammell	....	stunts (1960s-1980s)
Lee Sheward	....	stunt coordinator
Terry Walsh	....	stunts (1960s-1970s)
Derek Ware	....	stunts (1960s-1970s)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stewart A. Farnell	....	camera operator (1 episode)
Peter Hamilton	....	camera operator (12 episodes)
Alan Jonas	....	camera operator (6 episodes)
Ken Westbury	....	camera operator (4 episodes)

Music Department
Paddy Kingsland	....	composer: incidental music (1980-1985)
Keff McCulloch	....	composer: incidental music (1987-1989)
Humphrey Searle	....	composer: incidental music (1965)
Dudley Simpson	....	composer: incidental music (1964-1980)

Other crew
Christopher Baker	....	production assistant
Ali Bongo	....	magic advisor
Kenneth J. Bussanmas	....	creative consultant (1979-1985)
Jeremy Hare	....	assistant floor manager (three episodes)

Runtime:

UK:25 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Aldbourne, Wiltshire, England, UK

Trivia:

This serial was released by the BBC on video cassette in the UK in March 1993, having been recently restored to colour.

Quotes:

Capt. Mike Yates:I see. So all we've got to deal with is something which is either too small to see or thirty feet tall, can incinerate you or freeze you to death, turn stone images into homicidal monsters and looks like the devil.
The Doctor:Exactly.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jon Pertwee at Panopticon (2003) (V)

A Great Couple Of Opening Episodes That Sadly Aren't Sustained

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is considered to be the greatest ever story from the Pertwee era . It originally started off as a casting scene when Barry Letts was looking for an actress and actor to play Jo Grant and Captain Mike Yates with the scenario revolving around the two characters in a church crypt where they're confronted with a vision of the Devil . This probably explains why Katy Manning is so very effective in the climax to episode five

The story opens with a superb hook where a character staggers out of the pub , takes a short cut through the churchyard and sees something so diabolical that he drops dead from sheer fright . The scene owes a lot to the conventions of horror films with it being filmed in darkness amongst a thunderstorm . Christopher Barry makes outstanding use of night filming . NuWho fans will be blase about night filming but it was something rarely seen in the classic show and gives the first two episodes a deeply brooding atmosphere rarely seen in the show . I confess that as a child this story absolutely terrified me and only the most cynical person would fail to understand the fear generated by this . This is undisputed hide behind the sofa material

Unfortunately after the terrifying second episode cliffhanger the story fails to sustain the doom laden atmosphere which is a pity . Instead of the conventions of horror we're given the hallmarks of the contemporary Pertwee era of action where the Msster makes it his life ambition to kill the Doctor , along with chase sequences and battles involving UNIT . The climatic battle is very disappointing after viewing it as a child . I remembered it as being an epic battle involving UNIT soldiers bravely but vainly giving their lives trying to overwhelm Bok the grotesque living gargoyle . The sequence is bitterly disappointing when viewed as an adult

So I have to take issue that its the peak of the Pertwee era . The previous season contained 4 very good stories two of which The Silurians and Inferno are amongst the best television ever produced . Not only that but they were both obvious influences on one of this year's NuWho stories The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood as is this story . Much of its reputation lies in vague memories of it being atmospheric and terrifying , a memory reinforced by the brilliant novelization by Barry Letts . It has two outstanding episodes followed by three rather mundane ones which makes for a good but inconsistent story