N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!
Doctor Who gets to pretend to be Shakespeare again. OK, so it’s Shakespeare with Martians and a monocular hermaphrodite hexapod, but with its machinations of court, a jolly good bit of hand-to-hand combat in the middle and a slightly preposterous but nevertheless charming love story, it’s the closest to a Bard’s tale we’ve been since early historicals such as The Crusade.
“The face of Peladon will be changed … and everything that I know and value will have gone.”
Hepesh, The Curse of Peladon: Episode Three
It’s topical stuff too, made at a time when the United Kingdom was weighing up its place in the world on the eve of joining what would become the European Union. The hopeful optimism of King Peladon in joining the Galactic Federation contrasted with Hepesh’s ultimately treacherous clinging to the past makes you wonder if there’s a Pelexit coming forty-odd years on from the events here!
As with the best Third Doctor stories, the underlying issue doesn’t get in the way of a good story well told – for that’s what we have here. In addition to Jo having lots to do, there’s plenty of support from the Peladonians and the visiting Federation delegates, with the portrayal of the Ice Warriors here being particularly worthy of mention.
Solidly played all round, our visit to Peladon makes for a memorable one and it’s easy to see a return visit being on the cards, although it has to be said that King Peladon mustn’t have been that curious a child if he did not know there were tunnels in his citadel.
"Peladon is supposed to be a peaceful place but one of the punishments is death."
"SPOILER ALERT! In this story I think it's a good idea that the Ice Warriors are good guys."
