THE DAEMONS

Written by Guy Leopold (Barry Letts and Robert Sloman).

Directed by Christopher Barry.

Transmitted originally: 22 May to 19 June 1971.

"Jenkins...chap with the wings there. Five rounds rapid." 'The Brigadier'

THE STORY

The opening of a prehistoric barrow, near the village of Devil's End by archaeologist Professor Horner begins a chain of events that release an ancient alien power from its long sleep. The Doctor, suspecting something terrible will happen, rushes to the dig with Jo, but is too late to stop the mound being broken open. Meanwhile the local vicar, Mr Magister, actually the Master, hoping to harness the alien powers for himself is using black magic rites to summon Azal, last of a race known as the Daemons. Yates and Benton arrive in a UNIT helicopter and soon afterwards a heat barrier appears and cuts off the village from the outside world.

The Doctor explains that the Daemons were a race of aliens who helped to shape the development of the human race, and that if Azal decides that humanity has failed as an 'experiment' he will destroy the planet. The Doctor shows the Brigadier how to create a way through the heat barrier and with the help of UNIT, Jo and Miss Hawthorne, the local white witch, manages to gain entry to the church and confront the Master and Azal. Meanwhile the Brigadier and his men are left to deal with Bok, a stone gargoyle animated by the Master. Inside the church the Daemon offers the Doctor the great powers the Master was attempting to gain. When he refuses to accept them, Azal decides to destroy him, but when Jo intervenes the alien is unable to comprehend the idea of self-sacrifice and destroyed. The church is levelled in the resultant blast and the Master is finally captured by UNIT.

CAST:

The Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Jo Grant (Katy Manning), The Master (Roger Delgado), Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin), Sergeant Benton (John Levene), Miss Hawthorne (Damaris Hayman), Bert the Landlord (Don McKillop), Winstanley (Rollo Gamble), Professor Horner (Robin Wentworth), Alastair Fergus (David Simeon), Harry (James Snell), Garvin (John Joyce), Dr. Reeves (Eric Hillyard), Tom Girton (Jon Croft), PC Groom (Christopher Wray), Baker's Man (Gerald Taylor), Bok (Stanley Mason), Sergeant Osgood (Alec Linstead), Thorpe (John Owens), Azal (Stephen Thorne), Morris Dancers (The Headington Quarry Men), Jones (Matthew Corbett).

FACTS:

Stephen Thorne, who played Azal went on to take the parts of the main villains in 'The Three Doctors', as Omega and Eldrad in 'The Hand of Fear', as well as the role of Max Vilmeo in the radio play 'The Ghosts of N-Space'.

The cliffhanger in episode 3 unusually focuses on the Master facing danger as Azal is summoned.

The magazine DWB once stated a sixth episode existed as an April Fool's Day joke.

OTHER FORMATS:

The Third Doctor Novelisations

Third Doctor Videos

Script book released in 1992, edited by John McElroy

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