DVD review (region 2)
Directed by Lennie Mayne
Starring Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen, Katy Manning
Release date 18 January 2010

The Third Doctor makes a couple of rare trips away from Earth to the planet Peladon, where he faces aliens, intrigue and hermaphrodites…

The two Peladon adventures, made two seasons apart, are something of an oddity in the canon of Doctor Who stories of the Jon Pertwee era. Breaking away from the solid UNIT setup as well as the recurring threat of the Master, both serials see the return of Troughton era foes the Ice Warriors.

While the stories are similar in style, with recurring director Lennie Mayne bringing back monsters and sets, they are polar opposites in terms of quality.

The opening of The Curse of Peladon is excellent, with atmospheric model work setting the scene for the story to follow, and some notable set pieces, in particular the excellent arena battle. The court intrigue is well handled and the monsters are well lit and well realised, especially Arcturus, a character clearly at the forefront of Russell T Davies’s mind when he came up with Max Capricorn and the 456.

In direct contrast, The Monster of Peladon is an overlong, tedious runaround only bearable thanks to a surprise villain and a pleasing guest role from Nina Thomas as Queen Thalira. The story feels like a looped DVD menu screen as Pertwee scurries down endless corridors and caves, and aliens talk to each other. Sarah Jane Smith, still a feminist at this stage of the show, proves her ‘burn the bra’ credentials by instructing the Queen to faint. That’ll show ‘em!

The extras included on this four-disc set are excellent. A detailed two-part documentary on the making of the stories is fascinating, covering everything from concerns about Alpha Centauri’s rather rude shape to methods for dealing with Jon Pertwee’s bad back.

One of the most underrated figures in Who history is profiled as Terrance Dicks’ contribution to the Target range is analysed. The ‘On Target’ and ‘Stripped For Action’ documentaries offer excellent overviews of rarely discussed yet crucial aspects of the programme's history. After watching this one, somebody should get Dicks to novelise every episode from Rose onwards, tidying up plotholes as he goes…

The best feature on the disc is a brief interview with Ysanne Churchman who talks about the time and attention she and Stuart Fell put into creating the much-derided but unforgettable character of Alpha Centauri. If only that much effort had gone into making the second trip to Peladon… Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 8/10
Curse is great; Monster is awful. Some excellent extras shift the balance to make this a decent purchase.