|
The Daemons Format Reviewed: UK Gold Review The Daemons is unusual in that it is five episodes in length. Usually, Doctor Who stories have an even number of episodes, most commonly four, six or eight. The Daemons sits at the end of season eight, and is part of the formulaic approach adopted in Doctor Who at the time, of being Earth bound and involving Unit and the Master. The story is that there are strange things going on at a village called Devils End, and an archealogical dig will unleash the devil himself onto the world. Local white witch Miss Hawthorne appears to be the only opponent locally, until the Doctor and Jo arrive with Unit to help. The devil is none other than an alien, who appears to be like many images of the devil as drawn throughout history, but is actually part of an ancient race whose space ship crashed centuries earlier. Eventually, the Doctor sorts the situation out and stops the Masters plan, who is arrested by Sargeant Benton at the end of the adventure. The stories of this era always focussed on the science and alien nature of Doctor Who stories, whilst ignoring the main scope that Doctor Who has over most other sci-fi shows, time travel. Despite this, there is still clearly a lot of scope for some great stories, and The Daemons is an excellent example of what can be achieved within this framework. The premise for the alien race here is very good, with the Daemons appearing throughout history at certain points to guide human development is very interesting, and perhaps could have been given more time if the Doctor could travel in the Tardis in this era. However, the entire adventure keeps the viewer enthralled throughout, and at no point do things happen that would put anyone off. It is with good reason that this story is held in such high regard by fans, and is often lauded as the best story of the era. I will treat the cast as a whole here, as at this time the regular cast is so large as it includes UNIT and the Master, that it would be folly to do otherwise. Throughout the cast, there isn't really a bad performance. Damaris Hayman as Miss Hawthorne perhaps is a little hammy in places, but this doesn't detract from the story overall. The UNIT characters give typical performances, with Benton and Yates being particularly good here. Perwee and Katy Manning are predictably very good, as they are throughout their time. Manning is synonamous with Pertwee, and their chemistry comes accross well here. What this story does well though in terms of the cast, is to further showcase the talents of Roger Delgado as the Master. He shows a great deal of intelligence in everything he does, and never comes accross badly on screen, a true delight. Given the low budget of the show, the special effects actually come off reasonably well here. There is the possible exception when Azal 'grows', but the scenes with Bok are a good example of how makeup and a few flashes can work very well on a tight budget. The sound effects and score here are very typical of the era, and whilst not detracting from the story, they could do with a modern twist I think to help bring it to life. Overall, The Daemons is an excellent exaply of what can be achieved on a low budget with a good script and some great performances on screen. The story captures the attention of the viewer from the first minute, and doesn't release it until the end credits. It is with good reason that this story is held in such high regard by the Doctor Who fan community. Rating:  |