The Daemons

"Jenkins...chap with wings there, five rounds, rapid!"

If you've read this blog on a regular basis then you'll know I'm not a huge fan of the Pertwee era. And this story is regarded by many as one of the classics from that era. I'd last seen it over thirty years ago, and my only real memory of that was a black and white version of episode 1.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The Daemons is a great story and everyone puts their all into it. Damaris Hayman's Miss Hawthone is a joy. Even the characters who are in it for five minutes are wonderful (hello Robin Wentworth's Professor Horner).  The demons themselves are very well realised; I liked the swooping crane shots to film Azal's point of view(even The Master looks scared) and Bok is very endearing (for a homicidal gargoyle!).

So The Daemons lives up to its reputation. But I think it looked better in monochrome!

The Face of Evil

"The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering."


The Face of Evil is memorable for a couple of things. For me it was the cliffhanger to episode one where the Doctor's face is writ large Mount Rushmore style on the side of a mountain. But it's better known as the first story to feature Leela; a companion unlike any other before or since. Louise Jameson's performance is wonderful and her rapport with Tom Baker is great (it's hard to believe that they weren't getting along at the time).


Aside from that it's a pretty good story. Just over shadowed by The Deadly Assassin on one side and Robots of Death and The Talons of Weng-Chiang on the other.