JJJ. The Dæmons

Season Eight - 1971

Script Editor: Terrance Dicks
Writer: Guy Leopold (alias Barry Letts and Robert Sloman)
Produced by: Barry Letts
Director: Christopher Barry
Designer: Roger Ford
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson
Fight Arranger: Peter Diamond (4)

Synopsis

After the death of a man in Devil's End the local white witch, Miss Hawthorne, predicts that the opening of a local barrow by Professor will spell disaster on them all. At the barrow in question the television crew are preparing to film the opening live on BBC 3.

In a UNIT garage Jo is talking to the Doctor about magic. The Doctor tells her that there is no such thing as magic, and that there must be a scientific. When the Doctor's car, Bessie, goes for a quick jaunt around a car park by itself Jo is amazed, until the Doctor reveals a small remote control unit. When Mike Yates turns up Jo asks him for a lift to see the TV programme about the barrow opening. At first the Doctor is dismissive, but when Mike mentions Devil's End the Doctor becomes curious, and decides to also watch the programme.

Back at UNT HQ the Doctor, Jo, Mike Yates and Sergeant Benton watch live as Alastair Fergus interviews the belligerent Horner about opening up the barrow, known locally as the Devil's Hump. The actual opening is scheduled for midnight on the 30th April - the start of Beltane, the greatest occult festival of the year after Halloween. The Doctor feels something is wrong. On the television the interview is hijacked by Hawthorne who says that it is written in the stars: When Beltane is come tread softly, for lo the Prince himself is nigh. When she mentions the Horned Beast the Doctor takes Jo to Devil's End to stop the opening of the barrow.

Strange events are happening in Devil's End. As Hawthorne returns from the barrow she sees police man Mr Groom. A wind gets up, and Mr Groom picks up a rock and comes up behind Hawthorne. She speaks to the wind and it dies down, leaving Mr Groom bewildered as to why is he holding a rock. Elsewhere, as the Doctor and Jo approach a fork in the road the wind blows a sign post, leading them down a different road away from Devil's End.

Hawthorne attempts to see the vicar - the previous vicar who was taken ill in mysterious circumstances. Garvin, the rector, tells her that the vicar, Mr Magister, is not in. After threatening Garvin the Magister comes out to see her. She tries to appeal to him to stop Horner from opening the barrow.

Later at night the Doctor and Jo make it to Devil's End. In the local pub he asks for directions to the barrow. Reports of the Doctor reach Magister, who is about to lead a coven of locals in a ceremony underneath the church as the barrow is opened. The Doctor and Jo make it to the barrow just as Horner opens it, and explosion hits both the Doctor and Horner, freezing them. Horner is killed, and the Doctor is taken to the pub where a doctor first pronounces him dead, before detecting a heart beat - from two hearts.

At UNIT HQ Yates and Benton were watching the events on television. After receiving a call from Jo, which is cut off halfway through, Yates and Benton decide to go to Devil's End themselves. They take the Brigadier's helicopter, and from the sky they can see giant hoofmarks going across the fields. Yates guesses that the animal that made them would have to be 30ft tall. From a room in the pub Jo sees the helicopter arrive, and meets Yates and Benton.

Benton goes off to investigate the hoof tracks, and hears cries from a church. Inside a storage box he finds Hawthorne. They go down underneath the church where Hawthorne notices a gargoyle is missing, and Hawthorne tells Benton that she thinks Magister is the one who is behind the troubles. They are caught by Garvin pointing a shotgun at them.

Outside a wave of heat engulfs Devil's End. Garvin is killed, and Hawthorne and Benton escape. Inside the pub everything is heated up - including the Doctor. A milkman on his way to Devil's End manages to escape before his van bursts into flames.

Hawthorne and Benton make it back to the pub where the Doctor has recovered. Hawthorne tells him she has seen the Devil, - a 30ft high creature, and tells the Doctor about a Satanist cult that were performing a Sabbat, lead by Magister. As soon as she mentions Magister the Doctor realises who is really behind everything: Magister is the Latin word for Master.

The Doctor and Jo return to the barrow, watched from a distance by a gargoyle. Inside the Doctor finds what looks like a model spaceship. Jo is unable to pick it up, which is understandable when the Doctor tells her it weights about 750 tonnes. The gargoyle, Bok, is being controlled by the Master. Bok tries to attack the Doctor and Jo, but the Doctor has some 'magic' of his own to fend off Bok using iron from a trowel.

The Brigadier, having heard about his helicopter being take by Yates and Benton, drives up to Devil's End. He sees the milkman and finds the heat barrier that has surrounded Devil's End, stopping anyone from getting in or out. The Brigadier calls them to let them know about the heat barrier which is a 10 mile unbroken circle around Devil's End which they cannot get over, keeping them out and everyone inside in. After the call is cut off the Doctor explains to Hawthorne, Yates, Benton and Jo that all through history Man has worshipped horned beasts, but that these beast are not the Devil but are in fact beings from another world. They are Daemons from the planet Daemos, 60,000 light years on the other side of the galaxy, and they came to Earth nearly 100,000 years ago. They were able to diminish themselves, like the spaceship, or to make themselves full size. The change in size accounts for the energy releases which resulted in the huge temperature changed. The Doctor also tells them the daemon will appear three times. It has appeared once, and the final time will be when it announces its intention for the world.

The Doctor ad Jo head out to the heat barrier to talk to the Brigadier and explain how to build a device to let them breach it. The Master hears about the Doctor and orders one of his coven to steal the Brigadier's helicopter and stop the Doctor. Instead the Doctor leads the helicopter into the barrier where it is destroyed. From the Vicarage the Master sees the explosion. During the incident Jo falls from Bessie and is knocked unconscious. Yates takes her back to the pub.

Back at the pub Jo is given a sedative, but she recovers and makes her way to the cavern underneath the church where the Master is attempting to raise the daemon for the second time. Yates finds Jo missing from the pub and realises she has gone to the cavern.

On the village green some of the locals, led by the Squire, start Morris dancing as part of the May Day celebrations. They block the Doctor, who is returning from visiting the Brigadier, and the Squire holds him at gunpoint as he is tied to the Maypole. Benton witnesses this from the pub, but as it about to go out to help is attacked by a Morris dancer. The Squire rouses the dancers to burn the Doctor as a witch, and they start to prepare. As the Squire prepares to start the fire Hawthorne appears, and claims the Doctor is the great Wizard Qui Quae Quod. When the Squire wants the Doctor to show his power the Doctor orders a lamp to shatter, which it does when Benton fires at it. The Squire does not believe the Doctor, but when he orders his car to come to him and it does, even Hawthorne and Benton begin to believe his a magician.

The Doctor explains that he is not a magician, and that neither is the Master. The Master has been using violent emotions such as anger and hate to summon the Daemons, and in the cavern the Master summons the Daemon Azal for the final time. Yates and Jo try to stop the Master but are too late The Master orders followers to prepare Jo as a sacrifice whilst Yates is restrained but later escapes.

Yates rushes to the village green and tells the Doctor that the Master has Jo. The Doctor calls the Brigadier and says the heat exchanged they have been building for him must be brought through immediately. The Doctor's device works enough to allow some UNIT vehicles to pass through the heat barrier. As the heat barrier is disrupted Azal starts to feel it, and scream in pain. Outside the church Bok is also starting to feel the effects. The Brigadier and his team make it through the barrier, but the machine overloads and blows up.

The Doctor makes it past Bok into the church but after the machine blows up Bok recovers preventing anyone else, including the Brigadier, from getting past.

In the cavern the Master and the Doctor meet. The Doctor talks to Azal and asks Azal to leave the planet. The Master orders Azal to kill the Doctor, but Azal tells the Master he commands, and does not obey. After hearing from the Doctor Azal decides that he will pass on his power to someone to rule Earth. The Master wants the power, but Azal chooses the Doctor, who does not want the power. When the Doctor refuses the gift Azal instead offers the power to the Master, and fires on the Doctor.

When Jo pleads for the Doctor's life, and stands in front of him, Azal cannot handle something as irrational and illogical as Jo giving up her life for the Doctor, and the power destroys him and the church as everyone flees. At the barrow dig the ship self destructs.

The Master manages to escape in Bessie, but the Doctor is able to guide Bessie back by remote control.

Regular Cast

  • Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Nicholas Courtney
  • Sergeant Benton: John Levene
  • Jo Grant: Katy Manning
  • Captain Yates: Richard Franklin

Guest Cast

  • The Master: Roger Delgado
  • Miss Hawthorne: Damaris Hayman
  • Bert: Don McKillop
  • Squire Winstanley: Rollo Gamble (1,3)
  • Doctor Reeves: Eric Hillyard (1-3)
  • Tom Girton: Jon Groft (1-3)
  • PC Groom: Christopher Wray (1-2)
  • Garvin: John Joyce (1-2)
  • Harry: James Snell (1-2)
  • Alistair Fergus: David Simeon (1)
  • Professor Horner: Robin Wentworth (1)
  • Bok: Stanley Mason (2-3,5)
  • Baker's Man: Gerald Taylor (2)
  • Thorpe: John Owens (2-5)
  • Sergeant Osgood: Alec Linstead (3-5)
  • Azal: Stephen Thorne (4-5)
  • Morris Men: The Headington Quarry Men (4)
  • Jones: Matthew Corbett (5)
Uncredited:
  • UNIT Corporal: Patrick Milner (1-2)
  • BBC 3 Man (Charlie): Robin Squire (3)
  • Voice of BBC 3 Announcer: Nicholas Courtney (3)
  • Postmaster (Charlie): John Scott Martin (3)
  • Voice of RAF Pilot: Christopher Barry (3)
  • Extras: Ernest Vlythe, Bill Burridge, David J Graham, Pat Gorman, Charles Shaw Kesketh, Michael Moore, Rex Rashley, John Tatham, Vic Taylor, Geoff Witherick

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 299. Episode One Saturday, 22 May 1971 18:15 - 18:40 9.2M
BBC 1 300. Episode Two Saturday, 29 May 1971 18:10 - 18:35 8.0M
BBC 1 301. Episode Three Saturday, 5 June 1971 18:10 - 18:35 8.1M
BBC 1 302. Episode Four Saturday, 12 June 1971 18:10 - 18:35 8.1M
BBC 1 303. Episode Five Wednesday, 16 June 1971 18:10 - 18:35 8.3M

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Studios

  • Television Centre Studio 3
  • Television Centre Studio 4

Outside Locations

  • Aldbourne and Membury, Wiltshire

Bloopers

Part 1 & 3: When the tree is blocking Jo and the Doctor's way up to Devil's End (this is at night), they both decide to get out of Bessie and run to the Devil's Hump. Notice that Bessie's headlights are left on. Now, when the Doctor goes back to collect Bessie later on, her headlights are off. This could have been due to a flat battery, but when the Doctor starts Bessie she fires first time.

Part 2 & 3: When the van (milk float?) crashes into the signpost and bursts into flames because of the heat barrier, the signpost clearly says 'Devils End 1' (as in one mile). In the very next scene we hear it explained that the heat barrier has a FIVE mile radius centred on the village church.

Working Titles

The Demons

Notes

Episodes One, Two, Three and Five now exist in a UK transmittable colour version, obtained as Doctor Who and the Silurians. This was the first story to be converted and it was this version that was repeated in 1992.