7.4
On the eve of May Day, dark elemental forces begin to disturb the village of Devil's End as the Master summons the demon Azal: unexplained murders, a stone gargoyle come to life, and a nigh-impenetrable infernal energy dome. With the Master fully prepared to destroy the Earth, the Doctor and UNIT - aided by a benevolent practitioner of witchcraft - battle the wicked rites of a secret science wielded by an alien from another world.
Jon Pertwee
The Doctor
Katy Manning
Jo Grant
Nicholas Courtney
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Richard Franklin
Captain Mike Yates
John Levene
Sergeant Benton
Roger Delgado
The Master
Stephen Thorne
Azal
Stanley Mason
Bok
Damaris Hayman
Miss Hawthorne
Don McKillop
Bert the Landlord
Rollo Gamble
Winstanley
Robin Wentworth
Prof. Horner
David Simeon
Alastair Fergus
James Snell
Harry
John Joyce
Garvin
Eric Hillyard
Dr. Reeves
Jon Croft
Tom Girton
Christopher Wray
PC Groom
Gerald Taylor
Baker's Man
Alec Linstead
Sgt. Osgood
John Owens
Thorpe
Matthew Corbett
Jones
Director
Christopher Barry
Script Editor
Terrance Dicks
Writer
Barry Letts
Writer
Robert Sloman
September 6, 2024
7
The entertaining Damaris Hayman brings something of the eccentric Margaret Rutherford to this enjoyable series as she claims to be an white witch ("Hawthorne") warning of great dangers should the pompous "Prof. Horner" (Robin Wentworth) go ahead with uncovering a tomb long since hidden near the menacingly named village of "Devil's End". If you ever doubted the "Doctor" could do time travel, then a quick glance at the television coverage of this event would prove that we could all watch BBC3 almost fifty years before it did actually start broadcasting! Anyway, the Time Lord (Jon Pertwee) and "Jo" (Katy Manning) hear her portents of doom and race to stop the dig. Meantime, the place has a new vicar in the form of "Magister". Yep, it's Roger Delgado using a Latin disguise. What's he doing at an ancient dig, though? Well that soon becomes apparent as the giant "Azal" emerges whom he hopes will endow him with power to rule humanity. With an heat shield surrounding the village ensuring that the increasingly frustrated "Brigadier" (Nicholas Courtney) is kept at arms length, it falls to our intrepid duo as well as the civvie-clad "Capt. Yates" (Richard Franklin) and "Sgt. Benson" (John Levene) to do some thwarting before their antagonist becomes all-powerful. This is one of Delgado's better efforts as his menace in a dog-collar works nicely with the eccentric Hayman, an helicopter, plenty of remote controlled Bessie, a bit of ESP lightbulb shattering, a flighty blue devil and there's even a floral dance (without an hint of Terry Wogan). Its darker than many with some Satanic menace and adequate visual effects to support a story rooted in folklore that plays to superstition. There is a solid cast of support and across a more tightly edited five-parts this brings the season to an entertaining conclusion.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00