“The Dæmons” is the last adventure of the eighth season of “Doctor Who” classic series, which aired in 1971. It follows “Colony in Space” and it’s a five parts adventure written by Guy Leopold and directed by Christopher Barry.

The story

An archaeological dig near the village of Devil’s End is disturbed by a white witch who tries to stop it. Watching the event on television, the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) realizes that there’s something really dangerous linked to the village so he and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) go there to stop the excavations.

In the village, the new vicar tries to reassure the residents that there’s nothing dangerous but in reality he’s the Master in disguise. He convinced a group of people to follow him in a plan that aims to awaken a creature from its long sleep in a cave in the area.

A television broadcast from the excavations suddenly stops. Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton immediately go to the village to see what is happening. The next day, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) tries to follow them but finds a barrier around Devil’s End

Extras

This DVD contains a good amount of extras. There are typical contents such as production subtitles, a gallery of pictures from this adventure, the Radio Times Listings and a promo of the “Doctor Who” DVDs soon to be published.

There are various comments in the adventure alternative audio track by protagonist Kathy Manning and actors Richard Franklin and Damaris Hayman.

The Devil Rides Out. A documentary about the production of this adventure.

Remembering Barry Letts. A documentary about Barry Letts’ career. He’s best remembered as “Doctor Who” producer but has also been an actor, screenwriter and director. This is a beautiful remembrance of a man who was important in the history of the classic series.

Film Location. Amateur footage shot at the time during the shooting of this adventure. It’s a filler.

Colourisation Test. The original colorization test of the first episode. Being without comment, it’s another filler.

Tomorrow’s World. In occasion of the first colorization attempt, “Tomorrow’s World” spoke of the technology used.

In 1970, producer Barry Letts wrote a scene for the auditions to find the actress who’d play Jo Grant. The character, along with Mike Yates, had to face the devil in a church. This scene was originated by Letts’ interest of magic, including black magic. The basic idea gave him the inspiration for the story that became “The Dæmons”.

Barry Letts wanted to write an adventure for “Doctor Who” but his job as the show’s producer left him little time. He decided to find a writer who already had some experience and eventually he reached an agreement with Robert Sloman. The pseudonym they used, Guy Leopold, consists of the name of Sloman’s son and Barry Letts’ middle name.

The basic theme of “The Dæmons” is the magic but “Doctor Who” was a science fiction show, though it wasn’t always exactly rigorous about the science. There was also the problem of the religious elements contained in the basic idea, too sensitive for the show. Eventually, the elements connected to magic were kept but with a more rational basis.

The title, which in the course of the script development was spelled as both Damons and Demons, ended up mixing both spellings. The devil became an alien in a story that has some points in common with the movie “Quatermass and the Pit”. The use of the church was left out almost completely and in particular the ceremonies were moved to a cave.

Barry Letts knew perfectly “Doctor Who” protagonists and recurring characters so the script of “The Dæmons” takes full advantage of them and the relationships between them. This is one of the few occasions when Captain Yates and Sergeant Benton have the opportunity to really be protagonists in the plot. The two of them find themselves in the middle of the story, isolated from the rest of UNIT, and for a good part of this adventure are the only ones who can help the Doctor.

The elements of science fiction and magic collide especially those in the quarrels between the Doctor, who sees alien forces at work, and the white witch who lives in Devil’s End, which sees magical forces at work. The Doctor really treats her bad but “The Dæmons” is one of the adventures in which he’s particularly grumpy.

If that’s not enough for you, there’s also the Master with all his usual plans to conquer some form of power. From this point of view, “The Dæmons” follows the typical patterns of the adventures with this Doctor’s archenemy. However, the two Time Lords interact very little compared to other stories and this is strange because Barry Letts knew how well Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado worked together.

The story is well built and well played and the possibility of shooting a good part of it in a real village adds values to a production too often limited by its low budget. The need for special effects is limited so in terms of visual the quality is also really good. For these reasons, “The Dæmons” has a high reputation despite an ending that honesly is weak.

In my opinion, “The Dæmons” is a bit overrated. The weak ending and the limited interaction between the Doctor and the Master are two flaws that make me consider this adventure at a level inferior to a few others of the Third Doctor era. I still find it very good and I think that it’s a must-have for “Doctor Who” fans. Of the extra contents in the double DVD the documentaries are the most interesting ones, especially for fans.