Doctor Who: The Daemons (Story #59)

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7.0 Overall Score
Story: 7/10
Acting: 7/10
Visuals: 6/10

Mystic aspect is fun, cool little gargoyles

Could have eliminated one episode, more gargoyles

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Hi, I’m the Doctor, and this is Jo my motorcycle mama

The town of Devil’s End in Wiltshire a legendary haunted location of Devil’s Hump. When a TV archaeologist prepares a dig for broadcast against the resistance of a local white witch named Olive Hawthorne (Damaris Hayman). When the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) realizes a danger, he and Jo (Katy Manning) are unable to stop the danger. The Doctor realizes the Master (Roger Delgado) is behind the dig and Azal is awakened with other gargoyles. As the Master seeks Azal’s powers he puts a barrier around Devil’s End and turns the villagers against the Doctor.

Doctor Who: The Daemons (or stylistically The Dæmons) was the final episode season of the eight season of Doctor Who. It aired in five episodes from May 22, 1971 to June 19, 1971. It followed Doctor Who:  Colony in Space and has been collected in The Jon Pertwee Years as Story #59.

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I might be lame, but I’m creepy!

I like this Doctor Who series. It is overly long (it should have only been four episodes), but it does have a fun creepy feel. I love the little gargoyles that remind me of the winged monkeys from The Wizard of Oz (which scared me as a kid). Another aspect of this story also gives me a feel of The Wicker Man with the village’s creepy May Day celebration (with the Doctor in the role of the victim).

I like the Master but would have enjoyed the demons part expanded. The Master’s plot however is necessary to propel the daemons’ story, but I just want more creepy gargoyles. It is good to see the Doctor face someone who is essentially his equal and the Master always provides a good challenge to him since he is also a Time Lord.

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I’m the Master…what’s it to you?!

Another good aspect of Doctor Who: The Daemons is the idea of science versus religion. Jo’s new age approach and Olivia Hawthorn’s white magic are a great contrast to the Doctor’s belief in only science and it of course is a good blend that both are kind of right. The daemons represent a mix of science and mysticism and that is an interesting concept.

Doctor Who: The Daemons is a fun series. Despite being one of the older episodes it still has a fresh look (though with typical Doctor Who “cheapness”) but it easy looks like it could have been in the Baker Years in its shooting and style. Doctor Who: The Daemons was followed by Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks.

Preceded By:

Doctor Who:  Colony in Space (Story #58)

Followed By:

Doctor Who:  Day of the Daleks (Story #60)

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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