Production Code: 6J
First Transmitted
1 - 15/03/1983 18:55
2 - 16/03/1983 18:45
Plot
The TARDIS materialises in 13th Century England during a joust held in the presence of King John. The King welcomes the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough as his 'demons', but his actions toward the family of his host Ranulf fitz William are decidedly hostile.
The Doctor discovers that what appears to be the King is in fact a shape-changing android called Kamelion whom the Master found on Xeriphas. The Master has disguised himself as the King's Champion, Sir Gilles Estram, and is using Kamelion in a plot to discredit the King and prevent the signing of the Magna Carta, thereby changing the course of history.
The Doctor manages to wrest control of Kamelion away from the Master, exposing his arch enemy's scheme.
Episode Endings
Sir Gilles' face blurs and changes into the more familiar visage of the Master, who aims his tissue compression eliminator at the Doctor.
To Turlough's surprise and Tegan's dismay, the Doctor accepts Kamelion as a new travelling companion aboard the TARDIS. Tegan insists that she does not wish to be returned home, however, and the Doctor admits that the co-ordinates are already set for the Eye of Orion.
Roots
The King refers to various demonic entities ('Can this be Lilith?').
Dialogue Triumphs
The King : "Do our demons come to visit us?"
Ranulf : [Speaking of Sir Gilles Estram] "He is said to be the best swordsman in France."
The Doctor : "Well, fortunately, we are in England."
The Master : "Oh my dear Doctor, you have been naïve."
Double Entendre
Tegan : "Look at the size of that bed."
The Doctor : "Another way of keeping warm..."
Continuity
The Master used Kamelion, the tool of an earlier invader of Xeriphas (see Time Flight), to escape from the planet and then impersonate King John. Kamelion does have a mind of its own, but can be controlled psychokinetically. The Master's Tissue Compression Eliminator is referred to as a 'compressor' on several occasions.
The Doctor leaves the device switched on, which will affect the dimension circuits in the Master's TARDIS. Tegan is able to make the Doctor's TARDIS take off and land on her own [as with Four to Doomsday, much of this might be the ship acting to minimise potential damage].
At the end Turlough says that they were going to go to his home planet (still unnamed) [given his reaction in Planet of Fire it seems unlikely that he is referring to Trion. Perhaps he was trying to get the Doctor to visit somewhere else under false pretences?]. He has previously visited the Eye of Orion.
Location
England, 4 March 1215.
Trivia
In order to conceal the fact that the Master featured in this story the Radio Times credited him as Sir Gilles Estram played by James Stoker - 'Estram' being an anagram of 'Master' and 'James Stoker' being an anagram of 'Master's joke'.
An excellent guest cast includes: Frank Windsor, well known as Sergeant Watt in Z Cars and its Softly, Softly spin-offs; distinguished stage and television actress Isla Blair; and Gerald Flood, popular amongst telefantasy fans for his roles in early sixties ABC serials such as Pathfinders in Space and its sequels, amongst many other programmes.
This story marks the debut appearance of short-lived new 'companion' Kamelion - in reality a computer controlled, sound activated, animated robot created by software designer Mike Power and computer hardware expert Chris Padmore of a firm called CP Cybernetics.
Goofs
The Master's iron maiden TARDIS has an anachronistic Elizabethan ruff.
The history is rubbish, as the Magna Carta's importance was fabricated in the 17th century: it achieved very little in the 13th century.
French was still the language of the court in the early 13th century, so why does only Sir Gilles speak it?
Cast & Crew
Cast
The Doctor - Peter Davison
Tegan - Janet Fielding
Turlough - Mark Strickson
Hugh - Christopher Villiers
Isabella - Isla Blair
Jester - Peter Burroughs
Ranulf - Frank Windsor
Sir Geoffrey - Michael J Jackson
The King - Gerald Flood Gerald Flood also provided, uncredited, the voice of Kamelion in Part Two.
The Master - Anthony Ainley
Crew
Director - Tony Virgo
The King's Demons