The Doctor tries to tell Peladon about the beast, but Hepesh again orders that he be taken away to face the royal champion, who is defeated, the Doctor also sparing his life. Later, in the Doctor's cell, Hepesh helps him escape, only to encounter Aggedor again, only this time he calms the beast with a hypnotic device.
Hepesh accuses the Doctor of sacrilege, who must endure trial by combat, a duel to the death with the royal champion. Entering the beast's shrine room, he is discovered by Hepesh. Several unusual accidents affecting the delegates lead Jo to suspect the Ice Warriors.Įxploring the tunnels under the palace, the Doctor runs into, and flees from, the creature known as Aggedor. He introduces Jo as "Princess Josephine of TARDIS", a neutral royal observer from Earth. The Doctor is mistaken for the delegate from Earth. The Doctor and Jo are discovered by palace guards, who take them to the throne room where the delegates are gathered: Alpha Centauri, Arcturus, and Lord Izlyr and Ssorg of the Ice Warriors. Peladon asks for Hepesh's support to join the Federation, but Hepesh does not trust the aliens. The Third Doctor and Jo barely leave the ship before it tumbles over the edge of the cliff they climb to the castle to get help. The TARDIS materialises on the edge of a cliff below the castle. High Priest Hepesh is opposed, warning that the curse of Aggedor the Royal Beast of Peladon will visit doom upon them. The planet Peladon, led by its young king Peladon, is on the verge of joining the Galactic Federation, their delegates ready to deliberate and take a final vote. In the serial, the alien time traveller the Third Doctor ( Jon Pertwee) and his travelling companion Jo Grant ( Katy Manning) discover the High Priest Hepesh ( Geoffrey Toone) conspiring to stop Peladon from joining the Galactic Federation so that the old ways on the planet are preserved.
The serial is set on the superstitious and mineral-rich planet Peladon. The Curse of Peladon is the second serial of the ninth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 29 January to 19 February 1972.