In the early seventies, most reverends/'men of the cloth' seen on TV were either of the most lightweight and unassuming kind or of the lovably pompous/ accidentally bumbling Derek Nimmo variety that would become such a part of light entertainment comedy. Not so with the Reverend 'Magister' of 1971, however, whose building, disturbing actions within his new parish of Devil's End sees the unleashing of dark forces and powers (going beyond previously attributed supernatural realms) against both planet Earth and The Doctor, witnessed to the fullest within the final exciting story of Jon Pertwee's second season - The Daemons!
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| Captured by UNIT. But for how long...? |
The ultimate showcase story for both the Master (later garbed beyond his innocent Vicar disguise in a glorious red-cape that more than enhances his world-ending villainy) and a clearly relishing it all Roger Delgado, The Daemons is rightly regarded as an all-time classic by fans and the people who made it, a triumph from which the Time Lord nemesis was now fully established and clearly loved by TV audiences during1971. So much so that, during location filming of the story, the local townspeople of Aldbourne, Wiltshire (the location used to represent the fictional realm of Devil's End) were actually loath to boo the character when finally captured by Sergeant Benton and UNIT at season's end - a sure sign of the TV icon baddie's success!
It wouldn't be long before the Master would return to plague The Doctor and UNIT anew on the rejuvenated series, though on a less regular basis, so as to keep his future appearances a notable audience-grabbing surprise...
Catch the colour-restored The Daemons as part of the recently released The Collection - Season 8 Blu-ray set.
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