The Curse of Peladon ( TV story ) The Curse of Peladon was the second story of the ninth season of " Doctor Who " . It introduced the planet of Peladon and the Galactic Federation , both of which featured in additional stories on television and in other media , as did Alpha Centauri , one of its delegates . The serial features David Troughton , the son of former Second Doctor Patrick Troughton , as the principal guest star . This was his third appearance in the programme , following two supporting roles made in earlier serials alongside his father . He reappeared three decades later in " Midnight " playing a different , older character , Professor Hobbes . From a production standpoint , " Curse " switched broadcast order with the previously - produced " Sea Devils " . This made it the first " Doctor Who " story broadcast in a different order to that in which it was made . Though a common enough occurrence in the years that followed , it had been impossible to broadcast out of production order in the 1960s due to the narrow interval between the recording and broadcasting of the episodes ( which often aired as little as two weeks after the studio recording date ) . Synopsis . The Doctor and Jo make a test flight in the TARDIS and arrive on the planet Peladon . Seeking shelter , they enter the citadel of the soon - to - be - crowned King Peladon , where the Doctor is mistaken for a human dignitary summoned to act as chairman of a committee assessing an application by the planet to join the Galactic Federation . Plot . Episode one . It is a rainy night on Peladon . The rain beats against the King ' s castle walls , perched high atop a mountain . Torbis , the King ' s Chancellor , enters the throne room to tell the King that the delegate from Alpha Centauri has arrived but they still await the delegate from Earth . Hepesh , the King ' s High Priest and Torbis ' brother , is unsure that the delegation should even take place whereas Torbis is very much in support . Hepesh talks of the curse of Aggedor . The King stops the two from arguing . Torbis reminds the King that he has raised him since his father died and wouldn ' t put him wrong . Hepesh tries to interject but the King says that he agrees with Torbis and that Peladon should join the Galactic Federation . Hepesh gives in . Torbis heads off to tell the other delegates of the arrival of the delegate from Alpha Centauri . As he heads off a gigantic beast roars and he is knocked to the floor . Guards from the throne room rushes to his aid . The monster returns and they hide . By the time the King arrives Torbis is dead . The King asks a guard who did this and he points to a statue on the wall . Hepesh says it is the spirit of Aggedor , the ancient curse of Peladon . The TARDIS lands on the edge of the mountain . Inside , the Doctor congratulates himself on a perfect landing to the first test flight after he has got the TARDIS working . Jo is complaining as he promised to get her back in time for a night out with Yates . Before he allows her to leave he says he will check the scanners . They do not work . The Doctor checks the equipment . Jo asks if he is sure they are back at base . The Doctor says that the atmosphere , temperature and gravity are all correct . The TARDIS judders . They discover they are on the edge of a cliff . The Doctor skirts along a narrow ledge and then helps Jo leap out . As soon as she does the TARDIS falls off the ledge and plummets down the mountain . The Doctor reassures Jo that the TARDIS is indestructible it is just a question of how to get to it . They cannot go down so they decide to climb up and start climbing the mountain . The delegate from Alpha Centauri , an alien creature with one big eye and many arms , presents himself to the King , wishful of a happy alliance . The King informs it that they are just waiting on the delegate from Earth . Hepesh mentions the death of Torbis to the King and this spooks the delegate from Alpha Centauri . The King placates it . The Doctor and Jo reach a ledge but Jo can go no further . They decide to traverse along the ledge in different directions to see what they can find . Soon Jo calls out . The Doctor turns but cannot see her . She pops her head out of a tunnel that she has found . Hepesh shows the delegate from Alpha Centauri into the delegation room where he is met by the delegate from Arcturus , a small green head in a dome which is attached to a computer . The delegate from Alpha Centauri tells his Arcturian counterpart of the death of Torbis which causes him to react with great concern . The delegate from Alpha Centauri is scared but his Arcturian colleague is more angry . He blows up a jar and tells Hepesh that a similar fate befalls anyone who threatens the delegation . In the tunnel system , the Doctor and Jo come across a shrine . The Doctor says he has not seen anything like it before on Earth . Hepesh and the King talk about times of old and Torbis . It is revealed that the King is half Peladonian and half human . Hepesh seems scathing of Earth . Hepesh believes that Torbis was killed by Aggedor . The King seems confused as to why he was not killed if Aggedor Rose due to the threat of joining the Galactic Federation . Hepesh says it is a sign but the King is still steadfast . Hepesh considers the delegates to be forming a trap because they despise Peladon and think of it ' s people as distrustful savages . The King asks Hepesh to summon the delegates to prove them otherwise . The Doctor and Jo find themselves with a number of different tunnels to go down . They hear a roar and decide to go another way . It is blocked but the Doctor ' s attention is drawn towards a torch . If this is an abandoned tunnel system how is the torch still alight ? He pulls it and a door swings open . Going through , they find themselves in the castle . They hear something coming and hide . An Ice Warrior shuffled past . Once it has gone , the Doctor tells Jo of the danger of the Ice Warriors and they decide to head back into the tunnel but they are soon surrounded by guards . The King tells the delegates of Torbis ' death . They are all spooked . The King mentions the curse and tries to brush it away . The Ice Warrior delegate wishes to hear of the curse . Hepesh tells of the beast of Peladon - an extinct creature that used to be hunted as a rite of passage . Legend has it that the creature would rise again when a stranger would appear that would bring great peril to Peladon . This story is interrupted by the entrance of the Doctor . The Ice Warrior approaches the Doctor menacingly but then assumes that he is the delegate from Earth . The Doctor goes along with this and he is introduced to all the delegates . The delegate from Arcturus accuses the Doctor of being late . The Doctor explains he spaceship crash landed and enquiries if there is any way of getting it back . Hepesh says he will arrange something and then asks for the Doctor ' s credentials . The Doctor says they were lost in the crash . The King is not interested in credentials but seems very taken with Jo . Hepesh asks whether Jo is of Royal blood as only royalty or delegates from planets are allowed in the throne room on punishment by death . Jo takes on the role of a member of the royal family and the Doctor plays along , introducing her as Princess Josephine of TARDIS . Outside the throne room , a guard climbs above the door . The Ice Warrior asks what powers Jo has on the committee of assessment and the Doctor says she is just a royal observer . The delegate from Alpha Centauri tells the Doctor of Torbis ' death . As the delegates argue , the guard is creating a lever underneath a large statue outside the throne room . The Doctor orders the squabbling to cease and Hepesh agrees . They decide to all go to the delegation room . As they all leave , the King flirts with Jo . Filing down the corridor , the Doctor sees the statue falling and heading directly for the delegate from Alpha Centauri . Episode two . The Doctor leaps forward and pushes the delegate from Alpha Centauri out the way . Inside the throne room , Hepesh stops the King from going to help . The guard sneaks off . The delegate from Alpha Centauri is very concerned about the accident but the chief Ice Warrior , Izlyr , thanks the Doctor . Hepesh says it was Aggedor that saved them . The Doctor says the incident needs to be investigated . Hepesh says no investigation need take place as it is just the wrath of Aggedor . The delegate from Alpha Centauri is very upset that they came to help the people of Peladon and their lives are being put at risk . Izlyr asks for more information from Hepesh about Aggedor . Hepesh says that it is foretold that when Aggedor returns he will bring terror and darkness and death will walk with him . Izlyr says that if Hepesh speaks for the King then there is no point in holding the delegation . The delegate from Arcturus agrees . The King enters and refuses to cancel the delegation and brings all the delegates back into the throne room . The King says that all the delegates come from areas that used to be wracked with war and he wants Peladon to follow in their path . Jo sneaks off while the delegates talk . The Doctor says that the delegates have a simple choice ; side with the King or with Aggedor . Jo has snuck up to the balcony where the statue was . She finds footprints and an item on the floor . The delegate from Arcturus makes the Doctor chair of the delegates and says he must decide . The Doctor says the delegation should continue . Izlyr says this puts them all at risk . The King tries to persuade him that isn ' t the case . The delegate from Alpha Centauri is worried they may be kept there by force . Izlyr gets angry at the thought of this and tempers start to fray . Jo sneaks in within this disagreement . The King begs the delegates to stay and help his people . The delegates say they will adjourn and reach a decision . All the delegates leave but the King asks Jo to stay and dismisses Hepesh . When alone , the King asks Jo if she believes him on a personal level . Jo doesn ' t answer . The King says that he is lonely . Jo points out that he has Hepesh . The King says he wants younger friends and says that Jo must understand that as a member of the royal family that has to be friends with an old man like the Doctor . He tells Jo that they have a bond and says that she is beautiful . He asks again if she believes him . She says she does . He asks her to speak for him at the commission . Jo becomes cross saying that he wasn ' t looking for a friend but a political ally . She angrily refuses and says she will remain neutral . Hepesh and the mute guard , Grun , are worshipping at a shrine . Hepesh tells Grun it was not his fault that he failed to deal with the delegates but says that they need to destroy the King ' s enemies , starting with the Doctor . He sends Grun to destroy him . The Doctor examines what Jo found on the balcony . It is an electronic key made of trisilicate used for operating Ice Warrior spaceships . The Doctor says the footprints must have been that of Izlyr . Jo says he thought Izlyr was in the throne room with them the whole time but the Doctor said he could have slipped away like she did . The Doctor says that the last time he encountered the Ice Warriors they were trying to colonise Earth and Peladon is a very Earth - like planet . He also says that the Ice Warriors are very savage , war - like and strong enough to topple a statue . Jo is unsure . The Doctor points out that it could hardly have been the other two delegates and starts to wonder what their motive might be . Jo asks why she and the Doctor can ' t just leave . The Doctor says they need to stay now . Jo teases him and says that he can ' t help but get involved . He says that sometimes he has no choice . Jo says he loves it . They are interrupted by the sound of an alarm . The alarm is attached to the delegate from Arcturus who is in a state of distress . The Doctor examines him and sees that his life support system has been removed . Jo asks what it looks like and , when the Doctor says it is a small box with a number of circuits in it , she begins to look for it . She asks the Doctor if she can search the delegates room as whoever has it will incriminate themselves . The Doctor blocks this saying it is too dangerous . As the Doctor tries to rectify the situation , the other delegates enter and think he is hurting the delegate from Arcturus . The Doctor manages to rectify the situation . Hepesh says this must have been done by Aggedor . The Doctor says Aggedor would not have had the technical skills to do this and , while looking at Izlyr , says whoever did it must come from a technologically advanced race . Izlyr rejects the accusation and says that both Alpha Centauri and Earth have the technological capabilities to do it and suggests that they found the Doctor with him . Jo sneaks into the Ice Warriors ' room and searches for the delegate for Arcturus ' life support system . She finds it in a crate but hears someone coming and hides behind a curtain . Ssong , Izlyr ' s counterpart , enters and sees Jo ' s feet under the curtain . He pulls it back and asks what she is doing . Jo says she was looking for the life support and found it . Ssong says that it is not theirs . Ssong goes to show Izlyr and locks Jo in the room . The delegate for Arcturus says he was attacked but his memory circuits have been effected and can ' t remember by who . The Doctor tells Izlyr that that is very lucky for him and leaves the room . He encounters Grun in the corridor who urgently forces him away . This is watched by Hepesh . The delegates discuss what happened to the delegate from Arcturus . Izlyr says he suspects it was the Doctor . The delegate from Alpha Centauri asks what motive he would have . Izlyr says he may be trying to form an alliance between Jo and the King to create a strong Earth - Pelodonian link which will dominate the Galactic Federation . The delegate from Arcturus says that this cannot be allowed . Ssong enters and asks to see Izlyr . The other two delegates discuss their worries . Izlyr returns and tells the delegates that Jo was found with the life support . Jo is waiting for the return of the Ice Warriors . She notices a high window and pulls a table and a box over and escapes out the window into the stormy night . She skirts along the ledge with rocks falling underneath her feet and re - enters through the next window and finds herself in a corridor . Grun gestures that the Doctor should enter a door . The Doctor asks if someone is in trouble . Grun says yes and the Doctor rushes in . Jo is lost in the corridors . She sees a terrifying monster and runs away . The Doctor and Grun are in the cave system . They hear a roar . Grun gets scared and runs off . The Doctor goes after him and but turns back to find out what danger there might be in the tunnel . Jo runs into Izlyr . She is terrified of Aggedor . Ssong goes to look and finds nothing . Izlyr says this is all part of the trick . Jo says she must find the Doctor . Izlyr says that they also seek the Doctor . The Doctor rushes deeper into the cave system . Jo is led back to the Ice Warriors ' room . Izlyr asks why she escaped and she says she was frightened . Izlyr asks if she really saw Aggedor and she says she did . Izlyr still thinks it is a trick . Jo says that they tried to kill the delegate from Arcturus . Izlyr says it wasn ' t them but also say that the removal of the life support wouldn ' t have killed him just made him very uncomfortable . Jo says that the Doctor told her that their species are Warriors . Izlyr says they used to be but now they reject violence . Jo asks why they have a gun . Izlyr says that in order to sue for peace you must survive . Jo asks if it wasn ' t them that harmed the delegate from Arcturus then who was it . Izlyr still thinks it was the Doctor . The Doctor is rushing through the cave system with Aggedor in pursuit . He reaches a dead end but sees a torch again and pulls it . He emerges into the shrine room . Hepesh finds him and orders Grun to seize him . He says the Doctor is impure and should not desecrate the shrine . Hepesh has brought the Doctor to the King . He is facing charges of desecrating the temple of Aggedor . The King is apologetic but says the laws of Peladon state that the sentence for this crime is death . Episode three . The Doctor tries to explain that he was trying to escape the tunnels and stumbled into the temple , but Peladon is unaware of the tunnels ' existence . Jo urges the King to be flexible , given the Doctor ' s " diplomatic " status , and he agrees to a compromise — trial by combat against Grun in the ceremonial pit . Jo argues with Peladon over his clinging to ridiculous superstition s but is surprised when he proposes to her and asks her to help him change his planet for the better . Hepesh offers to help the Doctor escape before the combat , drawing him a map . He explains he is afraid of the progress Federation membership may bring , then admits he has a powerful ally assisting him . For their part , the delegates must obey Federation law and not interfere with local customs . However , Izlyr tells Jo that , since the Doctor saved him from the statue , he must do everything in his power to repay the debt . Arcturus listens to this conversation with a bug . The Doctor escapes into the tunnels . He finds Aggedor and uses a spinning mirror and a Venusian lullaby to hypnotise him . Just as it seems to be working , Jo arrives and frightens the beast away . The Doctor goes back and tries to explain to everyone that Aggedor is an animal trained to attack anything living beneath the citadel , but Hepesh insists that he be taken to the combat pit . There , he faces Grun with halberd s and sword s and in hand - to - hand combat . After a long struggle , the Doctor is victorious but refuses to kill Grun . Watching from the edge of the pit , Arcturus and Ssorg draw their weapons and fire . . . Episode four . Ssorg is quicker on the trigger and kills Arcturus , who was trying to shoot the Doctor . Hepesh flees , and the others deduce he was in league with Arcturus and sabotaged the life support with his directions . The planet Arcturus is poor in mineral wealth , and he had hoped to arrange a separate mining treaty . Peladon asks the delegates to help him avert a civil war with Hepesh . While they discuss the situation , Grun slips into the tunnels and attacks Hepesh to atone for having been manipulated . Hepesh ' s guards manage to overpower Grun and leave him for the Doctor to find , whereupon the two put aside their differences and pursue Hepesh . Jo and the Ice Warriors finally convince Alpha Centauri to bend the rules and support King Peladon , but they find that all their transmitters have been sabotaged and they are cut off from their orbiting spacecraft . Hepesh leads his followers in a revolt , quickly defeating the royal guards and capturing the King . The Doctor and Grun find Aggedor and hypnotise him again . As Hepesh gives the delegates a chance to leave the planet peacefully , the Doctor leads Aggedor into the throne room . He explains that , although they were thought extinct , Hepesh found one Aggedor and trained it to do his bidding . Aggedor attacks and kills Hepesh in a rage after being controlled for so long . Peladon now has no problem ordering the rebels to lay down their arms . Although the TARDIS has been dragged up from the valley below , the Doctor and Jo decide to stay for Peladon ' s coronation . The Doctor reminisces about other coronations he has witnessed and speculates that their journey to Peladon was no accident , but a contrivance by the Time Lord s to have the Doctor deal with this crisis — he didn ' t get the TARDIS working after all . Aggedor then wanders in to see the Doctor ; he has become rather fond of the Time Lord . The Doctor leads Aggedor off to his enclosure as Peladon comes in to ask Jo for an answer to his proposal . She tells him that she can ' t marry him and she is not really a princess . Peladon says that he never cared about her rank but accepts her decision . As the Doctor and Jo head to the throne room , they encounter an embarrassing visitor — Amazonia , the " real " Earth delegate , delayed and indignant . They decide to slip away and watch some other coronation instead . As Amazonia , Ssorg and Izlyr come into the room where the TARDIS is stored , they see it dematerialise ; Amazonia is left gaping and speechless . References . " to be added " Home video and audio releases . Digital Releases . This story is available : VHS releases . This story was released as " Doctor Who : The Curse of Peladon . " Released : Audio release . The story was also recorded and released on both cassette and CD . The soundtrack of the story was released by BBC Audio on 5 November 2007 , with linking narration by Katy Manning .