Peladon is as rich a planet as was ever
created for Doctor Who. Its murky passageways lit by flickering torches
seem so far from the studio environment in which they were constructed. Its
almost as if the stories were filmed on location on Peladon itself! Its pagan
tradition seems rooted down the centuries rather than scribbled out at a script
meeting the other week. Perhaps because the series at that time was mostly set
on present day Earth, those stories which are not resonate particularly
strongly. One of the best aspects of the two Peladon stories is a strong sense
of time and place. A feeling- still rare in the series to this day- that these
people were here long before the Doctor and will still have lives afterwards.
Moreover, writer Brian Hayles invents an entire history, structure and society
not just for the planet Peladon but the Galactic Federation as well. It is
quite intricate in detail and sounds convincingly believable as well
