The Daemons Part 1
When an archaeological dig at Devil's End awakens an ancient evil on Beltane, the Doctor and Jo must race against time to stop a sinister cult led by the Master from unleashing the powerful Daemon Azal upon the world.
In the quiet village of Devil's End, an archaeological dig led by Professor Horner stirs up more than just dirt when he decides to open an ancient barrow called the Devil's Hump on Beltane. The village eccentric, Miss Hawthorne, foresees doom and disaster, warning that the dig will awaken an ancient evil. Her warnings fall on deaf ears, dismissed as the ramblings of a mad woman.
Meanwhile, at UNIT HQ, the Doctor is tinkering with Bessie when Jo Grant brings up the dawning of the age of Aquarius and its association with the occult. The Doctor scoffs at the idea of magic, insisting on scientific explanations for everything. However, a strange incident with Bessie behaving autonomously piques his interest, especially when Captain Yates mentions the TV program about the dig at Devil's End. The Doctor's interest turns to alarm when he hears the location, Devil's End, and he decides they must investigate.
The television broadcast, hosted by Alastair Fergus, adds fuel to the fire. Fergus explores the dark mythology of Devil's End and interviews Professor Horner, who remains dismissive of the curse and Hawthorne's warnings. Miss Hawthorne makes an appearance, vehemently protesting the dig. She claims to be a witch and warns of the impending arrival of the Prince of Evil, the Dark One, the Horned Beast.
The Doctor and Jo set off for Devil's End, but a manipulated signpost leads them astray. Back in the village, strange occurrences plague the locals: cows go dry, hens stop laying, and Constable Groom experiences a moment of near violence towards Miss Hawthorne, suggesting a supernatural influence.
Miss Hawthorne seeks help from the local vicar, Canon Smallwood, who has left in mysterious circumstances. Garvin, the verger, denies her access, but the Master appears, now the new vicar, and dismisses her fears. Undeterred, Hawthorne leaves to find someone who will listen, while the Master directs Garvin to follow her. On their way to Devil's End, the Doctor and Jo encounter a fallen tree blocking the road, forcing them to proceed on foot.
As midnight approaches, Professor Horner prepares to break into the burial chamber. In the church vestry, Girton reveals the Doctor's imminent arrival to the Master, so he sets the stage for a ceremony in the cavern below the church; surrounded by robed figures, he starts a ritual, to raise Azal, an ancient Daemon. The ceremony intensifies as the church clock strikes midnight. The Doctor and Jo rush toward the barrow just as Professor Horner removes the stone slab. A burst of energy rips through the tunnel, knocking Horner to the ground, followed outside by a massive blast, while inside the cavern, the gargoyle's eyes glow red as the Master achieves his goal, as he summons Azal. The episode concludes with the apparent unleashing of Azal and the triumph of the Master's sinister plan.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The narrative opens in the ominous village of Devil's End, where a man's sudden death by fright in the churchyard signals an escalating supernatural threat. The eccentric Miss Hawthorne, a self-proclaimed white witch, immediately attributes the death to malevolent forces and issues dire warnings to the local doctor and, later, a visiting television crew. She vehemently protests Professor Horner's archaeological dig at the ancient Devil's Hump, prophesying that opening the barrow on Beltane will unleash an ancient evil and bring disaster upon the entire community. Her warnings are largely dismissed as the ramblings of a madwoman, yet the village's dark mythology and the specific, occult significance of Beltane resonate with a deeper, unsettling truth. Meanwhile, at UNIT HQ, the Doctor initially scoffs at the concept of magic, confidently demonstrating Bessie's "autonomous" behavior as a scientific trick using a radio control unit. However, Captain Yates' casual mention of Devil's End and its "funny reputation," coupled with the TV broadcast featuring Hawthorne's increasingly urgent and specific prophecies of "The Prince of Evil, the Dark One, the Horned Beast," shifts the Doctor's scientific skepticism to a profound sense of alarm. Recognizing the grave danger inherent in Horner's actions and the significance of Beltane, the Doctor and Jo immediately decide to travel to Devil's End to intervene, marking their commitment to confronting the unfolding crisis. This act meticulously establishes the central conflict between scientific rationalism and ancient, malevolent forces, introduces the key players, and sets the urgent stakes of the impending disaster.
In the UNIT garage, the Doctor publicly debunks Jo’s mystical theories about the age of Aquarius by demonstrating Bessie’s erratic behavior through a hidden radio-controlled mechanism. His dismissive tone—calling her …
The Doctor, mid-demonstration of Bessie’s radio-controlled mechanics, abruptly shifts focus when Captain Yates mentions the archaeological dig at Devil's End. Yates casually references the village’s 'funny reputation' as part of …
Professor Horner leads Alastair Fergus and a cameraman to the sealed barrow entrance, where he dismisses Fergus’ questions about Sutton Hoo with academic arrogance, instead emphasizing the historical weight of …
In the claustrophobic tunnel of the Devil’s Hump barrow, Professor Horner—eager to control the narrative and stoke public interest—leads Alastair Fergus and a cameraman to a sealed stone entrance. His …
As the Doctor and Jo embark on their urgent journey to Devil's End, their path is immediately fraught with supernatural interference; a manipulated signpost sends them off course, and later, a fallen tree blocks their road, forcing them to proceed on foot and highlighting the pervasive, unseen forces actively working against their progress. Concurrently, the village experiences escalating paranormal disturbances: cows go dry, hens stop laying, and Constable Groom is momentarily compelled to violence against Miss Hawthorne by an unseen influence, indicating a growing malevolent grip on the community. Miss Hawthorne, seeking help, attempts to contact the former vicar, Canon Smallwood, but is rebuffed by the verger, Garvin. The Master, disguised as the new vicar, Mister Magister, then appears, coolly dismissing Hawthorne's urgent pleas and warnings about Beltane and the forces of evil. Despite his calm, rationalist demeanor, the Master subtly exerts his influence, instructing Garvin to follow Hawthorne and ensuring she finds no allies. The Master's true, sinister intentions become clear when Girton informs him of the Doctor's imminent arrival, prompting the Master to accelerate his plans. He prepares a dark ceremony in the church cavern, donning a red robe with gold trim and gathering his black-robed coven around an altar, setting the stage for the imminent summoning of Azal. This act effectively builds tension through the protagonists' thwarted progress, the increasing supernatural grip on the village, and the revelation of the Master's active, orchestrating role in the impending catastrophe, culminating in his preparations for the ritual.
The Doctor watches a live television broadcast featuring Alastair Fergus and Professor Horner at the Devil’s Hump dig site, where Horner dismisses local superstitions about the site’s curse as mere …
During a live television broadcast from Devil’s Hump, Miss Hawthorne violently interrupts Professor Horner’s interview with Alastair Fergus, physically resisting a technician’s attempt to remove her. Her outburst forces the …
In the aftermath of Alastair Fergus’s televised report on the Devil’s End dig, the Cloven Hoof bar becomes a battleground for clashing perspectives on the growing supernatural threat. Winstanley, the …
In the dimly lit Cloven Hoof pub, the tension between skepticism and creeping unease plays out as Winstanley defends Miss Hawthorne’s televised warnings about the Devil’s End dig. While Bert …
In the churchyard, Miss Hawthorne—desperate to halt Professor Horner’s excavation—confronts the Master (disguised as Vicar Magister) and accuses him of hypocrisy, calling him a 'rationalist, existentialist priest' who dismisses her …
After Hawthorne’s desperate plea to the Master (disguised as Vicar Magister) to stop Professor Horner’s excavation, the Master dismisses her warnings with cold rationalism, undermining her credibility and deepening her …
In the tense lead-up to Beltane’s midnight deadline, Harry checks on Fergus’s fraying nerves, revealing the group’s mounting anxiety. He then delivers precise instructions to Professor Horner, emphasizing the cult’s …
In the tense pre-ritual atmosphere of the dig site, Harry checks on Alastair Fergus’s frayed nerves before finalizing the midnight ceremony with Professor Horner. Fergus’s defensive outburst reveals his growing …
The narrative accelerates towards its climax as multiple threads converge on the stroke of midnight. Professor Horner, oblivious to the true, occult danger, prepares to break into the ancient burial chamber, driven solely by archaeological ambition and a desire for publicity. Simultaneously, in the shadowy church cavern, the Master, now fully robed and surrounded by his chanting coven, commences his elaborate ritual to conjure Azal, the ancient Daemon. He invokes dark powers, intensifying the ceremony with unholy water, burning incense, and reversed incantations. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jo, having overcome their travel obstacles, race desperately across the village green towards the barrow, their shouts to stop the dig drowned out by the ominous chiming of the church clock. As the clock strikes midnight, Horner removes the large stone slab sealing the burial chamber, unleashing a powerful hurricane-force blast that rips through the tunnel, knocking him down, and demolishing the television crew's equipment outside. In the cavern, the Master's incantations reach their peak, culminating in his triumphant invocation of Azal. He laughs in triumph as the gargoyle's eyes glow red and its head turns from side to side, signaling the successful summoning of Azal. The episode concludes with the Master's sinister plan achieved and the ancient evil unleashed, leaving the Doctor and Jo to arrive moments too late, facing the devastating consequences of their failure to intervene in time.
The Doctor and Jo enter the Cloven Hoof bar seeking directions to Devil’s Hump, where the dig is underway. The locals, distracted by the televised coverage of the archaeological dig, …
The Doctor and Jo enter the Cloven Hoof bar, where the Doctor’s urgency clashes with the locals’ indifference. Bert, the pub owner, dismisses their request for directions to Devil’s Hump …