90-555: The Dæmons is the fifth and final serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , which was first broadcast in five weekly parts on BBC1 from 22 May to 19 June 1971. In the serial, the alien time traveller the Master ( Roger Delgado ) awakens the ancient horned alien Azal ( Stephen Thorne ) in a cavern beneath an English church, with the Master intending to be granted Azal's immense power. In
180-623: A May crowning . 1 May is also one of two feast days of the Catholic patron saint of workers St Joseph the Worker , a carpenter, husband to Mother Mary , and foster father of Jesus . Replacing another feast to St. Joseph, this date was chosen by Pope Pius XII in 1955 as a counterpoint to the communist International Workers' Day celebrations on May Day. The best known modern May Day traditions, observed both in Europe and North America, include dancing around
270-581: A male companion ), and setting up a Maypole , May Tree or May Bush, around which people dance and sing. Bonfires are also a major part of the festival in some regions. Regional varieties and related traditions include Walpurgis Night in central and northern Europe, the Gaelic festival Beltane , the Welsh festival Calan Mai , and May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary . It has also been associated with
360-570: A "United Kingdom Day". Similarly, attempts were made by the John Major government in 1993 to abolish the May Day holiday and replace it with Trafalgar Day. Unlike the other Bank Holidays and common law holidays, the first Monday in May is taken off from (state) schools by itself, and not as part of a half-term or end of term holiday. This is because it has no Christian significance and does not otherwise fit into
450-559: A May Bush was reported as being suppressed by law and the magistrates in Dublin in the 18th century. The tradition of lighting bonfires has survived in parts of the country, and other traditions continue to be revived as local cultural events. May Day has been celebrated in Scotland for centuries. It was previously closely associated with the Beltane festival. Reference to this earlier celebration
540-472: A May Bush: typically a thorn bush or branch decorated with flowers, ribbons, bright shells and rushlights. Holy wells were also visited, while Bealtaine dew was thought to bring beauty and maintain youthfulness. For almost two centuries, the Dublin suburb of Finglas was well known for its "May Games" and its maypole "was one of the last to survive in Dublin", according to historian Michael J. Tutty. Throughout
630-479: A central role. Hayman herself had an interest in the supernatural and helped out during production as an unofficial adviser. A friend of hers was a practicing witch who had commended the scripts for their accuracy. Veteran British actor Robin Wentworth played Professor Horner. Future television presenter and Sooty puppeteer, Matthew Corbett had a brief role in the final episode as a hooded coven member who objects to
720-447: A line from this story: Jenkins. Chap with the wings there. Five rounds rapid. In 2018, The Daily Telegraph ranked The Dæmons at number 11 in "the 56 greatest stories and episodes", describing it as "very much a product of its time" that evoked Hammer Films and also considering it "the quintessential Pertwee story", noting that it was a particular favourite of the cast. The Daily Telegraph concluded that "it may not be one of
810-520: A lot of the village residents appearing as extras, as well as the Headington Quarry Morris dancers performing dances in episodes four and five. The cast included David Simeon who himself was from Wiltshire where the story was being filmed. He had previously appeared in the Inferno story a year earlier. Comedy actress Damaris Hayman starred throughout the five episodes as Miss Hawthorne in
900-730: A major event in the town calendar. A traditional sweeps festival is performed over the May bank holiday in Rochester, Kent , where the Jack in the Green is woken at dawn on 1 May by Morris dancers. At 7:15 p.m. on 1 May each year, the Kettle Bridge Clogs morris dancing side dance across Barming Bridge (otherwise known as the Kettle Bridge), which spans the River Medway near Maidstone , to mark
990-461: A pagan religious festival. In rural regions of Germany, especially the Harz Mountains, Walpurgisnacht celebrations are traditionally held on the night before May Day, including bonfires and the wrapping of a Maibaum (maypole). Young people use this opportunity to party, while the day itself is used by many families to get some fresh air. Motto: "Tanz in den Mai" ( "Dance into May" ). In
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#17328521331141080-446: A particular kind of fantasy horror adventure storytelling so wonderfully '70s and British that it just never loses its charm". Doctor Who Magazine said that the story was "lavishly filmed and well characterised" and gave particular credit to Roger Delgado as the Master. Although the review was less favourable about the climax to the story, it described the closing scene as "perfection". Reviewing its DVD release, Ian Berriman of SFX
1170-440: A retrospective documentary " The Devil Rides Out " in which cast & crew looked back on the making of the serial, and an obituary documentary " Remembering Barry Letts " in which family and colleagues looked back over the life and work of the writer/producer/director. The documentary included extensive contributions from Letts himself, from a long interview he conducted with producer Ed Stradling in 2008. The DVD reached No.3 on
1260-560: A song of Spring. In Oxford , it is a centuries-old tradition for May Morning revellers to gather below the Great Tower of Magdalen College at 6 am to listen to the college choir sing traditional madrigals as a conclusion to the previous night's celebrations. Since the 1980s some people then jump off Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell . For some years, the bridge has been closed on 1 May to prevent people from jumping, as
1350-417: A village green (twmpath chwarae). Many places across Great Britain and the world have begun to syncretize May Day and Beltane customs, hosting events that feature elements of both. On May Day, Bulgarians celebrate Irminden (or Yeremiya, Eremiya, Irima, Zamski den). The holiday is associated with snakes and lizards and rituals are made in order to protect people from them. The name of the holiday comes from
1440-480: Is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May , around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's Spring equinox and June solstice . Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve . Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches ("bringing in the May"), weaving floral garlands , crowning a May Queen (sometimes with
1530-422: Is an emerging Durham tradition, with patchy observance since 2001. Kingsbury Episcopi , Somerset, has seen its yearly May Day Festival celebrations on the May bank holiday Monday burgeon in popularity in the recent years. Since it was reinstated 21 years ago it has grown in size, and on 5 May 2014 thousands of revellers were attracted from all over the south-west to enjoy the festivities, with BBC Somerset covering
1620-416: Is considered a Ysbrydnos or spirit night when people would gather hawthorn ( draenen wen ) and flowers to decorate their houses, celebrating new growth and fertility. While on May Day celebrations would include summer dancing ( dawnsio haf ) and May carols ( carolau mai or carolau haf ) othertimes referred to as "singing under the wall" ( canu dan y pared), May Day was also a time for officially opening
1710-596: Is decorated with springtime greenery, and every year thousands of onlookers attend. Before the 19th century, distinctive May Day celebrations were widespread throughout West Cornwall, and are being revived in St Ives and Penzance . A similar 'Obby 'Oss festival is also held in the Somerset town of Minehead , dating back to at least the 19th century. Kingsand , Cawsand and Millbrook in Cornwall celebrate Flower Boat Ritual on
1800-568: Is found in poem 'Peblis to the Play', contained in the Maitland Manuscripts of 15th- and 16th-century Scots poetry: At Beltane, quhen ilk bodie bownis To Peblis to the Play, To heir the singin and the soundis; The solace, suth to say, Be firth and forrest furth they found Thay graythis tham full gay; God wait that wald they do that stound, For it was their feast day the day they celebrate May Day, Thay said, [...] The poem describes
1890-506: Is guarding the Church and gets into the cavern, where the Master is expecting him. Outside, UNIT troops are held back by Bok. The Doctor and the Master both try to appeal to Azal but for opposite reasons. The huge, devil-like figure decides to give his power to the Master, and fires electricity at the Doctor to kill him. However, Jo, steps in front of the Doctor, asking Azal to kill her instead. Azal
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#17328521331141980-500: Is just "The Daemons"). The closing credits used were for those of episode 5, necessitating the BBC1 continuity announcer naming the cast from earlier episodes. The omnibus repeat achieved higher ratings than the original broadcast, with 10.5 million viewers. Of the original 625-line PAL colour videotapes, all except Episode Four were wiped for reuse. However, a converted 525-line colour NTSC version recorded off-air from an American broadcast
2070-527: Is not clear if this devotion was made to Flora or Ceres . Floralia concluded with competitive events and spectacles , and a sacrifice to Flora. Maiouma was celebrated at least as early as the 2nd century AD, when records show expenses for the month-long festival were appropriated by Emperor Commodus . According to the 6th-century chronicles of John Malalas , the Maiouma was a "nocturnal dramatic festival, held every three years and known as Orgies, that is,
2160-416: Is often recited during these days) and Petřín . This is usually done under a cherry, an apple or a birch tree. Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include crowning a May Queen and celebrations involving a maypole , around which dancers often circle with ribbons. Morris dancing is also often performed as part of May Day celebrations. The earliest records of maypole celebrations date to
2250-577: Is to prepare "podnici" (special clay pots made for baking bread). This day is especially observed by pregnant women so that their offspring do not catch "yeremiya"—an illness due to evil powers. In the Czech Republic , May Day is traditionally considered a holiday of love and May as a month of love. The celebrations of spring are held on 30 April when a maypole ("májka" in Czech) is erected—a tradition possibly connected to Beltane, since bonfires are also lit on
2340-517: Is unable to comprehend this illogical act of self-sacrifice, and his power turns against him, destroying himself and the Church. The Master tries to escape but is captured by the UNIT troops and taken away. The Doctor, Jo, Miss Hawthorne and the UNIT team join the villagers in their May Day celebrations. The Dæmons began life as an audition scene for the companion Jo Grant . The audition sequence went on to be written into episode four. Producer Barry Letts
2430-572: The Kingdom of Great Britain . In Cambridgeshire villages, young girls went May Dolling (going around the villages with dressed dolls and collecting pennies). This dressing of dolls and singing was said to have persisted into the 1960s in Swaffham Prior Sing a song of May-time. Sing a song of Spring. Flowers are in their beauty. Birds are on the wing. May time, play time. God has given us May time. Thank Him for His gifts of love. Sing
2520-549: The Octavia Hill Birthplace House, Wisbech has a flagpole which converts into a Maypole each year, used by local schools and other groups. Records from the early 1730s indicate that May Day was the date the new Mayor of Norwich was elected "for the ensuring year". The "Day of Swearing" occurred the following month - June - which saw the Mayor Elect receive his chains of office . The early May bank holiday on
2610-463: The Rhineland , 1 May is also celebrated by the delivery of a maypole, a tree covered in streamers to the house of a girl the night before. The tree is typically from a love interest, though a tree wrapped only in white streamers is a sign of dislike. Women usually place roses or rice in the form of a heart at the house of their beloved one. It is common to stick the heart to a window or place it in front of
2700-768: The Third Doctor . This is the second of five series which Barry Letts produced consecutively and Terrance Dicks was the script editor. Jon Pertwee continues his role as the Third Doctor . Katy Manning makes her first appearance as companion Jo Grant in Terror of the Autons . Nicholas Courtney and John Levene continue their roles of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sergeant Benton , while Richard Franklin makes his first appearance as Captain Mike Yates . Roger Delgado makes his first appearance as The Master in Terror of
2790-595: The ancient Roman festival Floralia . International Workers' Day observed on 1 May is also called "May Day", but the two have different histories. The earliest known May celebrations appeared with the Floralia , festival of Flora , the Roman goddess of flowers, held from 27 April–3 May during the Roman Republic era, and the Maiouma or Maiuma , a festival celebrating Dionysus and Aphrodite held every three years during
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2880-491: The maypole and crowning the Queen of May . Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the tradition of giving of "May baskets", small baskets of sweets or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps. In the late 20th century, many neopagans began reconstructing some of the older pagan festivals and combining them with more recently developed European secular and Catholic traditions, and celebrating May Day as
2970-452: The "quintessentially English village" as a "pleasant backdrop" but concluded that "much of the action now seems dated". In 2010, SFX named the resolution to the plot as one of the silliest moments in Doctor Who 's history. An April Fool spoof report of a suppressed sixth episode was published in the fanzine DWB in 1993. A novelisation of this serial, written by Barry Letts ,
3060-513: The 14th century, and by the 15th century the maypole tradition was well established in southern Britain. The tradition persists into the 21st century across the UK. The village of Ansty in Wiltshire has a maypole that has stood in the middle of a road junction in the village since before 1881; it continues in use every May Day, having been replaced by a less tall pole in the 1990s. Centenary Green part of
3150-515: The 19th century. It was a time for banishing evil powers from the community. On the last three days of April, all houses were fumigated with juniper and rue incense. At sunset on May Day, the people held a ceremony they called "burning out the witches". The church bells were rung and people made as much noise as possible by shouting, banging pots and pans, ringing bells and cracking whips. Men carried lighted bundles of herbs fasted on poles, while women carried censers . Then would run seven times round
3240-555: The Autons and continues to make appearances in each of the five serials. Michael Wisher returns as a guest playing Rex Farrell in Terror of the Autons . Fernanda Marlowe makes appearances in The Mind of Evil and The Claws of Axos as Corporal Bell. Bernard Kay makes his fourth and final appearance in the show as Caldwell in Colony in Space . The season marks the first appearance of
3330-475: The Brigadier, arriving later, finds himself unable to enter the village, as there is an invisible dome-shaped barrier, 10 miles in diameter and one mile high, surrounding it that causes anything trying to enter to heat up and burst into flame. He contacts Yates and is briefed on the situation while the Doctor and Jo return to the dig where they find a small spaceship in the mound, which has been condensed. From this,
3420-558: The Doctor realises that the Master is trying to conjure up an ancient and all-powerful demon , who is seen on Earth to be the Devil but is an alien. The Doctor explains that the Dæmons have used Earth as a giant experiment throughout its history, becoming part of human myth . The Master has called the Dæmon up once, and right now, it is so small as to be invisible. The third summoning, however, could signal
3510-473: The Doctor rushes inside to stop the dig, but it is too late. The tomb door opens and icy gusts of wind rush out, freezing both the leader of the dig and the Doctor, while a stone gargoyle , Bok , seemingly comes alive. The leader of the dig perishes, but the Doctor somehow recovers, presumably due to his alien physiology. Captain Mike Yates and Sergeant Benton arrive at the village the following morning, but
3600-504: The Master who goes on to make further appearances through the season in every serial as the main antagonist who is finally captured at the end of the season. Colony in Space was the first serial set away from Earth since The War Games at the end of Season 6 , and came about as a result of producer Barry Letts ' feeling that the Earthbound stories of the Doctor's exile were too limiting in terms of potential plotting. The entire season
3690-424: The Master. They tie him up to a maypole and plan to burn him alive, but with the help of Miss Hawthorne and Benton he escapes. In the Church cavern Jo and Yates watch as the Master summons Azal one last time. They try to interrupt the ritual but are taken prisoner. As Jo is prepared as a sacrifice to Azal, the Brigadier manages to get through the heat barrier and enter the village. The Doctor manages to avoid Bok, who
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3780-570: The May Day/Beltane customs which persisted in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in parts of Scotland, which he noted were beginning to die out. In the nineteenth century, folklorist Alexander Carmichael (1832–1912), collected the song Am Beannachadh Bealltain ( The Beltane Blessing ) in his Carmina Gadelica , which he heard from a crofter in South Uist . Scottish May Day/Beltane celebrations have been somewhat revived since
3870-537: The Mysteries of Dionysus and Aphrodite " and that it was "known as the Maioumas because it is celebrated in the month of May-Artemisios". During this time, enough money was set aside by the government for torches, lights, and other expenses to cover a 30-day festival of "all-night revels." The Maiouma was celebrated with splendorous banquets and offerings. Its reputation for licentiousness caused it to be suppressed during
3960-537: The NTSC Betamax tapes was used as the basis for restoring the colour to the 16mm monochrome telerecordings of episodes one, two, three and five. These versions were subsequently repeated on BBC2 on consecutive Fridays in November/December 1992 (20 November 1992 to 18 December 1992 at 7.15pm). The ratings were 2.52, 2.96, 2.30, 2.19 and 2.34 million viewers respectively. Jon Pertwee stated numerous times over
4050-504: The TV-related DVD Chart in the UK, remaining in the top 40 for three weeks. In the overall DVD sales chart it peaked at No.30. This story, along with the rest of Season 8 was released on Blu-ray on 23 February 2021, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of The Master. It features a brand new restoration of the film and video materials. According to Mark Ayres, who worked on the restoration, the soundtrack for episodes 1-3 & 5 uses
4140-444: The audio from the 16mm tapes, the NTSC Betamax tapes, and two different UK off-air audio recordings from the original 1971 broadcast in different sections of the restored episodes to get the best quality possible. Doctor Who (season 8) The eighth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 2 January 1971 with Terror of the Autons and ended with The Dæmons featuring Jon Pertwee as
4230-584: The celebration in the town of Peebles in the Scottish Borders , which continues to stage a parade and pageant each year, including the annual ‘Common Riding’, which takes place in many towns throughout the Borders. As well as the crowning of a Beltane Queen each year, it is custom to sing ‘The Beltane Song’. John Jamieson , in his Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language (1808) describes some of
4320-527: The celebrations. These include traditional maypole dancing and morris dancing , as well as contemporary music acts. Whitstable , Kent, hosts a good example of more traditional May Day festivities, where the Jack in the Green festival was revived in 1976 and continues to lead an annual procession of morris dancers through the town on the May bank holiday. A separate revival occurred in Hastings in 1983 and has become
4410-664: The doormat. In leap years , it is the responsibility of the women to place the maypole. All the action is usually done secretly and it is an individual's choice whether to give a hint of their identity or stay anonymous. May Day was not established as a public holiday until Nazi Germany declared 1 May a "national workers' day" in 1933. As Labour Day , many political parties and unions host activities related to work and employment. In The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion , Sir James George Frazer reported May Day customs in Tyrol during
4500-418: The early 19th century, during which time cattle would be made to jump over fires to protect their milk from being stolen by fairies . People would also leap over the fires for luck. Since the 18th century, many Roman Catholics have observed May – and May Day – with various May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary . In works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers in
4590-521: The eighteenth century, the Finglas maypole was at the centre of a week of festivity which included "the playing of games, various competitions, and, according to one account the crowning of 'Queen of the May'." In a letter written by Major Sirr on 2 May 1803 (shortly after the turbulent 1798 Rebellion ), he writes: Public celebrations of Bealtaine fell out of popularity by the 20th century and many old traditions are no longer widely observed. The tradition of
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#17328521331144680-403: The end of the experiment, and the world. The Master summons up Azal again and demands to be given the Dæmon's power, but Azal warns him that he is not the Master's servant. Azal says on his third appearance, he will decide if Earth deserves to continue existing. If so, he will give it to the Master. Azal then vanishes in another heat wave. The Doctor is captured by a mob of villagers working for
4770-475: The evening after work. At the time, however, the BBC frowned upon production staff writing for their series and so Letts and Sloman decided on the pseudonym Guy Leopold - Sloman's son and Letts' middle name respectively. The working title for this story was The Demons , which was commissioned on 17 December 1970. The scripts were completed by mid-February 1971 and worked on by Dicks, who had barely completed work on them by
4860-565: The first Monday in May was created in 1978; May Day itself – 1 May – is not a public holiday in England (unless it falls on a Monday). In February 2011, the UK Parliament was reported to be considering scrapping the bank holiday associated with May Day, replacing it with a bank holiday in October, possibly coinciding with Trafalgar Day (celebrated on 21 October), to create
4950-483: The first week, leading to sudden overnight snow in the second week – causing filming to be delayed. Some episode one scenes were filmed at night – a rarity for the show, although some of these scenes were filmed during daylight with a dark filter put over the camera lens. Other dark indoor scenes were filmed in a disused aircraft hangar at Bridge Farm, Ramsbury. Filming for the serial caused great excitement in Aldbourne, with
5040-451: The flames or embers. All household fires would be doused and then re-lit from the Bealtaine bonfire. These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered to the aos sí , the 'spirits' or 'fairies'. Doors, windows, byres and cattle would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire. In parts of Ireland, people would make
5130-457: The greatest stories, but in terms of sheer fun The Dæmons is one of the best". A poll conducted by Doctor Who Magazine in 2009 saw it voted the second best story of the Third Doctor's era. Arnold T. Blumberg of IGN gave The Dæmons a score of 10 out of 10, describing it as "a high point of this Doctor’s time on the show, a classic of the entire series in general, and an amazing document of
5220-479: The heat shield is borrowed from the James Bond film From Russia with Love . The incantation that the Master uses in summoning Azal is actually the nursery rhyme " Mary Had a Little Lamb " said backwards, as well as Damaris Hayman 's name said backwards. Following the transmission of episode one, the story was discussed by BBC1 controller Paul Fox and Richard Levin, head of television design, who both commended
5310-662: The houses and the village, so that the witches would be "smoked out of their lurking-places and driven away". In Sweden, there are bonfires and outdoor celebrations on May Eve or Walpurgis Night ("Valborgsmässoafton"). Most of the traditions associated elsewhere with May Day are held at Midsummer instead; such as Maypole dancing. Up until the 19th century, on May Day itself, there were mock battles between Summer and Winter. Sir James George Frazer wrote in The Golden Bough (1911): on May Day two troops of young men on horseback used to meet as if for mortal combat. One of them
5400-545: The late twentieth century. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow organise May Day festivals and rallies. In Edinburgh , the Beltane Fire Festival is held on the evening of May eve and into the early hours of May Day on the city's Calton Hill . An older Edinburgh tradition has it that young women who climb Arthur's Seat and wash their faces in the morning dew will have lifelong beauty. At the University of St Andrews , some of
5490-503: The month of May. The Floralia opened with theatrical performances. In the Floralia , Ovid says that hares and goats were released as part of the festivities. Persius writes that crowds were pelted with vetches , beans , and lupins . A ritual called the Florifertum was performed on either 27 April or 3 May, during which a bundle of wheat ears was carried into a shrine, though it
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#17328521331145580-467: The official start of their morris dancing season. The Maydayrun involves thousands of motorbikes taking a 55-mile (89 km) trip from Greater London ( Locksbottom ) to the Hastings seafront, East Sussex . The event has been taking place for almost 30 years now and has grown in interest from around the country, both commercially and publicly. The event is not officially organised; the police only manage
5670-462: The prophet Jeremiah , but its origins are most probably pagan. It is said that on the days of the Holy Forty or Annunciation snakes come out of their burrows, and on Irminden their king comes out. Old people believe that those working in the fields on this day will be bitten by a snake in summer. In western Bulgaria people light fires, jump over them and make noises to scare snakes. Another custom
5760-500: The quality of the script and production. This was a relief to Barry Letts, who due to the extra location filming, had gone over budget on the serial. The story was repeated on BBC One as a condensed omnibus edition over Christmas 1971 (28 December 1971 at 4.20pm). The Omnibus's opening credits gave the title Doctor Who and the Dæmons (on the Blu-ray release, the Omnibus opening credits' title
5850-564: The reign of Emperor Constantine , though a less debauched version of it was briefly restored during the reigns of Arcadius and Honorius , only to be suppressed again during the same period. During the Middle Ages, May Eve was celebrated in much of northern Europe with the lighting of bonfires at night. In the Germanic countries, this became Walpurgis Night , commemorating the official canonization of Saint Walpurga on 1 May 870. It continued
5940-463: The sacrifice of Jo Grant, and was suggested to the production team by friend Katy Manning. Other guest actors in the story include Don McKillop as the pub landlord, John Joyce as Garvin and Stephen Thorne as Azal. Thorne would go on to appear in the show again as costumed villains in The Three Doctors , Frontier in Space and The Hand of Fear . After three days of studio taping, work on
6030-452: The same day. The event is similar to German Walpurgisnacht, its public holiday on 30 April. On 31 May, the maypole is taken down in an event called Maypole Felling. On 1 May, couples in love kiss under a blooming tree. According to the ethnographer Klára Posekaná, this is not an old habit. It most likely originated around the beginning of the 20th century in an urban environment, perhaps in connection with Karel Hynek Mácha 's poem Máj (which
6120-401: The scenes were reset in a crypt . This was subsequently revised again, and the crypt was called a cavern, although the set resembled a church crypt. Letts initially intended to write the story himself but found himself short of time due to his role as a series producer. His wife suggested a friend of hers, Robert Sloman , who was a playwright and journalist. Together they worked on the script in
6210-419: The serial was completed on 16 May 1971, less than a month before transmission of the final episode. This last episode contains footage of a model church being blown up; the scene was realistic enough to lead many viewers to believe that the BBC had blown up a church as part of the filming. The BBC received several letters complaining about this. The clip of the Brigadier's helicopter blowing up as it crashes into
6300-432: The serial, noting its popularity but stating " The Dæmons isn't very good. Its denouement is risible, and even the much praised church explosion effect looks cheap." They did, however, consider the final scene to be "charming". In Doctor Who: The Complete Guide , Mark Campbell awarded it six out of ten, describing it as a "wannabe occult chiller" which "gradually dissipates into a technobabble-filled damp squib". He regarded
6390-425: The students gather on the beach late on 30 April and run into the North Sea at sunrise on May Day, occasionally naked. This is accompanied by torchlit processions and much elated celebration. In Wales the first day of May is known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf , and parallels the festival of Beltane and other May Day traditions in Europe. Traditions would start the night before ( Nos Galan Haf ) with bonfires, and
6480-559: The sun up' on May Day morning. Jack in the Green is an English folkloric figure who parades through the streets on May Day, accompanied by musicians, beggars, and various other characters. 'Dancing the sun up' is a tradition among Morris dancers to dance at sunrise on May Day, to welcome in the sun and the summer season. It began in Oxford in 1923, and includes dances, traditional May Day songs, and sometimes other activities such as mummers' plays or bonfires. This tradition has since spread across
6570-476: The time the story went into pre-production in March. Director Christopher Barry had worked on Doctor Who before, but wasn't particularly keen to return as he preferred to concentrate on less genre-specific productions. However, he liked the script due to the rural setting and his interest in archaeology . He would go on to direct for the show many times again, but still listed The Dæmons as his favourite, saying it
6660-515: The tradition of lighting bonfires. Folklorist Jack Santino says "Her day and its traditions almost certainly are traceable to pre-Christian celebrations that took place at this time". In Gaelic culture, 1 May was the celebration of Beltaine or Cétshamhain , while for the Welsh it was Calan Mai or Cyntefin . First attested in 900 AD, the celebration mainly focused on the symbolic use of fire to bless cattle and other livestock as they were moved to summer pastures. This custom continued into
6750-554: The traffic, and volunteers manage the parking. Padstow in Cornwall holds its annual 'Obby-'Oss (Hobby Horse) day of festivities. This is believed to be one of the oldest fertility rites in the UK; revellers dance with the Oss through the streets of the town and even though the private gardens of the citizens, accompanied by accordion players and followers dressed in white with red or blue sashes who sing traditional May Day songs. The whole town
6840-472: The two make preparations to depart. Miss Hawthorne goes to see the new local vicar , the Reverend Magister who is the Master – he tries to assure her that her fears are unfounded, but his hypnosis fails to overcome her will. Backed by a group of followers, the Master is conducting ceremonies in the cavern below the Church to summon up Azal , a force of evil. The Doctor and Jo reach the mound and
6930-476: The usual school holiday pattern. (By contrast, the Easter Holiday can start as late—relative to Easter —as Good Friday , if Easter falls early in the year; or finish as early—relative to Easter—as Easter Monday, if Easter falls late in the year, because of the supreme significance of Good Friday and Easter Day to Christianity .) Other prominent English May Day customs include Jack in the Green , and 'dancing
7020-421: The village of Devil's End, an archaeological dig is excavating the infamous Devil's Hump, a Bronze Age burial mound . A local white witch , Olive Hawthorne arrives to protest, warning of great evil and the coming of the horned beast, but she is dismissed as a crank. After watching a television broadcast about the dig the Third Doctor tells Jo that Miss Hawthorne is right – the dig must be stopped, and so
7110-424: The water under the bridge is only 2 feet (61 cm) deep and jumping from the bridge has resulted in serious injury in the past. There are still people who climb the barriers and leap into the water, causing themselves injury. In Durham , students of the University of Durham gather on Prebend's Bridge to see the sunrise and enjoy festivities, folk music, dancing, madrigal singing and a barbecue breakfast. This
7200-605: The world, with Morris dance teams dancing the sun up in Asia, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and the USA. May Day was abolished and its celebration banned by Puritan parliaments during the Interregnum , but reinstated with the restoration of Charles II in 1660. 1 May 1707, was the day the Act of Union came into effect, joining the kingdoms of England (including Wales) and Scotland to form
7290-462: The years that this was his favourite Doctor Who serial. In 1993, Pertwee, along with several members of the cast and crew including Nicholas Courtney , John Levene , Richard Franklin and director Christopher Barry returned to Aldbourne for the Reeltime Pictures reunion documentary Return to Devil's End . Nicholas Courtney titled his 1998 volume of autobiography Five Rounds Rapid after
7380-550: Was "a damn good script". Much of the serial was filmed on location in Aldbourne , Wiltshire . The location shoot was awarded two weeks of filming, more than double the usual amount at the time, leading to a lot of the finished story being set outside, rather than in the studio. Membury Airfield in Berkshire and Bridge Farm, Ramsbury, were also used briefly as locations. Filming began on 19 April 1971 and saw pleasant, sunny weather for
7470-480: Was a workday. In Ireland, May Day has long been celebrated as the festival of Bealtaine . It marks the beginning of summer and historically was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect cattle, people and crops, and to encourage growth. Special bonfires were kindled, whose flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around or between bonfires, and sometimes leap over
7560-603: Was broadcast from 2 January to 19 June 1971. All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated: During the release of the season, several comics were published to tie in to the events of the season. The Kingdom Builders (Set before the events of the season) was published in TV Comic magazine. Gemini Plan, Timebenders ( S et after the events of the season) & The Vogan Slaves (Set years into The Doctor's future) were published in Countdown magazine . May Day May Day
7650-462: Was keen to write for the show and decided that a story dealing in black magic would be interesting as well as frightening. Script editor Terrance Dicks had reservations however, stating that people may view it as Satanist , and so it was reworked as strictly scientific with occultist themes. The Master was originally intended to worship the demon in a church setting, standing on an altar. However, owing to fears that this might upset religious viewers,
7740-474: Was led by a representative of Winter clad in furs, who threw snowballs and ice in order to prolong the cold weather. The other troop was commanded by a representative of Summer covered with fresh leaves and flowers. In the sham fight which followed the party of Summer came off victorious, and the ceremony ended with a feast Sweden's first May Day celebration was held in Halmstad on 2nd of May, 1897 because 1st of May
7830-459: Was made available to the BBC. This version was abridged and unsuitable for transmission as it was not of broadcast standard (the US recordings were made on a domestic Betamax VCR from a KCET repeat in 1978). Doctor Who fan Ian Levine tried to retrieve the original NTSC videotapes from KCET , but had discovered that they had been wiped and reused a few weeks before his visit. In 1992 the colour signal from
7920-477: Was more critical, giving it three and a half out of five stars. He derided it for being an "awful mess" with a plot that "doesn't make a shred of sense". Despite praising the "magnificent" characters of Hawthorne, Horner, and Fergus, he thought that other characters including the Doctor and the Master were "continually acting in a completely absurd way". Paul Cornell , Martin Day and Keith Topping were also unimpressed by
8010-596: Was published by Target Books in October 1974. It was reprinted in 1989 as part of Target's Doctor Who Classics range, printed back to back with Terrance Dicks' novelisation of " The Time Monster ", bound in a metallic cover. There have been Dutch and Portuguese language editions. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by author Barry Letts was released on CD in August 2008 by BBC Audiobooks. The script of this serial, credited to Robert Sloman and Barry Letts edited by John McElroy, and titled The Daemons [ sic ],
8100-556: Was published by Titan Books in October 1992. The final episode of this story was also issued as a black and white film recording on the VHS release The Pertwee Years , along with the final episodes of Inferno and Frontier in Space . In 1993, the episodes with restored colour (see "Broadcast and reception", above) were released on VHS . A DVD of the serial was released on 19 March 2012, featuring improved sound and picture restoration. The DVD included an audio commentary, on-screen text notes,
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