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Doctor Who retro review: The King’s Demons is a flawed but entertaining Fifth Doctor story

By James Aggas

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The Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough meet King John in 1215. Or do they? And who is really in charge? We look back at the classic Doctor Who story, The King’s Demons.

With the character’s return in this month’s Big Finish audio, Devil in the Mist, I decided it was time to re-watch Kamelion’s introduction story, The King’s Demons. At two episodes, it’s a short Doctor Who story, but is it also a sweet one?

The story begins at the castle of Sir Ranulf Fitzwilliam, while King John is visiting. Sir Ranulf has known the King for a long time, and believes he’s acting very strangely. He’s tried to extort more taxes from his old friend, he’s takes Sir Ranulf’s wife hostage, and he seems very close with his champion, Sir Gilles Estram.

And then the three “demons” arrive in their “blue engine”…

Production wise, The King’s Demons is pretty solid. The BBC have always been great at bringing history to life, and this story is no exception. Everything, especially the costumes and the sets, looks great.

The dialogue also fits the period. It’s written in a deliberately Old English style, and the actors definitely get a kick out of performing it. There are a number of strong performances, too. Gerald Flood particularly stands out as King John, and he has a lot of fun in the role.

The story also gives us plenty of entertaining moments. The joust at the start is great, but the story’s best moment has to be the sword fight. Not only is it awesome to watch, but it gives us one of the best moments of dialogue in the entire Fifth Doctor era when someone says that Estram is “the best swordsman in France:

"Well fortunately, we are in England."

The Master has a major role in this story. But is his plan up to his usual standard?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

A small-scale plan

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If there’s one key thing that lets The King’s Demons down, it’s the story itself. Particularly how it handles the Master. Now, using an android shapeshifter to change history sounds like a pretty good idea. But using it to prevent Magna Carta? By the Master’s standards, that’s incredibly small-scale. In fact, the Doctor even says as much!

The story also requires you to be aware of what Magna Carta actually is. I’ll be honest, as a kid, I wasn’t aware of it. But that’s the point of a good historical story, right? Even pseudo-historical stories can teach kids (and adults) about major moments in history.

But The King’s Demons doesn’t quite do that. Which is surprising. When the Fifth Doctor and Tegan talk about it, there’s no moment where he explains exactly what it was. He adds a few details to the story she knows, but overall, they both know a great deal about it.

Now, Tegan knowing so much, I can understand. But you’ve also got Turlough as a companion, who’s an alien. So he’d want to know what Magna Carta is, right?

Wrong. Turlough is actually sorely underused in this story. He gets captured very early on, separated from the other two, and pretty much remains that way for the rest of the story.

So overall, The King’s Demons definitely isn’t without its flaws. But it’s entertaining enough, and at two episodes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

It’s also a decent introduction to Kamelion, too. The android is very impressive, and it’s still disappointing that this was one of only two appearances for the companion in the series. (Okay, technically three, if you include his brief cameo in The Caves of Androzani as well.) I’m certainly keen to listen to and review his return in Devil in the Mist now.

Next. The top ten greatest Fourth Doctor stories. dark

Have you watched The King’s Demons? What are your thoughts on it? Do you think it’s one of the stronger stories of the Fifth Doctor’s era, or is it a little too flawed? Let us know in the comments below.

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