The Masque of Mandragora

The Masque of Mandragora is the first serial of the 14th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 4 to 25 September 1976.

In the serial, the astrologer Hieronymous (Norman Jones) seeks to summon the power of an intelligence called the Mandragora Helix to rule the Earth.

During a tour of the TARDIS, the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith are sucked into the Mandragora Helix, a swirl of living energy.

Heironymous clashes with Federico's science-minded nephew, Giuliano, who Frederico conspires to kill to prevent his succession to the throne.

The Doctor convinces Giuliano not to cancel it and returns to the temple, tying wire around the altar and defending himself from Hieronymous' attacks with a breast plate.

The cult breach the palace and attack the masque, killing many, but Hieronymous seemingly appears and demands that the survivors instead be sacrificed.

[10] DVD Talk's Ian Jane gave The Masque of Mandragora three and a half out of five stars, calling it "pretty entertaining stuff".

While he felt that "it's a bit predictable and most of the supporting cast is surprisingly poorly defined", he praised Baker and the atmosphere of the serial and wrote that ultimately the good outweighs the bad.