Pyramids of Mars

"All this time, I thought he was dead."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 20 June 2024

Series: Tales of the TARDIS 1.07

Featuring: Fifteenth Doctor, Ruby, Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

In 1911, an ancient threat rises in the tombs of Egypt and brings terror to an English country house. Sutekh has risen, and the world must beware.

Verdict

Pyramids of Mars was a nice little bonus edition of Tales of the TARDIS! This series was an absolute gem of an addition to the Whoniverse as part of the sixtieth anniversary celebrations last year, so to get an extra one with the current TARDIS pairing was brilliant! It was also helpful to get a refresher on Sutekh after his incredible return at the end of The Legend of Ruby Sunday last week, and as I'm watching this with my girlfriend Gemma it was the first time she had encountered the character. I must say she does struggle to get to grips with the pace of the Classic era and as I get older I can certainly understand that, but for me there is a sense of nostalgia as well. In saying that, whilst good and enjoyable as my previous ratings and blog entires show, I do think this classic tale is massively overrated. It's obviously good but I don't think it belongs anywhere near the conversation when it comes to the greatest serials. Gemma didn't enjoy it all and her rating was half of mine which is a little harsh, but I can appreciate where she's coming from. Even at an edited down duration of seventy-five minutes, this can feel a little slow in parts and I really didn't remember just how little Sutekh actually does. He's contained to the chair for the most part and whilst his appearance is striking in that black gear get up, Gemma didn't think it was very god-like. I'm a fan of the attire myself and I do like the way he has his acolytes and heralds. I don't think Susan Triad will be anything like Marcus Scarman here but it is fascinating to see the differences. Speaking of which, I am a huge fan of seeing this story upscaled into high definition with some rather excellent new special effects. The time tunnel was a particular highlight there as it looked so much more lifelike and real, but at the same time I'm a sucker for retro and those rainbow colours were always striking to me. The likes of the fire and the ripples on the hidden ship outside were really good though. It's incredible to think that this story was originally broadcast in 1975 and now ahead of Empire of Death broadcasting this weekend it's going to be Gabriel Woolf voicing Sutekh once again! I do think his voice is a key attribute of the character and with rumours circulating of Sutekh also being the Beast from The Satan Pit, it's interesting to me that Sarah Jane used Satan as one of the names he goes by. Seeing how much the Fifteenth Doctor loved reminiscing on travelling with Sarah Jane was lovely and I liked that he made a point of holding her in a similar regard to how he felt about Ruby now. In my previous Tales of the TARDIS blog entires I've tried to focus mainly on the scenes within the Memory TARDIS itself, but I must say I felt a little shortchanged here. There was barely a minute either side of the omnibus with the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby which was a shame. I did like that the Doctor mentioned that the Sutekh he was due to encounter now had evolved and he really did seem defeated. How could he defeat the God of Death? Seeing the Doctor have doubts is strange but it just shows how much of a threat Sutekh is now. The Fourth Doctor sells that very well in the Classic serial too and he has too with how limited the god is stuck on Mars. Will we see any more mummy service robots in the finale? I would love that! I'll be intrigued to see how the series final episode starts to see where this Tale could feasibly fit into chronology, but it really doesn't matter. It's just lovely to get a bonus like this and I say keep them coming! Overall, a fun retelling of an old favourite of fandom and a great refresh on who Sutekh is and what he stands for. A well worthy watch.

Rating: 8/10