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082 – Pyramids of Mars
Doctor Who serial
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byPaddy Russell
Written by"Stephen Harris" (Robert Holmes and Lewis Greifer)
Script editorRobert Holmes
Produced byPhilip Hinchcliffe
Executive producerNone
Music byDudley Simpson
Production code4G
SeriesSeason 13
Running time4 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcast25 October 1975 (1975-10-25)
Last broadcast15 November 1975 (1975-11-15)
Chronology
← Preceded by
Planet of Evil 		Followed by →
The Android Invasion
List of episodes (1963–1989)

Pyramids of Mars is the third serial of the 13th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Robert Holmes and Lewis Greifer under the pseudonym of "Stephen Harris" and directed by Paddy Russell, the serial was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 25 October to 15 November 1975.

The serial is set in the year 1911 in England, Egypt, and Mars. In the serial, the burial chamber of the alien Sutekh, the inspiration for the Egyptian god Set, is unearthed by the archaeology professor Marcus Scarman. Alive but immobilised, Sutekh seeks his freedom by using Professor Scarman as his servant to destroy the jewel in a pyramid on Mars which is keeping him prisoner.

Influenced by the gothic horror genre and films such as The Mummy, the serial was met with widespread critical acclaim, being praised for its atmosphere and production. It marks the first appearance of Sutekh (voiced by Gabriel Woolf), who returned to the series 49 years later in the two-part story "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" / "Empire of Death" (2024), with Woolf reprising his role.[2]

Plot

[edit]
Pyramids of Mars depicts Ancient Egyptian pyramids as extraterrestrial in origin.

In 1911 Egypt, archaeology professor Marcus Scarman excavates a pyramid and finds the door to the burial chamber is inscribed with the Eye of Horus. He enters the chamber and is hit by a beam of green light.

The Fourth Doctor is pulled off his flight path, and Sarah Jane Smith sees an apparition in the console room. The two are found by a butler, who reveals they are in the Scarman estate, which has been taken over by the mysterious Ibrahim Namin, claiming to represent Scarman. Scarman's friend, Dr Warlock, has also arrived at the estate to demand an explanation on Scarman's whereabouts. Namin threatens Warlock with a revolver, with the Doctor and Sarah barely managing to save him. The three escape and reach the estate lodge inhabited by Scarman's brother Laurence, whose marconiscope intercepted a signal from Mars.

The Doctor decodes the signal as "Beware Sutekh", explaining that Sutekh is the last of a powerful alien race called the Osirans. Imprisoned by his brother Horus, using the Eye of Horus, they were the inspiration for ancient Egyptian mythology. Sutekh's servant arrives via a spacetime tunnel portal, accompanied by robots disguised as mummies. He kills Namin and is revealed to be Scarman, now a corpse animated by Sutekh's will. Scarman secures the estate's perimeter with a forcefield, and begins to hunt down the humans. Scarman finds and kills Warlock, but is then ordered by Sutekh to prioritise the construction of an Osirian war missile aimed at Mars.

Following another attack by the robots, the Doctor decides to blow up the rocket, and Laurence suggests using gelignite, kept in the poacher's hut. The Doctor and Sarah Jane leave to obtain the gelignite. Scarman soon arrives at the lodge, and Laurence attempts to rekindle his brother's humanity, but gets strangled instead. The Doctor sets up the explosives, with Sarah Jane detonating it with a rifle. Sutekh telekinetically suppresses the explosion. Left with but one option, the Doctor uses the space-time tunnel to reach Sutekh and break his concentration, allowing the explosion to destroy the rocket. A furious Sutekh turns the Doctor into a thrall to transport Scarman to Mars.

Arriving on Mars, Scarman strangles the Doctor. However, the Doctor's respiratory bypass system allows him to recover and become free of Sutekh's control. He is however unable to stop Scarman from destroying the Eye, and Scarman disintegrates. The Doctor realises that Sutekh will not be released instantaneously due to the travel time required for the Eye's radio signal. Returning to the estate, he uses the TARDIS to extend the time tunnel into the far future, eventually resulting in Sutekh dying of old age before he reaches the end. This overloads the portal, the estate is consumed in flames, and the Doctor and Sarah flee in the TARDIS.

Production

[edit]
The main villain of the serial, Sutekh, is inspired by the Egyptian deity Set and is said to be Set's inspiration in the serial.
The serial drew influence from earlier mummy films such as The Mummy (1932)

Writing

[edit]

The Universal Pictures film The Mummy (1932) and especially the Hammer horror films The Mummy (1959) and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) influenced the story.[3] It was originally written by Lewis Greifer, who had been approached by script editor Robert Holmes, his former colleague at ATV. However, it was considered unusable as a Doctor Who script, even after multiple rewrites, due to Greifer's unfamiliarity with Doctor Who; Holmes took over, with Greifer retaining the option to have his name on the script.[4] While he retained the basic premise, he completely altered other aspects, which included making the "Osirians" a powerful alien race, and changing the setting to 1911, instead of a more contemporary time.[5] The pseudonym used on transmission was Stephen Harris.[6]

Although the name of Sutekh's race is pronounced "Osiran" throughout the serial, the scripts and publicity material spell it as "Osirian" in some places and as "Osiran" in others.[7]

Casting

[edit]

Bernard Archard, who had previously appeared in The Power of the Daleks (1966), was cast as Marcus Scarman, due to his work on the 1970 horror film The Horror of Frankenstein. Michael Sheard, who had also previously featured in two Doctor Who serials, was cast as Laurence Scarman; production assistant Peter Grimwade had recommended him for the role because of his recent performance in the BBC2 show Lord Peter Wimsey.[8]

Gabriel Woolf, a prominent BBC actor, was cast in the role of the villain Sutekh.[8] Woolf would go on to reprise his role in audio dramas by Magic Bullet Productions and Big Finish Productions in 2015;[9] and on television in the two-part series 14 finale "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" / "Empire of Death" in 2024, in which Sutekh appeared as the main villain.[2] He also provided the voice of Sutekh for the comedy sketch Oh Mummy: Sutekh's Story, included on the 2004 DVD release of Pyramids of Mars.[9] Woolf would also go on to provide the voice of "The Beast" in the 2006 episodes "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit".[2]

Filming and post-production

[edit]

The exterior scenes were shot on the Stargroves estate in Hampshire, a Victorian mansion noted for its ornate, Gothic Revival style of architecture which was owned by Mick Jagger at the time.[10] The interior shots, as well as model filming, took place in the BBC Television Centre.[11] Exterior scenes were filmed between 29 May and 2 June, and the interior shots between 7 May and 3 June.[11] Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen improvised and added a number of moments in this story, most notably a scene in Part Four where the Doctor and Sarah Jane start to walk out of their hiding place and then when they see a mummy, quickly dart back into it. Baker based the scene on a Marx Brothers routine. [12] Sarah Jane wears a dress which the Doctor says belonged to former companion Victoria Waterfield.[3]

A number of scenes used the colour-separation overlay (CSO) system, including the sarcophagus, which was made to look like it was pulsating with energy; to show the ravaged Earth and the Egyptians settings; and for Sutekh's monitoring systems. It was also used to insert eerie glowing as well as bizarre, swirling patterns to the background.[13] The flame effect at the end of the serial was achieved by using CSO effects, as well as a controlled fire, which was the largest staged fire in the studio at the time.[11]

Several scenes were deleted from the final broadcast. A model shot of the TARDIS landing in the landscape of a barren, alternative 1980 Earth was to be used in Part Two, but director Paddy Russell decided viewers would feel more impact if the first scene of the new Earth was Sarah's reaction as the TARDIS doors opened.[14] Three scenes of effects such as doors opening and the Doctor materializing from the sarcophagus were also removed from the final edit of Part Four because Russell felt the mixes were not good enough.[15]

Broadcast and reception

[edit]
EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal release dateUK viewers
(millions) [16]
1"Part One"25:2225 October 1975 (1975-10-25)10.5
2"Part Two"23:531 November 1975 (1975-11-01)11.3
3"Part Three"24:328 November 1975 (1975-11-08)9.4
4"Part Four"24:5215 November 1975 (1975-11-15)11.7

The story was edited and condensed into a single, one-hour omnibus episode, broadcast on BBC1 at 5:50 pm on 27 November 1976, reaching 13.7 million viewers, the highest audience achieved by Doctor Who in its entire history at that time.[16]

Critical reception

[edit]

In 1985, Colin Greenland reviewed Pyramids of Mars for Imagine magazine, and stated that it was "Dr Who at its eclectic best [...] A yeasty brew of Hammer horror, Egyptian mythology, and sf with a touch of H. G. Wells."[17] Paul Cornell, Martin Day, and Keith Topping gave the serial a positive review in The Discontinuity Guide (1995), praising the "chilling" adversary and some of the conversations.[3] In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker described the first episode as "an excellent scene-setter" and the story as "near-flawless". They wrote that Pyramids of Mars gave the "fullest expression" of the Gothic horror era and had high production values and a good guest cast.[7]

In 2010, Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times called it "a bona fide classic" with "arguably the most polished production to date", and praised the powerful plot. However, he disliked how UNIT was dismissed in the season, and found "minor, amusing quibbles" with the plot.[18] Charlie Jane Anders of Gizmodo described Pyramids of Mars as "just a lovely, solid adventure story", highlighting the way the Doctor seemed outmatched, the pace, and Sarah Jane.[19] In a 2010 article, Anders also listed the cliffhanger to the third episode — in which the Doctor is forced to confront Sutekh — as one of the greatest Doctor Who cliffhangers ever.[20] In a 2014 Doctor Who Magazine poll to determine the best Doctor Who stories of all time, readers voted Pyramids of Mars to eighth place.[21] In 2018, The Daily Telegraph ranked Pyramids of Mars at number 18 in "the 56 greatest stories and episodes", stating that "although the mummies are excellent, it is the organic characters who take centre stage, with Baker cementing the increasing alienness of his portrayal of the hero". They concluded that it was "pure gold".[22]

The statue described by John J Johnston, vice-chair of the Egypt Exploration Society, as being an inspiration for Sutekh's design.

In A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television, John Kenneth Muir queried the Egyptian mythology conceit that is woven through the whole story; he also questioned a number of apparently illogical story elements, such as why the robots that guard the priory were disguised as Egyptian mummies, and why the Osiran rocket was shaped as a pyramid. In his assessment, the use of ancient Egyptian objects and symbols by the Osiran race was inadequately explained in the script, and he contrasted Pyramids of Mars unfavourably with Stargate, a 1994 television series which relied heavily on the concept of ancient astronauts visiting Earth. Muir traced parallels with earlier Doctor Who serials such as The Dæmons (1971) and Terror of the Zygons (1975) which had also drawn on the idea of ancient Earth mythologies having extraterrestrial origins. Like The Dæmons and The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), Pyramids of Mars exploited many familiar conventions of classic mummy films, but less successfully in Muir's view.[23]

John J Johnston, vice-chair of the Egypt Exploration Society, explored the influences on Pyramids of Mars in the Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion, and Popular Culture. He observed that the story drew heavily on a number of classic horror films such as Universal's The Mummy (1932) and Hammer's The Mummy (1959), in both its setting and the performance of the actors. Johnston also noted the influences of archaeology on the production design. According to Johnston, the robot mummies designed by the BBC's Barbara Kidd were inspired by an ancient rock painting of a mysterious domed-headed figure that had been discovered by Henri Lhote in the Sahara Desert in the 1950s, and which Lhote had nicknamed "the Great Martian God". Similarly, he considered Sutekh's mask to have been modelled on a statue of a bearded man dating from c.3500 BCE that had been excavated at Gebelein by Louis Lortet in 1908.[24]

Commercial releases

[edit]

In print

[edit]

A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in December 1976. The novelisation contains a substantial prologue giving the history of Sutekh and the Osirans and features an epilogue in which a future Sarah researches the destruction of the Priory and how it was explained. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by actor Tom Baker was released on CD in August 2008. Pyramids of Mars was reprinted in the second volume of The Essential Terrance Dicks, published on 26 August 2021 by BBC books.[25]

Key Information

A prequel/sequel to this story, called The Sands of Time, written by Justin Richards, was released in 1996. Published by Virgin Books, it starred the Fifth Doctor.[25]

Home media

[edit]

The story first came out on VHS and Betamax in an omnibus format in February 1985, one of the first serials to do so. It was subsequently released in episodic format in February 1994.[25] It was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2004, containing commentary and behind the scenes footage.[26] It was also released on 31 October 2011 as an extra on The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4 DVD and Blu-ray boxset.[9]

In 2013 it was released on DVD again in the US as part of the "Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited 1–4" box set, alongside The Aztecs, The Tomb of the Cybermen and Spearhead from Space. Alongside a documentary on the Fourth Doctor, the disc features the serial put together as a single feature in widescreen format with an introduction from show runner at the time Steven Moffat, as well as its original version.[27]

Tales of the TARDIS

[edit]

A 75 minute condensed version with updated special effects aired on BBC iPlayer on 20 June 2024, as part of the spin-off series Tales of the TARDIS.[28]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Pyramids of Mars

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Pyramids of Mars is a four-part serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originally broadcast on BBC One from 25 October to 15 November 1975. The story, the third in the programme's thirteenth season, stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as his companion Sarah Jane Smith, who become trapped in 1911 England after their time machine, the TARDIS, is diverted by a mysterious force. There, they encounter robotic mummies and the malevolent Osiran god Sutekh, voiced by Gabriel Woolf, who seeks to escape his ancient imprisonment and unleash destruction across the universe. Written primarily by Robert Holmes from an idea by Lewis Greifer, and directed by Paddy Russell, the serial blends elements of horror, ancient Egyptian mythology, and time travel adventure. The plot unfolds at the isolated Prior's , where the Doctor and discover that Egyptologist Professor Marcus Scarman () has been possessed by Sutekh's servant, leading to the activation of deadly servicer robots disguised as . As Sutekh, the "Destroyer" of the Osirian race, plots to launch a pyramid-shaped to shatter the field holding him captive in a pyramid on , the Doctor races to prevent cosmic catastrophe by journeying to Mars and manipulating time itself. Produced by during a period when emphasized gothic horror influences, the serial was filmed primarily at Stargrove Manor in , a location owned by musician at the time. Notable supporting performances include Michael Sheard as Scarman's brother and the voice work of Woolf, marking the first on-screen appearance of the character Sutekh. Regarded as one of the most acclaimed stories of Tom Baker's tenure, Pyramids of Mars is praised for its atmospheric tension, innovative within the era's budget constraints, and exploration of themes like and divine tyranny. It has been released on multiple times, including a DVD in 2004 and Blu-ray in the 2025 Season 13 collection, featuring commentary tracks and behind-the-scenes documentaries, and continues to influence lore with references to the Osirans in later episodes, including the 2024 return of Sutekh in the series finale 'Empire of Death'. The serial's enduring popularity is evidenced by its high viewer appreciation scores from the original broadcast and frequent inclusion in "best of" lists for classic .

Overview

Background and development

"Pyramids of Mars" served as the third serial in the thirteenth season of Doctor Who, broadcast in 1975 during producer Philip Hinchcliffe's tenure, a period noted for its emphasis on gothic horror influences in the series. This era under Hinchcliffe sought to blend science fiction with atmospheric terror, drawing from classic horror traditions to heighten dramatic tension. The serial's initial concept originated from writer Lewis Greifer, whom script editor Robert Holmes commissioned in the spring of 1974 to develop a storyline incorporating ancient Egyptian gods as extraterrestrial beings and mummy-like elements. Greifer's outline, submitted in July 1974, was inspired by Hammer Films productions such as Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971), which explored themes of ancient curses and resurrection, adapting them into a science-fiction framework. However, Greifer's scripts proved unworkable due to his illness and structural issues, leading Holmes to undertake a substantial rewrite by March 1975. Holmes' revisions, credited under the pseudonym Stephen Harris (a collaboration with Greifer), shifted the setting to 1911 and introduced the Osirans as a new alien race, with a on Mars containing the device that maintains Sutekh's imprisonment, rationalizing through extraterrestrial origins. Key developmental choices included the mechanism preventing the from departing 1911, attributed to Sutekh's psychic influence, enhancing the story's isolation and suspense. Hinchcliffe later described the process as "effectively a page one rewrite from Bob [Holmes]," underscoring the extensive reworking to align with the serial's format and thematic goals.

Plot summary

The arrives at the estate of Professor Marcus Scarman in in 1911, where the and encounter Scarman's brother, Laurence, who is monitoring unusual radio signals from Mars. They soon discover that Marcus has returned from an archaeological dig in , but he is now a possessed servant of Sutekh, a powerful Osiran—a god-like alien being imprisoned within a on . Egyptian servant Ibrahim Namin, assisting Marcus, awakens a figure from a that begins destroying everything in its path, while mummies under Sutekh's control pursue the intruders, killing Namin for his wavering loyalty. The Doctor uses the to travel back to the site of Marcus's dig in 1911 , where he learns more about Sutekh's imprisonment by his fellow Osirans using advanced technology, including the , a device in a pyramid on Mars that maintains the bindings. Returning to the estate, the group faces attacks from , and the Doctor reveals Sutekh's plan to build a that will destroy the , freeing him to ravage the universe. To illustrate the stakes, the Doctor takes and to 1980 in an alternate timeline where Sutekh has succeeded, showing a barren, lifeless overrun by his forces. As tensions escalate, the becomes trapped in a time bubble created by Sutekh's Osiran technology, limiting the Doctor's movements. is seemingly killed by a but is revived using the sarcophagus's life-sustaining properties, a key piece of Osiran tech. Battles intensify with servicer robots and as Marcus, under Sutekh's command, eliminates obstacles, including killing Laurence despite his pleas, to complete the . The Doctor attempts to the launch but is overpowered and transported to Sutekh's prison on . The Doctor steals a to reach the on Mars, where he destroys the protective jewel in the , briefly freeing Sutekh. However, using his ingenuity and the , the Doctor creates a , tricking Sutekh into following him through it to the far future, where the Osiran's bindings snap him apart across time, defeating him permanently. With the threat ended, the time bubble dissipates, and the Doctor and Sarah depart, leaving the estate—and history—intact.

Production

Writing and scripting

The writing of Pyramids of Mars began in the spring of 1974 when script editor Robert Holmes approached Lewis Greifer, a writer with a known interest in , to develop a storyline blending with mummy horror elements inspired by ancient Egyptian lore. Greifer submitted an initial storyline in July 1974 featuring Egyptian gods such as Sebek and , mummified servants, and a plot involving a threat to global food reserves that tied into lunar anomalies, emphasizing atmospheric horror through supernatural-seeming Egyptian artifacts and rituals. Holmes formally commissioned a storyline on July 8, 1974, leading to Greifer being contracted to write the full scripts on July 23, 1974, and Greifer delivered the first episode draft on September 23, 1974, though Holmes noted early deviations from the core horror premise by October 7, 1974. By , with production deadlines approaching and Greifer unavailable due to illness, Holmes abandoned the original drafts on , citing issues with plot coherence, insufficient focus on the Doctor, and failure to maintain the horror tone, opting instead for an extensive rewrite completed primarily in and March. Holmes restructured the narrative to tighten pacing for the standard 25-minute episode format, relocating the setting to 1911 to heighten period tension and removing contemporary elements like involvement, while incorporating lore through key scenes such as the console room sequence in the second episode, where Sarah Jane experiences a vision of a devastated 1980 under Sutekh's influence. He also infused the script with his signature humor to balance the horror, such as witty exchanges amid the escalating threats, and added iconic lines like the Doctor's declaration referencing the "pyramids of Mars" to underscore the story's cosmic stakes. The final script was credited on-screen to the pseudonym "Stephen Harris," a combination reflecting Holmes's rewrite of Greifer's work, as Greifer requested his name be removed following the extensive revisions. This pseudonym adhered to conventions for substantially altered submissions, ensuring the aired version aligned with Holmes's vision while acknowledging the original contribution.

Casting

and continued in their established roles as the and , respectively. Bernard Archard was cast as the archaeologist Marcus Scarman, chosen for his authoritative presence developed through prior roles in series such as . Script editor Robert Holmes suggested Archard for the part, requiring no audition. In the DVD commentary, Archard noted requesting a second take during recording to subtly capture a faint glimmer of his character breaking through Sutekh's possession. Gabriel Woolf was selected to voice the ancient Osiran villain Sutekh, with director Paddy Russell hiring him to add depth to the limited characterization; Woolf incorporated improvisational snarls during recording to heighten the god's malevolent tone. The supporting cast included as Laurence Scarman, recommended by production assistant Peter Grimwade without needing an audition, and Peter Mayock as the cultist Ibrahim Namin. Uncredited extras portrayed the lumbering , bringing the Osirian servants to life through physical performance.

Filming and effects

Principal location filming for Pyramids of Mars took place from 29 April to 2 May 1975 at Stargroves Manor in East End, Hampshire, which served as the exterior of Marcus Scarman's priory. The estate, owned by musician Mick Jagger at the time, provided expansive grounds for scenes involving the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith's arrival and exploration. Studio recording occurred at BBC Television Centre in London, with Episodes 1 and 2 filmed in Studio 3 on 19–20 May 1975, including the new TARDIS control room set. Episodes 3 and 4 followed in Studio 6 on 2–3 June 1975, featuring sets for Sutekh's den, the organ room, and the Egyptian tomb used for pyramid interiors in Parts 1 and 4. Model work, including sequences for the mummies and the Osirian war rocket, was shot at the BBC Television Centre's Puppet Theatre on 7–9 May and 22–23 May 1975. The mummy servitor robots were portrayed by uncredited actors, with visual effects designer Ian Scoones overseeing their creation using practical elements like and for atmospheric sequences. Assistant George Reed contributed to effects such as the servicer robot skeleton and smoke steps, while John Friedlander sculpted the jackal-headed mask and helmet for the Servant of Sutekh. donned a during production, experiencing discomfort from the fibreglass material. Post-production included model shots for the rocket sequence, with the prop later presented by Baker to East Woodhay Primary School on 2 May 1975. Director Paddy Russell faced challenges in coordinating the mummies' movements with actors, emphasizing horror through deliberate pacing, while script rewrites by Robert Holmes required adjustments during filming to align with the revised Osirian mythology. 's tendency to ad-lib lines added spontaneity but necessitated multiple takes for synchronization.

Broadcast

Transmission details

"Pyramids of Mars" aired as the third serial of the thirteenth season of Doctor Who, positioned after "The Ark in Space" and before "The Android Invasion". The four-part story was transmitted weekly on Saturdays at approximately 5:50 p.m. on BBC One, beginning with Part One on 25 October 1975 at 5:45 p.m. and concluding with Part Four on 15 November 1975 at 5:45 p.m.. Each episode lasted 25 minutes, fitting the standard format for the series at the time. The production was completed in June 1975, with studio sessions held at BBC Television Centre in May and early June. A condensed 60-minute , combining the episodes into a single feature-length presentation, was later aired on on 27 November 1976.

Viewership and ratings

The four-part serial Pyramids of Mars achieved an average audience of 10.7 million viewers across its original broadcast.
EpisodeAir DateViewers (millions)
Part One25 October 197510.5
Part Two1 197511.3
Part Three8 19759.4
Part Four15 197511.7
An omnibus edition, edited into a single feature-length broadcast on 27 November , drew 13.7 million viewers. These figures placed Pyramids of Mars slightly below the season's highest-rated serial, , but represented a solid performance for a mid-season story in the 13th season. Viewer numbers were impacted by competition from ITV programming and the timing immediately following the half-term school break, which disrupted typical family viewing patterns.

Reception

Contemporary reviews

The Radio Times preview for Pyramids of Mars contributed to positive anticipation for the serial's horror elements. Viewer correspondence to the following the broadcast included complaints about the perceived violence, aligning with broader criticisms of the Hinchcliffe era's darker tone by figures like . The serial generated overall positive buzz in contemporary press and fan discussions for Tom Baker's commanding performance as the , which balanced authority and eccentricity, as well as the novelty of the Egyptian theme, which introduced ancient mythology as a fresh device in the series. Appreciation Index scores averaged in the high 50s to low 60s, indicating solid viewer engagement.

Retrospective assessments

In the 1990s, fan publications such as Doctor Who Magazine celebrated "Pyramids of Mars" as a pinnacle of the production era, highlighting its seamless integration of horror elements with tropes, including reimagined through alien Osirans and mummified servants. This acclaim positioned the serial as emblematic of Hinchcliffe's approach, which emphasized atmospheric dread and gothic influences amid the series' speculative framework. Later retrospective analyses in dedicated books have similarly praised the serial's execution. For instance, Kate Orman's 2017 volume in the Black Archive series awards it high regard for its evocative atmosphere—evoking the shadowy, occult-tinged tension of horror films—and the menacing design of Sutekh, portrayed as a jackal-headed entity trapped in eternal imprisonment, which amplifies the story's mythic scale. Orman underscores how these elements draw from a tradition of , blending visceral terror with intellectual intrigue about posing as gods. Following the 2005 revival of under , commentators have drawn comparisons to "Pyramids of Mars" for its enduring impact on monster designs in the modern era. Davies himself noted in 2024 that the return of Sutekh in the series 14 finale "Empire of Death" demonstrates the show's unbroken connection to its classic roots, with the updated visual rendering—retaining the jackal-headed while incorporating contemporary CGI—echoing the original's iconic menace to inform the aesthetic of recurring ancient adversaries. This revival underscores the serial's influence on the new series' approach to blending mythological horror with sci-fi spectacle, as seen in episodes featuring god-like entities with elaborate, culturally evocative designs.

Commercial releases

In print

The official novelization of the Pyramids of Mars serial, titled Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars, was written by and published by on 16 December 1976. The paperback edition featured cover art by Chris Achilleos, depicting the confronting the menacing figure of Sutekh amid pyramid motifs. With 125 pages, it closely adapted the television story while incorporating Dicks's signature prose style to enhance the narrative's atmosphere of ancient Egyptian horror and time-travel intrigue. Dicks expanded upon the original script by adding a prologue that provides detailed backstory on the Osirans, including the origins of Sutekh's imprisonment and his rivalry with , elements only briefly alluded to in the broadcast version. The book also includes an epilogue that extends Sarah Jane Smith's prophetic visions, offering closure on her emotional response to the adventure and hinting at her future experiences beyond the . These additions deepen the mythological context and character development without altering the core plot. Subsequent reprints maintained the text's accessibility to new generations of fans. A 1993 edition was issued by , preserving Achilleos's artwork with a new cover by Alister Pearson. The novelization was reprinted in The Essential Terrance Dicks Volume 2 by on 26 August 2021. An unabridged audio adaptation of the novelization, narrated by in his distinctive voice as the , was produced by Audio on 14 August 2008, running approximately three hours and capturing the tension of the Osiran conflict through dramatic readings.

Home media

The serial was first released on home video in the UK on VHS on 4 February 1985, with subsequent re-releases in 1987 and 1992. This was followed by a standalone DVD release on 25 October 2004, featuring an track with director Paddy Russell and actress , alongside producer and actor . The 2004 DVD edition included several special features, such as deleted and extended scenes (including the TARDIS materialising on an alternate future in 1980, a poacher fleeing from , and the discovery of a body in a ), model effects footage (depicting the pyramid's destruction and the TARDIS's arrival on the dystopian future ), and options for the hearing impaired. A Blu-ray release arrived on 20 October 2025 as part of the Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 13 set, offering enhanced video quality, restored episodes, and new special features including behind-the-scenes content. "Pyramids of Mars" became available for streaming on starting in 2013, with an HD remaster released in to improve visual clarity for digital viewing.

Other media

The soundtrack for Pyramids of Mars, composed by with additional effects by Heathcliff Blair, was released on CD in 1993 by Silva Screen Records as Pyramids of Mars: Classic Music from the Tom Baker Era. This album features the serial's alongside sound effects, including Sutekh's distinctive voice distortions and Osiran-themed motifs, capturing the atmospheric tension of the Egyptian horror elements. In 2015, released the audio drama The Pyramid of Sutekh as the first installment in The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 2: The Triumph of Sutekh, written by Guy Adams and featuring alongside the (voiced by ). The story serves as a direct to the original serial, delving deeper into Osiran mythology as Bernice uncovers a Martian containing Sutekh's influence, leading to a confrontation that expands on the god-like entity's destructive ambitions and ties to ancient Egyptian lore. Merchandise inspired by Pyramids of Mars includes action figures produced by Character Options, such as the individual Mummy (Guardian Robot) figure released in 2010, which came with a Canopic Jar accessory to evoke the serial's reanimated servant motifs. In 2012, the company issued the Pyramids of Mars: Mars Collectors Set, featuring articulated figures of two Guardian Mummies alongside an unmasked Sutekh with a removable jackal-head mask and light-up eyes, allowing fans to recreate key scenes from the priory and pyramid confrontations. Additionally, replica Sutekh masks with glowing eyes, crafted by specialist prop makers like Millennium FX, became available around 2010 as collectible wearables, replicating the Osiran's iconic bandaged visage for cosplay and display. A remastered and edited version of the serial appeared in 2024 as part of the Tales of the TARDIS anthology series, incorporating footage from prior home media releases with new framing sequences. This episode, featuring the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) discussing the Doctor's initial encounter with Sutekh, premiered on BBC iPlayer on 20 June 2024 and later aired on BBC Four, blending the 1975 story with contemporary narrative ties to the Osiran's return.

Legacy

Cultural impact

The serial Pyramids of Mars introduced the Osirans, an ancient alien race whose god-like abilities and technological interventions shaped human perceptions of Egyptian deities such as Set, , and , portraying them as extraterrestrial beings from another galaxy who influenced Earth's early civilizations. This narrative device reinforced the blending of with science fiction. Sutekh, the imprisoned Osiran god of destruction, served as an archetype for malevolent, confined deities in subsequent storytelling, embodying themes of cosmic tyranny and mythological reinterpretation. Airing in 1975 amid the surge of ancient astronaut theories popularized by works like Erich von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods? (1968) and its 1970 documentary adaptation, the serial engaged with ideas of extraterrestrial origins for ancient wonders, featuring Osiran pyramid technology on Mars and Earth.

Modern revivals

Sutekh made a major return in the 2024 Doctor Who series 14 finale episodes "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and "Empire of Death," with Woolf voicing the Osiran god once again after nearly 50 years. In this storyline, Sutekh, having survived his original defeat by clinging to the exterior of the TARDIS, possesses the Pantheon of discordant alien gods and unleashes a wave of death across the universe, tying into the ongoing Ruby Sunday arc through references to Osiran history and the pyramids on Mars. The Fifteenth Doctor defeats him by exploiting the TARDIS's time flux, dragging Sutekh through the Time Vortex to disintegrate him. The 2024 revival was praised by critics for its nostalgic callback to classic elements, with Woolf's commanding vocal performance highlighted as a standout feature that enhanced the villain's menace. Fan reception emphasized the thrill of the surprise return, contributing to strong viewership, as "Empire of Death" achieved consolidated ratings of 3.69 million viewers in the UK. Marking the 50th anniversary of the serial's original broadcast on 25 October 1975, official celebrations in 2025 included an interview with conducted by producer , reflecting on Sutekh's enduring legacy and the story's influence on the series.

References

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  44. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/arts/television/doctor-who-episode-7-recap.html
  45. https://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-empire-of-death-review-102597.htm
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  47. https://criticalpopcorn.com/2024/06/23/doctor-who-1-8-review-empire-of-death/
  48. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJQqztTGMOc
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