King Tut?
An archeological dig has uncovered a hidden tomb and a force has possessed Professor Scarman (Bernard Archard). The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) are pulled to the Scarman residence in England. There they find mummies controlled by a force being channelled through Professor Scarman. The Doctor’s investigation into the alien force reveals it to be an Osirian from Mars named Sutekh. Now Sutekh has plans for Earth and only the Doctor can stop him.
Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars aired during the thirteenth season of Doctor Who. It aired in four parts from October 25, 1975 to November 15, 1975. It followed Doctor Who: Planet of Evil and has been collected in The Tom Baker Years as Story #82.
Hey, It’s not much different than the Louvre
Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars was a fun serial. The “mummies” were worth watching alone and Sarah Jane seems pretty proactive in the episode (even toting a rifle at one point). The story does get a bit bogged down at the end involving Sutekh and sometimes drags (though I do like how the Doctor stops him at the end).
The Doctor Who episodes that don’t rely heavily on special effects seem to work better. This is the case for Pyramids of Mars. The show is mostly set in and around an English manor so there is no need to try to make bad sci-fi sets (that also hinders the ending). The mummies are lame but memorable and kind of fun. I would love to see a modernized version of the Osirians in the current series (though Sutekh is supposed to be the last of his kind).
That’s right…Ancient Egypt loved me…so will you!
There are a number of humorous moments involved in this story because, like often, the Doctor’s villains really have no perception of what’s going on around them. Sarah Jane and the Doctor often just walk behind Sutekh, the mummies, and his servants unnoticed. The director and actors seem to have fun with it and almost take a vaudevillian approach to it. It almost feels like Scooby-Doo. Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars is followed by Doctor Who: The Android Invasion.
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Preceded By:
Doctor Who: Planet of Evil (Story #81)
Followed By:
Doctor Who: The Android Invasion (Story #83)
