"Doctor Who"
Pyramids of Mars: Part 1 (1975)

Director:

Paddy Russell

Writers:

Lewis Greifer (writer) and
Robert Holmes (writer)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (1963)

Original Air Date:

25 October 1975 (Season 13, Episode 9)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Man With No Name | Extraterrestrial | Famous Opening Theme | Space Hero | Extraterrestrial Hero

Cast

Tom Baker	...	Doctor Who
Elisabeth Sladen	...	Sarah Jane Smith
Bernard Archard	...	Marcus Scarman
Michael Sheard	...	Laurence Scarman
Peter Copley	...	Dr. Warlock
Peter Mayock	...	Namin
Michael Bilton	...	Collins
Vic Tablian	...	Ahmed (as Vik Tablian)
Nick Burnell	...	Mummy
Melvyn Bedford	...	Mummy
Kevin Selway	...	Mummy

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Trivia:

It was Peter Grimwade who suggested Michael Sheard for Laurence Scarman.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Sutekh stands from his chair, a crew member's hand can be seen holding the cushion in place and then disappearing.

Quotes:

The Doctor: I'm a Time Lord... I walk in Eternity.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Looney Tunes: Space Race (2000) (VG)

"Mummies are embalmed eviscerated corpses & don't walk." Classic Doctor Who.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars: Part 1 starts in Ciaro where Egypologist Marcus Scarman (Bernard Archard) breaks into the centuries old tomb of Sutekh where a great evil is still present waiting to be unleashed... The Doctor (Tom Baker) & Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) arrive on Earth in the year 1911 inside a priory owned by Scarman where he keeps various Egyptian relics, one of Scarman's friends Dr. Warlock (Peter Copley) is worried about him as Scarman hasn't been heard or seen in weeks & confronts the mysterious Egyptian Namin (Peter Mayock) who claims to have permission to be there from Scarman himself. However a fight breaks out & Namin shoots Warlock, the Doctor & Sarah Jane manage to overpower Namin & rescue Warlock for the time being as Namin uses several living Egyptian Mimmies to locate & capture them...

Episode 9 from season 13 this Doctor Who adventure was originally aired here in the UK during October 1975 & was the third story from Tom Baker's second season as the Doctor although it was the first filmed, directed by Paddy Russell this is a classic story in all senses of the word. The script is credited to Spehen Harris although it's common knowledge that what writer Lewis Griefer wrote was almost totally rewritten by script editor Robert Holmes & the only things which were kept were the title & setting hence the bland pseudonym of Stephen Harris, anyway this borrows heavily from classic Gothic horror with it's loud organ music, the idea of ancient Egyptian tombs containing evil, the idea of bandage wrapped Mummies coming to life & menacing the cast, old curses, demons & that classic & evocative early 20th century period setting which many Hammer horror films were notable for. Of course there's a sci-fi slant on things as whatever is going on is somehow connected to Mars but it all works pretty well to make an entertaining & intriguing opening episode.

This one actually looks pretty good, the Mummies are quite creepy as even with the tight BBC budget the makers couldn't screw them up. The scene at the end when the black robed figure walks along & large puffs of smoke radiate from each footstep is a neat touch! The special effects have been OK so far although the sarcophagus lids look a little light considering they are meant to be stone!

Pyramids of Mars: Part 1 is a great way to open a great story, it's considered by many to be a classic & who am I to argue with that? A must for fans & those looking for some creepy sci-fi horror.