Pyramids of Mars is one of Doctor Who's most successful blends of horror, historical adventure and bizarre science fiction.
Story: 10
This story is a great testament to the immense creativity and writing skill of the production team of this era of the show. They take a basic premise in horror and twist it around by giving it a fresh sci-fi angle to form what could arguably be called ion the biggest classics within British science fiction.
I love how this story explores the implications of the Doctor not interfering whenever there's danger lurking behind a corner. That gives great importance and meaning to the Doctor's doing.
The script has that dark and menacing tone to it, that makes it stand out from so many other stories. It also allows for a different characterisation for both the Doctor and Sarah while creating a truly dangerous villain. Thes are some of the reasons the serial remains so popular.
The last episode is wonderfully bizarre and creative, but also intense and dark. It's a great end to a fine story.
Acting: 12
Tom Baker is as perfectly suited as darker and less likeable Doctor a eh is as his characteristically energetic incarnation. This is one of Baker's finest performances on the show, and the same should be said of Elisabeth Sladen.
Bernard Archard puts in one of the show's finest and more memorable performances as Professor Scarman. He acts possessed so well that he comes across as inherently scary.
Michael Sheard appears as Professor Scarman's brother and his constant worry for his brother's safety and well-being is so lovely to see that it feel unique on a show like Doctor Who. I mean, the professor's possessed, stop worrying about him!
I'm so happy an actor such as Stephen Thorne was not chosen to portray Sutekh, because he would just have made him another copy of Omega. Gabriel Woolf pouts his spin to the character, which makes him inherently more creepy. Woolf will be back voicing The Beast in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit in 2006.
The Doctor: 12
The Doctor is gloomy and desperate here, perfectly understanding the high stakes of the affair. This is the Fourth Doctor at his most serious. Here, he's also at his most alien, clearly showing no concern for Professor Scarman or understanding Laurence's concern. And when pitted face to face with Sutekh, the Doctor is going through a real struggle. It's also creepy to see the Doctor possessed by Sutekh.
The Companions: 11
Sarah is trying to be the human here when the Doctor pushes his understanding of humanity aside. That puts a minor strain on their relationship, which is interesting to see.
The Monster/Villain: 12
Professor Scarman is creepy and cold the way only the best possessed characters are. He's similar to Channing in Spearhead of Space, only miles creepier. Sutekh is arguably among the top five greatest villains of Classic Doctor Who, both in terms of appearance and in performance. He feels like a true power to be reckoned with, which is more than you can say for most villains.
The mummies work as monsters in all their simplicity mostly because they're such an established element within the horror genre. Anyone would be scared of walking mummified corpses.
I know I might have said sometime, that Kemel from The Evil of the Daleks is the best Turk to ever appear on the show, but I will have to revise that statement. Kemel might be the best heroic Turk to appear, but Namin, in all his simplicity and cliched motivations, beats him by a long shot.
Production: 11
The Victorian house set is beautiful, as is the minor set within Sutekh's tomb and Sutekh himself, of course. Paddy Russell's direction is sharp as well.
Pacing: 11
This is another slightly slower four-parter but it doesn't feel too long, mostly thanks to the incredibly dark atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 12
What's so exciting about this story is that it turns very dark and ominous quickly. We immediately understand that strange things are afoot and the story turns full-on sci-fi already in Part One.
The beautiful Victorian setting coupled with the Martian landscapes gives this story an atmospheric and bizarre feel. And then we have the incredibly ominous onset of Sutekh destroying the entire world and mummies crushing people to death. Dark stuff.
The puzzle-solving sequence in Part Four is the least engaging part of the story, but at least it's done miles better than the one on Death to the Daleks.
Impact: 12
Pyramids of Mars is constantly brought up as a masterpiece of storytelling, production and acting. It's among the undisputed classics of Doctor Who, and for a good reason.
Replay Value: 12
Doctor Who rarely gets more tense and atmospheric as this one. Pyramids of Mars is a story I will revisit many times.
Random Observations:
It's great to see the Doctor remembering his old companions Vicki and Victoria and going on about how bored he is with Earth.
From the file marked "Shamelessly Ripping Off Other Stories": I think it should be fairly obvious, but Pyramids of Mars is heavily inspired by the original The Mummy film from
Doctor: "I never carry firearms!" Well, that's the biggest lie you've ever told. You might not use firearms, but you certainly carry them now and then.
This is another story where the Doctor is pitted against supposed gods, that in reality turn out to be aliens. The Daemons (1972) and The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (2006) are other examples.
Sarah compares the maze within Sutekh's pyramid with the one in the city of Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (1974). But how did she know about them, when she wasn't in the city with the Doctor?
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2020-06-22T15:43:14Z
Pyramids of Mars is one of Doctor Who's most successful blends of horror, historical adventure and bizarre science fiction.
Story: 10
This story is a great testament to the immense creativity and writing skill of the production team of this era of the show. They take a basic premise in horror and twist it around by giving it a fresh sci-fi angle to form what could arguably be called ion the biggest classics within British science fiction.
I love how this story explores the implications of the Doctor not interfering whenever there's danger lurking behind a corner. That gives great importance and meaning to the Doctor's doing.
The script has that dark and menacing tone to it, that makes it stand out from so many other stories. It also allows for a different characterisation for both the Doctor and Sarah while creating a truly dangerous villain. Thes are some of the reasons the serial remains so popular.
The last episode is wonderfully bizarre and creative, but also intense and dark. It's a great end to a fine story.
Acting: 12
Tom Baker is as perfectly suited as darker and less likeable Doctor a eh is as his characteristically energetic incarnation. This is one of Baker's finest performances on the show, and the same should be said of Elisabeth Sladen.
Bernard Archard puts in one of the show's finest and more memorable performances as Professor Scarman. He acts possessed so well that he comes across as inherently scary.
Michael Sheard appears as Professor Scarman's brother and his constant worry for his brother's safety and well-being is so lovely to see that it feel unique on a show like Doctor Who. I mean, the professor's possessed, stop worrying about him!
I'm so happy an actor such as Stephen Thorne was not chosen to portray Sutekh, because he would just have made him another copy of Omega. Gabriel Woolf pouts his spin to the character, which makes him inherently more creepy. Woolf will be back voicing The Beast in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit in 2006.
The Doctor: 12
The Doctor is gloomy and desperate here, perfectly understanding the high stakes of the affair. This is the Fourth Doctor at his most serious. Here, he's also at his most alien, clearly showing no concern for Professor Scarman or understanding Laurence's concern. And when pitted face to face with Sutekh, the Doctor is going through a real struggle. It's also creepy to see the Doctor possessed by Sutekh.
The Companions: 11
Sarah is trying to be the human here when the Doctor pushes his understanding of humanity aside. That puts a minor strain on their relationship, which is interesting to see.
The Monster/Villain: 12
Professor Scarman is creepy and cold the way only the best possessed characters are. He's similar to Channing in Spearhead of Space, only miles creepier. Sutekh is arguably among the top five greatest villains of Classic Doctor Who, both in terms of appearance and in performance. He feels like a true power to be reckoned with, which is more than you can say for most villains.
The mummies work as monsters in all their simplicity mostly because they're such an established element within the horror genre. Anyone would be scared of walking mummified corpses.
I know I might have said sometime, that Kemel from The Evil of the Daleks is the best Turk to ever appear on the show, but I will have to revise that statement. Kemel might be the best heroic Turk to appear, but Namin, in all his simplicity and cliched motivations, beats him by a long shot.
Production: 11
The Victorian house set is beautiful, as is the minor set within Sutekh's tomb and Sutekh himself, of course. Paddy Russell's direction is sharp as well.
Pacing: 11
This is another slightly slower four-parter but it doesn't feel too long, mostly thanks to the incredibly dark atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 12
What's so exciting about this story is that it turns very dark and ominous quickly. We immediately understand that strange things are afoot and the story turns full-on sci-fi already in Part One.
The beautiful Victorian setting coupled with the Martian landscapes gives this story an atmospheric and bizarre feel. And then we have the incredibly ominous onset of Sutekh destroying the entire world and mummies crushing people to death. Dark stuff.
The puzzle-solving sequence in Part Four is the least engaging part of the story, but at least it's done miles better than the one on Death to the Daleks.
Impact: 12
Pyramids of Mars is constantly brought up as a masterpiece of storytelling, production and acting. It's among the undisputed classics of Doctor Who, and for a good reason.
Replay Value: 12
Doctor Who rarely gets more tense and atmospheric as this one. Pyramids of Mars is a story I will revisit many times.
Random Observations:
It's great to see the Doctor remembering his old companions Vicki and Victoria and going on about how bored he is with Earth.
From the file marked "Shamelessly Ripping Off Other Stories": I think it should be fairly obvious, but Pyramids of Mars is heavily inspired by the original The Mummy film from
Doctor: "I never carry firearms!" Well, that's the biggest lie you've ever told. You might not use firearms, but you certainly carry them now and then.
This is another story where the Doctor is pitted against supposed gods, that in reality turn out to be aliens. The Daemons (1972) and The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (2006) are other examples.
Sarah compares the maze within Sutekh's pyramid with the one in the city of Exxilon in Death to the Daleks (1974). But how did she know about them, when she wasn't in the city with the Doctor?
Score: 115/120