Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars (1975)

I first began watching Doctor Who as a teenager in 1983 while the PBS station in St. Louis was in its first run of the episodes from the Tom Baker era. Baker remains my favorite Doctor, although I do find something to like in each of the Doctors. "Pyramids of Mars" was one of the first stories I remember watching, and to this day, it remains one of my overall favorite DW adventures. This four-part serial was originally during the autumn of 1975, and has been revered by fans as one of the finest stories of Baker's run as the Doctor.

"Pyramids" was originally written by Lewis Griefer. When the script was considered unworkable and Griefer was unavailble to do a re-write, script editor Robert Holmes stepped in to re-work the teleplay. The writing credit went to the pseudonym "Stephen Harris." The story is heavily steeped in Egyptian mythology. The story also has roots in a number of Mummy movies including Hammer's The Mummy and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb. Additional influences include Norse mythology, Edgar Allen Poe and Bram Stoker's The Jewel of the Seven Stars.

Set in 1911, the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) arrive at an old English priory owned by an Egyptologist. After a series of killings and other strange events, the Doctor and Sarah discover that Professor Scarman has been taken over by Sutekh, the last survivor of the Osirans, an extremely powerful race perceived as gods by the ancient Egyptians. Sutekh (played by Gabriel Woolf), the lord of death and destruction, has been imprisoned in a pyramid for millenia by his fellow Osirans, and now he seeks to use Professor Scarman (Bernard Archard) as an instrument to gain his freedom from his prison.

Among the supporting cast is the late Michael Sheard, whom Star Wars fans may remember as Admiral Ozzel in The Empire Strikes Back (He also played an autograph-happy Hitler in Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade), as Lawrence Scarman, the archaeologist's brother. Sheard narrates "Now & Then," a featurette which revisits the Stargrove locations where "Pyramids of Mars" was filmed. He also joins Elisabeth Sladen, director Paddy Russell and then-DW producer Philip Hinchcliffe for the commentary track.

Other bonus features include the "Osiran Gothic" documentary, the "Serial Thrillers" featurette which looks at the Hinchcliffe era of DW, deleted/extended scenes and the hilarious "Oh Mummy" spoof which follows Sutekh's life post-"Pyramids," with Gabriel Woolf returning as Sutekh. Hinchcliffe's period as producer has been described as the show's "Golden Age." "Pyramids of Mars" was one of the highlights of that era. "Pyramids" is one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever, and this DVD does it justice.

Other Doctor Who DVD releases you might be interested in:

The Hand of Fear

The Key to Time Collection

New Beginnings DVD Set

And you might also wish to check out:

BBC's The Chronicles of Narnia DVD Set (Remastered version) Featuring Tom Baker as Puddleglum in The Silver Chair