Editing Pyramids of Mars (TV story)

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{{Infobox Story
|image=Pyramids of Mars.jpg
|series=[[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|season number= Season 13
|season serial number = 3
|story number= 82
|doctor=Fourth Doctor 
|companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]
|enemy= [[Sutekh]]
|setting= [[England]], [[Egypt]], and [[Mars]], [[1911]]
|writer= "[[Stephen Harris]]" 
|director= [[Paddy Russell]] 
|producer= [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] 
|novelisation= Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars (novelisation)
|epcount=4
|broadcast date= [[25 October (releases)|25 October]] - [[15 November (releases)|15 November]] [[1975 (releases)|1975]]
|network=[[BBC1]]
|format= 4x25-minute episodes 
|serial production code= [[List of production codes|4G]]
|prev= Planet of Evil (TV story)
|next= The Android Invasion (TV story) 
}}{{you may|Pyramids of Mars (reference book)|n1=the reference book of the same name}}

'''''Pyramids of Mars''''' was the third serial of [[season 13]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It saw the introduction and, {{as of|2021|lc=y}}, only televised appearance of [[Sutekh]].

== Synopsis ==
In a [[Victorian]] Gothic [[mansion]], strange things are afoot. The master of the house, away in [[Egypt]], has been replaced by a sinister Egyptian. Cloth-wrapped [[Osiran service robot|mummies]] roam the grounds, killing people. Beneath a [[pyramid]], the last of the [[Osiran]]s — [[Sutekh]] the Destroyer — waits to be freed, to at long last bring his gift of death to all who live.

== Plot ==

=== Part one ===
[[Egypt]], [[1911]]: [[Marcus Scarman]], Fellow and [[Professor]] of [[Archaeology]] at All Souls College, [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]], is excavating a blind [[pyramid]]. He finds the door to the burial chamber is inscribed with the [[Eye of Horus]]. The [[Egyptian]] assistants flee at the sight of the glowing [[hieroglyph]], leaving the Professor to enter the chamber alone. As he holds a light to see the undisturbed tomb, he is blasted by a green ray that emanates from a seated and cowled figure.

The [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith]] are still on their way back to [[United Nations Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] headquarters in [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. Sarah Jane comes in with a dress on and tells the Doctor he should be glad to be going home. The Doctor is in a mood and replies Earth isn't his home, and it is time he finds something better to do than run around after [[the Brigadier]]. Sarah Jane attributes this state of mind to the Doctor going through something of a mid-life crisis. At the moment the tomb is disturbed, the TARDIS is forced out of its flight path. Sarah Jane sees an apparition of an alien, jackal-like face in the console room. The Doctor comments that a mental projection that could have this effect on the TARDIS would be powerful beyond imagination. He follows the energy source back to its point of origin and lands the TARDIS in the Scarman family home, a former priory somewhere in [[England]], occupying the future site of [[UNIT HQ]].

The Doctor and Sarah Jane explore the priory and find what appear to be Egyptian artefacts in the storeroom in which the TARDIS materialised. Discovered by [[Collins (Pyramids of Mars)|Collins]], they are told that the house has been taken over by a mysterious Egyptian gentleman by the name of [[Ibrahim Namin]]. Collins urges them to leave. As he turns to inspect the room after the Doctor and Sarah's departure via the window, a [[sarcophagus]] lid begins to move.

In another part of the priory, Namin is confronted by Dr [[Warlock (Pyramids of Mars)|Warlock]], an old friend of Professor Scarman, but their heated debate is interrupted by a scream. Warlock and Namin find that the scream came from Collins, who has been strangled in the storeroom. Namin shoots Warlock to prevent him from going for help. The Doctor, who has witnessed the argument and heard the scream, prevents the shot from being immediately fatal by using his [[The Doctor's scarf|scarf]] to pull the gun in Namin's hand. The three make their escape onto the grounds of the estate. Instead of following, Namin removes the lid of another sarcophagus to reveal a mummy. Holding up his ring, he commands the mummy to activate and orders it to pursue them.

The Doctor, Sarah and Warlock hide in the woods until the pursuing mummies are called off the hunt by Namin, who is summoned to the central room of the house by a blast of organ music. The three fugitives make their way to a hunting lodge on the grounds used by [[Laurence Scarman]], Professor Scarman's brother, as his home. Laurence is an amateur scientist whose latest invention is the [[Marconiscope]], which the Doctor recognises as a primitive form of [[radio telescope]]; Lawrence is surprised the Doctor knows what it is. The Doctor asks Lawrence to demonstrate the Marconiscope, which he does. However, Laurence then finds he cannot switch the Marconiscope off, and it goes faster and faster before exploding with a flash and a puff of smoke. Having asked Laurence where the Marconiscope's aerial was aimed, Laurence says it was [[Mars]]. The Doctor works out that the Marconiscope intercepted a signal from Mars, and uses a more portable device to decode the signal — using the part occurring most frequently as "E", the most common letter in the English alphabet. The signal reads "Beware [[Sutekh]]".

[[File:Ibrahim_kneels.jpg|thumb|left|Ibrahim kneels before "Sutekh".]]
The Doctor returns to the house in order to formulate a plan to stop Sutekh, followed by Sarah and Laurence Scarman.

Namin and the mummies — really [[Osiran service robot|service robots]] — greet the arrival of "Sutekh", who travels to the priory via a [[lodestone]], the portal of which is disguised as an upright sarcophagus. However it is the Servant of Sutekh who emerges from the portal, appearing as a dark-helmeted humanoid figure dressed in black. Upon realising this, Namin pleads for his life, declaring he is a loyal servant of Sutekh's. But the Servant ignores this, declaring that Sutekh needs no other servant, and kills Namin. He then announces "I bring Sutekh's gift of death to all human life".

=== Part two ===
After killing Namin, the Servant transforms into Marcus Scarman, although he appears to be an animated corpse. Scarman uses the space-time tunnel to communicate with Sutekh, immobile in his pyramid, who orders Scarman to secure the perimeter of the estate and to construct an [[Osiran war missile]]. After Scarman and the robots leave to execute their orders, the Doctor, Sarah and Laurence enter the main room. The Doctor explains that Sutekh is the last of a powerful [[alien]] race called the [[Osiran]]s, a paranoid megalomaniac who came to believe that all life was his enemy. He locates the space-time tunnel but accidentally activates it and is nearly dragged through. He disrupts the tunnel with the [[TARDIS key]] and is knocked unconscious by the energy discharge. Laurence hides the three of them in a [[priest hole]], fearing discovery by his brother.
[[File:Laurence_doctor_sarah_hiding.jpg|thumb|left|Laurence, the Doctor and Sarah in hiding.]]
In another part of the estate, a poacher, [[Ernie Clements]], finds a mummy trapped by one of his snares. He retreats but is prevented from escaping the estate by the deflection barrier Sutekh has ordered to be generated to secure the perimeter. Once Scarman has finished placing the generators, he finds Warlock and questions him about the other people within the barrier. Clements hears Warlock's death scream and tracks Scarman to the house.

While in hiding, the Doctor realises that he will be able to stop Sutekh controlling his Servant and the mummies by using Namin's ring and Laurence's scientific apparatus. Scarman is prevented from finding them by the sudden appearance of Clements. Clements fires his shotgun at Scarman's back and is amazed to see the explosion reverse and all damage healed. Clements panics and retreats, pursued by the robots.

The Doctor locates Namin's corpse and retrieves the ring. He, Sarah, and Laurence proceed into the TARDIS to avoid detection. Laurence is amazed by the dimensionally transcendental nature of the TARDIS. Sarah suggests they should just leave in the TARDIS, because they know that the world did not end in 1911. The Doctor demonstrates otherwise by moving the TARDIS forward in time to [[1980]]. There, the TARDIS doors open to reveal a blasted wilderness, with [[thunder]], [[rain]] and [[lightning]] hammering down on to ash fields. Sarah understands that they have no choice but to return to 1911 and stop Sutekh, or the future will be lost.

The TARDIS returns to 1911, and the three retreat to the hunting lodge in order to jury-rig a jamming unit to prevent Sutekh controlling his servants. Laurence finds it too hard to deal with the Doctor's assertion that his brother is dead and that the being with his appearance is just a puppet. Laurence overhears the Doctor telling Sarah that, when the jamming device is activated, all of Sutekh's servants will stop, Marcus Scarman included.

At the crucial moment when the device is activated, Laurence attempts to stop it from happening. The robots overrun the hunting lodge after finding and killing Clements. They knock Laurence out and throw the Doctor to the floor. One reaches out to kill Sarah...

=== Part three ===
One of the robots attacks the jamming device and is disabled by a sudden discharge of power. Sarah is threatened by a robot, but the Doctor tells Sarah to grab the ring that they took from Namin and order the robots to return to Control. Sarah does so, and the robots obey.

Surveying the ruined equipment, the Doctor decides that the only thing that he can do is to blow up the partially-assembled rocket in the stable courtyard of the priory. Laurence suggests using blasting [[gelignite]], a supply of which Clements kept in his hut on the estate. The Doctor and Sarah leave to locate the gelignite, ordering Laurence to strip the bindings from the now deactivated robot left in the hunting lodge.

The Doctor finds the energy barrier and, with Sarah's help, deactivates a generator loop in order to get through; taking an integral piece with him to prevent it from being reactivated. The deactivation is detected by Sutekh, who orders Marcus Scarman to investigate. Marcus finds Laurence in the hunting lodge. Laurence tries to make Marcus remember his childhood in order to revive his humanity but fails, and Marcus tortures Laurence in order to find out more about the Doctor.
[[File:Sarah_rifle.jpg|thumb|Sarah takes aim at the gelignite.]]
The Doctor and Sarah find the gelignite. The Doctor says Sutekh was pursued across the galaxy by his brother [[Horus]] and was finally defeated on [[Earth]] by the combined might of 740 Osirans. The Doctor and Sarah hide the gelignite near the rocket before returning to the lodge. There they find Laurence in a rocking chair, strangled, and a robot stripped of its bindings. The Doctor asks Sarah to disguise him in the bindings in order for him to place the gelignite on the rocket without being detected. He successfully does so but then Scarman orders him to place a key component inside the missile and he doesn't immediately respond, making Scarman suspicious.

After Scarman leaves, Sarah shoots the gelignite with Clements' hunting [[rifle]] in order to detonate it. However, they see the explosion pause, then retreat back upon itself. The Doctor realises that Sutekh is holding back the detonation using mental power alone and that the only way to destroy the missile is to travel to Sutekh's prison using the space-time tunnel and distract him.

The Doctor enters Sutekh's chamber and calls out his name, disrupting Sutekh's concentration. On Earth, the explosion consumes the rocket. Angered, Sutekh paralyses the Doctor with a blast of mental force.

=== Part four ===
Sutekh decides not to kill the Doctor and instead interrogates him; discovering that he is a [[Time Lord]] from [[Gallifrey]]. He then locates the TARDIS and decides to use it to transport Scarman to the pyramid of [[Mars]] in order to deactivate the [[Eye of Horus]], the force that is trapping him. The Doctor avoids being killed by claiming that the TARDIS controls are [[Isomorphic controls|isomorphic]], meaning they respond to him alone. Sutekh subjects the Doctor to mind control and returns him to the priory as another of his servants. He then orders Scarman to bring a robot and Sarah into the TARDIS to travel to Mars.

On Mars, Sutekh orders Scarman to dispose of the Doctor, and the robot strangles him. Scarman and the robot then find the way out of the first chamber beneath the pyramid and leave Sarah weeping over the Doctor. The Doctor then wakes up, revealing that his [[respiratory bypass system]] allowed him to avoid death, and they then set off in search of Scarman.

The Eye of Horus is located at the end of a corridor beneath the pyramid. The corridor is divided into a series of chambers, and progress through the chambers is dependent upon solving logical and philosophical problems. Sutekh navigates Scarman and the robot through each problem with no deliberation, but the Doctor and Sarah are slower. At the last puzzle, a transparent cylinder materialises around Sarah. The voice of Horus tells the Doctor that the chamber has two switches ("one means instant freedom, the other instant death") and that he is allowed to ask one question of one Guardian of Horus. The Guardians materialise at the same moment as the Crucible and are mummy robots swathed in gold bindings. One robot always tells the truth and the other always lies, but which is which?

Since the Guardians are contra-programmed so that one will always give a false answer, the Doctor asks one Guardian, if he were to ask the other Guardian the question, which switch would he indicate? The Doctor reasons that if the Guardian he asks tells the truth then it must indicate the death switch; if it is the liar, then it would still indicate the death switch. The Doctor presses the other switch and the chamber and Guardians disappear, freeing Sarah.

Scarman and the robot reach the chamber containing the Eye of Horus. Another Guardian of Horus appears and does battle with Sutekh's robot. Sutekh realises that he is moments away from freedom and channels all of his power through Scarman in order to destroy the Eye of Horus. Scarman momentarily transforms into the jackal creature Sarah saw earlier in the TARDIS and destroys the Eye. Having fulfilled his purpose, Scarman is freed from Sutekh's control and revels in his freedom before falling to the floor and decaying to dust in an instant. Arriving too late, the Doctor looks back and sees the bulkhead doors open one by one, revealing the TARDIS at the end of the corridor. He realises that the time factor can still save them.

Back in the priory, the Doctor exits the TARDIS at a run, holding a piece of the TARDIS console. He runs to the main room of the priory and attaches the device to the space-time tunnel. Sutekh appears in the tunnel, travelling towards the exit, but he cannot seem to reach it. He pleads with the Doctor to release him, offering to spare the Earth as a plaything for the Doctor, but the Doctor simply turns the dial and Sutekh recedes screaming. The Doctor declares that Sutekh lived for about 7000 years. He then explains that the time control from the TARDIS shifted the mouth of the space-time tunnel into the far future, which Sutekh could never hope to reach. They had two minutes to return to Earth from Mars and set the trap because this is the amount of time that it takes for radio waves to propagate between the two planets.

As the Doctor and Sarah pack up and prepare to leave, a thermal imbalance in the time tunnel causes it to catch fire. The Doctor remembers that the UNIT headquarters was built on the remains of a burnt priory and the two decide to leave, not wanting to be blamed for starting a fire, re-entering the TARDIS and dematerialising. Outside, the priory is consumed by flames.

== Cast ==
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Marcus Scarman]] – [[Bernard Archard]]
* [[Laurence Scarman]] – [[Michael Sheard]]
* [[Warlock (Pyramids of Mars)|Dr. Warlock]] – [[Peter Copley]]
* [[Ibrahim Namin|Namin]] – [[Peter Mayock]]
* [[Collins (Pyramids of Mars)|Collins]] – [[Michael Bilton]]
* [[Ahmed (Pyramids of Mars)|Ahmed]] - [[Vik Tablian]]
*[[Servitor (Pyramids of Mars)|Mummies]] - [[Nick Burnell (actor)|Nick Burnell]], [[Melvyn Bedford]], [[Kevin Selway]]
* [[Ernie Clements]] - [[George Tovey]]
* [[Sutekh]] – [[Gabriel Woolf]]

== Crew ==
* [[Writer]] - [[Stephen Harris]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[George Gallaccio]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Peter Grimwade]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]] & [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]
* [[Title sequence|Title Sequence]] - [[Bernard Lodge]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Special sounds|Special Sound]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Costume designer|Costume Designer]] - [[Barbara Kidd]]
* [[Make-up]] - [[Jean Steward]]
* [[Visual effects designer|Visual Effects Designer]] - [[Ian Scoones]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Ron Koplick]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Brian Hiles]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[John McGlashan]]
* [[Film sound|Film Sound]] - [[Andrew Boulton]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[M A C Adams|M.A.C. Adams]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Christine Ruscoe]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]
* [[Director]] - [[Paddy Russell]]

=== Uncredited crew ===
* Assistant [[Film sound|Film Sound]] Recordist - [[John Hills-Harrop]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Grip]] - [[Sid Marker]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* Film Ops Manager - [[Ian Brindle]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] (Location) - [[Val Hodgkinson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* Assistant Film Cameraman - [[Kevin Rowley]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* Booking Assistant - [[Phyllis Page]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Contract assistant|Contract Assistant]] - [[Nansi Davies]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* Sound Recordist - [[Ron Brown]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Camera assistant|Camera Assistant]] - [[Nigel Meakin]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Armourer]] - [[Des Stewart]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Make-Up Assistant]]s - [[Carolyn Greaves]], [[M. Wade]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Harry Bradley]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Inlay operator|Inlay Operator]] - [[Dave Jervis]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[Janet Radenkovic]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[James Gould]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Design assistant|Design Assistant]] - [[Judith Long]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* Director's Assistant (Studio) - [[Caroline Rogers]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Senior cameraman|Senior Cameraman]] - [[Colin Reid]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Costume assistant|Costume Assistant]] - [[Ray Ingram]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Paul Braithwaite]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistant]] - [[James Burge]] ([[INFO]]: ''Pyramids of Mars'')

== References ==
=== Individuals ===
* The Doctor mentions [[Marie Antoinette]].

* The Doctor notes that the dress Sarah is wearing belonged to a former companion, [[Victoria Waterfield|Victoria]].
*The Doctor notes that he has lived for around 750 years, which Sarah compares to being "middle-aged".

=== Planets ===
* [[Gallifrey]] is located at 10-0-11-0-0 by 0-2 from galactic zero centre.

=== Species ===
* The Doctor says that [[Osiran]]s have dome shaped heads and cerebrums "like [[spiral staircase]]s".

=== TARDIS ===
* The TARDIS is compared by Laurence Scarman to something made by [[H. G. Wells]].

=== Technology ===
* The Doctor carefully uses [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] to deactivate the generator loop.
* The Doctor uses the stitching in [[The Doctor's scarf|his scarf]] as a measuring device.

== Story notes ==
* The story was originally written by [[Lewis Greifer]] but was considered unworkable (Philip Hinchcliffe remarked in the DVD Commentary that Greifer had even written a scene which took place in the British Museum). As Greifer was unavailable to do rewrites, the scripts were completely rewritten by [[Robert Holmes]]. The pseudonym used on transmission was [[Stephen Harris]].
* [[Christopher Benjamin]], Maurice Kaufmann, [[Leonard Sachs]] and [[Peter Welch]] were considered for the role of [[Marcus Scarman]]; Maurice Kaufmann and [[Reg Pritchard]] were considered for [[Laurence Scarman]]; John Wentworth and Martin Dempsey were considered for [[Warlock (Pyramids of Mars)|Dr Warlock]]; [[Arthur Hewlett]] and Jeffrey Segal were considered for [[Collins (Pyramids of Mars)|Collins]]; [[Chubby Oates]], [[Mostyn Evans]] and [[Freddie Earlle]] were considered for [[Ernie Clements]]; Gabor Vernon and [[Malcolm Rennie]] were considered for [[Sutekh]]; and [[Renu Setna]] and Mike Lewin were considered for [[Ibrahim Namin]]. ([[TCH 24]])
* Elisabeth Sladen is credited as "Sarah" in ''Radio Times'' for parts one, three and four.
* 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. Many fans use the "Osirian" spelling, as do some reference works such as ''[[The Discontinuity Guide]]'' and a number of stories, including the entire ''[[The True History of Faction Paradox]]'' series.
* This story marks the first time Tom Baker does not wear his Doctor's initial attire as debuted in ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''', wearing a long brown coat instead of his initial red coat. His Doctor would wear another new costume variant debuting in the following story, the first of several costume versions throughout the rest of the Fourth Doctor's era.
* ''Pyramids of Mars'' has the unfortunate distinction of contributing to one of the biggest and most widely discussed contradictions in the ''Doctor Who'' universe: the "[[UNIT dating controversy]]". For full details, please see that page.
* The new TARDIS console which debuted in the preceding story, ''[[Planet of Evil (TV story)|Planet of Evil]]'', does not appear again until ''[[The Invisible Enemy (TV story)|The Invisible Enemy]]''. Due to the cost of setting up the TARDIS console room for the filming of only a handful of scenes, a new and far less expensive set and console were designed for the following season.
* All the stories from this season were tributes to classic horror and science fiction films. This one was an obvious tribute to, and was influenced by, the original "Mummy" films produced by Universal Studios during the 1930s and 1940s and their Hammer Productions remakes. These in turn were partly inspired by the legends about the supposed "King Tut's Curse".
* This is the first of two stories of the classic series in which every character except the Doctor and his companion are killed. The other is ''[[Horror of Fang Rock (TV story)|Horror of Fang Rock]]'' (also directed by Paddy Russell). The only character who does not die on-screen in this story is [[Ahmed (Pyramids of Mars)|Ahmed]], who is only present for the opening scene in [[Egypt]] and never meets the Doctor. According to [[Terrance Dicks]]' [[Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars (novelisation)|novelisation of the story]], he and the other Egyptian labourers are killed by Namin's men on fleeing the tomb. This was not derived from any information given in the televised version. (Conversely, many later media revealed that Sutekh survived his final scene in this story, despite it being clear that he is meant to have died.)
* This is the only serial in the classic series to depict [[Mars]]. To date, the only other televised stories to feature the planet are ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'', ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'', ''[[The Vault of Secrets (TV story)|The Vault of Secrets]]'', and ''[[Empress of Mars (TV story)|Empress of Mars]]''.
* The story was chosen by [[BBC America]] to represent the [[Tom Baker]] era during their 50th anniversary programming. Edited into an [[omnibus]] format, it was aired by BBCA on [[28 April (releases)|28 April]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]], after the debut of their homegrown special called ''[[The Doctors Revisited - The Fourth Doctor]]''. It also aired in the [[United Kingdom]] later in the year on [[20 October (releases)|20 October]], along with the ''Revisited'' special, on the [[Watch (TV channel)|Watch]] channel.
* This story was chosen by fans to represent the Tom Baker era by fans to be rebroadcast for ''[[Doctor Who @40]]''.
* Sarah is the only female character in this story. The first occasion in which a situation like this occurred was in the [[First Doctor]] serial ''[[The Smugglers (TV story)|The Smugglers]]'' in which [[Polly Wright|Polly]] was the only female character. Sarah was previously the only female character in ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'', [[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'' and [[Planet of Evil (TV story)|Planet of Evil]]''. Aside from ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'', in which the only female is a computer voice, this would next occur three years later in ''[[The Power of Kroll (TV story)|The Power of Kroll]]'' where [[Romana I|Romana]] is the sole female.
* Several scenes were deleted from the final broadcast. A model shot of the TARDIS landing in the landscape on 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. Three scenes of effects such as doors opening and the Doctor materializing from the sarcophagus were removed from the final edit of Part Four because Russell felt the mixes were not good enough. These scenes were included on the DVD, along with an alternate version of the poacher being hunted down in Part Two, and a full version of the Osirian rocket explosion.
* That really is [[Tom Baker]] in the mummy costume. [[Paddy Russell]] insisted, much to the star's dismay.
* [[Tom Baker]] was somewhat standoffish to [[Gabriel Woolf]], who consequently rather enjoyed watching back the scenes where Sutekh tortures the Doctor.{{fact}}
* The Doctor and Sarah calmly turning in unison to walk out of sight of a mummy as it turns to face them was a gag [[Tom Baker]] and [[Elisabeth Sladen]] thought up themselves and did without clearing it with the director. It was inspired by a [[the Marx Brothers|Marx Brothers ]]bit.
* Ernie Clements was intended to survive the story, but [[Paddy Russell]] elected to kill him off instead.
* [[Lewis Greifer]]'s original script saw the Doctor and his companion (generically referred to as “Jane”) attend a conference on food reserves at the British Museum, along with [[the Brigadier]] (who it was suggested might be killed off during the adventure). The Doctor's friend Professor Fawzi and his partner, Dr Robertson, are there to unveil their work on a new type of grain which can flourish on the surface of the Moon, thereby solving the world's hunger problems. However, the conference is soon attacked by the crocodile-like Egyptian god Sebek and his army of mummies. Sebek and his master, Seth, are aliens who came to Earth millennia ago intent on conquest, but were placed in suspended animation via a powerful artefact called the Eye wielded by [[Horus]], another of their kind. Having reawakened, they now intend to replace Fawzi and Robertson's grain with one which will result in the Moon's disintegration — which, in turn, will have catastrophic effects on Earth. The Doctor manages to locate Seth's resting place beneath an Egyptian pyramid, and is assisted by Horus and another deity, [[Isis]], in defeating Seth and destroying the probe in mid-flight.
* [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] suggested the inclusion of the logic puzzle in the concluding installment, drawing on [[Franz Kafka]]'s 1926 novel ''[[The Castle]]''.
* [[Paddy Russell]] said that her job was to "fill in the gaps". There was scant characterization in the scripts, so she hired good actors to flesh them out. [[Gabriel Woolf]] thought he was the third scariest thing in the production.
*[[Michael Sheard]] said that he hadn't known how to perform the scene whenthe Doctor shows Laurence the TARDIS, but then decided that his job was to "live the dream of the children in the audience".
*[[Michael Sheard]] recalled on the DVD commentary that [[Bernard Archard]] asked for a second take of the scene where Laurence tries to break Marcus from Sutekh's curse. There's the faintest glimmer that he might break through Sutekh's possession, and Archard didn't think he "got it" on the first take.

=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 10.5 million viewers
* Part two - 11.3 million viewers
* Part three - 9.4 million viewers
* Part four - 11.7 million viewers

=== Filming locations ===
* Stargroves Estate, [[Hampshire]]

=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* When Sutekh stands for the first time, the hand of a stagehand can be seen on the seat of the throne.
* Marcus's tie design changes all the time, with the stripes going from left to right and vice versa.
* The Doctor's tie changes from orange to brown, depending on the studio recording block and/or whether the scene is on location.
* Just before Marcus Scarman is shot by the poacher, as he approaches the priest hole, the square outline of the metal plate (to protect the actor from the explosive squib) can be seen underneath his jacket.
* As the Doctor taps on Sarah Jane's head while she is weeping over him, the following shot reveals the edge of a camera quickly pulling back out of view from the upper left hand corner, as a startled Sarah Jane looks in the other direction.
* When attacking Sarah Jane in the lodge, a mummy smashes the [[Marconiscope]] to pieces and an explosion ensues, yet the telescope is all in one piece in the very next shot.
* Despite being supposedly dead, Laurence Scarman manages to roll himself back over as he falls from the chair (in the opposite direction to which gravity should pull him).
* In part four, at 12.22, there is a man standing in the darkness behind the door.
* When the TARDIS key is sitting in Scarman's hand, directly after being lowered into it, the strings used to suspend the key in the air can be seen.
* Right before the end of part four, as the Doctor and Sarah enter the TARDIS, the actors can be seen through the windows of the TARDIS prop as shadows.

== Continuity ==
* The puzzles in the [[Pyramid of Mars]] remind Sarah of the [[Great City of the Exxilons|City of the Exxilons]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]'')
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[Scarab of Death (short story)|Scarab of Death]]'' is set immediately after this story and has the Doctor and Sarah visiting the ruins of Phaester Osiris in the future.
* [[Faction Paradox]] members during the [[War in Heaven]] would later find themselves interacting with the Osirians' distant past, witnessing Sutekh's betrayal of the rest of the Osirian Court, his fight with [[Horus]] (revealed to actually be a reincarnation of [[Osiris]] in the body of [[Christine Summerfield]]), and his eventual imprisonment on Mars. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Ship of a Billion Years (audio story)|The Ship of a Billion Years]]'', ''[[Ozymandias (audio story)|Ozymandias]],'' ''[[The Judgment of Sutekh (audio story)|The Judgment of Sutekh]]'')
* [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Sands of Time (novel)|The Sands of Time]]'' is a prequel and sequel to this story.
* A powerful alien again influenced the technical development and mythologies of humans. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dæmons (TV story)|The Dæmons]]'', ''[[Image of the Fendahl (TV story)|Image of the Fendahl]]'', ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'')
* The Doctor alludes to having been wrongly accused of having started the [[Great Fire of London]] on [[2 September]] [[1666]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Republican's Story (short story)|The Republican's Story]]'') Ironically, it was actually started when a [[Terileptil]] weapon overloaded in a bakery on [[Pudding Lane]], the [[Fifth Doctor]] playing a major role in causing the conflagration. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'') His involvement in the fire remained a source of embarrassment for the Doctor in his [[Sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Point of Entry (audio story)|Point of Entry]]'', ''[[The Marian Conspiracy (audio story)|The Marian Conspiracy]]'', ''[[Doctor Who and the Pirates (audio story)|Doctor Who and the Pirates]]'') During the Doctor's [[First Doctor|first incarnation]], the TARDIS materialised in London, shortly after the Great Fire began. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space (novel)|Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space]]'')
* Sarah refers to the Mummies during her comparison with [[Rose Tyler]] about her travels with the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')
* When the Doctor opens a hidden door using hand gestures, Sarah says, "[[Tribophysics]]!" The Doctor would later add a [[Tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator]] to the TARDIS. ([[TV]]: ''[[Boom Town (TV story)|Boom Town]]'')
* The dress worn by both Victoria and Sarah would still be in the TARDIS wardrobe during the Doctor's fifth incarnation. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[No Place Like Home (audio story)|No Place Like Home]]'')
* The Doctor remarks that he is "something like" 750 years old. He will continue to refer to his age as such for a while. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Android Invasion (TV story)|The Android Invasion]]'', ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]] ''etc.) 

== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
Released as ''Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars'', the DVD had topped a [[DWM]] poll in 2003 as the most wanted DVD release at that point in time.

Released:
* Region 2 - [[1 March (releases)|1 March]] [[2004 (releases)|2004]]
::PAL - [[BBC DVD]] BBCDVD1350
* Region 4 - [[10 June (releases)|10 June]] 2004
* Region 1 - [[7 September (releases)|7 September]] 2004
::NTSC - [[Warner Video]] E2023

Contents:
* [[Howard da Silva]] Intros (Region 1 only)
* [[Osiran Gothic]] Documentary - A nostalgic look back at the making of the story.
* [[Serial Thrillers]] Documentary - A look back as the [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] era and what made it one of the most successful and popular periods in ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s history.
* Deleted Scenes
* [[Now and Then]] - The locations of the story revisited.
* [[Oh Mummy! (home video)|Oh Mummy!]] - A tongue-in-cheek look at Sutekh the Destroyer's varied career after ''Pyramids of Mars''.
* Photo Gallery
* Production Subtitles
* Easter Egg - Original BBC continuity announcements. To access this hidden feature, press left at ''Osiran Gothic'' on the Special Features menu.
* Commentary: [[Elisabeth Sladen]], [[Michael Sheard]], [[Philip Hinchcliffe]], and [[Paddy Russell]]

Notes:
* Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
* Some Region 4 pressings of this release have a problem with the blurb on the back. The last sentence should read "and no power in the universe can stand in his way." However, it reads "and no power in the universe can."

<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="130">
File:Pyramidsdvd.jpg|Region 2 UK cover
File:Pyramids Of Mars Region 4.jpg|Region 4 Australian cover
File:Pyramidsna.jpg|Region 1 US cover
File:Pyramids of Mars DVD Netherlands cover.jpg|Region 2 Netherlands cover
</gallery>

==== ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' release ====
''Pyramids of Mars'' was also included as a special feature on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' [[Series 4 (SJA)|Series 4]] as a tribute to the late [[Elisabeth Sladen]].

Releases:
* Region 2 - [[31 October (releases)|31 October]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]]

=== VHS releases ===
This story was released as ''Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars''.

* First Release:

:*[[UK]] [[October (releases)|October]] [[1985 (releases)|1985]]
::PAL - [[BBC Video]] BBCV4055
:Notes: The video was edited into compilation form.

* Second Release:
:* [[UK]] April 1994
:* PAL - [[BBC Video]] BBCV5242
:Notes: The video was released in unedited episodic format. [[1994 (releases)|1994]]

<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="200">
File:DSC01777.JPG|1985 Release (BBCV2014)
File:4g-video.jpg|1985 UK VHS cover
File:4g-video3.jpg|1994 UK VHS cover ("complete and unedited")
File:Pyramids of Mars VHS Japanese cover.jpg|1985 Japanese VHS cover
File:Pyramids of Mars VHS Norway.jpg|1985 Norwegian VHS cover
File:Pyramids of Mars VHS Finland cover.jpg|1986 Finnish VHS cover
File:Pyramids of Mars VHS Sweden.jpg|1986 Swedish VHS cover
Bbcvideo-812-usoriginal.jpg|1988 US release
Bbcvideo-812-usrepackaged.jpg|1998 US VHS release
Pyramids of Marsvhs.jpg|1985 AUS VHS release
</gallery>

=== Audio releases ===
Excerpts from [[Dudley Simpson]]'s score, arranged by [[Heathcliff Blair]], were released by Silva Screen in the early 1990s on their compilation CD ''Pyramids of Mars: Classic Music from the Tom Baker Era'' (FILMCD 134)

<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
Music-1179.jpg|CD release
</gallery>

== External links ==
* {{bbcepguideclassic|pyramidsmars/|Pyramids of Mars}}
* {{radiotimes|2010-07-13/pyramids-of-mars|Pyramids of Mars}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_4g.htm|Pyramids of Mars}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/4g.html|Pyramids of Mars}}
* {{locguide|pyramidsofmars|Pyramids of Mars}}
* [http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?500 The Tardis Library: Book release information for '''Pyramids of Mars''']
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}

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