The Doctor and Ruby Sunday prepare to face off against the villain in the season one finale, Empire of Death.
The latest episode in the series, The Legend of Ruby Sunday, has the Doctor and UNIT investigating Ruby’s past. But as the Time Window revealed horrifying secrets from Christmas Eve, the mysterious Triad Technology unleashed the greatest evil of all… Sutekh.
Originally airing in 1975, the four-part story Pyramids of Mars saw the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) battle the almighty Sutekh – voiced by Gabriel Woolf.
As the Doctor and Ruby travel to the Pyramids of Mars in a brand-new Tales of the TARDIS and face Sutekh in Doctor Who’s season one finale Empire of Death, fans are eager to know more about this sinister character’s return.
A Chilling Performance Revisited
This moment echoed a classic Doctor Who episode, when Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor also found himself facing off with a god.
Gabriel Woolf originally portrayed Sutekh in 1975’s Pyramids of Mars, delivering a chilling performance that has been etched into fans’ memories for nearly five decades. 
Interview with Gabriel Woolf (Sutekh)
How does it feel reviving Sutekh after nearly 50 years?
Gabriel Woolf: It felt sort of inevitable in a way. I’d never lost Sutekh because of the fans. They’ve kept him alive, organized conventions all over the place, so it feels kind of natural.
How does it feel knowing a whole new audience will discover the classic story of Pyramids of Mars when it is revisited in Tales of the TARDIS this week?
Gabriel Woolf: It’s excellent; they will have the complete backstory of Sutekh so they will know how it all began. Tom [Baker] and I play off each other and it was dramatic, it was a bit like a play. I hope it gives a tremendous added dimension to the excitement for the finale – the fact it’s spread out over cinemas and across the world is wonderful.
The Journey Through Time
You’ve played another role in Doctor Who, can you explain this more?
Gabriel Woolf: Yes, the Beast. That was in The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit with David Tennant – I never met him or many of the people; I do things in a little box on my own!
The Finale Awaits
- “The Devil’s Chord” marks a new era for Doctor Who with powerful gods threatening humanity’s future through the manipulation of music.
The episode draws parallels to past Doctor Who stories, hinting at the return of Sutekh and highlighting the flexible nature of time.
Time is altered around the Doctor and Ruby, showcasing how threats from the past can rewrite the future in a new trend for the series.
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