The Doctor reflects on his first encounter with Sutekh in a new Tales of the TARDIS episode ahead of Doctor Who season 14’s finale. In “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” it was revealed that many mysteries laid throughout Doctor Who season 14 were part of a trap laid by the Tom Baker-era villain, Sutekh, to lure the Doctor into the right position. Sutekh first appeared in the four-part 1975 story “Pyramids of Mars,” where he encountered the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen) after being awoken from his slumber.
With Doctor Who season 14’s penultimate episode ending on a harrowing cliffhanger reveal, the BBC has revealed that the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday will look back on Sutekh’s first appearance in a new Tales of the TARDIS episode. Alongside newly filmed scenes of the Doctor and Ruby in the Memory TARDIS, the special will feature a recut feature-length omnibus edit of the “Pyramids of Mars” storyline, with enhanced effects. The new episode of Tales of the TARDIS will air on BBC Four at 8PM on June 20, alongside a BBC iPlayer release.
When Does The New Tales Of The TARDIS Episode Take Place?
Doctor Who Left The Doctor And Ruby In A Precarious Place
With “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” ending with the Doctor and Ruby divided and trapped by Sutekh’s legions, it is unclear just where their Memory TARDIS scenes may take place. While past Tales of the TARDIS episodes have seen the Memory TARDIS transport various Doctors and companions from across time and space, each character has been taken from the latest point in their lives, or alternate timelines in the case of the Doctors. With the new episode airing ahead of Doctor Who season 14’s finale, it is likely it isn’t set after the episode.
Furthermore, promotional materials for Doctor Who season 14 have seen the Doctor, Ruby, and Mel (Bonnie Langford) standing in a lone TARDIS in space, with later footage revealing the Memory TARDIS console room within the vessel’s background. While the circumstances are unknown, perhaps the cobbled-together vessel summoned the Doctor and his companions to itself to save them from Sutekh’s wrath. As such, the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby segments in the latest Tales of the TARDIS episode may act as a bridge between season 14’s final episodes.
Despite the One Who Waits being revealed as a classic foe, Sutekh’s Doctor Who return was perfectly executed so that newcomers and those unfamiliar with the classic era could understand the deadliness of the threat without having seen “Pyramids of Mars” beforehand. Nevertheless, the latest episode of Tales of the TARDIS is a perfect opportunity to introduce the classic series by highlighting the villain’s origin. Furthermore, the newly remastered effects are sure to leave those familiar with the Fourth Doctor tale eager to see how it may have been restored.
Doctor Who releases new episodes every Friday simultaneously on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.