Dr Who: Spearhead From Space & The Pyramids of Mars

As Watch TV are continuing with their classic Who stories, here's a brief update on what was broadcast this weekend. On Saturday we had a four episode series from January 1970, Spearhead From Space, starring Jon Pertwee as the third Doctor and Caroline John as Liz Shaw. For the sake of 'completeness', I'm including this story here, although I haven't actually worked with any of the cast members in subsequent Big Finish adventures, which was the original impetus behind my posts about last weekend's broadcasts.Of course all of these stories and their various plot lines are recorded in much more detail on other dedicated web sites should you wish to know more and I'm sure they're available to buy on DVD.

Here's some fabulous artwork inspired by Spearhead From Space:

Today's other four-part story, The Pyramids of Mars, from 1975, stars the unique Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith . For many fans of the series, Tom is the definitive Doctor and indeed, he inhabited the role for longer than anyone else.
 
















I've had the great good fortune to work with Tom on a number of Fourth Doctor stories with Big Finish and I can only vaguely attempt to convey the joy of sharing a recording studio with him. He is, you won't be surprised to hear, a fascinating character; funny, inventive, generous and always happy to entertain the rest of us in the green room. I count it a great privilege to have spent time with him and to have witnessed at first hand the great Tom Baker playing Doctor Who at  full power!

The Doctor's chief adversary in this story is a character called Sutekh, an Osirian played by Gabriel Woolf. I'm aware that Gabriel has acted in a number of Big Finish stories, although I've never worked with him at BF. However, my first ever job in a professional theatre (1978 Birmingham Rep & Malvern Festival Theatre) was as a very lowly 'Acting ASM' in a production of Hindemith's 'The Soldier's Tale'. Gabriel Woolf was the star performer and I used to help him apply his quite extensive make-up for the role - small world!


So, all for now but for 'obvious' reasons, I'm already looking forward to next weekend's adventures with Doctors 5 & 6...