Doctor Who star credits fans for "inevitable" Sutekh revival: "They've kept him alive"
Gabriel Woolf said he was "over the moon" to be asked to return.
The Legend of Ruby Sunday answered some age-old questions fans have had since season 14 of Doctor Who kicked off, and while the Doctor has already fought off many villains, the One Who Waits has returned for an ultimate battle.
Following the reveal, it was confirmed that the upcoming episode of Tales of the TARDIS will feature Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday in a remastered Pyramids of Mars.
The original four-parter saw Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane Smith having to battle the Sutekh.
In a new Q&A, Gabriel Woolf said it felt "inevitable" to be reviving Sutekh after 50 years. "I'd never lost Sutekh because of the fans," he said.
Read more:
More like this
- Doctor Who 7-day ratings for Rogue confirmed after season high
- Doctor Who shares first-look pictures of epic finale – what is Mrs Flood up to?
"They've kept him alive, organised conventions all over the place, so it feels kind of natural."
Reflecting on being asked to return to the iconic villain role, Woolf said: "I was over the moon, delighted and thrilled. It was wonderful.
"The fans have always said, 'Oh, you must come back!' and I always said back, 'It's not up to me!' - and now it's happened. Extraordinary."
Fans will, of course, meet a new and improved Sutekh as he takes on the Doctor and Ruby, and Woolf has teased "some development of the character".
"But we do have the same classic lines here and there, so he is recognisable, and he is destroying the same universe," he teased.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Tales of the TARDIS: Pyramids of Mars airs on Thursday 20th June at 8pm on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer.
Doctor Who continues on Saturday 22nd June on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
