Everyone knows that the pyramids were built by aliens. At least, if you're writing a science fiction show they were. Like many of the stories from this season, Pyramids of Mars was a tribute to a classic horror film, in this case the original "Mummy" films produced by Universal Studios during the 1930s and 1940s. The serial saw the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith fighting mummies (actually robots in disguise) while trying to prevent an ancient alien called Sutekh from destroying the world. The story established Sutekhs species, the Osirans, as the founders of Egyptian culture and the architects of the first pyramid. When Professor Scarman breaks into the tomb at the start of the serial, he says it's First Dynasty (roughly 3100 BC to 2900 BC). However, the tomb contained a variety of tressures including the throne of King Tutankamun, which dates from the Eighteenth Dynasty, over 1,500 years later (approx 1300 BC). If this wasnt bad enough, the Egyptians didnt even start building Pyramids until the Third Dynasty. This is something Scarman really should have known considering that he was a professor of Archaeology at Oxford University.
With a (nearly) useless degree in English literature and a personal trainer qualification he's never used, Freddie spends his times writing things that he hopes will somehow pay the rent. He's also a former professional singer, and plays the saxophone and ukulele. He's not really used to talking about himself in the third person, and would like to stop now, thanks.
