Following the announcement of the upcoming episode Tales of the TARDIS: Pyramids of Mars, the BBC have shared with us at IndieMacUser a new Q&A featuring Gabriel Woolf – who has returned as the voice of Sutekh after his last appearance in the role nearly 50 years ago.
Q: How does it feel reviving Sutekh after nearly 50 years?
A: It felt sort of inevitable in a way. I’d never lost Sutekh because of the fans. They’ve kept him alive,
organised conventions all over the place, so it feels kind of natural.
Q: 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?
A: 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.
Q: What was your reaction when you were asked to come back to the Whoniverse?
A: 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.
Q: Did you ever think you would return to the Whoniverse?
A: No. it’s been 48 years since we did it so I thought it was pretty unlikely. It was a big surprise but a
good one!
Q: Do you think anything is different about this version of Sutekh to the one we met in 1975?
A: Well, visually certainly, and I thought there has been 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.
Q: You’ve played another role in Doctor Who, can you explain this more?
A: 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!
Q: What is the process when recording voiceovers? Do you imagine the finished result when
recording?
A: You are always working in a vacuum with the character in your head and using your voice. It was
only when I had a special viewing a couple of weeks ago that I could see what my voice was
matching to – it was a big relief for me to see how well it worked together.
Q: How do you hope fans will react when they see the big reveal of Sutekh’s return?
A: I would hope they’d be very excited and pleased, and that they’ll give themselves a pat on the
back as it’s all down to them that this has happened.
Q: Do you have a favourite Doctor Who villain, other than the ones you’ve played?
A: I enjoy the Daleks more than anything else, but then The Master is good… they’re all classic ones!
Q: If you could travel anywhere in time and space, where or when would you go to?
A: I don’t think I’d want to go to the origins of the universe and see how it began or anything like
that, I’m not a scientist (laughs). I love the Victorian age for literature, most of my life has been
spent in Victorian literature and poetry – but I’m mostly remembered for Doctor Who which is
funny, it was two weekends in 1975!
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