The Fifteenth Doctor & Ruby Sunday’s Farewell In Doctor Who Season 14 Ending Explained By Showrunner
Summary
Gabriel Woolf opens up about how he reacted to returning to voice his classicDoctor Whoantagonist Sutekh the Destroyer 48 years after the character debuted. The Osiran antagonist was the main villain of Tom Baker’s 1975 story “Pyramids of Mars”, which saw the alien attempt to break free of his imprisonment to wreak deadly vengeance on those who sealed him away. After a season-long plot,Doctor Whoseason 14’s penultimate episode revealed Sutekh had returned to bring death to the Doctor and claim the TARDIS.
Ahead ofDoctor Whoseason 14’s high-stakes finale, Woolf opens up to theBBCabout his reprisal of Sutekh. While viewers had been eager to see Sutekh return and had let Woolf know across various convention appearances,the actor admitted that the character’s new story surprised him. Check out Woolf’s response below:
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…. 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!
What Is Sutekh’s Doctor WhoLegacy?
Sutekh Originally Only Appeared In A Four-Part Story
Despite it being a standalone arc with a villain who would not return to screens until 2024,“Pyramids of Mars” is a highly celebrated storywith a notable place inDoctor Whohistory. Bringing gothic horror to the Whoniverse and interweaving it with the series' sci-fi elements, the four-part serial received critical acclaim and reappraisal since its release, as critics celebrated its faithfulness to Hammer inspirations and stellar character work. “Pyramids of Mars” also held the status of thehighest-viewedDoctor Whostorywith its 1976 omnibus broadcast until “City of Death’s” unique airing circumstances allowed it to surpass it.
Doctor Who’s The One Who Waits Identity Explained: How They Return & Fourth Doctor Connection
The One Who Waits finally shows his face in Doctor Who season 14, episode 7, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” and he has a history with the Doctor.
However, none of this may have been possible without the development placed upon Sutekh himself. Alongside Woolf’s performance, Sutekh is quickly characterized as a threat far beyond the Time Lord’s typical capabilities, bypassing the TARDIS' defenses to leave terrifying apparitions, bringing the Doctor to his knees with telepathy, and affecting history to the point that entire timelines would be altered. With such incredible abilities and terrifying displays, Sutekh has had a unique grip on classicDoctor Whofans, and establishing him asa powerful god other powerful villains fearhas helped quickly establish him as something terrifying to newcomers.
While Woolf had made other appearances inDoctor Whoby reprising his role in audio dramas and providing the voice of series 2 The Beast, his television return as Sutekh has been highly desired by viewers. Though he was a one-time villain, Sutekh left a great impact, and his Egyptian mythology inspirations made him an ideal foe for Russell T Davies' fantasy-focused era. While the Osiran’s return may have taken Woolfe by surprise, it is clear that he is glad to have faced Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor for a surprising twist return.
Doctor Whoreleases new episodes every Friday simultaneously on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on August 22, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
