CAST
6th Doctor (original wave 1 release), Evelyn Smythe (custom), Lucius (Roman soldier from Fires of Pompeii set), Eximus (same but with Primeval Lester's face), Mummies (both single release and from 4th Doctor adventures set)
Evelyn Smythe, if you don't know, was a companion created by Big Finish audios and played by Maggie Stables. My custom uses a Grandma Connolly figure. Her outfit is from the BBC audio Reel Time.
The character names of Lucius Crecius and Eximus were made up during the storylining as placemarkers, my intention being to come up with proper names later. When it came to editing, I still didn't have the names. Eximus is never referred to by name, and I made it appear that "Lucius" comes up with his name on the spot, hence the Doctor questions it in the final frame. Who knows what these future pirates are really called!?
INSPIRATION
It was the toys. Wave 2 of the Character's classic Doctor Who range was released in 2010. I went to Argos hoping for a Deadly Assassin Master and Earthshock Cyberman, having decided I had no need for the Pyramids Mummy. Score on the Master, no Cybie but they did have the Mummy, so I bought it. With that and the one from the 4th Doctor Adventure set I started to get inspired.
Deciding to use the Roman figure from the Fires of Pompeii set gave me my setting. The danger of the traps gave me my story. The storyline was written between 14-16th Feb with the script being completed on the 16th.
SHOOTING
The bulk of the story was shot on 24-27th Feb 2010 with the control room scene much later on 7th August along with some exterior shots that had been missed, including the sarcophagus escape pod.
There are some shots that I'm not entirely happy with. Some of the early ones are very dark and though I tried to lighten them in photoshop, it didn't quite work.
Since the story didn't have a slot in my AFT schedule, it wasn't posted until over a year later during which time CO released a Terror of the Vervoids 6th Doctor which, continuity-wise would have been a better fit. (I didn't like the Reel Time outfit so never bought that figure.)
Also in the intervening months, CO released their first Peri figure. Had I known, I would have switched Evelyn out for her.
EDITING
Since it had no definite publication date, editing was slow, bit by bit over several months with each episode only finished just before being posted online.
As with most AFT stories, the dialogue was tweaked during the editing process, especially the bits in the control room and some of the exchanges between Evelyn and Lucius when I realised that she wouldn't know the mummies were robots.
Ahead of publication, the story's original title was THE ANCIENT SANDS but I considered plenty of others: THE OSIRAN DEFENCE, THE DEADLY PYRAMID, THE SANDS OF DEATH and THE EGYPTIAN SCAM.CONTINUITY
The appearance of Evelyn places this after THE TRIAL OF A TIME LORD after Peri has gone but before the Doctor has met Mel.
TRANSMISSION
The two episodes were posted on 23rd July and 26th August 2011, mainly to keep a classic presence during a run of 11th Doctor stories. It was also to accompany the release of my first Big Finish Doctor Who episode, which also featured the 6th Doctor.
The story was republished on 18th and 25th Feb 2023