Curse of Anubis (TV story)

Curse of Anubis was the tenth episode of Series 1 of K9. It revealed more events from K9's past.

Synopsis
K9 meets the Anubians, a race he helped in his long-forgotten past. Once placid, these creatures have now become warmongers. They trick K9 by worshipping him as their saviour. They unleash control devices and take over Gryffen, who banishes Darius from the mansion. Starkey opens up the Anubian Book of Deliverance and discovers their true plans. It is left to Darius to release K9 from Anubian control and thwart an alien invasion.

Plot
At Department HQ, a department officer detects a pyramid-like alien ship entering Earth air space. Inspector Drake prepares to lock orbital missiles. June tells him to stop as it hasn't been fully analysed. Drake however doesn't tolerate trespassers. When June asks if they come in peace he replies "Then they leave in pieces". The ship disappears, apparently burning up in the atmosphere.

K9, Starkey and Jorjie spot a shooting star as two CCPCs interrupt their stargazing. Jorjie spots the pyramid spaceship decloaking, K9 goes to have a look and bumps off it. Two aliens arrive and knock out the CCPCs. As the aliens turn their attention to Starkey and Jorjie, K9 comes to their rescue. The aliens hail K9 as their "Great Liberator" and bow.

The aliens arrive at the Mandsion and refer to Gryffen as "Great One". They identify themselves as Nehetka and Geb and tell the team that K9 liberated them in their distant past from the Huducts.

The Anubians show the team their history book and tell them of their oppression for generations and liberation by K9. When Darius insults the old K9, Nehetka is offended. Gryffen suggests that it would be best if Darius left, which he does. As Gryffen admires the Anubian ship, they tell him they must hide from the Department, whom they call K9's enemies. Gryffen disputes this, but Nehetka insists they are enemies.

In the garage, Darius wakes to find Geb decorating Mariah. Darius goes to Gryffen, only to find he is finishing a throne room. Nehetka has suggested this may jog K9's memory banks. Darius activates K9. The Anubians are outraged at Darius' dog whistle and the idea of him giving commands to K9, who taught the Anubians that "freedom's everything". Gryffen accepts their request to banish Darius from the house and never return. Geb makes Jorjie and Starkey give them their dog whistles.

Starkey thinks Gryffen has fallen victim to mind control, but Jorjie doubts that K9, being a robot, would be affected. She wonders about the old K9, but Starkey insists K9 means well. At the mansion, Gryffen presents Starkey and Jorjie to K9, who is preoccupied with restoring his memory banks. K9 informs Starkey he intends to liberate London from the Department. K9 notices something in his memory banks, Tenklept. Nehetka tell him legends say K9 saved Tenklept the Glomb from being eaten by a Yakoclaw.

That night Starkey and Jorjie go to the mansion as the Anubians are sleeping to take the book. They read it in Starkey's room. It has a drawing of K9 leaving the Anubian homeworld with their oppressors now their slaves, wearing the same headband worn by Gryffen. They look through and see a drawing of Anubian holding hands with an alien and on the next page attacking the same species. They see many races attacked by the Anubians. They decide to show K9 this but are met by the Anubians, who puts the headbands on them.

Darius returns to the mansion to find Gryffen, Starkey and Jorjie hypnotised. Darius wakes K9 and tells him there is something wrong. The Anubians have replaced his friends with robots, pod people or clones. K9 scans Gryffen and determines he is human. When Darius leaves, Nehetka says that a slight attitude adjustment and he'd make a fine court jester and tells Geb to see to it that he receives it.

June arrives. She tells Gryffen she is looking for Jorjie and is shocked when she sees Gryffen and Jorjie in Anubian dress. A struggle ensues. Nehetka takes action against the Department and begins the world's liberation. Hypnotic headbands materialise on all Department officers. Drake initiates code red but falls victim to the Anubians as well.

K9 witnesses the Nehetka hypnotise June. He recognises the headbands as the ones used by the Huduct to control the Anubians. Nehetka reveals they made the Huduct their slaves instead of peacefully reconciling. K9 decides to take action but is attacked by Nehetka, who deactivates him. Suddenly the Anubian ship decloaks and Darius contacts Nehetka, revealing he has taken control of their ship with the ankh. Darius threatens to crash the Anubian ship into the mansion. K9 reactivates and knocks out Nehetka with his photon beam.

The Anubians are taken away by CCPCs. Darius teleports back and K9 apologises to the team. Gryffen decides K9 will do the redecorating. When Starkey asks where the Anubian's ship is, Darius tells him he parked it somewhere but cheerfully states "it's invisible" as he walks off with Gryffen and laughs. Starkey and Jorjie chuckle at him.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Drake - Connor Van Vuuren
 * Nehetka (voice) - Todd Levi
 * Nehetka (body) - Micheal Tuahine
 * Geb - Matthew Reimer
 * CCPC - Josh Norbido
 * CCPC - Jason McNamara
 * CCPC - Edgen Bekafigo
 * CCPC - Dane Paltman
 * Department Technician - Stephen Sourkis

Production crew

 * Writer - Jim Noble
 * Director - Karl Zwicky
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producer - Mark Blythe
 * With special thanks - Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Michael Lira
 * Editor - Russell Maggs
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Adaption - Michaeley O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson

Story notes

 * This episode aired on the same day as the Doctor Who episode The Time of Angels.
 * On this episode's broadcast on Disney XD, the beginning of the stargazing scene, where K9 identifies a star to Jorjie as the Quilian system, home to the "Incessant Song Talkers of Mool", is cut off. Instead, the scene starts with Starkey recounting K9 telling them about Montoon's ocean of brains.

Ratings
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Myths
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Filming locations
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Production errors
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Continuity

 * The Anubians bear a resemblance to the Osirians. (DW: Pyramids of Mars)
 * This was the first episode since Regeneration to feature the Mark I design, albeit in drawings only.
 * In the Anubian book, there are drawings of an Anubian holding hands with an alien and on the next page attacking the same race. The unknown, green-skinned species betrayed by the Anubians resembles the Moxx of Balhoon. (DW: The End of the World)
 * There are also drawings of a Mondasian Sea Devil, a Jixen, a Mandrel and an Alpha Centauran in a gallery of races invaded by the Anubians.
 * A drawing of an Aeolian appears as well. This species later appears in K9TV: Aeolian.
 * The Anubian robes worn by K9 resemble Time Lord robes.
 * Two aliens pretending to be friends to the team, teleporting to meet with them and telling the team about their species is reminiscent of the Slitheen-Blathereen in SJA: The Gift.
 * In the Anubian book there is a picture of what looks like the TARDIS. It is possible that K9 travelled to Anubis in the TARDIS with the Doctor, or the Doctor has visited them too.

Home video releases

 * This episode is featured in the Series One complete box set, released in Australia on 29 September 2010.
 * This episode is featured in a "vanilla" DVD called Alien Avatar, along with The Fall of the House of Gryffen, Jaws of Orthrus, Dream-Eaters, Oroborus and Alien Avatar, released in Australia on 1 December 2010.
 * This episode was released along with episodes 1-12 as "K-9: Series 1; Volume 1" on 31 January 2011.