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'''Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker''' (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor. He played the [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation]] of [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]] in the [[science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' from 1974 to 1981.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Shattuck, Kathryn|title=What's on Sunday|date=28 April 2013|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/arts/television/whats-on-sunday.html?_r=0&gwh=F8E52D6768623CB7D93EFF51A9A7FDFD}}</ref> In a 2005 poll, his voice was found to be the fourth most recognisable in Britain.<ref name="BT Bring in the voice of Baker">[http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16637124&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=bt-bring-in-voice-of-baker--name_page.html BT Bring in the voice of Baker]. Dailyrecord.co.uk.</ref>
'''Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker''' (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as the [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation]] of [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]] in the [[science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which he played from 1974 to 1981.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Shattuck, Kathryn|title=What's on Sunday|date=28 April 2013|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/arts/television/whats-on-sunday.html?_r=0&gwh=F8E52D6768623CB7D93EFF51A9A7FDFD}}</ref> In a 2005 poll, his voice was found to be the fourth most recognisable in Britain.<ref name="BT Bring in the voice of Baker">[http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16637124&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=bt-bring-in-voice-of-baker--name_page.html BT Bring in the voice of Baker]. Dailyrecord.co.uk.</ref>


At the age of 15 Baker became a [[novice]] [[monk]] with the [[Brothers of Christian Instruction|De la Mennais Brothers]] in [[Jersey]] and later in [[Shropshire]]. However, he gradually lost his [[vocation]] and when 21 he left monastic life and undertook [[National Service]] in the [[Royal Army Medical Corps]]. On leaving the army, he joined the [[Merchant Navy]] and then became an actor joining the [[Royal National Theatre|Royal National Theatre Company]] under [[Laurence Olivier]].<ref name="NYT"/>
At the age of 15 Baker became a [[novice]] [[monk]] with the [[Brothers of Christian Instruction|De la Mennais Brothers]] in [[Jersey]] and later in [[Shropshire]]. However, he gradually lost his [[vocation]] and when 21 he left monastic life and undertook [[National Service]] in the [[Royal Army Medical Corps]]. On leaving the army, he joined the [[Merchant Navy]] and then became an actor joining the [[Royal National Theatre|Royal National Theatre Company]] under [[Laurence Olivier]].<ref name="NYT"/>

Revision as of 10:49, 27 January 2015

Tom Baker
Baker in 2010.
Born
Thomas Stewart Baker

(1934-01-20) 20 January 1934 (age 90)
Occupation(s)Actor, writer
Years active1968–present
Spouse(s)Anna Wheatcroft
(1961–1966; divorced)
Lalla Ward
(1980–1982; divorced)
Sue Jerrard
(1986–present)
Children2
Websitehttp://www.tom-baker.co.uk

Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who, which he played from 1974 to 1981.[1] In a 2005 poll, his voice was found to be the fourth most recognisable in Britain.[2]

At the age of 15 Baker became a novice monk with the De la Mennais Brothers in Jersey and later in Shropshire. However, he gradually lost his vocation and when 21 he left monastic life and undertook National Service in the Royal Army Medical Corps. On leaving the army, he joined the Merchant Navy and then became an actor joining the Royal National Theatre Company under Laurence Olivier.[1]

Baker's first major film role was as Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra, and he played the villain in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in 1973. In 1974, Baker assumed the role of the Doctor in the BBC science fiction series, Doctor Who, becoming an iconic figure and the longest to hold the role. He continued to win regular roles in TV later in his career, most notably in the series Medics and Monarch of the Glen. With his highly distinctive voice, in addition to other character roles, Baker has narrated many adverts, video games and television series including Little Britain.

Early life

Baker was born in Scotland Road, Liverpool, Lancashire. His parents were working class Liverpudlian; his mother, Mary Jane (née Fleming), a cleaner, was a devout Catholic and his father, John Stewart Baker, was a seaman.[3] Baker attended Cheswardine Boarding School until he left school at 15 to become a Roman Catholic monk and remained in this lifestyle for six years, but left after losing his faith.[4] He did his national service in the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving from 1955 until 1957. At the same time, he took up acting, first as a hobby but he turned professional towards the end of the 1960s.[3]

Career

Early work

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Baker was part of the National Theatre Company, then headed by Laurence Olivier, and had his first big film break with the role of Grigori Rasputin in the film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) after Olivier had recommended him for the part.[1] He was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for his performance, one for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and another for Best Newcomer. Baker appeared as Moore, an artist whose paintings are imbued with voodoo power, in The Vault of Horror (1973) and as Koura, the villainous sorcerer, in Ray Harryhausen's The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973).

Baker also appeared in Pier Paolo Pasolini's 1972 version of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales as the younger husband of the Wife of Bath.

Doctor Who (1974–81; 2013)

Tom Baker and a Dalek in London, 1991, at a photocall in Trafalgar Square

In 1974, Baker took over the role of the Doctor from Jon Pertwee to become the Fourth Doctor in the BBC TV series.[1] He was recommended to producer Barry Letts by the BBC's Head of Serials, Bill Slater, who had directed Baker in a Play of the Month production of Shaw's play The Millionairess. Impressed by Baker upon meeting him, Letts then became convinced he was right for the part after seeing his performance in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.[5] Baker was working on a construction site at the time, as acting jobs were scarce. Initially he was dubbed "Boiler Suit Tom" by the media because he had been supplied for a press conference with some old studio set clothes to replace his modest garments.[6]

Baker quickly made the part his own. As the Fourth Doctor, his eccentric style of dress and speech (particularly his trademark long scarf and fondness for jelly babies) made him an immediately recognisable figure, and he quickly caught the viewing public's imagination. Baker played the Doctor for seven consecutive seasons, making him the longest-serving actor in the part. Baker himself suggested many aspects of his Doctor's personality, but the distinctive scarf was created by accident. James Acheson, the costume designer assigned to his first story, had provided far more wool than was necessary to the knitter, Begonia Pope; Pope knitted all the wool she was given. It was Baker who suggested that he wear the ridiculously long scarf, which he did once it had been shortened a bit to make it more manageable.[7] When John Nathan-Turner took over as producer of Doctor Who in 1980, Tom Baker was infuriated by the changes made to his wardrobe. Baker has said that he disagreed with Nathan-Turner a lot, but became fond of him after leaving the programme.[8]

The Doctor played by Tom Baker (1974–81) is often regarded as the most popular of the Doctors. In polls conducted by Doctor Who Magazine, Baker has lost the "Best Doctor" category only three times: once to Sylvester McCoy in 1990, and twice to David Tennant in 2006 and 2009.[9] In a poll published by BBC Homes and Antiques magazine in January 2006, Baker was voted the fourth most eccentric star. He was beaten by Björk, Chris Eubank, and David Icke.[10]

Baker continues to be associated with the Doctor, appearing on documentaries such as The Story of Doctor Who and Doctor Who Confidential and giving interviews about his time on the programme. He reappeared as the Doctor for the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time and audio for the PC game Destiny of the Doctors. In 1996 he appraised his time on the show as the highlight of his life. He is often interviewed as part of documentaries on the extras of Doctor Who DVD releases from his era as the Doctor and has recorded DVD commentaries for many of the stories. In a 2004 interview regarding the series' revival, Baker suggested that he be cast as the Master.[11] In a 2006 interview with The Sun newspaper, he claims that he has not watched any episodes of the new series because he "just can't be bothered".[12] In June 2006, Baker once again expressed interest in the role in a guest column for Radio Times, noting that he "did watch a little bit of the new Doctor Who and I think the new fella, Tennant, is excellent." [citation needed] In a 2010 interview Baker said that he had not watched Tennant's performance as the Doctor but thought his Hamlet was excellent.[13]

While Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann have all reprised their roles for audio adventures produced since the 1990s by Big Finish (and sometimes the BBC), Baker had declined to voice the Doctor until 2009, claiming that he hadn't seen a script he liked. In July 2009, the BBC announced that Baker would return to the role for a series of five audio dramas, co-starring Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates, which would begin release in September. The five audios comprise a single linked story under the banner title Hornets' Nest, written by well-known author Paul Magrs.[14] He returns with a sequel to Hornets' Nest called Demon Quest.[15] Baker has also filmed inserts for a video release of the unfinished Shada in 1992, presented the video release The Tom Baker Years (a look back at his time on the series watching short clips from his episodes) and also provided narration for several BBC audio releases of old Doctor Who stories.

In March 2011, it was announced that Baker would be returning as the Fourth Doctor initially for two series of plays for Big Finish Productions, starring alongside former companions Leela (Louise Jameson) and Romana I (Mary Tamm). The first series of six audios were released starting from January 2012.[16] Big Finish had also arranged for Baker to record a series of stories reuniting him with Elisabeth Sladen's character Sarah Jane Smith (for which special permission was obtained from the producers of The Sarah Jane Adventures TV series), but Sladen died in April 2011 before any stories could be recorded.[17]

Baker has been involved in the reading of old Target novelisations in the BBC Audio range of talking books, "Doctor Who (Classic Novels)". Doctor Who and the Giant Robot was the first release in the range read by Baker, released on 5 November 2007, followed by Baker reading Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius (released 4 February 2008), Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit (released on 7 April 2008) and Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars (released 14 August 2008). In October 2009, Baker was interviewed for BBC Radio 4's Last Word to pay tribute to the deceased former Doctor Who producer Barry Letts. He described Letts, who originally cast him in the role, as "the big link in changing my entire life".

He returned to the show in the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, in 2013, playing a character who calls himself The Curator. On 20 November 2013, Baker revealed that he would appear, stating "I am in the special. I'm not supposed to tell you that, but I tell you that very willingly and specifically; the BBC told me not to tell anybody but I'm telling you straightaway."[18] The episode saw Baker in the role of a mysterious curator in the National Gallery.

Later film and television work

Tom Baker 2008

In 1982, Baker portrayed Sherlock Holmes in a four-part BBC1 miniseries version of The Hound of the Baskervilles; in the U.S., this production was telecast on A&E.[19] He also made an appearance in Blackadder II, in the episode "Potato", as the sea captain "Redbeard Rum". Much later, he played Puddleglum, a "marsh-wiggle", in the 1990 BBC adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair.

For the third series of the British game show Cluedo, Baker was cast as Professor Plum, a "man with a degree in suspicion". He was also cast in the 2004 series Strange, as a blind priest who possessed knowledge of the Devil. Previously, he had appeared as a guest on the quiz show Have I Got News For You and was subsequently described by presenter Angus Deayton as the funniest guest in the series' history. A particular highlight was when Baker gave an anecdotal account of how, while entering a recording studio in Wales, he was accosted by a member of the public who told Baker: "I will never forgive you, nor will my wife, for what you did to our grammar schools." Baker responded with: "What are you talking about, you daft bugger?" to which the stranger replied: "I'm so sorry. For a moment I thought you were Shirley Williams."

According to the Daily Mirror, Baker's appearance made him a cult figure once again, and helped revive his career.[20] He later returned to Have I Got News For You as a guest host in 2008. Baker played the role of the Captain in the Challenge version of Fort Boyard, and has also hosted the children's literature series, The Book Tower. He has recorded a special called, Tom Baker – In Confidence that was shown in April 2010.

In the late 1990s, it was reported that Baker was a candidate for the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films.[21] Baker has since stated that he was only approached for "a role" in the film, and turned down the offer when told that it would mean spending months away in New Zealand.[22] He appeared as Halvarth, the Elven healer, in Dungeons & Dragons (2000).

Little Britain

After his work on Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World, Baker was cast as a similar narrator of Little Britain on BBC Radio 4 and remained in the role when it transferred to television. Baker has suggested that he was chosen for the part in Little Britain due to his popularity with Lucas and Walliams, part of the generation to whom he is the favourite Doctor. "I am now being employed by the children who grew up watching me", he stated in a DVD commentary.[23] Another trademark of Little Britain's narration is the deadpan quotation of old rap lyrics, usually in the opening credit sequence. On 17 November 2005, to mark the start of the third series of Little Britain, Baker read the continuity announcements on BBC One from 7  pm to 9:30  pm GMT. The scripts were written by Lucas and Walliams; Baker assumed his Little Britain persona. He used lines such as: "Hello, telly viewers. You're watching the BBC One! In half an hour, Jenny Dickens's classic serial Bleak House. But first let's see what the poor people are up to in the first of two visits this evening to the EastEnders."

Voice acting

Baker has appeared in various radio productions, including a role as "Britain's most celebrated criminal barrister", Sir Edward Marshall-Hall in John Mortimer Presents the Trials of Marshall Hall (1996), "Josiah Bounderby" in Charles Dickens' Hard Times (1998) and a part in the 2001 BBC Radio 4 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps as Sir Walter Bullivant. He guest starred in The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (a pastiche series written by Bert Coules) in the 2002 episode "The Saviour of Cripplegate Square". From 2000 to 2005 Tom voiced the character Max Bear in the Channel 4 (UK) Max Bear Productions animated series. More recently, he voiced the role of the villain ZeeBad in the 2005 computer-animated film version of The Magic Roundabout. In 2007 he voiced the character of Robert Baron in the BBC animated series The Secret Show.

Baker narrates the children's computer-animated series The Beeps which is shown on Channel 5's Milkshake! as well as narrating Tales of Aesop on BBC, a television series based on Aesop's Fables with beautiful puppet animation. Most recently, Baker has returned to the role of the Fourth Doctor, first in three series of audio adventures for BBC Audiobooks: Hornet's Nest, Demon Quest and Serpents' Crest; and now in a new series of Doctor Who audio adventures for Big Finish Productions also starring Louise Jameson as "Leela". There were seven releases in 2013 with Mary Tamm: (The Auntie Matter, The Sands of Life, War Against the Laan, The Justice of Jalxar, Phantoms of the Deep, The Dalek Contract and The Final Phase).[24]

Video games

Baker starred as the Fourth Doctor in the 1997 video game Destiny of the Doctors.[25] His voice has also been featured in Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (2000), Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior (2003), "Sudeki" (2004), Cold Winter (2005), MediEvil: Resurrection, Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising, and Little Britain: The Video Game (2007).

Narration

Baker is a prolific and highly recognisable voiceover artist. In a 2005 survey of British adults, Baker's voice was found to be the fourth most recognisable after the Queen, Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher.[2] In 1992 and 1993, Baker narrated BBC radio comedy series Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World. In 1994, Baker provided the narration for Channel 4's Equinox rave documentary Rave New World.[26] In 2002 he had a speaking role in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Hostile Waters as the Narrator.

Baker provided the voiceover for the Perfect Dark (2000) TV adverts. He also voiced both the narrator and the god "Tetsu" in the role-playing game Sudeki, but was uncredited.[27] During the first three months of 2006, his voice was used by BT for spoken delivery of text messages to landline phones. He recorded 11,593 phrases, containing every sound in the English language, for use by the text-to-speech service.[28] The BT text message service returned from 1 December 2006 until 8 January 2007, with two pence from each text going to the charity Shelter. Also, a single "sung" by Baker's text voice, "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, was released on 18 December 2006 with proceeds going to the charity. The creator of the song was Mark Murphy, designer of the site.[29][30]

Baker's voice may be heard at London's Natural History Museum narrating commentary to some of the exhibits that demonstrate Darwin's theory of natural selection. He has made three other brief forays into the world of music: he provides the monologue to the track "Witness to a Murder (Part Two)" on the album Six by Mansun; he appears on Technocat's single "Only Human" in 1995, and in 2002 he recorded the monologue to the track "Megamorphosis" on the album Andabrek by Stephen James, although the album was not released until 2009. Baker provides narrative at two British tourist attractions: the Nemesis roller coaster at Alton Towers, Staffordshire; and the London Dungeon, a museum depicting gory and macabre events in the capital, narrating the events leading up to and comprising the Great Fire of London.

Baker voiced the character "Max Bear", a series of animated stories broadcast on Channel 4 (UK Terrestrial) from 2000 to 2005. He narrated Australian cartoonist Bruce Petty's 2006 film about world politics, Global Haywire.

Books

Baker's autobiography, Who on Earth is Tom Baker? (ISBN 0-00-638854-X), was published in 1997, and made available on Kindle devices in September 2013.

Baker has also written a short fairytale-style novel called The Boy Who Kicked Pigs (ISBN 0-571-19771-X). In 1981 he edited a collection of poems for children: "Never Wear Your Wellies in the House and Other Poems to Make You Laugh" (ISBN 0-09-927340-3).

Personal life

Baker's first marriage in 1961 was to Anna Wheatcroft, niece of rose grower Harry Wheatcroft. They had two sons, Daniel and Piers, but divorced in 1966. Baker lost contact with his sons until a chance meeting with Piers in a pub in New Zealand allowed them to renew their relationship.[20] In December 1980, he married Lalla Ward, who had co-starred in Doctor Who (playing his companion Romana) with him for two years. However, the marriage lasted only 16 months.

In 1986, Baker married for a third time, this time to Sue Jerrard, who had been an assistant editor on Doctor Who. They moved to the Bell House, a converted school in Boughton Malherbe, Kent, where they kept several cats before moving to France in January 2003. They sold the property to Vic Reeves shortly after Baker had worked with him on the BBC revival (2000–2001) of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).[31] In November 2006, Baker returned to live in England, initially buying a house in Tunbridge Wells before moving to the East Sussex countryside.[32][33]

Baker is sceptical of religion and describes himself as irreligious, or occasionally as Buddhist, but not anti-religious.[34] He states: "People are quite happy believing the wrong things. I wasn't unhappy believing all that shit. Now I'm not unhappy thinking about it because I can laugh at it."[35] Politically, Baker has expressed disdain for both the Conservatives and the Labour Party, saying in 1998: "When the Conservatives were in I cannot tell you how much I hated them. But I realise how shallow I am because I now hate the Labour Party as much."[20]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1968 The Winter's Tale The bear
1971 Nicholas and Alexandra Rasputin
1972 The Canterbury Tales Jenkin
1973 Cari Genitori Karl
1973 The Vault of Horror Moore
1973 Luther Pope Leo X Doesn't appear in some versions of the film
1973 Frankenstein: The True Story Sea captain
1973 The Golden Voyage of Sinbad Koura
1974 The Mutations Lynch
1980 The Curse of King Tut's Tomb Hasan
1984 The Passionate Pilgrim Sir Tom Short film
1984 The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood Sir Guy de Gisbourne
1998 Backtime Sarge
2000 Dungeons & Dragons Halvarth
2005 The Magic Roundabout Zeebad Voice
2010 The Genie in the Bottle Narrator Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1968 Dixon of Dock Green The man Episode: "The Attack"
1968 Market in Honey Lane Doorman Episode: "The Matchmakers"
1968 George and the Dragon Porter Episode: "The 10:15 Train"
1968 Z-Cars Harry Russell Episode: "Hudson's Way"
1968 Dixon of Dock Green Foreman Episode: "Number 13"
1969 Thirty-Minute Theatre Corporal Schabe Episode: "The Victims: Frontier"
1970 Softly, Softly Site foreman Episode: "Like Any Other Friday"
1972 Play of the Month Dr. Ahmed el Kabir Episode: "The Millionairess"
1973 Arthur of the Britons Brandreth / Gavron Episode: "Go Warily"
1974–1981 Doctor Who The Doctor 172 episodes
1975 Jim'll Fix It The Doctor 1 episode
1976 Piccadilly Circus Mark Ambient
1977 Nouvelles de Henry James Mark Ambient
1978 Late Night Story Host 4 episodes[36]
1979 The Book Tower Presenter 22 episodes
1982 The Hound of the Baskervilles Sherlock Holmes
1983 Jemima Shore Investigates Dr. Norman Ziegler Episode: "Dr. Ziegler's Casebook"
1983 Doctor Who The Doctor Episode: "The Five Doctors"
1984 Remington Steele Anatole Blaylock Episode: "Hounded Steele"
1985 Jackanory Storyteller Episode: "The Iron Man"
1986 The Life and Loves of a She-Devil Father Ferguson
1986 Blackadder II Captain Redbeard Rum Episode: "Potato"
1986 The Kenny Everett Television Show Patient
John Thompson
Blu-Tac
Tom
Season 1, Episode 2
1990 The Silver Chair Puddleglum
1990 Tales of Aesop Narrator
1990 Hyperland Software agent
1990 Boom Co-presenter
1991 Selling Hitler Manfred Fischer 4 episodes
1992 Cluedo Professor Plum 6 episodes
1992 Screen Two Sir Lionel Sweeting Episode: "The Law Lord"
1992–1995 Medics Professor Geoffrey Hoyt
1993 Doctor Who The Doctor Episode: "Dimensions in Time"
1994 The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show Actor in supermarket Cameo
1998 Have I Got News For You Himself
2000 This Is Your Life Himself
2000 The Canterbury Tales Simpkin Voice
Episode: "The Journey Back"
2000 Max Bear Max Bear Voice
2000–2001 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Professor Wyvern 10 episodes
2001 Fun at the Funeral Parlour Quimby Episode: "The Jaws of Doom"
2003 Swiss Toni Derek Asquith Episode: "Cars Don't Make You Fat"
2003 2DTV The Doctor Voice
Series 4, Episode 1
2003 Strange Father Bernard Episode: "Asmoth"
2003 Fort Boyard Captain Baker
2003–2006 Little Britain Narrator 36 episodes
2004 The Little Reindeer Santa Claus Voice
2004–2005 Monarch of the Glen Donald MacDonald 12 episodes
2006 The Secret Show Robert Baron Voice
Episode: "The Secret Room"
2007 Marple Frederick Treves Episode: "Towards Zero"
2007–2008 The Beeps Narrator 45 episodes
2008 Little Britain USA Narrator 6 episodes
2008 Have I Got News For You Himself
2010 Tom Baker: In Confidence Himself Interviewed by Professor Laurie Taylor
2013 Doctor Who[37] National Gallery Curator/ The Doctor Episode: "The Day of the Doctor"

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Destiny of the Doctors The Doctor Voice and likeness
2000 Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future Narrator Voice
2001 Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising Narrator Voice
2003 Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior Narrator Voice
2004 Sudeki Narrator Voice
2005 Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition Narrator Voice
2005 MediEvil: Resurrection Death Voice
2006 Cold Winter John Gray Voice
2006 Little Britain: The Game Narrator Voice
2007 Little Britain: The Video Game Narrator Voice

Radio

Year Title Role
1994 The Russia House Barley Blair
1994 Lost Empires Nick Ollanton
1998 Hard Times Josiah Bounderby
1999 Nicholas Nickleby Vincent Crummles
2009 Hornets' Nest The Doctor
2010 Demon Quest The Doctor
2011 Serpent Crest The Doctor

Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures (Big Finish)

Series 1

This series of adventures is set between seasons 14 and 15 of the classic series, and features Tom Baker and Louise Jameson reprising their roles as the Doctor and Leela.

# Series Sorted Title Author Featuring Released
1 4S/A Destination: Nerva Nicholas Briggs Leela January 2012
2 4S/B The Renaissance Man Justin Richards Leela February 2012
3 4S/C The Wrath of the Iceni John Dorney Leela March 2012
4 4S/D Energy of the Daleks Nicholas Briggs Leela, Daleks April 2012
5 4S/E Trail of the White Worm (Part 1) Alan Barnes Leela, The Master May 2012
6 4S/F The Oseidon Adventure (Part 2) Alan Barnes Leela, The Master, Kraals June 2012

Series 2

This series of adventures is set between seasons 16 and 17 of the classic series, and features Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and John Leeson reprising their roles as the Doctor, Romana and K-9 respectively.

# Title Author Featuring Released
1 The Auntie Matter Jonathan Morris Romana I January 2013
2 The Sands of Life (Part 1) Nicholas Briggs Romana I, K-9 February 2013
3 War Against The Laan (Part 2) Nicholas Briggs Romana I March 2013
4 The Justice of Jalxar John Dorney Romana I, Jago & Litefoot March 2013
5 Phantoms of the Deep Jonathan Morris Romana I, K-9 May 2013
6 The Dalek Contract (Part 1) Nicholas Briggs Romana I, K-9, Daleks June 2013
7 The Final Phase (Part 2) Nicholas Briggs Romana I, K-9, Daleks July 2013

50th Anniversary Special

One off 50th Anniversary Special and features Tom Baker and Louise Jameson reprising their roles as the Doctor and Leela. Also features Doctors Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann

# Title Author Featuring Released
* The Light at the End Nicholas Briggs Leela October 2013

Series 3

This series of adventures, like Series 1, is set between seasons 14 and 15 of the classic series, and features Tom Baker and Louise Jameson reprising their roles as the Doctor and Leela. Chronologically, it will take place after The Oseidon Adventure.

# Title Author Featuring Released
1 The King of Sontar John Dorney Leela, Sontarans January 2014
2 The White Ghosts Alan Barnes Leela February 2014
3 The Crooked Man John Dorney Leela March 2014
4 The Evil One Nicholas Briggs Leela, The Master April 2014
5 Last of the Colophon Jonathan Morris Leela May 2014
6 Destroy the Infinite Nicholas Briggs Leela, The Eminence June 2014
7 The Abandoned Louise Jameson & Nigel Fairs Leela July 2014
8 Zygon Hunt Nicholas Briggs Leela, Zygons August 2014

Fourth Doctor Lost Stories

# Series Sorted Title Author Doctor Featuring Released
1 4R/A & 4V/A The Fourth Doctor Boxset
  1. "The Foe from the Future"
  2. "The Valley of Death"
  1. Robert Banks Stewart and John Dorney
  2. Philip Hinchcliffe and Jonathan Morris
4th Leela January 2012

Bibliography

Year Title Notes
1997 Who on Earth is Tom Baker? ISBN 0-00-638854-X
1999 The Boy Who Kicked Pigs ISBN 0-571-19771-X
  • British synthpop band the Human League recorded a tribute track to the actor entitled "Tom Baker". In 1981 it was released as the B-side to their "Boys and Girls" single. The instrumental track was re-released on some CD versions of their Travelogue album.
  • His distinctive voice has become a gift for impressionists such as Jon Culshaw, who regularly impersonates Baker in the comedy series Dead Ringers: in one episode, he makes a prank call to Baker in character as the Doctor, which prompts the memorable reaction from the real Baker: "No, no, there must be a mistake, I'm the Doctor." Similarly, when Culshaw called another Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, in character, he got the response: "Tom? Is that you? Have you been down the pub?" Other typical "in character" send-ups for Culshaw would include asking a garage engineer to convert his TARDIS to unleaded and complaining of the 400-year journey time from Euston to Glasgow by train.
  • A cartoon version of him appears in The Beast With a Billion Backs, one of the Futurama movies. His cartoon also appears in the Futurama episodes "Mobius Dick" and "All the Presidents' Heads".
  • Baker is also referred to in pages 101-104 of the Kevin Sampson fiction novel Awaydays. In this story he is attending the seventh International Doctor Who Convention in Halifax in December 1979, where the chief protagonists of the novel (a group of Tranmere Rovers hooligans) accidentally gatecrash. They then befriend him and try to persuade him to tour the country as Doctor Who setting fire to his farts. This scene wasn't included in the film version of the novel. In the DVD of the film the producer wanted to include extra's with scenes of Baker in Doctor Who in it from the time but the BBC weren't forthcoming because of the violent nature of the film.[38]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Shattuck, Kathryn (28 April 2013). "What's on Sunday". The New York Times. Cite error: The named reference "NYT" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b BT Bring in the voice of Baker. Dailyrecord.co.uk.
  3. ^ a b "British Film Institute biography, Tom Baker". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. ^ New Humanist website, ibid. Newhumanist.org.uk.
  5. ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (14 October 2009). "A tribute to 'Doctor Who' legend Barry Letts". Digital Spy. New York City, New York, USA: Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 9 January 2013. Having seen unknown hod-carrier Baker in The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, Letts took the goggle-eyed aspiring actor away from the building site and into the Tardis in 1974.
  6. ^ TOM BAKER TRIVIA, Retrieved November 20, 2013
  7. ^ Sullivan, Shannon Patrick (2 May 2006). "Robot". A Brief History of Time (Travel). Retrieved 18 March 2007.
  8. ^ http://www.thefancan.com/fancandy/interviews/whointerviews/baker.html
  9. ^ "David Tennant named 'best Dr Who'". BBC News. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2007.
  10. ^ "Bjork voted 'most eccentric' star". BBC News. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
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  38. ^ [1]

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