Editing Tom Baker (section)

=== ''Doctor Who'' ===
{{Main|Doctor Who}}

[[File:Tom Baker, Whovent 1986.jpg|thumb|Baker in 1986]]

In early January 1974, Baker wrote a letter to Bill Slater, by then the BBC's Head of Serials, looking for work. Reminded of the actor, Slater recommended Baker to ''[[Doctor Who]]'' producer [[Barry Letts]], who at the time was looking for a successor to Third Doctor [[Jon Pertwee]]. Letts was impressed by Baker upon meeting him and, after seeing his performance in ''The Golden Voyage of Sinbad'', became convinced he was right for the part.<ref name="Rawson-Jones 2009">
{{cite web
 | url          = http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a181678/a-tribute-to-doctor-who-legend-barry-letts.html
 | title        = A tribute to 'Doctor Who' legend Barry Letts
 | last         = Rawson-Jones
 | first        = Ben
 | date         = 14 October 2009
 | work         = [[Digital Spy]]
 | publisher    = [[Hearst Corporation|Hearst Magazines UK]]
 | location     = New York City, USA
 | access-date   = 9 January 2013
 | quote        = 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.
}}
</ref> Baker was working on a construction site at the time, as acting jobs were scarce. When he first took on the role, the media dubbed him "Boiler Suit Tom" because he had been supplied for a press conference with some old studio-set clothes to replace his modest garments.<ref>[http://www.tv.com/people/tom-baker-1/trivia/ TOM BAKER TRIVIA], Retrieved 20 November 2013</ref> Baker told the ''Daily Express'' that his friends teased him that "the BBC scoured London to come up with the only middle-aged-ten-year-old in the business."<ref>[[Peter Haining (author)|Haining, Peter]]. ''Doctor Who: The Key to Time. A Year-by-Year Record.'' London: W. H. Allen, 1984, 142.</ref> Letts left the series after producing Baker's debut story, ''[[Robot (Doctor Who)|Robot]]'' (1974–1975),<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/52D6TRwlqdcPmD4By2rsYdj/the-fourth-dimension | title= The Fourth Dimension | work=[[BBC Online]] | access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> and was replaced by [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]. Under Hinchcliffe and script editor [[Robert Holmes (scriptwriter)|Robert Holmes]], the series gained a "Gothic tone" influenced by [[Hammer Film Productions]] and, according to Hinchcliffe, was aimed "a bit more to the adults in the audience".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a860236/doctor-who-lost-stories-tom-baker-season-15/ | title= Doctor Who's former producer Philip Hinchcliffe reveals his plans for 'lost' season of Tom Baker stories | work=Digital Spy | first=Morgan | last=Jeffery | date=25 June 2018 | access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref>

Baker quickly made the part his own, and audience-viewing figures for his first few years returned to a level not seen since the height of '[[Dalek]]mania' a decade earlier.<ref name="lyons">{{cite web | url= https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/tom-baker-definitive-doctor-who | title= Tom Baker: the definitive Doctor Who? | work=BFI | first=Kevin | last=Lyons | date=31 January 2014 | access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref> His eccentric style of dress and quirky personality, in particular his [[trademark look]] of wearing a long scarf and his fondness for [[jelly baby|jelly babies]], as well as his voice, made him an immediately recognisable figure, and he quickly caught the viewing public's imagination. Baker contributed ideas for many aspects of his Doctor's personality; he became known for making "frequent and often comedic scripting suggestions and [[Ad libitum|ad-libs]]",<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season15.shtml | title= Season 15 | work=[[BBC Online]] | access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> but the idea of wearing a scarf had been created by accident. [[James Acheson]], the costume designer assigned to his first story, had provided far more wool than necessary to the knitter, Begonia Pope. Due to a miscommunication, Pope knitted all the wool she was given.<ref>{{cite web | last=Setchfield | first=Nick | url= https://gamesradar.com/i-am-basically-ridiculous-tom-baker-talks-doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-and-the-origins-of-that-famously-long-scarf/| title='I am basically ridiculous' - Tom Baker talks Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker, and the origins of that famously long scarf | work=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]] | date=10 July 2018 | access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>

During his period as the star of ''Doctor Who'', the original series received its highest viewing figures.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/mar/31/broadcasting.bbc2 | title= Fans from 70s keep Doctor's appointment | first=John | last=Plunkett | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=31 March 2005 | access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> Baker played the Doctor for seven consecutive seasons, making him the longest-serving actor in the part, and his incarnation is often regarded as the most popular of the Doctors. According to [[BBC News]] in 2006, in polls conducted by ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', Baker only lost the "Best Doctor" category to [[Sylvester McCoy]] in 1990 and to [[David Tennant]] in 2006.<ref name="best">{{cite news|title=David Tennant named 'best Dr Who'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6211584.stm|work=BBC News|date=6 December 2006|access-date=25 February 2007}}</ref> In a 2010 interview, Baker said that he had not watched Tennant's performance as the Doctor but thought his ''[[Hamlet]]'' was excellent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://benjamincook.net/writing/doctor-who-magazine/interviews-and-articles/tom-baker/|title=benjamincook.net|access-date=27 December 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000043/http://benjamincook.net/writing/doctor-who-magazine/interviews-and-articles/tom-baker/|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> Many of the stories from his early period in the role are considered to be classics of the series, including ''[[The Ark in Space]]'' (1975), ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' (1975), ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'' (1976), ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'' (1976) and ''[[The Robots of Death]]'' (1977).<ref name="Masters">{{cite news |last=Masters |first=Tim |date=4 November 2013 |title=Tom Baker on Doctor Who: 'It was so much better than real life' |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24657064 |access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref> However, the violent tone of the stories produced by Philip Hinchcliffe saw the series come under heavy criticism from morality campaigner [[Mary Whitehouse]].<ref name="lyons"/> Concerns over violence during this early period led to a lightening of the tone and an "erratic decline" in both the popularity and quality of the series.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/454592/ | title= Doctor Who (1963–89, 2005–) | work=Screenonline | first=Anthony | last=Clark | access-date=22 August 2015}}</ref> In a 2014 interview, Baker described Hinchcliffe as "amazing" and identified that as his favourite time on the series. He described Hinchcliffe's successor, [[Graham Williams (television producer)|Graham Williams]], as "absolutely devoted" but said he lacked his predecessor's flair and had "let me get away with murder".<ref name="digital spy">{{cite web | url= http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/feature/a564726/tom-baker-remembers-classic-doctor-who-probably-i-stayed-on-too-long.html#~plWPvOuIQEKSKI | title= Tom Baker remembers classic Doctor Who: "Probably I stayed on too long" | work=Digital Spy | first=Morgan | last=Jeffery | date=15 April 2014 | access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref> He acknowledged that his final producer on the series, [[John Nathan-Turner]], had made changes he did not agree with and that they "did not see eye-to-eye really about very much"; according to Baker, the two became good friends afterwards and forgot their disagreements.<ref name="digital spy"/> Baker additionally criticised [[Doctor Who (season 18)|season 18]], his last on the show and Nathan-Turner's first as producer, for the decision to increase the number of actors in the regular cast, which Baker felt resulted in stories that relied too much on the Doctor (rather than on other principal characters) to drive the plot forward. Baker ultimately suggested that he may have stayed in the role for one series too many, stating that, in hindsight, he felt it would have been better for him to have left with Williams and let Nathan-Turner recast the role of the Doctor for season 18.<ref name="digital spy"/>

[[File:Tombaker1991london.jpg|thumb|Baker and a [[Dalek]] in [[Trafalgar Square]], 1991]]

According to Baker in 2017, "When I was doing ''Doctor Who'', it was the realisation of all my childhood fantasies... so I took to it like a duck to water, and I still do. ''Doctor Who'' was more important than life to me—I used to dread the end of rehearsal... that's why I can't stay away from it."<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a843776/doctor-who-shada-tom-baker-new-scene/ | title= Tom Baker is back playing Doctor Who (in live action) for the first time in almost 40 years | first=Morgan | last=Jeffery | work=Digital Spy | date=24 November 2017 | access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> Although Baker declined to appear in the 20th anniversary ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[The Five Doctors]]" (1983) because it was not long since he had left and he "didn't want to play 20 per cent of the part" and be "a feed for other Doctors",<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-04-14/tom-baker-id-do-more-doctor-who/ | title= Tom Baker: I'd do more Doctor Who | first=Paul | last=Jones | work=Radio Times | date=14 April 2014 | access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref> he briefly returned to the role of the Doctor for the 30th anniversary charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'' (1993) and also recorded the audio for the [[IBM PC compatible|PC]] [[video game]] ''[[Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors]]'' (1997). Baker continued to be associated with the Doctor, appearing on documentaries such as the 40th anniversary BBC television retrospective ''The Story of Doctor Who'' (2003) and giving other interviews about his time on the programme, including for documentaries on the extras of [[Doctor Who DVD releases|''Doctor Who'' DVD releases]] from his era as the Doctor, and he has recorded DVD commentaries for many of the stories.

Baker was also involved in the reading of old [[List of Doctor Who novelisations|Target novelisations]] in the BBC Audio range of talking books, "''Doctor Who'' (Classic Novels)". ''Doctor Who and the Giant [[Robot (Doctor Who)|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 as "the big link in changing my entire life" for casting him in the role.

On 20 November 2013, Baker revealed that he would appear in the 50th-anniversary special, "[[The Day of the Doctor]]", 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 straight away."<ref>{{cite news|first=Aaron|last=Sagers|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-sagers/exclusive-tom-baker-to-ap_b_4295773.html|title=Exclusive: Tom Baker to Appear in 'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary Special|work=The Huffington Post|date=20 November 2013|access-date=20 November 2013}}</ref> The episode saw Baker in the role of a mysterious curator in the [[National Gallery]] who openly discusses his resemblance to the Fourth Doctor with the [[Eleventh Doctor]].

Baker also filmed inserts in 1992 for a video release of the unfinished [[Douglas Adams]] ''Doctor Who'' serial ''[[Shada (Doctor Who)|Shada]]'', originally begun in 1979 but abandoned due to strike action, and presented the video release ''The Tom Baker Years'' (1992), which was a look back at his time on the series with Baker watching short clips from his episodes. In November 2017, Baker returned to the Doctor role by completing ''Shada''. Animation was added to complete the original story. He also filmed one new scene for inclusion in the final episode.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-42080978|title=Doctor Who: Tom Baker returns on screen for 1979 Shada serial|publisher=BBC|date=25 November 2017|access-date=25 November 2017}}</ref>

====''Doctor Who'' audio dramas====

While [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]], [[Sylvester McCoy]] and [[Paul McGann]] have all reprised their roles for audio adventures produced by [[Big Finish Productions]] and the BBC since the 1990s, Baker declined to voice the Doctor until 2009, saying that he had not 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 (actor)|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 (Doctor Who)|Hornets' Nest]]'', written by author [[Paul Magrs]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tom Baker Returns to Doctor Who after 28 Years|url=http://onceuponageek.com/2009/07/16/tom-baker-returns-to-doctor-who-after-28-years|work=[Once Upon a Geek]|date=16 July 2009|access-date=21 July 2009}}</ref> He returned with a sequel to ''Hornets' Nest'' called ''[[Demon Quest]]''.<ref>[http://www.bbcshop.com/Science-Fiction/Doctor-Who-Demon-Quest-Volume-1/invt/9781408466674 "Doctor Who" Doctor Who: Demon Quest 1 The Relics of Time at BBC Shop]. Bbcshop.com.</ref>

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 in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/released/doctor-who---fourth-doctor-adventures/perpage:0|title=Doctor Who – Fourth Doctor Adventures – Released Items – Ranges – Big Finish|work=bigfinish.com|access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref>[[Nicholas Briggs]], "Remembering Elisabeth Sladen", ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' No.440, October 2011, p. 34</ref> Baker has also recorded several Big Finish audio stories with [[Matthew Waterhouse]], who played [[Adric]], and [[Lalla Ward]], who played [[Romana II]], although Ward recorded her sections separately.

It was reported in April 2020 that Baker had recorded "Return of the Cybermen" for Big Finish, an alternative version of the story ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'' (1975), with [[Sadie Miller]], Elisabeth Sladen's daughter, taking over the role of Sarah Jane Smith from her mother. The story was released in March 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedigitalfix.com/life/review/big-finish-review-doctor-who-return-of-the-cybermen/|title = Big Finish Review: Doctor Who – Return of the Cybermen &#124; the Digital Fix}}</ref>

Baker also returned to the role of the Curator for Big Finish, joining the casts of ''[[Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures|The Eighth Doctor Adventures]]'' and ''[[UNIT (audio drama series)#The New Series|UNIT: The New Series]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tom Baker will play Doctor Who's Curator again in new Big Finish adventure |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/tom-baker-doctor-who-curator/ |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref>

As of 2025, Baker is the oldest living actor to have played the role.