Hmm. The places I go to for informed commentary on this strongly suggest that the esteemed Mr. Baker is (ahem) talking through an orifice normally reserved for another purpose. (That’s my phrasing, not theirs). Tom Baker’s certainly suggested Eddie Izzard, more than once, as a suitable candidate … but there’s no reason to treat his word on the subject as authoritative.
AFAIK, the whole project is still in the early stages, and there’s no confirmation of who’s going to get the role. Besides Izzard, other names on the table seem to include Alan Davies and Bill Nighy … but there’s no definitive word that’s been made public. Still could go to anyone …
I think a more important question is, will the new Doctor Who episodes have the same cheesy, low-budget production quality and special effects that have characterized the show since the '60s? If so, is that good or bad?
By the way, even the science-fiction fandom community, so proud of its geekiness, traditionally scorns obsessive Doctor Who fans, or “scarfs,” as pathetic lame-ass nerds. And personally, I have never met a counterexample.
Just listened to Tom Baker on the radio again this morning. He ‘thinks’ it’s Izzard. He also followed that up with Sue McGregor (BBC Radio 4 current affairs presenter) as his assistant.
I think that gives us just a bit of a clue on how serious he’s being.
Well, I’ll just have to come back and bite you all when I’m vindicated by events. For now I shall slip away, martyred to the cause of truth and enlightenment . .