Though, as previously stated, I’m not a big fan, I have heard of Tom’s autobiography, entitled, IIRC, “Who on Earth is Tom Baker?”
I think he’s also written a couple fiction books, one about a boy who kills pigs, or something like that.
Sir Rhosis
There is going to be another episode released entirely on the web in a couple of weeks time (13th of June)
thats the link
Nask
I grew up on this stuff !! … Sunday afternoon TV time for me (hiding from my mom of course).
Now I have the theme song running through my head !!!
I think there are two important reasons why the Sci-Fi Channel hasn’t picked it up.
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Doctor Who is already so popular, they would have to pay actual money to the BBC for the rights.
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Doctor Who doesn’t actually suck, which means that it is outside Sci-Fi’s field of interest. They’re more interested in adding extra episodes of “Crossing Over” to the lineup.
It originally was a children’s show. That’s why until Fox made the TV movie the Doctor was utterly sexless, less what is implied by his gallavanting around the universe with sexy young men and women. But until Fox writers got a hold of him, he never kissed any of them.
Tom Baker wrote a children’s book called “The Boy Who Kicked Pigs” which is a very funny and morbid cautionary tale along the lines of a Roald Dahl kid’s book. I wanted to buy it but the comic book shop I saw it in wanted $30 for it.
I’m another one who has read more Dr. Who than I’ve seen… in the 80’s the books were readily available even at mall bookstores and by high school I had over a hundred of them. The ones being published now are interesting but are too serious… the older novelizations were more straight adventure and not so full of themselves.
Oh yes, City of Death is the story concerning the fake Mona Lisas… it’s an interesting episode as John Cleese and Elanor Bron have small roles in it, and as SteveB noted it was co-written by Douglas Adams, who was script editor that season. Most Who fans name City of Death as the best episode of the Tom Baker years. I prefer the Key to Time season, which also had an Adams-written episode, The Pirate Planet.
-fh
I have only one thing to say about this: Leela + puberty = inordinate amounts of time spent by Astroboy in the bathroom…
Mmmmmm… Leela!!!
Off to the shower, again!!
Ah, back in the 1970s I bought one of the first consumer grade VHS video recorders just so I could record Dr. Who episodes from my local PBS station. BTW, that PBS station has been continuously broadcasting Dr. Who for at least 30 years, so lots of those shows are still on the air. But a significant portion of old Dr. Who shows are lost, and no recordings are known to exist. And I had a whole bunch of tapes of early shows that were broadcast, the tapes returned to the BBC and then bulk erased. Of course, in later years, my psycho-exgirlfriend stole all my tapes and now they’re lost forever. I coulda saved a chunk of lost Dr.Who materal. Damn. You ought to see what people have done to restore some of the lost materials:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Lot/8256/lost-and-found.html
Odd, I’d just read that the first batch of Dr. Who DVDs are being released, but I can’t find the link anywhere… I do remember that it’s kind of an odd assortment.
Sci-Fi channel ran Dr Who back around 93-94–Tom Baker, of coure, but lost the rights in some screw-up. A site called Outpost Gallifrey (their news page) tells of the DVDs, but I’ll link later–just got up. IIRC, the first DVD released in U. S. will be the 20th anniversary story, “The Five Doctors.”
And Im pretty sure that the upcoming production, “Death Comes To Time,” mentioned above, is a BBC Audio Drama featuring the surviving Doctors (Hartnell, Troughton, and Pertwee have ceased to regenerate, so to speak).
Sir
Actually, a few more actors have portrayed the Doctor. Peter Cushing made two Dalek movies in the '60’s. They took a few liberties with the character, so there are plenty of purists who won’t consider him a true Doctor, but as a long-time rabid Peter C. fan, I adore the silly films.
Also, a number of British actors did a two-part Doctor Who episode as a tribute, called “The Curse of Fatal Death”. Rowan Atkinson, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, and Joanna Lumly all portray the Doctor, with Jonathan Pryce as the Master and Julia Sawalha as the Doctor’s companion. Very funny if you are a fan, getting plenty of mileage out of cheap sets, regeneration, and cheesy special effects. The video includes a “making of” bit as well as some other extras.
Whhops - forgot that Hugh Grant also plays the Doctor in “Curse”.
lucie, I agree, it’s hilarious. “Welcome to the Couch of Reasonable Comfort.”
“You’re the only companion I’ve ever HAD…”
They’re not boobies."
Sr
lucie,
Forgot the best one: Joanna Lumley looking at the sonic screwdriver: “It has three settings.”
Sir
Ah Dr. Who, a whole generation of British children grows up watching the TV from behind the sofa. Daleks really did scare the crap out of me.
I saw this somewhere on TV before, some of these guys are scary, don’t let them find out what your ex did to those tapes!
I haven’t seen the Dalek movies, but let’s face it- Cushing was born to play Dr. Who. (Think of his Van Helsing from the Hammer films, for example- he’s not goofy as the Doctor could sometimes be, but he’s the ultimate competent, British scientist type.)
BTW, for those who don’t know, Lalla Ward (who played the second Romana) is married to Richard Dawkins.
-Ben
If the OP doesn’t mind, as we answer the question, recall Dr Who memories, etc., let’s throw in a slight hijack:
Who’s your favorite companion(s)?
Me: The team of Jamie and Zoe (Frazer Hines & Wendy Padbury), and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen).
Sir
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- Dr. Who wasn’t very popular and there’s probably not even anything on the net about it. - MC
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Nissa (or Nyssa) has got to be the best companion. She was around later, I think with Peter Davison. Now, where’s my sonic screwdriver?
Despite the kid TV tag hung on it, Dr. Who tended to have better stories than any U.S. science fiction and was usually more sophisticated.
My favorite companion was Leela. It was probably Matt Groening’s favorite, too. 
I trust that we’ve answered the original question here, to wit, who played the Doctor? We have? Good.
If you want to all remenisce on favorite episodes and sexy British actresses, go do it in IMHO.