Like many others, Tom Baker is my utter favorite of the doctors. When I was tiny: his delightful antics glued me to my tv Saturday afternoons, I was astounded by his heroics and just plain awesomeness.

I purchased all sorts of Doctor Who books. K-9 figurines, and other things so that I could always be somehow involved in the adventures. It was my first fandom and I've never really been as into something as I was into this cast, with his companions and the stories. I haven't really seen the actual episodes since I was like eight, so I have no idea how they'd affect me now, but they brought such a brightness and enthusiasm to my childhood.

When I think of the Fourth Doctor, the first things that come to mind (apart from his wardrobe) are his pacifism ("I never carry weapons. If people see you mean them no harm, they never hurt you. [pause] Nine times out of ten") and his good humored enjoyment of life ("There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes"). I met him after I'd seen quite a few of Ninth's episodes. It was fascinating to compare and contrast the two. Four was a very different guy, but still very much The Doctor. I found and watch as many of his episodes as I could, and squeed over them as happily as I did the new eps. "Genesis of the Daleks" was especially interesting for the way it set up later, spoilierific events, and showed me just how much the Doctor had changed since then.

Love him. He's utterly comfortable with himself and everybody else, no matter how different(unless they're willfully ignorant); he has an insatiable curiosity; and his idealism comes with just the right dash of wryness. Love his long, multicolored scarf(given to him by Nostradamus' wife--"she was a witty knitter!") and his pockets full of everything from sonic screwdrivers to jellybaby candies and a yellow yo-yo. Lovelovelove the sangness of his froid when he looks into the eyes of the bad guys and casually dismisses their importance or, when the situation is dire enough, tells them *precisely* the sort of rubbage they are.



I'll finish this post with my favorite Fourth Doctor quote.



I admit, the first time I read that, I thought "Hey, that's like Bush!" And then I thought it was really cool that a kid's show from the seventies could have something to say about politics in the noughties.

Tom Baker's Doctor is to me The Doctor. The first Doctor I can remember was Pertwee's, and I remember being very upset as a kid when he 'died' - I think that was probably the first time when I realised that a character I'd developed an emotional attachment to was never* coming back. (*20th anniversary specials aside, of course.)

But after the initial 'we fear change' reluctance to accept the strange newcomer, he quickly became my favourite. And it's not just childhood nostalgia - rewatching stories like 'Genesis Of The Daleks', 'The Robots Of Death' or 'The Androids Of Tara', I remembered just what a great character he was, an incredibly clever, daring, quick-witted, fearless and capable hero behind the outward eccentricities.

He's my first Doctor as well. My affection for #4 comes from how much fun he was. He was all over the place. Unpredictable, funny and inspiringly intelligent. He didn't look down on 'lesser beings', he gave everyone a chance and saved his contempt for those 'very powerful and very stupid' people who rearrange the facts. I remember recently rewatching Logopolis and I was struck by how sad, old and tired the 4th Doc was. I often go on about Sarah-Jane being my favourite companion but Tom Baker will always be my Doctor.

I'll add my fondness for Tom Baker. I'm just old enough to remember some Pertwee episodes but Baker somehow just seemed so odd and other-wordly that he inhabited the part perfectly. He somehow made himself seem safe and dangerous at the same time.

Having seen some of the new Series 1, I think Eccleston works well also.

I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but Tom Baker is my least favorite Doctor, although my favorite episode is one of his ("Logopolis"). The slapstick of his middle years got to be too much, and even John Nathan-Turner's updating of things toward the end couldn't redeem this Doctor from being a caricature in my eyes.

I remember my father watching this show (on PBS I think?) when I was very young. I believe that it was during this Doctor's era, because I remember the curly hair and the scarf.

I also remember that for me, four or five years old at the time, this show freaked me out! Even the creepy theme song.

That is all I can contribute to the Doctor Who thread. Carry on . . .

Tom Baker was my favorite doctor too, though admittedly I was too young for the earlier doctors. I actually had one of those long, silly scarfs and was seen wearing it at a sci-fi convention more than once. Hey, I was 12!

Despite my comments above, I actually kinda liked #4 at the start. It was around "The Face of Evil" that my opinion starts to change -- maybe it's the fact that Leela had absolutely no good reason to go with The Doctor (other than millions of little boys needing to see a half-naked woman every week). Things really didn't pick up again until "The Keeper of Traken", but by then it was way too late.

I really liked Nyssa, though.

I don't mind Baker but he was too over the top at times for my tastes (an observation that applies to everything I have ever seen Baker in).

Baker was the first Doctor I saw but as soon as I saw Davison, I preferred him.

Aw, c'mon, he was terrific in Blackadder!

Baker's over-the-top-ness is part of what I like about him, though. A lot of people dislike his ad-libs, but he always cracked me up.

I first saw Tom Baker as Doctor Who back in the early 80's on PBS then in the mid 80's as well. It was purely by accident that I was switching channels but from then on before I found out about regenerations that this will always be the Doctor to me.

I watched Dr Who religiously during Tom Baker's time. Stopped immediately afterwards. Just wasn't the same. The cool kids in college had dr who scarves, and knew about Daleks and cybermats. I bought 4th Doctor Dr Who books at second-hand bookstores and read them until 3 in the morning. For me there is no other Doctor.

Seeing how this is the first of perhaps many pages to be devoted to Tom Baker's reign as the Doctor, it may perhaps be useful to provide a list of his tales:

Season XII (1974-75):
75. Robot - 4 eps - Sarah Jane & Harry
76. Ark in Space - 4 eps - Sarah Jane & Harry
77. The Sontaran Experiement - 2 eps - Sarah Jane & Harry
78. Genesis of the Daleks - 6 eps - Sarah Jane & Harry
79. Revenge of the Cybermen - 4 eps - Sarah Jane & Harry

Season XIII (1975-76):
80. Terror of the Zygons - 4 eps - Sarah Jane & Harry
81. Planet of Evil - 4 eps - Sarah Jane
82. Pyramids of Mars - 4 eps - Sarah Jane
83. The Android Invasion - 4 eps - Sarah Jane
84. Brain of Morbius - 4 eps - Sarah Jane
85. Seeds of Doom - 6 eps - Sarah Jane

Season XIV (1976-77):
86. Masque of Mandragora - 4 eps - Sarah Jane
87. Hand of Fear - 4 eps - Sarah Jane
88. The Deadly Assassin - 4 eps
89. The Face of Evil - 4 eps - Leela
90. Robots of Death - 4 eps - Leela
91. Talons of Weng-Chiang - 6 eps - Leela

Season XV (1977-78):
92. Horror of Fang Rock - 4 eps - Leela
93. The Invisible Enemy - 4 eps - Leela & K9
94. Image of the Fendahl - 4 eps - Leela & K9
95. The Sunmakers - 4 eps - Leela & K9
96. Underworld - 4 eps - Leela & K9
97. Invasion of Time - 6 eps - Leela & K9

Season XVI (1978-79):
98. The Ribos Operation - 4 eps - Romana & K9 Mark II
99. Pirate Planet - 4 eps - Romana & K9 Mark II
100. The Stones of Blood - 4 eps - Romana & K9 Mark II
101. Androids of Tara - 4 eps - Romana & K9 Mark II
102. Power of Kroll - 4 eps - Romana & K9 Mark II
103. The Armageddon Factor - 6 eps - Romana & K9 Mark II

Season XVII (1979-80):
104. Destiny of the Daleks - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
105. City of Death - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
106. Creature from the Pit - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
107. Nightmare of Eden - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
108. Horns of Nimon - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
109. Shada - 6 eps (incomplete) - Romana II & K9 Mark II

Season XVIII (1980-81):
110. The Leisure Hive - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
111. Meglos - 4 eps - Romana II & K9 Mark II
112. Full Circle - 4 eps - Romana II, K9 Mark II & Adric
113. State of Decay - 4 eps - Romana II, K9 Mark II & Adric
114. Warriors' Gate - 4 eps - Romana II, K9 Mark II & Adric
115. Keeper of Traken - 4 eps - Adric & Nyssa
116. Logopolis - 4 eps - Adric, Nyssa & Tegan

Seven long seasons made Tom Baker an icon in the role, and on top of that he was the only Doctor for many viewers in the US. Since he was in the role for such a long time, there is a quite a variety to his stories.

His initial season had a very strong theme connecting the tales, as Harry joined the Doctor and Sarah Jane for some serious adventures. Once Harry departed, Sarah Jane continued with the Doctor, and cemented her role as the inconic companion.

Leela, the savage warrior, was next, and while there was quite a bit of promise in the idea of the Doctor civilizing her, the show also took a severe downturn in terms of money available due to factors of the time like inflation. The tales of the latter Leela era look especially cheap. We also got K9 who either injected a sense of fun and whimsy into the program, or threatened the serious nature of the show, depending on your view.

The epic Key to Time series was a complete season with an interlocking theme, and introduced a Time Lady for the Doctor to travel with, the beautiful Romana. After a year, the character remained, though the actress changed, due to the miracle of regeneration. This second incarnation of Romana had an incredible rapport with the Doctor, and with Douglas Adams doing the script-writing, the show reached its wittiest, or silliest.

The final season saw the show wrenched into the 1980s, as the new producer sought to refocus on the serious over the silly. Snazzy and new, it wasn't to everyone's liking, though on the positive side, there was a greater sense of continuity between stories. Less fantasy and more scientific, this seventh year was also Tom Baker's last.

There are quite a few Tom Baker DVDs out there. Honestly, I would suggest the entire Key to Time series, (season 16), as you get the good, bad and ugly, a sense of continuity with its linking theme, and a sense of seeing a complete season, as was always intended when first broadcast. The first story, "Ribos Operation" aside from being a great tale, is also one that starts from scratch, that is precious little baggage is carried over from the preceding season, so its a good starting point.

"Ark in Space" is another great jumping on point, and a terrific tale. As is "Pyramids of Mars". If you can deal with not knowing Leela's origin, there are a further three stories "Robots of Death" - "Horror of Fang Rock" which are very good indeed, especially the middle tale: "Talons of Weng-Chiang", a classic if ever there was one.

And yes, "City of Death" is also wonderful, and the best example of the Romana/Doctor team. Cheeky and fun, set in Paris, and written by Hitch-Hiker's Guide author, Douglas Adams, (with a cameo by John Cleese), and Mona Lisa madness, just in time for the DaVinci Code. Its also considered to be one of the very best.

"The Leisure Hive" is another story. At the time, it looked very impressive, as it was the first tale of the 1980s and it looks "newer". Its not typical Tom Baker though, and as time has passed, I think the gloss overshadows the fact that the story isn't all that much. (And the gloss is now over 25 years old.) Check it out eventually, but only after you have given Tom Baker's other tales a fair chance.

Genesis of the Daleks will be released in North America in June. It's definitely one to be on the lookout for.

BTW, sorry Adric if I seem to be following you about tonight - kind of a dull night with nothing better for me to do... ;)

I don't like Talons. For one thing, you have a Chinese character. You should either hire a Chinese actor or scrap the story! I don't like the story either. Henry Jago is extremely irritating. Dressing Leela as a Victorian lady just didn't do it for me. I know they were going for the whole Pygmalion concept with her, but I liked when she ran around in leather trying to kill people. Mr Sin is a good idea, though.

On the other hand, Fang Rock is good. Leela looks great and gets a memorable line at the end. Paraphrased: Goodbye, monster. I hope you enjoy your death as much as I enjoyed killing you.

Well, from what I understand, there weren't enough Chinese actors in 1970s Britain for the BBC to do this. John Bennett does a decent job, and does keep the chracter from becoming a complete cariacature...

I understand that, but it doesn't make me like it any more. Everybody has their own little dislikes, this is mine.

Personally, I LOVE Talons. John Bennet's Li Sen Chen is wonderful. And I don't think the fact that he's a caucasian in makeup detracts from the story at all. The show is about people getting dressed up and portraying different species. Is it SO bad that it's a different race in this instance? I don't see any malice.

And also, I have no problem with Leela going with the Doctor at the end of The Face of Evil. She NEVER really fit in with her tribe and she didn't have any real reason to stay on her planet. She wanted some adventure and the Doctor offered it to her. So she got into the TARDIS and refused to leave.

This Doctor will always be it for me. I have loved every doctor for different reason but Tom Baker is IT.

I guess I'm very non-PC or something, because John Bennett's stereotypical cariacture just cracked me up, partly in horror at first, and then with genuine laughter. Oddly, though, it kind of fit with the Victorian atmosphere in a way.

Pirate Planet and Nightmare of Eden are two other really excellent Fourth Doctor episodes. They're my favorites, along with City of Death. I still quote them all the time, like yelling "Oh no!" just like the Captain in Nightmare of Eden, or saying "He died" in a Dr. Trist voice when someone asks how a person died. Or bellowing for Mr. Fibuly. Yep, I'm a tremendous dork.

Speaking of City of Death, when I was about 3 or 4, I totally thought that Count Scarlione a.k.a. Scaroth, last of the Jagaroth was played by Hugh Hefner. It was the smoking jacket, I guess. I'm not sure how I knew who Hugh Hefner was at age 3 though.

But yeah, Tom Baker = the Doctor. After I saw Logopolis, I was inconsolable. They'd replaced the Doctor with a puffalump! I still can't watch that episode. Maybe since I started watching the show when I was so young, just hearing Tom Baker's voice makes me feel weirdly safe.

While I think I may actually like the Pertwee Doctor and what little I saw of Richard Hurndall's take on the first Doctor better, Baker is always the first person I think of in association with the character.

Talon totally creeped me out. It was the explanation that Mr Sin was animated using a pig cortex (or some brain part). I think ventriloquist dolls are evil anyway.

I started watching Doctor Who during the Pertwee era. I was 4 years old and would flop down in front of the tv to watch the second I got home from pre-school. It annoyed me when I had to deal with 5 minutes or so of Monty Python before DW came on. I didn't get it. Heh. I was 4.

Then Tom Baker showed up and I fell in love with him. I appreciate Pertwee but Baker was simply wonderful to me. I watched him religiously all through grade school, went to the conventions, bought the books, wore the scarf. Someone once brought me some Jellybabies back from the UK and to this day they're some of my favorite candy. I have Tom to thank for that. Yes, he's over the top. Yes, there was more than a hint of caricature in his portrayal. It didn't matter to me. The broadness of his physical comedy coupled with that marvelous voice uttering some really witty lines couldn't be beat. I also enjoyed his ability to seem at once totally clueless and totally dependable to his friends.

Favorite Baker DW eps of mine include Deadly Assasin, Invasion of Time, and Stones of Blood.

Incidentally, Baker's autobiography, Who on Earth is Tom Baker, is one of the better autobiographies I've read by anyone. Complex, completely self-deprecating, tragic, hilarious, and above all blunt, it's a must read for anybody who loves his work. I don't think it was brought out by any publisher in the US; I ordered mine through amazon.co.uk.



"How paralyzingly dull, boring, and tedious!" is in my lexicon for life. Hee!

I remember the first time I read one of Douglas Adams's "Dirk Gently" books and realized that it was just "City of Death" with different characters! That said, CoD really was a great story, and was, I believe, the first Doctor Who episode shot outside the UK.

Another story I liked a lot was "Invasion of Time". What an excellent fake-out halfway through the story -- you think the Doctor has put everything to rights and then the Sontarans beam in. And how can you top the Doctor's "SSSS? Isn't that taking alliteration too far?" in response to Styre announcing that the Sontaran Special Space Service was now in control? :-) And the bizarreness of Borusa (if I recall correctly) lounging by the pool in the TARDIS drinking something through a Crazy Straw™?

As he said -- "It was the wisdom of Rassilon."

Holy crap, rlcar, that moment totally floored me too. Right as it was revealed that the Doctor had totally sold out Gallifrey to the Sontarans, the ending theme music cranked up and that was it for that day's episode. I was flabbergasted by the reveal, by the fact that I was totally suckered in, by the fact that I had, HAD, to see the next episode the next day, and by the very fact that I could be that concerned. I was in my mid-late teens when I saw it, and thought myself very worldly and jaded, and that episode totally came at me sideways. I felt strongly that I knew the Doctor since I had seen just about every episode since "Robot" as UHF station WGPR aired one half-hour episode a day every weekday, and after a year or so of that pace I had ingested several years of stories. And, gad, I NEVER saw that coming. And Baker sold it so well that I actually bought in that he was a traitor and that everything I thought I knew about him was wrong.

I liked the show before that, but have loved it since then.

The Tom Baker is the classic doctor to me, and I still see his POV as the best.

Regarding "Invasion of Time", I really like the last part of the arc, where it takes place in the Doctor's Tardis, and because the budget is so low it looks like it was filmed in an office building/hotel/spa. I liked how they kept walking down the same corridor a few times, and the Chauncellor yelling (IIRC) "You should stabilize this thing" when they entered a bunch of dressing rooms and ended up in the same room.

I know it was cheap but it sort of added to the appeal.

Like most American Whofans, Tom Baker was my first, and I saw him on PBS in Ark in Space. I couldn't believe what I was seeing--it was science fiction, which I loved, but I was LMAO at the same time! And there was this incredibly goofy, tall character with the curly hair and the very long scarf (nowadays I see Harry Potter fans knitting their scarves for Gryffindor and I think of the hours I put into knitting my Dr. Who scarf, which was red, black, and gray for the University of Georgia).

One of the things I most loved about the Tom Baker era was the cheesiness of the special effects, which were worth the laugh to see. My mother was especially fascinated at seeing what ordinary objects could be used in a SciFi capacity. Thermous cores for bombs, paper clips for electrodes, rattling aluminum foil for a 'shimmering' sound effect. Fun, fun, fun. As much as I'd like to see the new season, I'm just not sure how I'd respond to modern effects and the fact they have lots of money to spend on them.

Yes, it's great Classic Who story. Quirky dialogue, good acting, Big Ideas, and endearingly creative use of a small budget & period FX. I also think it makes excellent paired viewing with the 2005 series, particularly episode six, where we learn that the Fourth Doctor's inability to commit genocide against the Daleks doomed Gallifrey and its entire timeline. In Genesis, the Doctor poses the question, "if someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you, and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?" For his part, he chooses not to kill the children of Davros. I wonder if he would have made the same choice if he had known precisely what catastrophic ripples his compassionate decision would take, that his people would be the ones to die, and his life one of those destroyed? From the way Ninth behaves during Dalek, I think not.

Contasting the different ways Fourth and Ninth react to the Daleks in these respective episodes is quite interesting, and illuminates the Doctor's arc very well. I like the way later canon problemitizes the simple answer Genesis gives to the moral question it raises. The Doctor's final, hopeful words seem so very sad in retrospect: "Failed? No, not really. You see, I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know also that out of their evil must come something good."

If only.

Oh, I love Tom Baker's Doctor. He was the first one I saw, and that might have something to do with it; I loved his deadpan delivery and the fact that an ironic smile was never too far from his lips. Some of the other Doctors I've seen took themselves sooo seriously; Peter Davison may have been trying to make us forget he ever played the raffish Tristan on All Creatures Great and Small by playing the role with an absolutely straight face, I don't know, but I didn't like it. (Admittedly I was an adolescent. Now that I'm in my thirties I might enjoy the more serious doctors better than I did before.)

I also have a weakness for the "period episodes": Pyramids of Mars, Masque of Mandragora, Horror of Fang Rock, Talons of Weng-Chiang. I know that seeing period costume is NOT what Dr. Who is all about, but I loved it when I could get it.

Furthermore, T. Baker's Doctor had rockin' Companions. For all the many virtues of Jon Pertwee, for too many of his episodes he was burdened with that horrible waste of oxygen, Jo "I have no talents and no accomplishments and my purpose is only to show how smart the Doctor is by standing beside him and looking absolutely stupid" Grant. Tom Baker's Doctor, by contrast, had plucky and energetic Sarah, tough gal Leela, and brilliant Romana -- all of whom make great "identification points" for the girls watching Dr. Who.

Good point MaggieElizabeth, I think the quality of companions had quite a bearing on how watchable a particular Doctor is. In the Sixth Doctor thread, someone made the point that one of the problems with Colin Baker's Doctor was that he had pretty bad companions (Peri and Mel). And the Fifth Doctor usually had too many at one time.

The Fourth Doctor had my favourite companions, Leela and Romana, as well as K-9, and Sarah-Jane who, although I'm not a big fan of, I still preferred to the likes of Mel. I think with the companions he had to interact with, it just helped the Fourth to be one of the best Doctors.

That's the beauty of this character and whoever is doing it. He's an alien, so basically whatever you want to come up with for a personality, you can do. I just got out my VHS copy of "Shada" last night and watched it. Tom in the beginning is always a shock (he's grey!), but when he tosses his head back and yells, "Shada....Shada..." and smiles that 4th Doctor smile as they fade out to the opening credits is like going home again...and liking it.

Spoilers for the new series season finale:

When the Doctor regenerates in his 10th form, doesnt David Tennant give Billie Piper his best Tom Baker smile? I loved that.

Tom Baker was my first Doctor, too, and so always the "real" Doctor to some extent. He would've been great fun to travel with. The only thing I didn't love about him was his remoteness. It's ironic because of the Lalla Ward thing, but I never felt like his Doctor connected with people on a personal level although loving humanity...or all species...in general as a whole. Like, he'd be sorry if Romana died but it would only last a minute. He wasn't exactly devastated when ditching Sarah Jane or when Leela stayed on Gallifrey.

I dont disagree but I remember seeing his reaction when Sarah Jane leaves from a Tom Baker special and...its oddly affecting how he tries not to look sad, the way a human would--he just sort of hides his eyes with his huge curly hair and says goodbye to her.

Yeah. . .well. . .in the long run, that Lalla Ward thing didn't work out so well, either.

(Note to newbies who have no idea what we're talking about: Tom Baker married Lalla Ward who played Romana Number 2. The marriage was short-lived.)

I never really watched the Tom Baker episodes when I was younger, but I do remember my mum and my uncles watching him. Actually, before seeing the new series, he was what I pictured when I thought of Doctor Who. I'm sure that this is not uncommon. He was the Doctor for so long and was so distinctive, that I bet that there are few people who are aware of Doctor Who that don't know this version of the Doctor.

Silly question -- do any of you remember the name of the story and the context of the scene where the Doctor simply puts his hat over a surveillance camera (or was a Dalek eyestalk...or both)?

I think he does that in Destiny of the Daleks. He also challenges them to climb up a rope.

I just finished watching "The Deadly Assassin" the other day (up until now, I had only read the Target novelisation). The Doctor is so great in this, I barely noticed that he was companion-less, and I loved the scenes were he goes all Rambo in the Matrix. Hiding in trees, rigging grenade booby traps, using poisonous blowguns--good stuff. Peter Davison is still my fave, but you gotta love a Doctor who's willing to bust out the guerilla warfare techniques.

Also, immediately afterwards, I started watching the Second Doctor story "The Mind Robber", and it was interesting to see the same actor who played Chancellor Goth playing another character, a decade earlier.

Of course, what's really wild, or maybe it's deliberate, is that the actor who played Goth is also one of the unnamed Time Lords from Troughton's last story "The War Games", so we are perfectly free to assume Goth oversaw the Doctor's previous trial.

The Fourth Doctor has an awesome scene in Seeds of Doom (in fact, its all I saw from the story in a documentary but I have to mention it) he breaks through a glass ceiling, falls into an office with normal human baddies and a captive little girl.
He punches one dood, throws him on the ground and breaks a chair (!!!) on him. As he takes the gun, the chief asks him "What do you do for an encore, Doctor?" and he flashes the Tom Baker Mad Smile Of Awesomeness and answers "I win!" takes the girl and leaves!

Its a bit more violent than what I'm used to from the Doctor, but his confidence while he pulls off all of that is great.

Who writes the summaries that Netflix puts on the DVD lables? I just got the DVD of 'The Ribos Operation' today and the summary says:


Hee! I still have my original recipe Nintendo and I would totally play a game that had me finding pieces of the Key to Time! Especially if my assistant looked like Romana. Mrowr.

Speaking of Romana, I loved her introduction:

Romana: "My name is Romanadvoratrelundar."
Doctor: "Well I'm so sorry about that, is there anything we can do?"


Well, Four is my first exposure to Old School Doctor Who, and I must say, I like it! So far, I've only seen the "Ark in Space" eps and I'm half way through "The Ribos Operation," but I'm completely hooked. It is made of awesome! Well, awesome and plywood. Also, green painted bubble wrap in the "Ark in Space." I told Mr. Raksha about my new found love of classic DW and he threatened to leave me. See, Whovians were at the very bottom of his Nerd Food Chain. Fortunately, thanks to the awesomeness of the new series and my patient efforts in explaining to him the charms of Old School Who, Whovians now rank higher than both Highlander and Harry Potter LARPers!

The Ribos Operation is pretty cool, especially for its characters rather than its plot, which I always get confused by eventually.
The following chapter in the Key To Time; Douglas Adams's Pirate Planet is pure awesome as well.

MOONS of MADNESS! Heh. I love that episode.

Raksha, you should also listen to the commentary with Tom Baker and Mary Tamm on Ribos Operation. Tom Baker is clearly rather, um, well, not like the other children.

Hee! I did listen to some of it. Real Life got in the way and I figured if I ever wanted to see the rest of the series, I needed to send the DVD back to Netflix, but what I heard was pretty funny. I think my favorite bit was Tom talking about how all his life he'd been searching for a woman who didn't understand him, but unfortunately, they'd all understood him perfectly. Saw right through him. So funny....

MartianIceQueen writes:


Wonderfully put. Tom Baker is non-stop entertainment. Take the infamous outtakes from a voiceover session he did for a UK cabinet company.

His weirdness ("Symphony-even for monkey-shaggers!") and vocal disdain for the script ("I just adore distilled whippet shit!") make them every bit the equal of the Orson Welles "peas" bits or the Casey Kasem "...ponderous" tapes.

Oh, that was wonderful! Thank you for that link, Mr. Excitement! Good ol' Tom.

There's some website with outtakes from his run on Doctor Who somewhere; I think I saw it posted in the old thread. He starts swearing at K-9. And flirting with Romana.

Damnit, I had that site bookmarked, before Firefox decided to "upgrade" itself, and thus wipe out all my bookmarks after a certain date. I have some of the stuff downloaded, thankfully.

Also,
Wouldn't you, if you had the chance? Damn, I certainly would. "Go away and recharge, K9, I don't want you cramping my style while I..." Etc.

That's why you should use an online bookmarking site like del.icio.us. Here is that site with the outtakes. The stuff with K9 & Romana is great. "And what would YOU like for Christmas, Master?" And the Doctor just stares at Romana.