As I have said before, Tom Baker is one of my favourite Dr Who actors. I have been making my way through the classic series. Visiting some stories I have never seen and others that I remember scaring the light out of me as a child. I have just seen Logopolis and just seeing the miniaturized victims brought a shiver to my inner child. The story itself is a great bow out for Tom. You can see the BBC website here for more information on the story which was series 18 of the long running drama.

It aired in March 1981 and was the brainchild of producer John Nathan Turner. I have to say that John’s influence on the show was not a good move in my honest opinion. I feel he dated the show and the choices were garish and, at times, over complex for the visual techniques of the time. I still very much enjoy the stories but I feel this is more to do with the writers and directors than it is John’s doing. He was the longest serving of Dr Who’s producers but his influence was truly comparable to Marmite.

Back to Tom Baker and his departure. He is a unique individual and was definitely born to play the character. It is only in recent years that he has started reprising the role for the Big Finish audio adventures. The magic is still there, along with his companion’s leela and Romana. In fact series 2 had Mary Tamm playing Romana, she was seriously ill yet played the part with such gusto it is now one of my top Dr Who sets either on the screen or audio. She died just before it was released which makes listening to the episodes more poignant.

In the documentary below it gives you some great perspectives on Tom Baker as a person. He could be awkward but never false. What you see is what you get, eccentric and with a voice that can never be mistaken for anyone else. To me he is a great. He could easily have played the Dr for even longer. I wish the BBC were stronger in their direction but that was then. Thank goodness for Big Finish and the new Dr Who from 2005. Please make more audios Tom, along with the other classic Dr’s. We really are very lucky to be treated to Dr Who like never before. Let it live forever.

In Memory of Mary Tamm.
Tom Baker's Website

Unfortunately You Tube has blocked my video due to BBC copyright