1974 - 1981 | 42 Adventures | 178 Episodes | 4450 minutes
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Tom Baker played the Doctor for a record breaking 7 years, something no other actor to date has managed. Even taking into account the shorter series lengths, Tom's Doctor lasted the longest and is for many the quintessential Doctor, with only David Tennant coming close in popularity.
Following the previous regeneration and the subsequent confusion and disbelief over who the man was, Jon Pertwee's transformation into Tom Baker was presented before his friends' eyes so there would be no doubt. This was the third face that the Brigadier would know as Doctor and he took it in his stride with a blasé "Well, here we go again" Meanwhile companion Sarah Jane Smith had recently witnessed another character's regeneration and so the shock for her was not so great either. So the story could continue without too much trouble, just as soon as the new costume had been chosen!
The fourth Doctor's costume introduced accessories to the character's persona. In this instance it was a hat and scarf (an excessively long scarf at that!) which could be used in many and varied ways to outwit his opponents. They provided an iconic look, along with the long coat. It was a look that would be the base for all future costumes within the shows original run (previous costumes had simply been a new design put together from scratch, simple and unassuming, but from Tom Baker the costume would evolve and adapt)
The Doctor bid a sad farewell to Sarah Jane as he was summoned back to Gallifrey for The Deadly Assassin for which he would be working alone (an idea that Baker thought could be continued, egotistically thinking he didn't need a companion) It was an adventure that would introduce the Time Lords more solidly than before and establish firm styles that would be seen many more times. After a year and a half travelling with new companion Leela, the Doctor was back on Gallifrey and by the time viewers saw him again at the start of the next series he would be accompanied by another Time Lord, indeed a female Time Lord, Romana. He was on a mission that would cover an entire series through all six stories and Romana was sent to assist in retrieving the six segments to the Key Of Time.
On his travels with Leela, the Doctor had also acquired a robotic dog K-9 which the producers increasingly felt was being used as an easy solution to most problems and despite his popularity with fans he was carefully written out of many later stories and ultimately left with Romana at the end of the E-Space Trilogy in series 18. The K-9 prop had always proved difficult to work with, requiring awkward camera angles and scene compositions. It was also electronically temperamental and difficult to control so many of the production team were glad to see it finally put into storage!
In Tom's final series, new producer John Nathan-Turner gave him a fresh costume in a deep burgundy but maintaining the idea of the hat and excessively long scarf. This costume change was a subtle indicator of changes ahead. Slightly less subtle was the introduction of a question-mark on the Doctor's shirt collar, a detail that Nathan-Turner felt emphasised the characters mystery (reading "Doctor Who" as "Dr. Who?") but one which everybody else disliked immensely! Indeed, the final series was constructed almost entirely around the change over. Tom was growing weary of the show and became increasingly difficult to work with, largely due to changes in staff and policy. He had always tried to add his own ideas but with different people taking control this became a battle of the established against the establishment. Three new companions were gradually brought in, the Master returned for three consecutive adventures and they were all there to witness the regeneration...
Following the previous regeneration and the subsequent confusion and disbelief over who the man was, Jon Pertwee's transformation into Tom Baker was presented before his friends' eyes so there would be no doubt. This was the third face that the Brigadier would know as Doctor and he took it in his stride with a blasé "Well, here we go again" Meanwhile companion Sarah Jane Smith had recently witnessed another character's regeneration and so the shock for her was not so great either. So the story could continue without too much trouble, just as soon as the new costume had been chosen!
The fourth Doctor's costume introduced accessories to the character's persona. In this instance it was a hat and scarf (an excessively long scarf at that!) which could be used in many and varied ways to outwit his opponents. They provided an iconic look, along with the long coat. It was a look that would be the base for all future costumes within the shows original run (previous costumes had simply been a new design put together from scratch, simple and unassuming, but from Tom Baker the costume would evolve and adapt)
The Doctor bid a sad farewell to Sarah Jane as he was summoned back to Gallifrey for The Deadly Assassin for which he would be working alone (an idea that Baker thought could be continued, egotistically thinking he didn't need a companion) It was an adventure that would introduce the Time Lords more solidly than before and establish firm styles that would be seen many more times. After a year and a half travelling with new companion Leela, the Doctor was back on Gallifrey and by the time viewers saw him again at the start of the next series he would be accompanied by another Time Lord, indeed a female Time Lord, Romana. He was on a mission that would cover an entire series through all six stories and Romana was sent to assist in retrieving the six segments to the Key Of Time.
On his travels with Leela, the Doctor had also acquired a robotic dog K-9 which the producers increasingly felt was being used as an easy solution to most problems and despite his popularity with fans he was carefully written out of many later stories and ultimately left with Romana at the end of the E-Space Trilogy in series 18. The K-9 prop had always proved difficult to work with, requiring awkward camera angles and scene compositions. It was also electronically temperamental and difficult to control so many of the production team were glad to see it finally put into storage!
In Tom's final series, new producer John Nathan-Turner gave him a fresh costume in a deep burgundy but maintaining the idea of the hat and excessively long scarf. This costume change was a subtle indicator of changes ahead. Slightly less subtle was the introduction of a question-mark on the Doctor's shirt collar, a detail that Nathan-Turner felt emphasised the characters mystery (reading "Doctor Who" as "Dr. Who?") but one which everybody else disliked immensely! Indeed, the final series was constructed almost entirely around the change over. Tom was growing weary of the show and became increasingly difficult to work with, largely due to changes in staff and policy. He had always tried to add his own ideas but with different people taking control this became a battle of the established against the establishment. Three new companions were gradually brought in, the Master returned for three consecutive adventures and they were all there to witness the regeneration...
