A Word on Tom Baker

A Word on Tom Baker​

The phrase "larger than life" is so often overused, but I feel it's impossible to go wrong when applying it to Tom Baker. Many actors in leading roles have rather oversized personalities, particularly in a show like Doctor Who which prides itself on the unusual and quirky. Baker still stands head and shoulders above the rest of them in that respect, and not just in the literal sense. It is this, in part, which has affixed him as the definitive Doctor in the minds of generations of fans, but that isn't the whole story. It helps that he's a tremendously capable actor, and one who was served well by some of the best seasons in the show's history.

That is not to say that his whole run has been comprised of the best seasons in the show's history. I disagreed with the tone of bits of the Hinchcliffe-Holmes era, and some episodes in the Williams era really were shockingly shoddy. But no matter how badly things went in the writer's room or the BBC boardrooms, you could be assured a certain level of quality simply by virtue of Tom's outrageous performances.

Such a small post is really no way to really measure the accomplishments of the Fourth Doctor era, but I hope it should suffice to say that even if this version of the Time Lord did not enter the ranks of my absolute favorites, it is very hard to imagine where Doctor Who would be without him.

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Just like Pertwee before him, Tom has seen quite a few companions come and go, which has shaken up my companions ranking list a fair bit. Let's see what has changed since 1974.

1. Barbara Wright
2. Jo Grant
3. Romana II
4. Jamie McCrimmon
5. Steven Taylor
6. Liz Shaw
7. Leela of the Sevateem
8. Vicki Pallister
9. Sarah Jane Smith
10. Ian Chesterton

The only casualties are the Brig and Zoe, both fine companions in their own right, but the competition will only get more stiff from here on out.

Sarah Jane Smith remains at #9, but actually jumps ahead of two people after her second and third seasons on the show. She's tremendously likable, but I found it hard to say I liked her better than the others here. However, she is in the unique position of having several more seasons later in the marathon to ascend further. We wish her the best.

Leela charmed me a whole lot during her relatively short time on the show. Feisty and vivacious, and far outside of the norm for companions so far, she is immediately emblematic of her particular time on the show, and Louise Jameson is so lovely. I was very sorry to see her go when she did.

Romana I does not quite make it onto the list here. Mary Tamm put in a very convincing performance, but her single season wasn't quite enough for me to warm to her as I might have liked. It is especially hard with such a fantastic performance from her successor.

Speaking of whom, Romana II was a surprise and a delight. Her sense of style and her combination of aristocratic airs with cheeky playfulness were a winning combination of traits. The TARDIS team of her, Four, and K-9 is honestly hard to beat.

K-9 himself is a notable absence from this list, but please trust me when I say that I love that dog. (In fact, we're getting another dose shortly...)

Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan were omitted from my judgements when I compiled this list. They have simply not had the time to prove themselves yet. Expect to hear more over the course of the next few seasons.

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It's hard to do a 'best of' reel for Tom without sounding like I'm cribbing notes from YouTube clip shows. And after all, it is a bit difficulty to pick "stand-out" moments from someone whose on-screen presence was pretty much always dialed to 11. Regardless, here are five of my favorite moments from Tom Baker's tenure as Doctor Who:

"Homo sapiens. What an inventive, invincible species." (The Ark in Space)

"Have I that right?" (Genesis of the Daleks)

"What do you do for an encore, Doctor?" "I win." (The Seeds of Doom)

"Would you mind not standing on my chest? My hat is on fire." (The Androids of Tara)

"Where are we going?" "Are you talking philosophically or geographically?" "Philosophically." "Then we're going to lunch." (City of Death)

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And so the longest leg of this journey is at its end, and though I am sorry to bid farewell to the Fourth Doctor, I am excited to chart the unknown waters of the greater JNT era. Bye-bye, Tom! Bye-bye!

Speaking of unknown waters, though, I think I'm about to scupper myself on a deserted island just ahead. Doctor Who's first spinoff is next...

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 14 December 2021.)