Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk
- Publication: The Sun (Sydney, NSW)
- Date: 1979-02-13
- Author: Debra Robertson
- Page:
- Language: English
DEBRA ROBERTSON TALKS TO TOM BAKER
TOM Baker, popeyed and madly grinning, is not the most comforting person with whom to talk.
To begin with, the British actor who plays the immortal Dr Who - conqueror of the galaxies stands 190cm high (6ft 3in).
And for every question he thunders back a reply which tends to have interviewers shaking in their shoes.
But he doesn't scare children.
"They are constantly approaching me, especially in London," he told me over lunch.
"The very young are stupefied that the fictional character they see on the TV is there in real life.
"And they're amazed by my height," he smiled
Baker was born in Liverpool - his mother a chambermaid in a hotel and his father a punter.
"My upbringing was very normal. Lower working class."
Later he spent six years in a monastery before entering the army for national service.
Why a monastery? "Because I just wanted to be a hero like everybody else. I had ideas of becoming a saint or martyr," Baker said.
"In fact, I can think of lots of wonderful things I would like to do or become. Don't you?" He was thundering again.
And why did he leave his monkish existence? "It got frightfully drawn out and boring, and kneeling for six years was getting a bit too much," he said.
"I bore it because I'm a pretty gritty person." "But I still go to church a lot," he said.
"A church is the coolest place to go in a hot city like Sydney. I've already visited a few of your churches and adore St Marys.
"I go to think and admire the architecture," he said.
Baker, who lives in London, played Dr Who for nearly four years.
"I can be feeling rotten walking down a street but because people instantly recognise me and give me a smile I end up feeling marvellous. Not everybody gets that sort of treatment," he said.
The new series gets under way on Channel 2 next Monday night.
Caption: Tom Baker as Dr Who.
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Robertson, Debra (1979-02-13). Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk. The Sun (Sydney, NSW) .
- MLA 7th ed.: Robertson, Debra. "Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk." The Sun (Sydney, NSW) [add city] 1979-02-13. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Robertson, Debra. "Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk." The Sun (Sydney, NSW), edition, sec., 1979-02-13
- Turabian: Robertson, Debra. "Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk." The Sun (Sydney, NSW), 1979-02-13, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr_Who:_He_Nearly_Became_a_Monk | work=The Sun (Sydney, NSW) | pages= | date=1979-02-13 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=6 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Dr Who: He Nearly Became a Monk | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Dr_Who:_He_Nearly_Became_a_Monk | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=6 April 2025}}</ref>
