Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains
- Publication: The Sun
- Date: 1974-02-16
- Author:
- Page: 5
- Language: English
Caption: New Dr Who Tom Baker and assistant Elisabeth Sladen meet a Cyberman. Picture By George Murphy
Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains
BBC sign up Tom for the time machine
By Brian Wesley
FANS of TV hero Dr Who may soon be asking: "Who is he?"
For the BBC have given the part to an actor who is hardly known on television.
He is 40-year-old bachelor Tom Baker, the fourth doctor to take over the Tardis time machine since it began its fantasy voyage.
The Who's Who of Dr Who began in 1963 with William Hartnell, followed three years later by Patrick Troughton.
Since 1970 Jon Pertwee has played the role.
He will continue as Dr Who until the present series ends in June, then return to stage work.
Tom, a former National Theatre player, will not be on the screen until January.
Nasties
Then he will be seen tackling nasties like the Cyberman.
Tom cannot wait. "Dr Who is a unique character," he said. "I am overjoyed to be having a bash at him.
"I have not even met all the cast. But I have been introduced to Elizabeth Sladen, who plays my assistant."
For Tom, who has just ended a run as Hamlet, it means an end to stage and film work. Recording Dr Who will take up nine months of his year.
But that does not bother him too much.
Fantasy
"I love all this futuristic fantasy stuff," he said.
Tom, who played Rasputin the mad monk, in the film Nicholas and Alexandra, lives in one room in Pimlico, West London.
He said: "I do not think I have ever lived in more than one room. I have hardly any possessions.
"I have one suit and the most expensive thing I own is a leather overcoat.
"I do not have a car and I walk, get a bus or —when I have some money in my pocket — take a taxi.
"But I cannot deny I shall be able to stop worrying about money for a while."
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.: (1974-02-16). Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains. The Sun p. 5.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains." The Sun [add city] 1974-02-16, 5. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains." The Sun, edition, sec., 1974-02-16
- Turabian: "Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains." The Sun, 1974-02-16, section, 5 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Out_of_the_unknown%E2%80%94a_new_face_to_fight_the_Space_villains | work=The Sun | pages=5 | date=1974-02-16 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Out of the unknown—a new face to fight the Space villains | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Out_of_the_unknown%E2%80%94a_new_face_to_fight_the_Space_villains | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 April 2025}}</ref>
