US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star

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• Publication: The Milwaukee Sentinel
• Date: 1983-07-15
• Author: Duane Dudek
• Page: part 3, p. 2
• Language: English

Early this week Tom Baker was visiting the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Ill. He was feeling "gross and Inadequate" next to the exquisite Chinese artifacts on display.

'I was thinking, 'Aren't they clever, the Chinese?'"

"Suddenly, behind me, there was a burst of applause, and there were these women — sweet, gentle and of a certain age. as we say In Europe —clapping.' Baker said. "For me." He sounded genuinely touched.

And puzzled. You might be puzzled, too. if you are not one of the millions of Americans enjoying Baker's performance in the BBC-produced television series "Dr. Who." Baker spent six years with the show, from 1974 to 1980, and these episodes are being shown by television stations across the nation. In Milwaukee, fans of "Dr. Who" tune into WMVS-TV (Channel 10) at 10:30 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. Saturdays.

"Dr. Who" is a cult phenomenon. The show has been on for 20 years. Baker is the fifth actor to portray the doctor, an eccentric time lord who travels through time and space, observing other civilizations.

This weekend thousands of fans will attend a convention celebrating the science fiction series and its star In Chicago. Baker has received dozens of offers to appear at similar conventions in the United States and is mulling over the possibility of a 22-stop tour.

"I've had to take on a woman to handle the fan mail," Baker said.

"I find it difficult to grasp seriously the warmth with which the US is greeting 'Dr. Who.' The reaction I get In Britain Is mostly among very young children. In America ... it's mostly young adults. The Americans are much more demonstrative and emotional."

Baker, 49, the son of a barmaid and a merchant seaman, grew up in Liverpool during World War II. German bombing of the city interrupted his education and he spent time singing and performing in air raid shelters, where he discovered he had a "capacity to amuse and please people." He didn't return to school after the war, "having tasted the fruits of idleness," and decided to become an actor.

He worked on stage and In television and movies. His role In "Nicholas and Alexandra" led to "Dr. Who."

The show doesn't have "Star Wars"-type special effects. It's a rather low-budget operation. And that's part of its charm.

Baker's good doctor, traveling about In a time machine shaped like a telephone booth, Is intelligent and compassionate. He's easy to like but always viewed with suspicion by the cultures he visits. He's a hero in the traditional sense, and he's always on the side of good.

Baker said it was a challenge to make such a character "surprising, interesting or moving. The fun of doing It was keeping it fresh and, dare one say it, Inventive, within that predictable mold."

He eventually left the show to further his stage career.

"I was never anxious about being typecast, but I was aware that it was time for me to go." He has since played Oscar Wilde In "Feasting With Panthers," appeared in "Long John Silver" and "Hedda Gabler" and in "Educating Rita," with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Now Baker is attempting to convince Hollywood of his talents. He goes there not with hat In hand, desperate for a part, but with the curiosity of an actor quite comfortable with what he Is doing.

Something must have worked, because he's been invited back. One possibility is a role in CBS' miniseries on Christopher Columbus.

But no matter what his other ventures may be, It will be "Dr. Who" that America will remember.

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.: Dudek, Duane (1983-07-15). US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star. The Milwaukee Sentinel p. part 3, p. 2.
• MLA 7th ed.: Dudek, Duane. "US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star." The Milwaukee Sentinel [add city] 1983-07-15, part 3, p. 2. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Dudek, Duane. "US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star." The Milwaukee Sentinel, edition, sec., 1983-07-15
• Turabian: Dudek, Duane. "US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star." The Milwaukee Sentinel, 1983-07-15, section, part 3, p. 2 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/US_fame_surprises_%27Dr._Who%27_star | work=The Milwaukee Sentinel | pages=part 3, p. 2 | date=1983-07-15 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 November 2024 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=US fame surprises 'Dr. Who' star | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/US_fame_surprises_%27Dr._Who%27_star | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 November 2024}}</ref>