Doctor Who stars lashed

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• Publication: The Sun
• Date: 1986-08-30
• Author: Tim Ewbank
• Page: 13
• Language: English

DOCTOR Who star Colin Baker and his new sidekick Bonnie Langford have been savaged in an astonishing onslaught by one of the sci-fi show's top backroom boys.

Eric Saward, who has quit after masterminding storylines for five years, said of Baker: "I don't think he is very good. He hasn't got the energy and eccentricity the part calls for."

And he bashed Bonnie, saying: "I don't think she can act, let alone bring anything to the show.

"My impression is that she will not be very good, either."

Both stars are furious at the criticism—which comes a week before telly's time traveller returns to BBC 1 after an absence of 18 months.

Saward, who resigned as script editor just as filming of the series ended, accused producer John Nathan-Turner of making Doctor Who too much of a pantomime.

And he rapped the series as old-fashioned and stuck in its own time-warp.

ANGRY

He said: "I was getting very fed up with the way Doctor Who was being run, largely by John Nathan-Turner—I was led up with his attitude and his lack of insight Into what makes a series like Doctor Who work."

Seward was angry that he was not consulted when Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford were picked for their parts. "Given the fact that we are in 1986, the number of dozy female companions we have had doesn't actually reflect modern womanhood very accurately," he said.

TRIAL

Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford, and Nathan-Turner all refused to comment on Saward's attack, in the magazine Starburst.

But privately they are seething that he has slammed the series when it is on trial—in more ways than one.

BBC boss Michael Grade cancelled Doctor Who for a year to try to find a fresh look, with less violence and more comedy.

And the new series, starting next week, hat the Doctor on trial for his life.

Caption: Attacked .. Baker and Bonnie

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• APA 6th ed.: Ewbank, Tim (1986-08-30). Doctor Who stars lashed. The Sun p. 13.
• MLA 7th ed.: Ewbank, Tim. "Doctor Who stars lashed." The Sun [add city] 1986-08-30, 13. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Ewbank, Tim. "Doctor Who stars lashed." The Sun, edition, sec., 1986-08-30
• Turabian: Ewbank, Tim. "Doctor Who stars lashed." The Sun, 1986-08-30, section, 13 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Doctor Who stars lashed | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_stars_lashed | work=The Sun | pages=13 | date=1986-08-30 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=1 April 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Doctor Who stars lashed | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_stars_lashed | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref>