"Dr. Who," is the latest BBC import to go about charming Americans — and not via public broadcasting this time. It's taking the commercial syndication route after an impressive reaction from critics when it debuted on WOR-TV, which is located in New York, but is picked up by 300 cable systems.
Much of the series' cult status is due to the casting of Tom Baker in the title role. Contrasted with the neat humans and tidy robots that race through episodes with him — or against him — Tom is a comic-book mess garnished with a floppy felt hat and a six-foot-long knit scarf. He crumples as easily as Ray Bolger in "The Wizard of Oz," and leers as effectively as Paul Lynde, or for that matter, the mad monk, Rasputin whom Tom played straight in a movie. That's what made him yearn to play good guys, which "Dr. Who" is. He's also as smart and know-it-all as Sherlock Holmes, which helps the plots a lot.
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