Doctor Who (TV Scene)
- Publication: TV Scene
- Date: 1978-12-23
- Author: Rupert Butler
- Page: 16
- Language: English
IT'S not unusual to have a doctor as the rector of a university, but Tom Baker was astonished when he was offered the job at Scotland's Aberdeen University.
Of course, no-one can say that he isn't qualified. He has had more experience with time and relative dimensions in space than anyone and his grasp of spatial mechanics is flawless.
By now you are probably asking: Doctor who?
And you would be right.
Tom's alter-ego is Doctor Who, the Time Lord hero of more than 12 million fans in Britain alone.
Baker recalls: "I was on a fan visit to Aberdeen University not long ago.
"To my considerable embarrassment, the president of the student's union rose solemnly to his feet and proposed me for the rectorship."
His success in the role never ceases to surprise him, particularly as his interpretation of Dr. Who has raised the show to the level of an intellectual cult.
In the history books November 1963 was the month President Kennedy was assassinated.
But to fans around the world, it has another significance.
It's the month that Dr Who first made his bow.
Now for 15 years, the famous Time Lord has grappled with Sontarans, Cybermen, Krinoids, Zygons, the Kraals ... and of course his greatest enemies the Daleks!
Today, scriptwriter Terry Nation, original creator of Dr Who, confesses he is still astonished by the success.
"The idea of the Daleks was the greatest stroke of luck in my entire career." Nation says.
"It came to me at breakfast one day when I was fiddling with a pepperpot.
"The shape looked promising on the drawing-board. But I never thought the whole thing would have such a long life."
Back in 1963, the first Dr Who, played by actor William Hartnell, was an elderly professorial type with a grand-daughter 15,. as his assistant.
The next Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, was fey and eccentric. Then came the foppish and elegant Doctor of Jon Pertwee.
The latest, Tom Baker, dresses in a faintly sinister broad-brimmed black hat and a flowing scarf.
As Terry Nation explains: "The Doctor can assume a new body when the old one shows signs of wearing out."
This is also a handy device for actors who have 'had enough of the role!
Perhaps the world's most loyal Dr Who admirer is Richard Landon, 28, who says proudly: "In 15 years, I've watched every single episode. And that's getting on for 500 of them."
Richard is also a leading light in the 700-strong international Panoptikon '78 — or Dr Who Appreciation Society.
Says Richard solemnly: "We are a very learned body. Ask us when the Doctor first said: 'There's a flucose path forming on the periscarp' and well tell you."
Tom Baker was spotted in amateur dramatics at the age of 15 and asked if he would like to be an actor.
He recalls: "I said yes, but no one seemed particularly interested after that.
"Then a priest came to our school and explained the monastic life. When I was asked if I would like to join I said yes. And I did."
For nearly six years he was a Brother of the Order of Ploermel and passed his novitiate in the Channel Islands.
"But my heart wasn't really in the priesthood," he confesses. "So I decided on the theatre at last and got a small grant."
Mildly eccentric himself, he says he is utterly indifferent to possessions and turned up for the audition for Dr Who in his one and only suit and a leather overcoat.
And how long will Dr Who continue?
"There was once a time when Dr Who returned to his home planet of Gallifrey to report to The Time Lords." says Nation.
"He didn't like what he saw and soon escaped to return to the freedom of his life as a wanderer in time and space."
Says a BBC spokesman: "There certainly are no plans in the foreseeable future for the Doctor to return to Gallifrey for good."
Captions:
WILLIAM HARTNELL ... the first.
JON PERTWEE ... foppish, elegant.
TOM BAKER ... an intellectual cult.
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.: Butler, Rupert (1978-12-23). Doctor Who (TV Scene). TV Scene p. 16.
- MLA 7th ed.: Butler, Rupert. "Doctor Who (TV Scene)." TV Scene [add city] 1978-12-23, 16. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Butler, Rupert. "Doctor Who (TV Scene)." TV Scene, edition, sec., 1978-12-23
- Turabian: Butler, Rupert. "Doctor Who (TV Scene)." TV Scene, 1978-12-23, section, 16 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Doctor Who (TV Scene) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_(TV_Scene) | work=TV Scene | pages=16 | date=1978-12-23 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Doctor Who (TV Scene) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_(TV_Scene) | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 April 2025}}</ref>
