It would be impossible to overstate the importance of Tom Baker to Doctor Who. Prior to the shows rebirth in 2005, the mere mention of Doctor Who, even to someone who had never seen it, would likely evoke images of Baker as the Fourth Doctor, beaming from behind his trademark hat and scarf. Perhaps no other actor has ever been so closely associated with the role. In sharp contrast to Pertwees elegantly dressed, coolly detached, Holmes-ian Third Doctor, Bakers Fourth, with his mop of dark curls, wide-eyed manic grin, and bohemian attire, was startlingly unique and bizarre. A genuine eccentric, Baker imbued the Fourth Doctor with many of his own odd quirks and idiosyncrasies, and the result was a performance that was unpredictable, captivating and very believably alien. Add to that, his commanding, resonant voice, frequent left-field ad-libs and improvisations on set, and his remarkable ability as an actor to perform split-second shifts from deadly serious conviction, to comic glee, to righteous outrage with mercurial grace, and you have a Doctor that is wholly new and original, yet also somehow an essential synthesis of his predecessors. In a perfect synergy of actor and character, Baker became the role in a way no other actor had and, in many ways, it became him, until the two were inextricably intertwined. Propelled by his performance, Doctor Who rocketed from national hit in the U.K. to international cult phenomenon. His episodes were the first to be broadcast in the U.S., creating new legions of devoted fans, most of whom had no idea that he was not the first and only Doctor. At seven years, his tenure is still the longest of any actor to play the role, and even today, the Fourth Doctor remains iconic, regularly topping popularity polls worldwide. To many, he was not just a Doctor, but THE Doctor The definite article, you might say
The Essentials
Genesis of the Daleks (Season 12, Episode 4)
Quite possibly the most important Dalek story in Doctor Who, it is also one of the best episodes the classic series has to offer. An uncompromisingly grim war story, it details the origins of Doctor Whos most famous monsters, while providing a dark ethical meditation on the dehumanizing effects of warfare and the dangers of unbridled scientific ambition. The longstanding Dalek/Nazi allegory is used to superlative effect, making this one of the few serials in which the Daleks can seem truly terrifying. Genesis of the Daleks also introduces Davros, the Daleks creator who, though he would become a permanent fixture in future Dalek stories, would never be used more effectively than he is here. Providing a less abrasively mechanical adversary for the Doctor, Davros represents both the source and distillation of the Dalek mindset, enabling a deeper and more focused exploration of the storys inherent philosophical conflicts. If it all sounds pretty heavy and heady, it is. But its also a thoroughly engrossing, atmospheric thrill-ride. Bakers eccentricity and off-handed anti-authoritarianism provide welcome moments of levity, but its the powerful gravitas he brings to the serials weightier scenes that make this one of his finest hours. If, after reading this monolithic guide, you decide that youre only interested in watching one classic Doctor Who serial, this is the one to choose.
City of Death (Season 17, Episode 2)
In 1979, the BBC hired a young, upstart writer named Douglas Adams to serve as script editor for Doctor Whos seventeenth season. Having made brief appearances on Monty Pythons Flying Circus, and more recently, having achieved popular success with a radio show titled The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the novels were still in the works), Adams brought his own singular, silly sense of sci-fi to Doctor Who. Certainly, the show had always had comedic elements but, even after only one season, Adams unique brand of wit and whimsy became so firmly embedded in the fabric of the show that, though perhaps slightly toned down, they remain an integral part of the series today. Easily the standout serial of the season he oversaw, City of Death is pure entertainment. Featuring extensive Paris location shoots, a hard-nosed, thick headed detective, a suave, sophisticated alien who wants to steal the Mona Lisa, and a wealth of delightful, screwball interplay between Bakers Fourth Doctor and his Time Lady companion, Romana (Lalla Ward), its not essential viewing because its narrative offers any major contributions to Doctor Who mythos, or because it features any pivotal, character-revealing moments for the Doctor. As light as a soufflé, as expertly crafted, and no less delectable, City of Death is simply Doctor Who at its funniest and most fun.
The Exceptional
The Ark in Space (Season 12, Episode 2)
A better introduction to the Fourth Doctor than the uneven and unwieldy season opener, Robot, Tom Bakers second serial plunges headlong into the gothic horror aesthetic that would be the hallmark of his early years in the role. Though set aboard a space station in the distant future, the storys sci-fi elements take a backseat to its macabre monster movie style (one, in fact, cant help but wonder if the creators of
Alien took some inspiration from this serials tone and temper). Even the admittedly poor special effects dont really detract from the narratives tragic weight, or the air of creeping dread that permeates the proceedings. The Fourth Doctors mercurial, bohemian style stands in perfect contrast to the stark severity of the story and its sterile setting, and Baker, still fresh in the role, commands the screen with note-perfect wide-eyed enthusiasm and full-throated conviction. An engrossing and sometimes gruesome portrait of an alien hero battling for the human soul, Ark in Space has been named by both Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat as their favorite episode of classic Doctor Who.
Robots of Death (Season 14, Episode 5)
One of the best variations of the Ten Little Indians in Space formula that has been used time and again in Doctor Who, Robots of Death is also an Asimov-ian science fiction parable and a scathing critique of unbridled capitalism. The second serial to feature the leather-clad, thick-skinned, knife-wielding companion, Leela (Louise Jameson), the story gives the playfully tweaked Henry Higgins/Eliza Doolittle dynamic between her and the Doctor its best showing, as they find themselves accused of murder on an isolated mining ship. The skeleton crew of human pilots, miners and engineers manage to make themselves almost entirely unlikable, yet also somehow compelling, possessed of more layers and complexities than one might expect from this type of story. And the titular robots are a masterpiece of low-budget craftsmanship, their expressionless, almost human faces providing a blank slate that can be read as both pleasantly placid and terrifyingly cold. Bleak and brutal, yet also fun and thoroughly enjoyable, Robots of Death is one of the best displays of how classic Doctor Who could accomplish a great deal with very little.
The Expository
The Invasion of Time (Season 15, Episode 6)
An epic adventure that sees the Doctor returning to Galifrey and becoming President in order to pave the way for an alien invasion of his own planet (!), The Invasion of Time offers the most thorough exploration of the Doctors relationship with his own people (especially his former mentor, Borusa), the most exhaustive tour of the TARDIS interior this side of the current series, and one of the most unsettling reminders of the Doctors unpredictability and enigmatic reserve. It is also wearyingly long, inappropriately frivolous, and very often, a thudding bore. The events that transpire over the course of Invasion of Times six episodes (very telling, that I remembered there being nine) have resounding effects that stretch into the rest of the classic series, and even into the Big Finish audioplays. And while theres enough sporadic entertainment to keep you watching if youre feeling especially patient, it may be best to simply content yourself with reading a synopsis.
Logopolis (Season 18, Episode 7)
The end of an era for Doctor Who, and the beginning of a new one, Logopolis is not a bad story. Nor is it an especially great one. Solid enough, it is notable for two things: it marks the departure, after seven years, of Tom Bakers Fourth Doctor, and it has a very different tone and style than the other Fourth Doctor serials listed here. Season 18 saw the arrival of John Nathan-Turner as producer, a role he would occupy until the classic series end. Driven by an ambition to update and modernize Doctor Who, he made several noticeable changes to the shows overall aesthetic. The episode-to-episode continuity was played up, the humor was toned down, the production style was made more (for the BBC) cinematic, and Tom Baker whose lengthy tenure and popularity had given him near carte-blanche on set was reined in. Its hard to say whether its Baker or the Fourth Doctor who seems so weary and withdrawn in his final episodes, but a resigned, funereal tone hangs over all of Season 18 and finds its culmination in Logopolis. A hard sci-fi story (for Doctor Who) dealing with recursion, entropy, a planet of mathematicians, and the potential end of the universe, it pits the Doctor against a newly-regenerated Master, bringing their Holmes/Moriarty antagonism to a climax worthy of Conan-Doyles Final Problem. A decent finale for Tom Baker and the Fourth Doctor, but perhaps equally importantly, an introduction to the shape of Doctor Who to come
The Execrable
Fortunately, Baker was a strong enough performer, and the overall quality of the writing solid enough during his tenure, that none of his episodes could be described a worthless or unwatchable. That said, unless you REALLY feel impelled as a completist, you can skip The Android Invasion, The Invisible Enemy, Underworld, The Leisure Hive and Meglos. A Few Extras Bakers tenure saw a lot of truly worthwhile episodes and it would be impossible to list them all here, but if youre looking to move on from this list, check out Pyramids of Mars, The Deadly Assassin, Horror of Fang Rock, and State of Decay. STAY TUNED for Part 2, where I'll cover Doctors 5 through 8...