10 Times Doctor Who Gave Fans EXACTLY What They Wanted
3. Tom Baker's Curator Cameo
Commenting on why he chose Tom Baker as the only classic Doctor to return for The Day of the Doctor in 2013, Steven Moffat said that the idea was simply "irresistible":
"To have the longest-standing [and the] oldest Doctor from longest ago make an appearance and be the one who briefs the new Doctor on where to go… well, it's irresistible, isn't it? You get to hear that voice again! It was just wonderful."
In other words, he knew that this particular Baker - as the most popular classic Doctor by a mile - would be the one that fans would want to see the most.
With The Day of the Doctor being a celebration of the first 50 years of Who, it also made perfect sense to bring back the man who'd represented the show for the longest period of time. And the great thing about the cameo was that it wasn't just there for the sake of it - Baker, as the mysterious Curator, was there to round out the episode's story (and NuWho's ongoing Time War arc), by confirming to the Eleventh Doctor that his attempt to save Gallifrey was successful. "Gallifrey falls no more!"
It was the very definition of a crowd-pleasing moment, and there were undoubtedly a lot of tears in the audience when Baker's booming voice rang out across the gallery.