Doctor Who: 8 Tom Baker Stories To Celebrate In January

5. The Face Of Evil (1977)

Can you imagine what a thrill it must have been to have an episode of Doctor Who airing on New Year€™s Day? Oh, wait, that€™s right, we had the second part of The End of Time that day in 2010. Um. Can you imagine what a thrill it must have been to have a good episode of Doctor Who airing on New Year€™s Day? That€™s what the kiddies - and the dads looking for a bit of skin - got in 1977 when The Face of Evil€™s first episode aired. Not only were they introduced to a new companion in the form of Leela, they also got a frankly unusual story that would have kept them guessing until the last episode. Chris Boucher€™s first script for the series starts off looking as if the Doctor€™s been dropped into yet another primitive culture, only to find out that it didn€™t start off that way and he himself was the one who led to its creation. Fans don€™t get anything as blatant as Eccleston€™s €œOh, my... I made this world" but that uncomfortable truth is always there lurking in the plot. Hard to believe now, after they€™ve done several audio dramas together and are now the best of friends, but Baker and Louise Jameson did not get on well initially and Baker hated the concept of Leela from the start. You have to admit, though, she did provide a change of pace from all of the companions that had come before her and even most of those that followed, too. Good thing she got to stay more than her initially contracted fourteen episodes - if nothing else, who would Fry€™s love interest on Futurama had been if she didn€™t?