How Much Money Doctor Who's Biggest Stars Got Paid

Inflation continued to plague Doctor Who in the second half of the 1970s. This directly impacted the show’s production, with many of the Fourth Doctor’s stories affected by industrial action.

But what of the show’s leading man, the ineffable Tom Baker? After all, even if you walk in eternity, you still have to pay the bills!

Baker’s Doctor Who salary has never been revealed, but it no doubt dropped in value over his seven years at the helm. If he was being paid the same £350 per-episode rate as Pertwee, his fee would've pretty much halved between 1975 and 1981 (from £2,600 to £1,300 in today’s money). Though that doesn't account for any pay rises of course.

Indeed, one early report of Baker’s salary was greatly exaggerated, as the man himself was quick to point out:

“I live very simply. I have hardly any possessions and I live in a bedsit in Pimlico. I read in a national newspaper that I was getting paid £1,000 a week for Doctor Who. That’s absolutely preposterous. The BBC must have had a good laugh.”

So even if Baker’s original paycheques were slightly disappointing, that was half a century ago – and Doctor Who is the financial gift that keeps on giving. So he's no doubt made up for it since!