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'''Colin Baker''' (born [[8 June (people)|8 June]] [[1943 (people)|1943]]<ref>[https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba04a5ec1 BFI]</ref>) played the [[Sixth Doctor]] from 1984 to 1986, beginning with an appearance at the conclusion of ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', continuing from ''[[The Twin Dilemma (TV story)|The Twin Dilemma]] ''to ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]''.
'''Colin Baker''' (born [[8 June (people)|8 June]] [[1943 (people)|1943]]<ref>[https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba04a5ec1 BFI]</ref>) played the [[Sixth Doctor]] from 1984 to 1986, beginning with an appearance at the conclusion of ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', continuing from ''[[The Twin Dilemma (TV story)|The Twin Dilemma]] ''to ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]''.


He reprised the role for the 1989 stage show ''[[The Ultimate Adventure]]'' and the 1993 [[Children in Need|''Children in Need'']] special ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'', as well as for numerous ''[[Doctor Who]]'' audio stories for [[Big Finish Productions]].
He reprised the role for the 1989 stage show ''[[The Ultimate Adventure]]'' and the 1993 ''[[Children in Need]]'' special ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'', as well as in numerous ''[[Doctor Who]]'' audio stories from [[Big Finish Productions]].


Prior to becoming the Doctor, he was cast as Commander [[Maxil]] in ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'' and was considered for the roles of [[Arnold Jellicoe|Arnold Jellicole]] in ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fourth Doctor]]''), [[Minister of Persuasion|Persuasion]] in [[Four to Doomsday (TV story)|''Four to Doomsday'']] ([[REF]]: [[TCH 34]]) and [[Roger Scobie|Scobie]], [[Andrew Bilton|Bilton]] and [[Sheard]] in [[Time-Flight (TV story)|''Time-Flight'']] ([[REF]]: [[TCH 35]]).
Prior to becoming the Doctor, he was cast as Commander [[Maxil]] in ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'' and was considered for the roles of [[Arnold Jellicoe|Arnold Jellicole]] in ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fourth Doctor]]'') [[Minister of Persuasion|Persuasion]] in ''[[Four to Doomsday (TV story)|Four to Doomsday]]'' ([[REF]]: ''[[TCH 34]]) and [[Roger Scobie|Scobie]], [[Andrew Bilton|Bilton]] and [[Sheard]] in [[Time-Flight (TV story)|Time-Flight]]'' ([[REF]]: [[TCH 35]]).


== Profile ==
== Profile ==
Before being selected to replace [[Peter Davison]] as the Doctor, Baker was an established [[television]] actor. His most notable role was Paul Merroney in ''The Brothers''. Baker also guest starred as Bayban the Butcher in the ''[[Blake's 7 (series)|Blake's 7]]'' episode ''[[w:c:blakes7:City at the Edge of the World (episode)|City at the Edge of the World]]''.
Before being selected to replace [[Peter Davison]] as the Doctor, Baker was an established [[television]] actor. His most notable role was Paul Merroney in ''The Brothers''. Baker also guest starred as Bayban the Butcher in the ''[[Blake's 7 (series)|Blake's 7]]'' episode ''[[w:c:blakes7:City at the Edge of the World (episode)|City at the Edge of the World]]''.


Baker made his ''Doctor Who'' debut as Commander [[Maxil]] in ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'' in 1983. Later that same year, he was cast as the [[Sixth Doctor]] following [[Peter Davison]]'s decision to leave the series. His era on ''Doctor Who'' was interrupted by an eighteen-month hiatus, officially because the show was moved back from the spring to the autumn schedule. He was ultimately dismissed from the part at the insistence of [[BBC]] management, who wanted to refresh the show. The Controller of BBC One at the time, [[Michael Grade]], criticised ''Doctor Who'', saying that the programme had become overly violent and its storylines farcical. Baker was offered the [[Time and the Rani (TV story)|first four episodes]] of [[Season 24|the next season]] in order to pave the way for a regeneration, which he turned down as he did not wish to miss out on other work in the meantime. He did offer to do the whole season and have the Doctor regenerate at the end, but this was refused. {{As of|2021}}, he is the only actor to play the Doctor who has been fired by the BBC. Years later, Baker would express regret for this decision, claiming he was being "selfish" and "not thinking about the fans". Prior to his dismissal, Baker claimed he would gladly have done the show for as many as eight years.
Baker made his ''Doctor Who'' debut as Commander [[Maxil]] in ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'' in 1983. On the strength of that performance, as well as a wedding party at which he impressed producer [[John Nathan-Turner]], he was cast as the [[Sixth Doctor]] following Peter Davison's decision to leave the series. His era on ''Doctor Who'' began in 1984 and was interrupted by the show's cancellation a year later. After fan backlash, this was reduced to an eighteen-month hiatus<ref>https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/doctor-who-is-axed/</ref>, ostensibly because the show was moved from the spring to the autumn schedule. In the interim, Baker voiced the Doctor in the radio drama ''[[Slipback (audio story)|Slipback]]''.


Since leaving ''Doctor Who'', Baker has continued to act, mainly on the stage, where he played the Doctor again in ''[[The Ultimate Adventure]]'', replacing [[Jon Pertwee]] in the part. He returned to television as the Doctor in the 1993 charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]''. He has played a Doctor-like character in the [[BBV Productions]] video series ''The Stranger'', reprised the role of the Doctor in a series of audio plays produced by [[Big Finish Productions]], and played an [[Burner Doctor|alternate version of the Doctor]] in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Disassembled (audio story)|Disassembled]]''. In a poll conducted by ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'',{{which}} fans voted Baker the "greatest" of the Doctors in the audio plays.
Following the conclusion of Season 23, Baker was dismissed as the Doctor at the insistence of [[BBC]] management, who wanted to refresh the show. The [[Controller of BBC One]] at the time, [[Michael Grade]], believed ''Doctor Who'' had become outdated, with overly violent, farcial storylines. Baker was asked to return for the [[Time and the Rani (TV story)|first serial]] of [[Season 24 (Doctor Who 1963)|the next season]] to pave the way for the next Doctor, but he declined, not wishing to miss out on other work in the meantime. He in turn offered to do the whole season and have the Doctor regenerate at the end, but was himself rejected. An interview with ''The Sun'' in which he criticised Grade<ref name=":0">https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/colin-baker-1987/</ref> ensured he would never return.


Baker's post-''Who'' television work during the 1990s included guest appearances in the BBC's medical drama ''Casualty'' and Channel 4's adaptation of ''A Dance to the Music of Time''. He also appeared as himself as the resident celebrity in 'Dictionary Corner' on the daytime quiz show ''Countdown'', also on Channel 4. He appeared in the first episode of ''Jonathan Creek'' and in an episode of the George Lucas TV series ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'', making him one of four classic series Doctors (the others being [[Jon Pertwee]], [[Tom Baker]] and [[Peter Davison]]) to appear in an American TV series after leaving the role. In an appearance in an episode of the BBC's long-running medical drama series, ''Casualty'', Baker played a Doctorish patient named David Vincent (named after Roy Thinnes' character in ''The Invaders'' TV series) who was a UFO nut, and in an episode of Al Murray's pub sitcom, ''Time Gentlemen Please'', made by Sky TV, he appeared as a character named Professor Baker.
Years later, Baker would express regret for refusing the BBC's request, claiming he was being "selfish" and "not thinking about the fans".


In 1994, Colin Baker had the distinction of being the first Doctor to have written a ''Doctor Who'' story, penning ''[[The Age of Chaos (comic story)|The Age of Chaos]]'', a graphic novel published by [[Marvel UK]] featuring the Sixth Doctor and [[Frobisher]]. He has also written several short stories for ''Doctor Who Magazine'' and its ''Yearbook''s featuring the Sixth Doctor. Although [[Matt Smith]] is known to have written several short stories featuring the Doctor in preparation for playing the [[Eleventh Doctor]], as of 2019 none have been published and thus it was not until the release of the ''[[Scratchman (novelisation)|Scratchman]]'' by [[Tom Baker]] that another Doctor actor has been credited for writing published ''Doctor Who'' fiction.
As of 2022, Baker is the only actor to play the Doctor who has been fired by the BBC. Prior to his dismissal, he claimed he would gladly have done the show for as many as eight years.


Since 1995, Baker has written a column for the ''Bucks Free Press''. In 2010, [[Hirst Books]] published a volume of a hundred of these columns called ''Look Who's Talking.'' They announced a second collection, including Baker's Doctor Who fiction entitled ''Gallimaufry''. Baker both wrote and read ''[[The Wings of a Butterfly (audio story)|The Wings of a Butterfly]]'' for ''[[Short Trips - Volume I]]''.
=== Post-departure ===
[[File:Dit Behind the scenes 2.jpg|thumb|left|Colin on the set of [[TV]]: ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'')]]
Baker's post-Who filmography includes guest appearances in BBC series ''[[Casualty]]'' and ''Jonathan Creek'', [[Al Murray|Al Murray's]] sitcom ''Time Gentlemen Please'' (as Professor Baker), [[Channel 4]]'s adaptation of ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', and ''The Young [[Indiana Jones (film series)|Indiana Jones]] Chronicles''. As himself, Baker has been a 'Dictionary Corner' guest on the daytime quiz show ''[[Countdown (TV series)|Countdown]]'' and competed in [[ITV]]'s reality series ''[[I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!|I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!]]''.


Since [[Nicholas Courtney]]'s death in 2011, Baker has been the honorary President of the [[Doctor Who Appreciation Society]]. Although it is said the two didn't really know each other, Baker paid his respects to the late [[Elisabeth Sladen]] after she died the same year.
==== ''Doctor Who'' and Big Finish ====
Despite the circumstances of his departure from ''Doctor Who'', Baker has remained involved with the franchise. He reprised his role as the Doctor in the play ''[[The Ultimate Adventure]],'' replacing [[Jon Pertwee]], and on television in the 1993 charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]''. In the [[BBV Productions]] video series ''[[The Stranger (series)|The Stranger]]'', he played the eponymous character, who was similar to the Doctor.


In 2013, Baker appeared alongside [[Peter Davison]] and [[Sylvester McCoy]] in ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]'', in which they attempt to appear in the 50th anniversary special ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]''.
Since 1999, he has acted in audio dramas produced by [[Big Finish Productions]], usually as the Doctor. Occasionally, however, he has played alternate versions of the Doctor, such as the [[Burner Doctor]] in ''[[Disassembled (audio story)|Disassembled]]'' and [[the Curator]] in ''[[Stranded]].'' In the ''[[Gallifrey (audio series)|Gallifrey]]'' story ''[[Appropriation (audio story)|Appropriation]]'', he returned to the role of Maxil for the first time since ''Arc of Infinity.''


In 2015, Baker finally saw a chance to perform a genuine regeneration story for his Doctor in the Big Finish audio anthology ''[[The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure]]'', putting to bed his jest that he had never handed over the role, which he discussed at length in the commentary featured with the release. At 28 years since his exit from ''Doctor Who'', he holds the record for the longest time an actor who played the Doctor has waited to perform a regeneration scene after leaving the series, even surpassing [[Paul McGann]]'s extensive wait of 17 years.
In 2015, Baker finally acted in a Sixth Doctor regeneration story, the Big Finish anthology ''[[The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure]]''. In the commentary included with the release, he remarked this finally put to bed his jest that he had never handed over the role. Baker has waited the longest of the Doctors to perform a regeneration scene, at 28 years since his exit from ''Doctor Who''; only [[Paul McGann]], who regenerated in ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'' 17 years after the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|TV movie]], comes close.


In 2019, Baker appeared on the ''Doctor Who'' [[YouTube|Youtube]] channel in [[The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN! (webcast)|''The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN!'']]'', ''a short video promoting the the upcoming release of the Blu-ray [[Season 23]] collection.
Baker has also played himself in the context of ''Doctor Who''. In ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]'', he, Peter Davison, and [[Sylvester McCoy]] attempt to appear in the 50th anniversary special ''[[The Day of the Doctor (The Zygon Isolation)|The Day of the Doctor]]'', while in ''[[The Trial (webcast)|The Trial]]'', a promotional mini-episodes produced for ''Doctor Who'': ''[[The Collection]]'' — ''[[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 23]]'' [[Blu-ray]] boxset, a [[Colin Baker (The Trial)|a properly in-universe Baker]] is put on trial for an unpaid [[parking fine]].


== Personal Life ==
[[Doctor Who Magazine|<nowiki/>]][[Doctor Who Magazine|<nowiki/>]]
He was once married to [[Liza Goddard]] but the pair divorced. Baker later re-married and had five children. His son, Jack, sadly died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1983, activating Baker's support for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. Since then, Baker has had 4 daughters, including [[Rosie Baker]]. All four daughters, as well as Baker's wife, played themselves in ''The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot''.
 
In 1994, Baker became the first Doctor to write a ''Doctor Who'' story, penning ''[[The Age of Chaos (comic story)|The Age of Chaos]]'', a graphic novel published by [[Marvel UK]] featuring the Sixth Doctor and [[Frobisher]]. He has since written short stories about the Sixth Doctor for ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''[[Doctor Who Magazine|<nowiki/>'s]] annual ''Yearbook''s, the anthology ''[[The Target Storybook (anthology)|The Target Storybook,]]'' and [[Short Trips - Volume I|the first volume]] of Big Finish's Short Trips. It was not until the release of [[Tom Baker|Tom Baker's]] ''[[Scratchman (novelisation)|Scratchman]]'' that another Doctor would be credited for writing published ''Doctor Who'' fiction; although [[Matt Smith]] is known to have written stories featuring the Doctor in preparation for his role as the [[Eleventh Doctor]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8580985.stm</ref>, they were never released.
 
[[Doctor Who Magazine|<nowiki/>]]
 
== Personal life ==
Baker was first married to [[Liza Goddard]]; the two later divorced. He later remarried and had five children. His son Jack died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1983, leading to Baker's support for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. His wife and four daughters, including [[Rosie Baker]], played themselves in ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]''.
 
From 1995 to 2019, Baker wrote a column for the ''Bucks Free Press'' called ''Look Who's Talking''. In 2010, [[Hirst Books]] published a volume of a hundred of these columns, also called ''Look Who's Talking''. In 2012, they released a second collection of Baker's writing, including his ''Doctor Who'' stories, entitled ''Gallimaufry.''
 
Baker has served as honourary President of the [[Doctor Who Appreciation Society]] since [[Nicholas Courtney|Nicholas Courtney's]] death in 2011.


Colin Baker is of no relation to [[Tom Baker]], who played the [[Fourth Doctor]].
Colin Baker is of no relation to [[Tom Baker]], who played the [[Fourth Doctor]].


== In the DWU ==
== In the DWU ==
Colin Baker [[Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN!)|appeared as himself]] in the webcast ''[[The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN! (webcast)|The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN!]]'', where he is put on trial for an unpaid [[parking fine]] which he received whilst filming new material for ''[[Doctor Who (N-Space)|Doctor Who]]'' [[Doctor Who Season 23|Season 23]].
{{Main|Colin Baker (The Trial)}}
[[Colin Baker (Peter Capaldi and Simon the Shy Cyberman Invite You to Breakfast with 7 Doctors)|Colin Baker]] was mentioned to exist in the [[DWU]] in [[WC]]: ''[[Peter Capaldi and Simon the Shy Cyberman Invite You to Breakfast with 7 Doctors (webcast)|Peter Capaldi and Simon the Shy Cyberman Invite You to Breakfast with 7 Doctors]]'', and he appeared another webcast, ''[[The Trial (webcast)|The Trial]]'', where the real world Baker played himself being put on trial for an unpaid parking fine which he received whilst filming new material for ''[[Doctor Who (in-universe)|Doctor Who]]'' [[Doctor Who Season 23|Season 23]].


== Credits ==
== Acting Credits ==
as the [[Sixth Doctor]]
as the [[Sixth Doctor]]
=== Television ===
=== Television ===
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==== Doctor Who ====
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Real Time (webcast)|Real Time]]''
* ''[[Real Time (webcast)|Real Time]]''
==== Tales of the TARDIS ====
* ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TotT TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]''


==== The Collection ====
==== The Collection ====
* ''[[The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN! (webcast)|The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN!]]'' - [[Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor is on trial AGAIN!)|Colin Baker]]
* ''[[The Eternal Mystery (webcast)|The Eternal Mystery]]'' - voice, uncredited
* ''[[The Eternal Mystery (webcast)|The Eternal Mystery]]'' - The [[Sixth Doctor]] (voice) (uncredited)


=== Other ===
=== Other ===
* ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]''
* ''[[A Fix with Sontarans (home video)|A Fix with Sontarans]]''
* ''[[Untitled (1986 TV story)|Untitled]]''
* ''[[Untitled (1986 TV story)|Untitled]]''
* ''[[Famine Appeal]]''


=== Audio ===
=== Audio ===
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** ''[[The Tides of the Moon (audio story)|The Tides of the Moon]]''
** ''[[The Tides of the Moon (audio story)|The Tides of the Moon]]''
** ''[[Maelstrom (audio story)|Maelstrom]]''
** ''[[Maelstrom (audio story)|Maelstrom]]''
* ''[[Purity Undreamed (audio anthology)|Purity Undreamed]]''
** ''[[The Mindless Ones (audio story)|The Mindless Ones]]''
** ''[[Reverse Engineering (audio story)|Reverse Engineering]]''
** ''[[Chronomancer (audio story)|Chronomancer]]''
* ''[[Purity Unleashed (audio anthology)|Purity Unleashed]]''
** ''[[Broadway Belongs to Me! (audio story)|Broadway Belongs to Me!]]''
** ''[[Purification (audio story)|Purification]]''
** ''[[Time-Burst (audio story)|Time-Burst]]''
* ''[[Purity Unbound (audio anthology)|Purity Unbound]]''
** ''[[Girl in a Bubble (audio story)|Girl in a Bubble]]''
** ''[[The Corruptions (audio story)|The Corruptions]]''
** ''[[The Wrong Side of History (audio story)|The Wrong Side of History]]''
*''[[The Quin Dilemma (audio anthology)|The Quin Dilemma]]''
**''[[The Exaltation (audio story)|The Exaltation]]''
**''[[Escape from Holy Island (audio story)|Escape From Holy Island]]''
**''[[Sibling Rivalry (audio story)|Sibling Rivalry]]''
**''[[Children of the Revolution (audio story)|Children of the Revolution]]''
**''[[The Thousand Year Thaw (audio story)|The Thousand Year Thaw]]''
**''[[The Firstborn (audio story)|The Firstborn]]''
*''[[The Trials of a Time Lord (audio story)|The Trials of a Time Lord]]''


==== Classic Doctors, New Monsters ====
==== Classic Doctors, New Monsters ====
* ''[[Judoon in Chains (audio story)|Judoon in Chains]]''
* ''[[Judoon in Chains (audio story)|Judoon in Chains]]''
* ''[[The Carrionite Curse (audio story)|The Carrionite Curse]]''
* ''[[The Carrionite Curse (audio story)|The Carrionite Curse]]''
* ''[[Together in Eclectic Dreams (audio story)|Together in Eclectic Dreams]]''
==== Once and Future ====
* ''[[Past Lives (audio story)|Past Lives]]''
* ''[[The Artist at the End of Time (audio story)|The Artist at the End of Time]]''
* ''[[Two's Company (audio story)|Two's Company]]''
* ''[[The Union (audio story)|The Union]]''


==== The Stageplays ====
==== The Stageplays ====
Line 267: Line 309:
* ''[[Murmurs of Earth (audio story)|Murmurs of Earth]]''
* ''[[Murmurs of Earth (audio story)|Murmurs of Earth]]''
* ''[[To Cut a Blade of Grass (audio story)|To Cut a Blade of Grass]]''
* ''[[To Cut a Blade of Grass (audio story)|To Cut a Blade of Grass]]''
* ''[[The Hoxteth Time Capsule (audio story)|The Hoxteth Time Capsule]]''


==== Doctor Who Unbound ====
==== Doctor Who Unbound ====
Line 289: Line 332:
==== The Lives of Captain Jack ====
==== The Lives of Captain Jack ====
* ''[[Piece of Mind (audio story)|Piece of Mind]]''
* ''[[Piece of Mind (audio story)|Piece of Mind]]''
=== Audiobook readings ===
==== Target Novelisations ====
* ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Attack of the Cybermen]]''
* ''[[Vengeance on Varos (novelisation)|Vengeance on Varos]]''
* ''[[The Twin Dilemma (novelisation)|The Twin Dilemma]]''
* ''[[Mindwarp (novelisation)|Mindwarp]]''
* ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]''
* ''[[Timelash (novelisation)|Timelash]]''
==== BBC Audio ====
* ''[[Fortunes of War (audio story)|Fortunes of War]]''
==== Doctor Who Audio Annuals ====
* ''[[Time Wake (short story)|Time Wake]]''


Other Roles
Other Roles
Line 309: Line 337:
==== Doctor Who ====
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'' - [[Maxil|Commander Maxil]]
* ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'' - [[Maxil|Commander Maxil]]
* ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]'' - [[Guardians of the Edge|Guardian of the Edge]]
=== Webcasts ===
==== The Collection ====
* ''[[The Trial (webcast)|The Trial]]'' - [[Colin Baker (The Trial)|Colin Baker]]
=== Other ===
* ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]''
* ''[[Famine Appeal]]''


=== Audio ===
=== Audio ===
Line 318: Line 355:
* ''[[Crossed Lines (audio story)|Crossed Lines]]'' - [[The Curator]]
* ''[[Crossed Lines (audio story)|Crossed Lines]]'' - [[The Curator]]
* ''[[The Keys of Baker Street (audio story)|The Keys of Baker Street]]'' - The Curator
* ''[[The Keys of Baker Street (audio story)|The Keys of Baker Street]]'' - The Curator
==== Once and Future ====
* ''[[The Artist at the End of Time (audio story)|The Artist at the End of Time]]'' - [[The Curator]]


==== Doctor Who Unbound ====
==== Doctor Who Unbound ====
Line 325: Line 365:
** ''[[Aftershocks (audio story)|Aftershocks]]''
** ''[[Aftershocks (audio story)|Aftershocks]]''
** ''[[The Difference Office (audio story)|The Difference Office]]''
** ''[[The Difference Office (audio story)|The Difference Office]]''
* ''[[Destiny (audio anthology)|Destiny]]''
** ''[[Who Am I? (audio story)|Who Am I?]]''
** ''[[Time Killers (audio story)|Time Killers]]''
** ''[[The Key To Key To Time (audio story)|The Key To Key To Time]]''


==== Bernice Summerfield ====
==== Bernice Summerfield ====
* ''[[Birthright (audio story)|Birthright]]'' - [[Mikhail Vladamir Popov]]
* ''[[Birthright (audio story)|Birthright]]'' - [[Mikhail Vladimir Popov]]


==== Gallifrey ====
==== Gallifrey ====
Line 333: Line 377:
* ''[[Disassembled (audio story)|Disassembled]]'' - [[Burner Doctor|Lord Burner]]
* ''[[Disassembled (audio story)|Disassembled]]'' - [[Burner Doctor|Lord Burner]]
* ''[[Forever (audio story)|Forever]]'' - [[Theta Sigma (Forever)|Commentator Theta Sigma]]
* ''[[Forever (audio story)|Forever]]'' - [[Theta Sigma (Forever)|Commentator Theta Sigma]]
=== Audiobook readings ===
==== Target Novelisations ====
* ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Attack of the Cybermen]]''
* ''[[Vengeance on Varos (novelisation)|Vengeance on Varos]]''
* ''[[The Twin Dilemma (novelisation)|The Twin Dilemma]]''
* ''[[Mindwarp (novelisation)|Mindwarp]]''
* ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]''
* ''[[Timelash (novelisation)|Timelash]]''
==== BBC Audio ====
* ''[[Fortunes of War (audio story)|Fortunes of War]]''
==== Doctor Who Audio Annuals ====
* ''[[Time Wake (short story)|Time Wake]]''


== Writing Credits ==
== Writing Credits ==
Line 350: Line 409:
==== Short Trips ====
==== Short Trips ====
* ''[[The Wings of a Butterfly (audio story)|The Wings of a Butterfly]]''
* ''[[The Wings of a Butterfly (audio story)|The Wings of a Butterfly]]''
== Documentary appearances ==
* ''[[Showman - The Life of John Nathan-Turner (documentary)|Showman - The Life of John Nathan-Turner]]''


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
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[[Category:The Lives of Captain Jack voice actors]]
[[Category:The Lives of Captain Jack voice actors]]
[[Category:The Legacy of Time voice actors]]
[[Category:The Legacy of Time voice actors]]
 
[[Category:The Sixth Doctor Adventures voice actors]]
[[es:Colin Baker]]
[[Category:Tenth Doctor Adventures voice actors]]
[[Category:Tenth Doctor Adventures voice actors]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors who played themselves]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors who played themselves]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors that exist in the DWU]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors that exist in the DWU]]
[[Category:Stranded voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish Doctor Who Unbound voice actors]]
[[Category:1963 Doctor Who cast reprising their roles in 2005 Doctor Who]]
[[Category:Once and Future voice actors]]
[[Category:Peladon voice actors]]
[[Category:Sontarans vs Rutans voice actors]]


[[es:Colin Baker]]
[[ru:Колин Бейкер]]
[[ru:Колин Бейкер]]
[[Category:Stranded voice actors]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed multiple incarnations of the Doctor]]
[[Category:Big Finish Doctor Who Unbound voice actors]]

Latest revision as of 23:23, 13 September 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for his DWU counterpart or the parodical version of himself from Doctor Who?.

Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943[1]) played the Sixth Doctor from 1984 to 1986, beginning with an appearance at the conclusion of The Caves of Androzani, continuing from The Twin Dilemma to The Ultimate Foe.

He reprised the role for the 1989 stage show The Ultimate Adventure and the 1993 Children in Need special Dimensions in Time, as well as in numerous Doctor Who audio stories from Big Finish Productions.

Prior to becoming the Doctor, he was cast as Commander Maxil in Arc of Infinity and was considered for the roles of Arnold Jellicole in Robot, (REF: Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fourth Doctor) Persuasion in Four to Doomsday (REF: TCH 34) and Scobie, Bilton and Sheard in Time-Flight (REF: TCH 35).

Profile[[edit] | [edit source]]

Before being selected to replace Peter Davison as the Doctor, Baker was an established television actor. His most notable role was Paul Merroney in The Brothers. Baker also guest starred as Bayban the Butcher in the Blake's 7 episode City at the Edge of the World.

Baker made his Doctor Who debut as Commander Maxil in Arc of Infinity in 1983. On the strength of that performance, as well as a wedding party at which he impressed producer John Nathan-Turner, he was cast as the Sixth Doctor following Peter Davison's decision to leave the series. His era on Doctor Who began in 1984 and was interrupted by the show's cancellation a year later. After fan backlash, this was reduced to an eighteen-month hiatus[2], ostensibly because the show was moved from the spring to the autumn schedule. In the interim, Baker voiced the Doctor in the radio drama Slipback.

Following the conclusion of Season 23, Baker was dismissed as the Doctor at the insistence of BBC management, who wanted to refresh the show. The Controller of BBC One at the time, Michael Grade, believed Doctor Who had become outdated, with overly violent, farcial storylines. Baker was asked to return for the first serial of the next season to pave the way for the next Doctor, but he declined, not wishing to miss out on other work in the meantime. He in turn offered to do the whole season and have the Doctor regenerate at the end, but was himself rejected. An interview with The Sun in which he criticised Grade[3] ensured he would never return.

Years later, Baker would express regret for refusing the BBC's request, claiming he was being "selfish" and "not thinking about the fans".

As of 2022, Baker is the only actor to play the Doctor who has been fired by the BBC. Prior to his dismissal, he claimed he would gladly have done the show for as many as eight years.

Post-departure[[edit] | [edit source]]

Colin on the set of TV: Dimensions in Time)

Baker's post-Who filmography includes guest appearances in BBC series Casualty and Jonathan Creek, Al Murray's sitcom Time Gentlemen Please (as Professor Baker), Channel 4's adaptation of A Dance to the Music of Time, and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. As himself, Baker has been a 'Dictionary Corner' guest on the daytime quiz show Countdown and competed in ITV's reality series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.

Doctor Who and Big Finish[[edit] | [edit source]]

Despite the circumstances of his departure from Doctor Who, Baker has remained involved with the franchise. He reprised his role as the Doctor in the play The Ultimate Adventure, replacing Jon Pertwee, and on television in the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time. In the BBV Productions video series The Stranger, he played the eponymous character, who was similar to the Doctor.

Since 1999, he has acted in audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions, usually as the Doctor. Occasionally, however, he has played alternate versions of the Doctor, such as the Burner Doctor in Disassembled and the Curator in Stranded. In the Gallifrey story Appropriation, he returned to the role of Maxil for the first time since Arc of Infinity.

In 2015, Baker finally acted in a Sixth Doctor regeneration story, the Big Finish anthology The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure. In the commentary included with the release, he remarked this finally put to bed his jest that he had never handed over the role. Baker has waited the longest of the Doctors to perform a regeneration scene, at 28 years since his exit from Doctor Who; only Paul McGann, who regenerated in The Night of the Doctor 17 years after the TV movie, comes close.

Baker has also played himself in the context of Doctor Who. In The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, he, Peter Davison, and Sylvester McCoy attempt to appear in the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, while in The Trial, a promotional mini-episodes produced for Doctor Who: The Collection — Season 23 Blu-ray boxset, a a properly in-universe Baker is put on trial for an unpaid parking fine.

In 1994, Baker became the first Doctor to write a Doctor Who story, penning The Age of Chaos, a graphic novel published by Marvel UK featuring the Sixth Doctor and Frobisher. He has since written short stories about the Sixth Doctor for Doctor Who Magazine's annual Yearbooks, the anthology The Target Storybook, and the first volume of Big Finish's Short Trips. It was not until the release of Tom Baker's Scratchman that another Doctor would be credited for writing published Doctor Who fiction; although Matt Smith is known to have written stories featuring the Doctor in preparation for his role as the Eleventh Doctor[4], they were never released.

Personal life[[edit] | [edit source]]

Baker was first married to Liza Goddard; the two later divorced. He later remarried and had five children. His son Jack died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 1983, leading to Baker's support for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. His wife and four daughters, including Rosie Baker, played themselves in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

From 1995 to 2019, Baker wrote a column for the Bucks Free Press called Look Who's Talking. In 2010, Hirst Books published a volume of a hundred of these columns, also called Look Who's Talking. In 2012, they released a second collection of Baker's writing, including his Doctor Who stories, entitled Gallimaufry.

Baker has served as honourary President of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society since Nicholas Courtney's death in 2011.

Colin Baker is of no relation to Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor.

In the DWU[[edit] | [edit source]]

Main article: Colin Baker (The Trial)

Colin Baker was mentioned to exist in the DWU in WC: Peter Capaldi and Simon the Shy Cyberman Invite You to Breakfast with 7 Doctors, and he appeared another webcast, The Trial, where the real world Baker played himself being put on trial for an unpaid parking fine which he received whilst filming new material for Doctor Who Season 23.

Acting Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

as the Sixth Doctor

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Mini-episodes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stage[[edit] | [edit source]]

Webcasts[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tales of the TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Collection[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBC Radio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Main Range[[edit] | [edit source]]

Special Releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Lost Stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Sixth Doctor Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

Classic Doctors, New Monsters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Once and Future[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Stageplays[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Tenth Doctor and River Song[[edit] | [edit source]]

Out of Time[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Companion Chronicles[[edit] | [edit source]]

Short Trips[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Unbound[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Diary of River Song[[edit] | [edit source]]

Peladon[[edit] | [edit source]]

Jago & Litefoot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Lives of Captain Jack[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other Roles

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Webcasts[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Collection[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Main Range[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stranded[[edit] | [edit source]]

Once and Future[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Unbound[[edit] | [edit source]]

As The Warrior

Bernice Summerfield[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gallifrey[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audiobook readings[[edit] | [edit source]]

Target Novelisations[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBC Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Audio Annuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Writing Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

Comics[[edit] | [edit source]]

Short Stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

Brief Encounters[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Target Storybook[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Short Trips[[edit] | [edit source]]

Documentary appearances[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ BFI
  2. ↑ https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/doctor-who-is-axed/
  3. ↑ https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/colin-baker-1987/
  4. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8580985.stm

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

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