PS, I can't wait to read his book, Scratchman, told from the Doctor's perspective. Everyone says it's a great read, and that seeing inside the Doctor's mind is a delight.
Tom loved the Doctor, and he wanted Doctor Who to shine. He held people up to a standard. Sure, he wasn't always right, but I imagine he was most of the time.
Yes he knew the Doctor very well but Tom could have been a bit kinder. Writers not going to read through for fear of Tom getting angry. I really hope he didn't tell of Douglas Adam's. Now that would not be tolerated. And yes I love the 4th Doctor!❤❤
I think Tom was not only so pleased and joyful to be given the role of Dr Who he felt he had to give 120 % to not only, make it work, but to make sure he left the best impression of the best Doctor....and he did!!
I think tom baker was sad that Elizabeth salden left the show and then he didn't put in again good profamce as the doctor until lala ward came in came along
I think Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston would have a good chat and hug over their grievances with the BBCs bullshit, honestly. The one who cares for the story and the one who cares for the crew.
@Omnicient. Nah, it's true. My granddad worked on Doctor Who as a Boom Operator during the Pertree era. Bernard Cribbins was gonna be 4, but then Baker showed up during Planet Of The Spiders in nothing but his panties and a Scarf, and started delivering the intended regeneration dialogue on the second to last daybof shooting! Cribbins was quite scuffed about it, but the producers got cold feet about him and decided to cast Baker out of, reportively, both admiration for the stunt and concern for the former actor-turned-hobo's wellbeing. They even let him keep the scarf as a nod to that one crazy shoot!
All the things Tom was ‘difficult’ about are the things that doctor who fans, to this day, recognise as start of the slow downfall of Doctor who in the 80s - so he was right lmao:
If you have ever worked in a TV studio as a crew member you will be fully aware of all the problems involved in getting a shot in the can. One of them being the fact that once the director retreats to the control room to cue the cameras and so forth, the actors have to rely on the floor manager to act as an intermediary in communication during rehearsal. A tricky situation to say the least for any artist. Particularly when some of the FMs can be so friggin' irritating with their repetitive verbal instructions.
I watched a video similar to this but it was with the song monster by the automatics but I can’t remember the name of the video if someone know it let me know
The last clip, oddly in black and white (?) showed Tom trying his very best to make a great show! He was suggesting improvements and adding value, as was Mary: this is why you want to hire good actors! He took the role seriously and was utterly superb. Compare him to the trainwreck of the last three years and ...Her....
❤Tom. We writers can be too close to our work. A television show is a shared effort. Tom was the star lead and the success of the show was on his shoulders. Many writers, but only one Tom Baker🙂...
I had read that Tom refused to take direction, but he played the Doctor so so well it's hard to call him out for it. Hate being unoriginal, but he really is my favourite.
I've heard people complain about Tom's behaviour but, while he could have maybe said stuff a little bit nicer, he was just making sure his Doctor had the best lines and delivered them in the best way. There's a reason his Doctor is so successful but went down a notch in his final season with JNT taking a lot more control over the Doctor's character.
Best detail in the movie is that it rained when Sam and Kate first kissed, and never did again when trout killed the person kate cared about most. God damned trout by taking away everything he loved and cursing him to a life of wandering. Sounds familiar…
There's one from the leisure hive that's a gem as well. Tom is getting irritated with the assistant director over a shot, is trying to tell him how to do his job, and then he just says at the end "and then I throw this fucking dreary prop!" (which which the helmet of Pangol) then throws it to the floor, then adding "right let's get on with it!". I would not want to be around Tom on a bad day. He's seriously frightening.
I understand that he had been in the role a long time and thought he understood it better than anyone else, and in a way, he did. But coming from the perspective of someone who did not grow up with his Doctor, unless you are willing to step into a producer or directorial role on occasion, you do have to follow the directors and writers in the end. Make suggestions, have meetings, voice your concerns, but be professional about it. Honestly that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the way he reportedly treated Matthew Waterhouse and Janet Fielding during his last season. There is no excuse for just being a jerk to people who are trying to do their jobs, esspecially people younger than you. Tom was an excellent Doctor and JNT was not a great producer, but I do wish they had found a way to work out their differences away from set so people didn't get caught in the crossfire.
