Third Tuesday 2019-04: The Fourth Doctor Event Cache

The Fourth Doctor

Portrayed by: Tom Baker Years: 1974 to 1981 Seasons: 12 through 18 Number of Episodes: 172 Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, Leela, K-9, Romana, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan Jovanka

The Fourth Doctor appeared in 172 episodes (179, counting the regeneration in Planet of the Spiders and the aborted Shada) over a seven-year period, from 1974 to 1981. This makes him the longest running on-screen Doctor of the series. He also appeared in the specials The Five Doctors (via footage from the incomplete Shada) and made his final appearance as the Doctor in the charity special Dimensions in Time (aside from a series of television advertisements in New Zealand in 1997). Tom Baker reappeared in the 50th anniversary special as a mysterious curator.

This incarnation is generally regarded as the most recognisable of the Doctors and one of the most popular, especially in the United States. In polls conducted by Doctor Who Magazine, Tom Baker has lost the "Best Doctor" category only three times: once to Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) in 1990, and twice to David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) in 2006 and 2009. The Fourth Doctor's eccentric style of dress and speech – particularly his trademark long scarf and fondness for Jelly Babies – made him an immediately recognisable figure and he quickly captivated the viewing public's imagination. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe has often stated that the Fourth Doctor's Bohemian appearance and anti-establishment views appealed to older, college-age students. The Fourth Doctor's time enjoyed a significant boost in viewing figures, averaging between 8 and 10 million viewers in just his first year (20–25 percent of the entire viewing audience of Britain). By 1979, the figures averaged between 9 and 11 million, going as high as 16.1 million for the final episode of City of Death (though this was during the ITV technicians strike of 1979 which meant the BBC was the sole broadcaster on the air for several weeks).

To an extent, the Fourth Doctor is one of the most unpredictable in terms of his emotional depth, slightly more distant and alien than his previous incarnations. Despite his obvious moments of whimsical charm and offbeat humour, accompanied by his manic grin, the Fourth Doctor is more aloof and somber than his previous incarnations. He can become intensely brooding, serious and even callous. He also displays a darker edge to his personality, and in The Invasion of Time he seems to cruelly taunt and play with the Time Lords after his emergency inauguration as President. He also has a strong moral code, as when he faces the dilemma of whether to destroy the Daleks in (Genesis of the Daleks), stating that if he did, he would be no better himself than the Daleks. He is truly appalled at the actions of the Pirate Captain in The Pirate Planet and refuses to listen to Professor Tryst's attempts to justify drug-running to fund his scientific work (Nightmare of Eden), simply telling him to go away. At the same time, he is capable of moments of genuine warmth. In The Ark in Space, he salutes the human race's indomitability, and later stories establish that Earth is his favourite planet (The Stones of Blood). He is the first Doctor to refer to his companions as his best friends.

Imposingly tall, with eyes that seem to constantly boggle, a mass of curls for hair and prominently displayed teeth, the Doctor favours an outfit that usually consists of a shirt, waistcoat, cravat, trousers, a frock coat (with pockets containing a seemingly endless array of apparently useless items that would nevertheless suit the Doctor's purposes when used), a wide-brimmed hat and, most famously, his impractically long, multi-coloured scarf, which was apparently knitted for him by Madame Nostradamus (whom he refers to as a "witty little knitter"). When it is damaged in The Ark in Space (1975), the Doctor declares with regret that it is "irreplaceable."

According to Baker, the Doctor's scarf was the idea of costume designer James Acheson. Acheson, knowing little about knitting, procured large quantities of various colours of wool, and commissioned Begonia Pope, a friend of his, to create a colourful design. She proceeded to use all of the wool provided, resulting in the absurdly long, but iconic, accessory.