Doctor Who showrunners celebrate Tom Baker's "miraculous", "genius" era
Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies have been looking back on the Baker years.
Whenever the topic of the best actor to play the Doctor comes up, Tom Baker is never far from the top of the list – and in a new interview, Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies have been celebrating his iconic era once again.
The former showrunners made the comments in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, which includes a major feature about the legendary producer Philip Hinchcliffe, the man behind the early days of the Baker era on Doctor Who.
"I know this was a legacy of the previous producer, but I’m not sure Doctor Who has ever had a better cast than that first year with Tom Baker, Lis Sladen and Ian Marter [as Harry Sullivan]," Moffat said.
"I think one of Philip’s rare mistakes was getting rid of Harry. That dynamic – two companions who’d talk about the Doctor – was so useful."
He added that he loves the fact that Tom Baker's Doctor "knows he's on TV", referencing how he even talks to the camera on a couple of occasions.
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"We’ve never quite stopped that," he continued. "There’s an awareness about it all that means it simply doesn’t matter that the giant rat [in Talons] is a bit silly, because have you noticed Li H’sen Chang?!
"And it doesn’t matter that Li H’sen Chang’s a bit silly, because have you noticed how c**p his plan is?
"It just doesn’t matter, because the show is thoroughly enjoying riffing on those horror tropes, and you’re not meant to take things like giant rats and mummies and Frankenstein’s monster seriously – unless there’s something genuinely wrong with you.”
Meanwhile, Davies echoed Moffat's comments about the incredible cast during those years and even went so far as to call Baker "the most phenomenal piece of casting in any show ever", praising Hinchcliffe for running with the decision made by his immediate predecessor, Barry Letts.
"That’s part of the joy," he said. "They know. You can see Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes leaning into their great success, realising what a lead they have. In fact, Tom and Lis [also cast by Letts] were terrific. They got the casting right twice. Throughout the history of Doctor Who, that’s when the miracles happen.
He added: “Also the miracle of a very strong script editor. Robert Holmes is all over every episode – that man must be rewriting tons of stuff, and it works. But it works because it fits. It fits monsters like Morbius.
"It fits the classics – the mummy story, the Frankenstein story, the Old Testament! They’re great stories because they work. It’s all just genius. Genius meets genius. A great producer meets a great actor meets great scripts."
Doctor Who will return at Christmas on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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