48. Tom Baker

[msc 18,450]

That's right, the big guy gets his own thread after his appearance on BBC1 tonight reminded me to start a fucking thread for him.

 

Tom Baker, The Doctor Who to anyone with a vague awareness of the show, is 86 now, and has apparently been in frail health the last few years after a lifetime of booze started to catch up. Apart from his 7 year lead role in Doctor Who and its lifetime of pop culture references, he was also famously Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra. He's also the narrator of Little Britain, Captain Redbeard in Blackadder and the voodoo loving artist in Vault of Horror.

 

Anyhow, here he is on BBC1 an hour ago:

 

 

 

Proper future DL front pager.

[Cant Wait 93]

Never heard of this guy. 7 years wow, that’s pretty cool. I never really watched Doctor Who, Is it any good?

[Joey Russ 7,227]

Been well over 30 years since Doctor Who actually appeared on the list, I think it’s time for another one to appear on the list. 

[Prophet 251]

He looks great for his age, he could easily pass as ten years younger.

[Deathrace 1,171]

38 minutes ago, Joey Russ said:

Been well over 30 years since Doctor Who actually appeared on the list, I think it’s time for another one to appear on the list. 

I think Sylvester McCoy arguably looks worse to be honest. 

[Deathrace 1,171]

47 minutes ago, msc said:

That's right, the big guy gets his own thread after his appearance on BBC1 tonight reminded me to start a fucking thread for him.

 

Tom Baker, The Doctor Who to anyone with a vague awareness of the show, is 86 now, and has apparently been in frail health the last few years after a lifetime of booze started to catch up. Apart from his 7 year lead role in Doctor Who and its lifetime of pop culture references, he was also famously Rasputin in Nicholas and Alexandra. He's also the narrator of Little Britain, Captain Redbeard in Blackadder and the voodoo loving artist in Vault of Horror.

 

Anyhow, here he is on BBC1 an hour ago:

 

 

 

Proper future DL front pager.

Tom looks a bit thin but not too bad all things considered. He still has a great head of hair. 

[msc 18,450]

Just now, Deathrace said:

I think Sylvester McCoy arguably looks worse to be honest. 

 

That was McCoy actually looking better than when I saw him 7 years ago! Although he had bad gout issues back then.

[CoffinLodger 1,248]

Is  Tom Bakers face getting thinner  or does it just look thinner because he's not able to get a haircut during the lockdown and it's getting a bit bushy?

[Man About The Forum 78]

Colin Baker looks like a better candidate for a sudden death.

[Deathrace 1,171]

2 minutes ago, Man About The Forum said:

Colin Baker looks like a better candidate for a sudden death.

I hope not. Colin is great but he is a bit overweight. 

[Lard Bazaar 3,799]

7 minutes ago, Deathrace said:

I think Sylvester McCoy arguably looks worse to be honest. 

My sister in law has met him and said he’s a right cunt.

[Deathrace 1,171]

4 minutes ago, Lard Bazaar said:

My sister in law has met him and said he’s a right cunt.

I may be wrong but the two Bakers - Tom and Colin - strike me as far more personally likeable than Davison and McCoy. I don't see Davison featuring on here for a long time. 

[Bibliogryphon 9,581]

15 minutes ago, Deathrace said:

I think Sylvester McCoy arguably looks worse to be honest. 

I hope that's not an O-men....

[The Old Crem 3,602]

He looks ok for 86 - interestingly i didnt hear him take part in the Little Britain sketch through - he had returned for the radio special in October.

[ladyfiona 2,585]

In the 50th anniversary special he appeared on at the end he walked with a cane:

 

 

Go to 1:40.

 

1 hour ago, Deathrace said:

I think Sylvester McCoy arguably looks worse to be honest. 

 

He was in Sense8 in the last few years and he looked quite well there.

[Vinegar Tits 606]

4 hours ago, CoffinLodger said:

Is  Tom Bakers face getting thinner  or does it just look thinner because he's not able to get a haircut during the lockdown and it's getting a bit bushy?

 

Defijitely thinner, and overall he seems to look smaller and frailer, which is what old age does to you. Still pretty good for 86. 

 

He's occasionally to be seen in Tenterden Waitrose, usually down the wine aisle. Crowborough Waitrose is another Tom-spot. I, of course, have never seen him which makes me sad.

[The Watcher 317]

11 hours ago, Bibliogryphon said:

I hope that's not an O-men....

Patrick Troughton (another former Dr Who) was in The Omen!!

Incidentally, a lot of disappointment (& even anger)in the Whoverse that Christopher Ecclestone was the only living Dr Who not to appear in the Big Night In Dr Who segment last night. 

[Bibliogryphon 9,581]

25 minutes ago, The Watcher said:

Patrick Troughton (another former Dr Who) was in The Omen!!

 

But he wasn't an O-Man

[Youth in Asia 1,087]

He was Blackbeard??? I can't believe I never realized that.

 

You have a woman's hands...

[Genfærd 452]

Is this the Tom Baker who did the narrating on Little Britain? Sorry, I'm not familiar with too many British celebs. 

[Deathrace 1,171]

4 hours ago, The Watcher said:

Patrick Troughton (another former Dr Who) was in The Omen!!

Incidentally, a lot of disappointment (& even anger)in the Whoverse that Christopher Ecclestone was the only living Dr Who not to appear in the Big Night In Dr Who segment last night. 

Isn't Ecclestone notoriously reluctant to engage with the Dr Who fans and has spoken of not particularly enjoying playing the role? He strikes me as a bit like Davison in that regard. 

[Youth in Asia 1,087]

Well the BBC sabotaged his career for several years after he left so I don't blame him.

[BuffaloPhil 926]

Tom Baker always seemed immortal, in a Brian Blessed kind of way. Looking less so these days though.

[Man About The Forum 78]

16 minutes ago, Deathrace said:

Isn't Ecclestone notoriously reluctant to engage with the Dr Who fans and has spoken of not particularly enjoying playing the role? He strikes me as a bit like Davison in that regard. 

 

Seem to recall it stemmed from him thinking he was a serious actor and was fed up with Barrowman and others not taking anything seriously, with the latter constantly exposing himself on set, etc.

[msc 18,450]

7 minutes ago, Youth in Asia said:

Well the BBC sabotaged his career for several years after he left so I don't blame him.

 

Yeah, he left over a disagreement with one crap director, at least one other person, and a temperamental producer, and he's still quite clearly fucked off by the BBC closing ranks when he got sacked off the show.

 

 

Obviously I don't think Tom is snuffing it in the next week (well, I hope he doesn't) but he made a rare TV appearance and I was surprised he didn't have a thread of his own despite being a huge British icon. So now he does.