Happy 90th Birthday Tom Baker

A wise person once said, "The best thing to happen to Doctor Who was Tom Baker and the best thing to happen to Tom Baker was Doctor Who.

It's the great man's 90th birthday and like many fans of my generation, I have happy memories of watching Tom on a Saturday night in the late 1970s and early 80s.

Here's some of my favourite moments but possibly not the one's that immediately spring to mind 

1. "There's no point in growing up if you can't be childish sometimes" 

Terrance Dicks makes the fourth Doctor quite manic in his first story, certainly in comparison to his straight laced predecessor. But there's a wisdom behind the manicness and this line has gone on to be a quite I've often referred to. 

2. "Homo sapiens, what an inventive invincible species..." 

As much as I like actors like Faulton Mackay, Bernard Cribbins and Graham Crowden, I just can't imagine them giving this speech as much justice as Tom does. It's the Olympian detachment that Philip Hinchcliffe refers to. It's not a moment of charm, but a moment of magnificence

3. "Just destroy me, Sutekh. Nothing else now is left within your power." 

Hinchcliffe and Holmes' preference to one main baddy rather than a race of monsters stretching the budget pays off here. Giving such a powerful and well performed enemy as Sutekh gives Tom a boost. Plus he always sold the idea of the Doctor being in agony and here it's terrifying, yet so simple.

4. "Congratulations failures one of the basic freedoms"

The Robots of Death gives Tom a temporary companion in the form of D84, the robot detective in disguise and they work so well together. This charming scene shows a gentler side to the fourth Doctor, as he encourages the robot to realise its failure should be empowering rather than going up.

5. "Order K9 to tell you to shut up!"

The Invasion of Time gives us a familiar tv trope, the lead character going bad. And of all the Doctors, it's probably the fourth that would be the first go to the dark side. Behind the cheap production, there's a smashing story idea here and Tom expertly convinces us initially that the Doctor has gone rogue and betrayed his home planet.

6. "Well, I don't see how I can stop you asking..."

The Stones of Blood gives Tom one of his best guest characters, in Emilia Rumford, played by Beatrix Lehmann. It's easy to say Tom always raises his game when matched by an excellent guest star. Here Tom plays the Doctor as though he's delighted to be in the professor's company and this gentle scene, which on paper is mostly exposition but is lifted by Tom delighting in Beatrix's company.

7. "Go away..." 

Nightmare of Eden had its fair share of issues, least of all a director who had to leave the production midway. Nevertheless, Tom gives a wonderful performance that spins on a penny; humourous one second, serious the next. After the "My arms, my legs, my everything..." he brilliantly gives the villainous Tryst short shrift, showing no mercy and starkly telling him to go away!

8. "Not an alibi, Deciders!" 

Some say Tom's not full on the throttle in Season 18, but I say they're wrong. As evidence, here's a scene from Full Circle, with Tom in full-on angry mode, tearing off a strip with the Deciders for their lack of decision and action. Full Circle sees Tom give a quieter performance than before it's true but he shows bite when he needs to and this scene is an excellent example of the Doctor's righteous anger. 

9. "You were the noblest Romana of them all!"

Warriors Gate is an enigma, with an imaginative script by Steve Gallagher. Sometimes though, you have to wonder what lines were in the script and which were thought up by Tom in rehearsals. This cheeky misquoting of Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar gives the Doctor a nicely understated goodbye line to Romana. It's full of heart without being overly sentimental.

10. "One last hope..."

Logopolis shows Tom giving a thoughtful performance. The humour is still there, such as the scene with the policemen but it's kept firmly in check as the Fourth Doctor realises his time is up. It's fascinating to see Tom look so haunted and his revulsion at Anthony Ainley's Master as he shakes his hand at the end of part three, strangely makes a very effective cliffhanger.