Tom Baker -"id do new series cameo "if they ask me nicely"

Tom Baker: I'd do DW cameo 'if they ask me nicely'

Former Dr Who Tom Baker said he would consider a guest role in the hit show’s remake if “they ask me nicely”.

Baker – who lived near Maidstone when he starred as TV’s favourite Timelord in the 1970s – has retained a high profile on the small screen as the voice of cult comedy Little Britain.

But speaking at the launch of an exhibition at Earls Court, London, dedicated to the new series of the science fiction show with David Tennant in the title role he did not rule out a special appearance in a programme which has become famous for reintroducing past favourites, such as journalist Sarah-Jane Smith, robot dog K9 and the villainous Daleks and Cybermen.

“Perhaps I might make a guest appearance - perhaps,” he said.

“Providing they ask me nicely, of course.”

But Baker admitted he has not been following the new adventures of The Doctor.

“I don’t actually watch [Dr Who],” he said.

“I didn’t even watch it when I was in it - for all sorts of reasons.

“But I do get messages from David Tennant and I have seen him in other things of course.

“He has been a huge success and I am very pleased about that.”

During the 1960s and 70s the show was famous for its unconvincing special effects and cardboard style sets.

But the 21st century remake has seen big budgets, computer generated images for effects and more sophisticated costumes and make up for aliens.

After visiting the show, which runs throughout the summer, Baker said: “Well it’s moved on a lot hasn’t it? We had very small budgets but that has all changed. It’s more like a film now.”

He succeeded Jon Pertwee in the role of Dr Who in 1974 after a former “career” as a monk and work on a building site.

During his seven years at the controls of the time and space travelling Tardis, Baker became probably the most popular of the original actors to play the iconic role - and was best known for offering jelly babies to enemies and for his long scarf.

In 1986, Baker married Sue Jerrard, who had been an assistant editor on Doctor Who. They moved to an old property in Boughton Malherbe near Maidstone, where they kept several cats, before emigrating to France in 2002.

During this time he was a regular in the Red Lion in Lenham village. The couple sold the property to Vic Reeves, with whom Baker had worked on Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), although Reeves has subsequently moved to neary Charing.

For a full interview with Tom Baker and a tour of the exhibition go to www.yourkenttv.co.uk.

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Baker--I_d-do-Dr-Who-cameo-_if-they-ask-me-n icely_-newsinkent11102.aspx?news=local

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If they ask him nicely? A gracious answer would have been "yes, I'd be honoured". The show did make him a household name after all.

Si.

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Originally Posted by Si Hunt

If they ask him nicely? A gracious answer would have been "yes, I'd be honoured". The show did make him a household name after all.

Si.

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but isn't that just typical of the sort of tongue in cheek things we have all come to expect from Tom..

Yes.

Si.

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During this time he was a regular in the Red Lion in Lenham village. The couple sold the property to Vic Reeves, with whom Baker had worked on Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), although Reeves has subsequently moved to neary Charing.

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That's the most interesting part of the "interview" if you ask me. :flash

I think RTD should write a little 4th Doctor cameo with a cunning in-joke about 'The Five Doctors' , whilst snubbing Tom Baker & using a dummy for the scene. :p

I saw this on Digital Spy a few days ago and, sadly, tried to work out how you could do it. Obviously Tom is too far gone to, as Uncle Terrance would say, cover it with a line. You'd have to do an errant time line where the 4th Doctor never regenerated and is being held in captivity like the legless Doctor in Jubilee. Either that or he could be the Doctor's dad with a beige Tardis and sonic slippers. But he's too cool to be someone's dad. So that wouldn't work.

He could play a bumbling old tramp or something.

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He could play a bumbling old tramp or something.

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Play?

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Originally Posted by Si Hunt

If they ask him nicely? A gracious answer would have been "yes, I'd be honoured". The show did make him a household name after all.

Si.

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Tongue in cheek though the comment may have been, it's worth pointing out that the show as made in 1974 by Terrance Dicks, Barry Letts etc. made him a household name. The current Doctor Who production team had nothing to do with his star status, so it should be them who would be honoured to have him agree to an appearance rather than him being honoured to be asked.

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Originally Posted by Lissa

I saw this on Digital Spy a few days ago and, sadly, tried to work out how you could do it. Obviously Tom is too far gone to, as Uncle Terrance would say, cover it with a line. You'd have to do an errant time line where the 4th Doctor never regenerated and is being held in captivity like the legless Doctor in Jubilee. Either that or he could be the Doctor's dad with a beige Tardis and sonic slippers. But he's too cool to be someone's dad. So that wouldn't work.

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Since Tom now looks very much different from Tom then he could play someone entirely different, especially if it's only a cameo appearance.

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The current Doctor Who production team had nothing to do with his star status, so it should be them who would be honoured to have him agree to an appearance rather than him being honoured to be asked.

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I guess that's a matter of opinion. In a generous and just world of course, no one need be "honoured". They could think "that'd be nice" and ask, he could think "yes it would" and comply. It was Tom who suggested they'd have to grovel; tongue in cheek maybe, but then we know too well that returning to the role that made him rich and adored has always been on Tom's terms. And who really needs who? The New Series isn't exactly buckling over on the brink of collapse without a cameo from a 70 year old ex-Doctor.

Si.

I'd agree if he was walking around spouting on about how the production team should be begging him to appear, but to be fair to him he was clearly responding to some journalist asking him "would you appear in the new show?". Seeing as it wasn't even his idea and he'd been put on the spot, there's nothing wrong with him giving his opinion on the matter in my book. He probably feels as though it's something he doesn't really need to do, or particularly want to do, and so they would have to "ask him nicely" to get him to do it. This doesn't mean he's throwing them a challenge to "ask him nicely" though, he's just answering a pointless question from a journalist.