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Colin Baker(I)

  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant
Harry Price investigates the ghosts of Borley Rectory during his stay there.
Play trailer1:48
The Ghosts of Borley Rectory (2021)
8 Videos
17 Photos
Colin Baker was born in 1943 in the Royal Waterloo Lying-In Hospital in London during an air raid. He spent his earliest years in London with his mother, while his father served in the armed forces. He narrowly avoided an early death during the wartime blitz when a piece of flying shrapnel just missed him, embedding itself in the side of his cot. After the war, Baker's father took a job as managing director of an asbestos company in Manchester. The family moved north to live in Rochdale, although Baker attended school in Manchester.

It was during his early schooling that - through the mother of one of his fellow pupils, who was a casting director at Granada TV - he had his first experience of acting. It was 1954 and the series was called My Wife's Sister (1956), starring Eleanor Summerfield, Martin Wyldeck and Helen Christie. Colin Baker went on to attend St. Bede's College in Manchester, where he was invited to take part in their annual productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. The twelve-years-old Baker appeared in the chorus for a production of "Yeoman of the Guard" and, a year later, landed a more major part - playing the female lead, "Phyllis" - in "Iolanthe".

After completing his schooling, Baker went on to study law. One day during this period, he and his mother went to see an amateur production of "The King and I" at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. Inspired by the performance and encouraged by the president of the company that had staged the Amateur Dramatic Society and quickly became hooked on acting. Baker took a job as a solicitor but, as time went on, became less and less interested in this career. Finally, at the age of twenty-three, he decided to become a full-time actor.

Baker joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where he trained for three years. At the end of this, he was summoned with two of his fellow students to see the head of the drama school, who gave them rather gloomy predictions for their future prospects as actors and suggested that they seek alternative careers. These predictions proved somewhat wide of the mark as not only did Baker go on to great success but so too did his fellow students - David Suchet (who amongst many other achievements starred in LWT's award-winning productions of Agatha Christie's "Poirot") and Mel Martin (whose numerous credits include the series Love for Lydia (1977), also for LWT). After leaving LAMDA, Baker took a temporary job driving a taxi in Minehead in order to be near his then-girlfriend. He then received a call to come to London to audition for a part in a BBC2 drama series called The Roads to Freedom (1970), which he won. This led to further TV roles, including two more for BBC2: "Count Wenceslas Steinbock" in "Balzac's Cousin Bette" (1971) and "Prince Anatol Kuragin" in an ambitious twenty-part serialisation of Lev Tolstoy's "War and Peace" (1972-72). He also took on a wide range to theatre work, including several William Shakespeare festivals, appearing in productions of "Macbeth" and "Hamlet".

In the mid-seventies, Baker landed the role that would make him "the man viewers love to hate". This was "Paul Merroney" in the BBC1 series The Brothers (1972). After "The Brothers", Baker married actress Liza Goddard, who had played his on-screen wife in the series, but the marriage eventually ended in divorce. Baker later married actress Marion Wyatt. Theatre work kept Baker almost constantly busy for the next five years including appearances in everything from comedies to thrillers, as well as more Shakespeare. He also had a few further TV roles, including one as "Bayban" in "Blake's 7: City at the Edge of the World" (BBC, 1980) and one opposite Nyree Dawn Porter and Ian Hendry in the drama series, For Maddie with Love (1980) (ATV, 1980).

Baker's next TV role after "For Maddie with Love" was as "Maxil" in the Doctor Who (1963) story, "Arc of Infinity". Shortly before Baker took the role of the Doctor on "Doctor Who", he and his wife suffered the loss of their baby son, Jack, to cot death syndrome. Baker subsequently became a passionate fund raiser for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, with many of is personal appearance fees being donated to the charity. Baker's time as the sixth Doctor was cut unexpectedly short, initially by BBC One controller Michael Grade's hiatus between the twenty-second and twenty-third seasons and then by the decision of Grade to oust him from the role.

After his departure from "Doctor Who", the actor returned to the theatre, appearing in highly successful runs of "Corpse" and "Deathtrap" and having a four-month stint in the West End farce, "Run for Your Wife", with Terry Scott. TV work included a guest appearance in the BBC's Casualty (1986) and presenting assignments on programmes for the Children's Channel. After directing a play called "Bazaar and Rummage", Baker was asked to play the Doctor once again - this time on stage, taking over from Jon Pertwee in the Mark Furness Ltd production, "The Ultimate Adventure". This tour proved to him that, despite the brevity of his time as the Doctor on TV, he had amassed a loyal following amongst younger viewers.

In the 1990s, Baker had continued to pursue a successful career, mainly in the theatre. He has made regular appearances in pantomime, and his stage work has included roles in the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" and in a comedy entitled "Fear of Flying". He has also starred in the "Stranger" series of videos made by Bill Baggs Video, alongside a number of other actors known for their work on "Doctor Who".
BornJune 8, 1943
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BornJune 8, 1943
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Photos17

Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant in Doctor Who (1963)
Colin Baker in Doctor Who (1963)
Colin Baker in Doctor Who (1963)
Colin Baker in Doctor Who (1963)
Colin Baker in Doctor Who (1963)
Colin Baker in Doctor Who (1963)
Colin Baker, Chuck Huber, Vic Mignogna, and Todd Haberkorn in Star Trek Continues (2013)
British Actor Colin Baker Who Plays The Doctor In The Bbc Television Series Dr Who. Pictured Here With His Assistant Peri Played By Nicola Bryant And Extras From The Show, 10.04.1986.
Colin Baker, James Kerwin, and Kipleigh Brown in Star Trek Continues (2013)
Colin Baker in Star Trek Continues (2013)
Colin Baker, Ewen MacIntosh, Sarah Warren, Kenton Hall, Scarlet Hall, and Hero Hall in A Dozen Summers (2015)
Christopher Eccleston, Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, David Tennant, Patrick Troughton, and Matt Smith in Doctor Who (2005)

Known for:

Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
Doctor Who
8.4
TV Series
  • The Doctor
  • Commander Maxil
Sophie Aldred, Colin Baker, and Nicola Bryant in More Than a Messiah (1992)
More Than a Messiah
6.3
Video
  • The Stranger
  • 1992
Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993)
Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time
4.8
TV Short
  • The Doctor
  • 1993
Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992)
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
7.2
TV Series
  • Harry George Chauvel

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Christmas at the Holly Day Inn
    • Ben
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Buckle Up
    • Nick
    • In Production
  • Dreadnought: Invasion Six
    • Sub-Commander Ulrik Skye (voice)
    • Pre-production
  • Brandon McCaffrey in Secrets of a Wallaby Boy (2023)
    Secrets of a Wallaby Boy
    • Bruce
    • 2023
  • Minacious (2022)
    Minacious
    • DS Rawlins
    • 2022
  • Bradley Walsh, Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill in Doctor Who (2005)
    Doctor Who
    • The Doctor
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • The Ghosts of Borley Rectory (2021)
    The Ghosts of Borley Rectory
    • Charles Sutton
    • 2021
  • Emmerdale Farm (1972)
    Emmerdale Farm
    • Michael
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Getting Better (2021)
    Getting Better
    • Dr. Charles Hill
    • Podcast Series
    • 2021
  • Voices of Dracula (2021)
    Voices of Dracula
    • Van Helsing
    • Podcast Series
    • 2021
  • You Might Get Lost (2021)
    You Might Get Lost
    • Conrad
    • 2021
  • Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures (1999)
    Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures
    • The Doctor
    • Lord Tepesh
    • Sixth Doctor
    • TV Series
    • 1999–2021
  • Hiraeth (2021)
    Hiraeth
    • Wynn Seaward
    • 2021
  • Doctor Who: The Ultimate Evil (2019)
    Doctor Who: The Ultimate Evil
    • The Doctor (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Back on Trial
    • Mr. Baker
    • Video
    • 2019
  • Time and Again (2017)
    Time and Again
    • Theo
    • Short
    • 2017
  • Arrows of Time (2017)
    Arrows of Time
    • The Narrator (voice)
    • 2017
  • Mansion of Mystery (2015)
    Mansion of Mystery
    • Time Boss
    • TV Series
    • 2017

Writer

  • Doctor Who: The Colin Baker Years (1994)
    Doctor Who: The Colin Baker Years
    • Writer (uncredited)
    • Video
    • 1994

Producer

  • You Might Get Lost (2021)
    You Might Get Lost
    • executive producer
    • 2021

Videos9

Trailer
Trailer 1:30
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:44
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:48
Official Trailer
Lego Dimensions - Doctor Who
Trailer 1:47
Lego Dimensions - Doctor Who
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:36
Official Trailer
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
Promo 2:47
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
Promo 0:33
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
Promo 2:09
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
LEGO Dimensions (VG)
Promo 0:37
LEGO Dimensions (VG)

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • June 8, 1943
    • Waterloo, London, England, UK
  • Spouses
      Marion Baker1982 - present (5 children)
  • Children
      Lucy Baker
  • Other works
    1985: Portrayed The Doctor in the BBC radio play 'Slipback' based on "Doctor Who" (1963). Released on tape and CD in the 1990s.
  • Publicity listings
    • 6 Interviews
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Baker was the only actor ever to have been fired from playing the Doctor in Doctor Who (1963) due to dwindling ratings. In an unprecedented event in the history of the series, the decision to remove the actor was made by a BBC executive, BBC One Controller Michael Grade, who had just brought the series back after an 18-month hiatus. Series producer John Nathan-Turner, who had originally cast Baker, wanted the actor to continue in the role but was overruled. The BBC's Head of Drama, Jonathan Powell, asked Baker to return the following year to record a regeneration scene. As a compromise, Baker asked for one more season, at the end of which he would regenerate. Powell told him to go home and they would think about it. Baker never heard back, so Sylvester McCoy put on a blond wig and performed Baker's regeneration scene after he took the role of the Doctor. Baker has since stated that he has always felt aggrieved that Grade never told him personally why he had to go.
  • Quotes
    None of my daughters saw Doctor Who (1963). All the tapes are on the shelf and every now and then I've said 'are you interested in seeing one?' 'Oh, no, pur-leeze, Dad ...' Then they watch the new one and ask, 'was that what you were in?', and they've started watching them. And the accolade of all accolades - 'oh, you're not bad - almost as good as Christopher Eccleston!'
  • Nickname
    • Archie

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