Tom Baker is best known for his portrayal as the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who, a role he remained in for seven years between 1974 and 1981.

The actor went on to pursue a number of other projects, starring in TV series such as Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Monarch of the Glen, and audio dramas including Nicholas Nickleby and Hornets’ Nest, as well as narrating video games, audio books and TV series including comedy sketch show Little Britain.

It might have been over four decades since he left his iconic TV role as Doctor Who but Baker, who hit 88 years old on 20th January 2022, continues to enjoy the show’s legacy to this day.

“What I enjoy most of all in the last 50 years of my life is that gift of playing Doctor Who,” he told The Guardian in 2020. “Because he’s a good soul and I’m a good soul, it kind of licensed me to be my own rather silly but good-natured jolly self, you know, with pretensions to be heroic.”

Baker returned for the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special in 2013, coming face to face with Matt Smith’s incarnation of the Time Lord.

“I’ve achieved a kind of coming to terms with life being this character,” he added. “Everywhere I go, people – if they watch television, especially Doctor Who – are pleased to see me and they think I’ve been amusing. Once you’re in that world, you see, this benevolent world where I am a harmless old geezer with a nice line in banter or whatever it is, people feel comfortable with me and I feel comfortable with them. So I’m altogether very, very happy at the moment.”

The following are some of our favourite big and small-screen roles that Tom Baker has played and narrated across his career, as well as details of how to watch them.

Showing 1 to 10 of 10 results

  • Doctor Who (1963+)

    Sci-fi drama about the adventures of an eccentric extraterrestrial Time Lord and his time-travelling companions as they battle injustice across the universe, travelling via his Tardis.
    BBC iPlayer
    +1 more

  • Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)

    Comedy drama in which private investigator Randall (Mike Pratt) finds himself with a new partner when his murdered former colleague Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope) comes back as a ghost.
    ITVX

  • Little Britain

    Comedy sketch show written by and starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas, who play a bizarre array of characters, given an extra dimension by Tom Baker's quintessentially English narration.
    BBC iPlayer

  • The Magic Roundabout

    Animated adventure, based on the children's TV classic, featuring the voices of Robbie Williams, Bill Nighy, Ian McKellen and Kylie Minogue. On a manic hunt for sugar, Dougal the dog inadvertently releases evil sorcerer Zeebad from his prison beneath the roundabout. Free after centuries, the malevolent creature aims to cast the world into darkness, but first he has to capture three magic diamonds. Can Dougal and his pals stop Zeebad's wicked plans by getting to the gems first?
    ITVX
    +1 more

  • Wonder Park

    Animated fantasy adventure featuring the voices of Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner and Mila Kunis. June and her mother while away the hours playing with stuffed animals and imagining a fabulous theme park called "Wonderland". But when Mom is taken to hospital, June runs off into the woods and discovers the Wonderland characters living out a gloomy existence there. Can June make everything right again?
    Sky Store

  • Saving Santa

    Animated musical comedy featuring the voices of Martin Freeman and Tim Curry. When Santa is kidnapped by evil Nevill Baddington, opportunity finally knocks for Bernard the elf to prove his worth and save Christmas with the aid of a special invention.
    Prime Video
    +1 more

  • Remington Steele

    1980's detective drama with Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist. After receiving zero respect, a female private eye invents a fictional male boss in a bid to be taken more seriously.

  • The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

    Fantasy adventure starring John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro and Tom Baker. Sinbad acquires part of a magical golden amulet but when he sets sail to find the remainder, he comes up against the evil forces of the magician Koura.
    Channel 4
    +1 more

  • Nicholas and Alexandra

    Historical drama starring Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman and Fiona Fullerton. An epic portrayal of the days leading up to the Russian Revolution and the downfall of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. When their first son is discovered to be a haemophiliac, Alexandra turns to the monk Rasputin for help. Meanwhile, the Russian people grow dissatisfied with Nicholas's rule and his inability to keep their country out of the First World War.
    Sky Store

  • Medics

    Following the region's frontline emergency teams of paramedics and A&E doctors as they deal with 999 call-outs
See more Tom Baker news and features

Authors

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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