Doctor Who legend Tom Baker, 91, reflects on time in TARDIS after receiving MBE: "It was a real honour"
"It never ceases to amaze me how fondly people remember me 34 years after my last adventure in the TARDIS."
Doctor Who legend Tom Baker has reflected on his MBE investiture last week, which saw him don his iconic Fourth Doctor costume once again.
The actor, who played the Doctor from 1974 to 1981, was honoured with an MBE for services to television, with photos showing him posing alongside a TARDIS, with a Dalek and robot pup K9 in tow.
Reflecting on the honour and his time in the TARDIS, Baker told RadioTimes.com: “It was a real honour to receive the MBE from Lady Colgrain, representing His Majesty, in the same way as it was a real honour for me to play Doctor Who for all those years.
"It never ceases to amaze me how fondly people remember me 34 years after my last adventure in the TARDIS and I found it hard to believe it was so long ago when I found myself back in the TARDIS last week, with my beloved scarf around my neck!”
It was announced last year that Baker would be honoured with an MBE, following his well-loved run as the Fourth Doctor from 1974 to 1981, which is still classed as a golden age of the show.
Baker, who will turn 92 in January, previously spoke to Radio Times in 2023 to celebrate Doctor Who's 60th anniversary.
When asked about any advice for Ncuti Gatwa, who played the most recent incarnation of the Doctor, he said: "Knowing anything is a bit dangerous when you play Doctor Who. It’s better to know nothing. And to be good-natured.
"The trick is to respond generously to other actors, which halves your task because you don’t have to be driving it all the time."
As for any reunions with his fellow Doctors? "I avoid them, you know. Not with any malice. A degree of contempt, perhaps. But mildly. Mildly contemptuous."
He added: "Nobody failed as Doctor Who, did they? Well, we mustn’t be ungenerous to anyone. But certainly I didn’t."
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
