I've always thought of the effect of the regeneration process on the Doctor's personality as being like a snow globe, all the traits are still there, but it's been shaken up and resettled in a new pattern, with perhaps different traits on top than before. The First Doctor possesses a mischievous sense of humor, but that trait is much more in the forefront with the Second Doctor. Occasionally the First Doctor gets into a physical fight (like The Romans, where he trounces the assassin) but that's almost completely submerged in the Second and near the top in the Third, etc. This was the first Doctor Who story I ever saw, back when they first started showing the series in the U.S., about 1979/80, so it holds a special place in my heart. K-1/K-9 is just a coincidence I'm afraid.
This is more or less how I see regeneration too. Although I hadn't thought of that specific comparison to a snowglobe, I always felt like the traits that make The Doctor who they are were there in every incarnation, but the balance and expression of said traits changed.
Or as Peri once put it, "it's as though your memory's been put through the meat grinder. I mean, it's all there, but in a pile of unrelated bits and pieces."
Fun fact: “Planet of the Spiders” and “Robot” were filmed at the same time in different studios, so they had to replicate the UNIT headquarters and the cast quite literally had to run back and forth between the two sets. And as such the regeneration shot of the latter was overlayed on the former at the moment of the change.
It's great to see Jess fall in love with the Fourth Doctor so quickly, that first scene with Harry really is perfect isn't it? Tells you everything you need to know about how Baker is going to play the role.
With all due respect to the first three Doctors (who were each enjoyable and entertaining in their own ways), Tom Baker for me truly captured the "alien eccentricity" of the character in a way that no one else had previously. Baker had a larger-than-life persona, and this was reflected in both his screen presence and performances in the role. He burst onto the screen with a ton of energy and to this day is still revered amongst DW fans. Enjoy the ride, it's going to be a memorable one for sure!
I discovered Doctor Who when I was a pre-teen in the 70's, on my local PBS station. So Tom Baker is "my" doctor. Because of the troubles of my childhood, he was always there to help me escape my unhappy world, if only for a short time. He has always been dear to me. When I heard his voice at the end of the 50th anniversary show (before the camera even revealed him) I started sobbing. Just hearing that voice took me immediately back to that time when he helped me survive my situation. I've loved all your Doctor Who reactions Jess, but I am especially looking forward to your time with 4. ❤❤❤❤
It was shown with Pertwee where I lived in the early 70s, sort of randomly, and then with Tom Baker in the 80s. I squealed when his voice came on in the 50th (along with a bunch of other older fans at a comic con) and then burst into tears when he appeared onscreen.
This is exactly my story too. Waiting between bits of PBS for more of the magical doctor. Playing GIJoe where they would regenerate. The Tardis was one of those old metal bandaid containers.
'You may be a doctor, but I'm the Doctor. The definite article, you might say.' I've always always loved that line and I really enjoy your reactions. Looking forward to watching more as you begin the 4th Doctor journey.👍
I am one of those countless fans who's waited years for this too. I'll say, for whatever moaning and groaning you've received, and as much as so many of us consider Four *our* Doctor, you, Jess, went from "What the hell am I even watching, this show is so WEIRD" and often eye-roll-y, to probably one of the most devoted and dedicated superfans I've ever seen, one who is methodically and systematically watching as much of the entire franchise beyond what most of the rest of us probably ever have. For that alone, I love you. And I hope this new "era" is as memorable for you as it is for so many of us..!
I remember when she did that. Although it was mostly during the Ninth Doctor era at the very beginning. It didn’t happen as much, if at all, during the Tenth Doctor era.
Jess, I have to admit that I have not be religiously following your journey through most of your watch of Jon Pertwee's even though I adore his portrayal of the Doctor. Jon and number 7 Sylvester McCoy are my favorites of the Classic Doctors if you don't count my first and all time favorite, Tom. Tom is still producing Big Finish audios so is still playing the Doctor even today and I have listened to quite a few of those audios. I'm glad that you did watch all the classic episodes in release order so you really have the history of the show's universe, the characters and the evolution of the Doctor's persona. Get ready for a fun ride and I'll be along to see your reactions.!...😁🙂🙃
@@danniemadsen1970 She was still not that into it with 10 either, at least until the end of his run, I think what really got her into Who was Matt Smith's run. In fact, I believe she mentioned this at some point, but don't quote me on that. I do believe retroactively she might like the 9th and 10th Doctor's eras more now that she has experienced so much of the Whoniverse.
@@bobdallas4860 Oh, I know. I’m just saying that it happened mostly during Nine. She still was a little weirded out during Ten, but she understood it a lot more and things excited her a little more.
People who moaned about it taking so long until you get to 4 are silly, especially since it's comes so much sooner than 7 which is what I've been the most excited for you to watch (here's to 2024 🙃).
Ian Marter who plays Harry Sullivan appeared in Carnival of Monsters and actually auditioned for the role of Mike Yates but he had to turn it down due to prior commitments.
Tom Baker’s charm and wit bursts through the screen! He is the perfect Doctor! I love his chemistry with the actors who play Harry and Sarah Jane. Can’t wait to watch the rest of his episodes with you!
You are by far one of my favourite Doctor Who related accounts, I started watching you around the series 6 reaction, and now you are on 4. So glad to see you liking all eras of the show.
He's definitely very popular- sort of like 10 in NuWho. Although they have slightly different energy lol. I like all of the Doctors and their eras for different reasons. I've enjoyed the whole journey thus far, we've had some of my favourites :)
@@firefly24601 Ooof, disagree. As a huge RTD1 era fan, a lot of those reactions are depressing as hell and hard to watch even to this day.😂I honestly never thought she'd ever love the show enough to delve into classic Who, but look at where we are now! So grateful we've gotten to this point in her Who journey.
@@Mrazmatmahmood The stories are great! I never really connected with Rose though. Nothing bad about Billie Piper, she did an excellent job. Rose just didn't click with me.
@@firefly24601 Rose was a very flawed character who made a lot of mistakes, but that was an intentional part of the story imo The best part is, everything she did (even the bad things) made sense and felt in character and it progressed the narrative. It made Rose a lot more interesting than characters who have no flaws and always do the right thing. Moffat tried to do similar things with Clara, but unfortunately most of it was quite sloppy and badly written.
@@Mrazmatmahmood Nah, I'm not worried about the mistakes the character made. That actually made Rose a lot better for me than she would have been. Just something in the portrayal of the character didn't click. Who knows why.
What a delightful reaction, from start to finish! I admit I was worried - usually when a new character is hyped for such a long time it's usually a letdown, but you totally got Tom from the start, along with some other accurate observations 😁 This is gonna be a good time!
All the first 4 Doctors are brilliant... it's just that it's in their own special ways. The 4th has a special place in my heart though as he was MY Doctor growing up.
Yes, the first Doctors were all great and had a lot of screening time. With Davison, the decline with short-living Doctors began, and when the show was about to recover in McCoy's third season, it was cancelled.
19:00 Interesting you say that, cause there is the theory that every regeneration is a response to the previous version. One could be quite grumpy and irascible, so Two is much more affable and easy to deal with. Two bumbled around a lot, so Three is a lot more serious and professional (also a lot more human, to deal with his situation) Three was stuck on Earth, so Four is a crazy, wide eyed weirdo alien.
Every Doctor actor owes a lot to Patrick Troughton and the team around him, by deciding to be so different from William Hartnell it meant they would all have the freedom to be their own Doctor, and by extension allows fans the freedom to have different favourites from each other!
Sarah Jane seemed easier with the loss of *3 as she'd actually watched him change into *4 so knew he was still alive if, in a different form. That's my take on it, anyway. I think, as you say, Jo would have reacted differently...
“I think you must be the sort of girl who gives motor cars pet names!” 😄 Like a normal human being then. Or The Doctor. Gotta love a world where files are helpfully marked TOP SECRET (like children’s comics) and doors say POSITIVELY NO ADMITTANCE but are left unlocked. You’re absolutely right. The first story is quite straightforward so we can focus on Tom Baker’s Doctor. Philip Hinchcliffe’s run as series producer is absolute gold.
And so, begins the Fourth Doctor's Era. For me, Tom Baker rivals Peter Capaldi as my personal favourite Doctor to date and was my first Doctor. He is probably the most alien of all the Doctors, being flippant, eccentric, heroic and cunning but has a bit of an unpredictable and detached darkness to him that always makes it seem like he's teetering on the brink of madness. Tom performs that effortlessly, and before he was cast, he was basically a down-on-his-luck, penniless nobody, only to become a beloved icon of British pop-culture. Funnily enough, as iconic as Tom's scarf is, it came about by accident in reality. They had gone to this knitter and asked her to craft this scarf, giving her all the wool she they thought she needed. When they got back to her to collect the scarf, she ended up using all of the wool, making it 13ft long. However, Tom loved it so much that it ended up in the show and has become one the most iconic Doctor Who items to this day. As for the story itself, Robot is an action-packed adventure that's stylishly brilliant and the K1 Robot itself is still a wonderful creation. Even though Robot is the beginning of the Fourth Doctor's Era, it's also something of an end to an era. Despite this being Tom's first story as the Doctor, this was, in fact, the last story for showrunners Barry Letts & Terrence Dicks as they stepped down as producer and script-editor after this story. This is why Robot feels more like a Third Doctor story with many familiar elements included (e.g. the Brigadier & Benton, the UNIT headquarters, Bessie, a sinister neo-fascist conspiracy, etc.), all done as a means of seeing how this new Doctor contrasts with the previous one. After this story, the style and tone of the show completely changes with both Philip Hinchcliffe & Robert Holmes taking over as the new showrunners going forward, crafting what would still be known to this day as Doctor Who's Golden Age.
A woman named Begonia Pope was asked to knit a scarf for the new Doctor; she was unsure how long a scarf the producers wanted. She consequently used all of the wool she had been given, resulting in a ridiculously long scarf. The producers loved it!
I have 2 Fav Doctors, 11 and 4. Tom was my 1st, and Matt is my heart. I can’t choose between them. I’m in love with the quirkiness of both. Matt studied all of the Doctors before playing the part. In the Beast Below, in the same scene, he channels 2 and 4. He even does the nose gesture. Glad that he could take all that he learned and make it his own. Tom is a lot of fun. I know you’ll enjoy him
I’m pretty sure I’ve been here since the very beginning. I think the algorithm picked out your reaction to ‘Rose’ for me. Am delighted that your style has grown from no PiP and no/very limited post-episode thoughts to very enjoyable and invested reactions and post-episode thoughts which are often really insightful. I’m excited to see you go through the Fourth Doctor’s era. Thanks for all the effort you put into your channel! ☺️
For those who remember the 50th Anniversary Special (Day of the Doctor), the Curator made the same gesture at 6:30 when he says "Who knows". That was a callback to this very scene (although i'm pretty sure 4th would do that every now and then); but it implies that The Doctor eventually retired and became a curator of that art gallery, as 11th foreshadowed in the special.
Thank you very much, my dear, for a trip in the old Wayback Machine. Baker was my first doctor and this my first episode shown for the first time on PBS in the US in the mid-70s. Who says that you can never go home again? Best. Leo.
I was in school when Tom Baker took over, and while I had watched and enjoyed DW for a few years, when Tom hit the screen it was like a revelation. The next school day my mates and I feverishly discussed this new Doctor and just how fresh and exciting he seemed. Full of humor, wacky glee and wit, along with that beautiful sonorous voice. As time passed he also had some wonderfully deep and passionate speeches. I love all Doctors, but 4 is most definitely MY Doctor. Also, the wardrobe scene is so iconic, and typical of Toms Doctor. I love how the most famous and iconic DW outfit, with scarf, hat and long coat, was effectively an afterthought by the character, thrown on at random. Other Doctors seem to carefully choose their outfit (mostly), but 4 has this cavalier approach in choosing it. So looking forward to your journey through his era. So much great stuff to come.
I arrived to your channel mid-Tennant and have been lucky enough to see you fall in love with Eleven, multiple Doctor Who Decembers, lord knows how many hours of reactions and additional content, and that awkward moment when you caught up to the show's new episode broadcasts and it felt like "well now what?" Classic Who was the answer to that question and I'm so glad you're loving the ride so much. Big big love from the UK.
I wasn't here pre-11, but I do recall many people begging you to give 12 a chance (before you'd even seen an episode). I think you were in the middle of Series 6 when I started watching, though I binged the previous vids to get up to speed, meaning from my POV you moved home twice in a week or something.
Tom Baker is simply magical. I've heard him say that the 4th Doctor is the real person and Tom Baker is the fictional character (or something to that effect). He simply IS the Doctor.
When I was growing up my Doctor Who watching was via public television (shoutout to IPTV Sci-Fi Friday Night!) and they started with Spearhead From Space and the 3rd Doctor, so I was admittedly a little impatient for you to get through 1 and 2 but I think it has been a very enjoyable ride, and I even got to experience some early episodes that I might not have otherwise, so thank you. I was nervous at everyone hyping up 4 so much for so long because I know the natural reaction to that is to be suspicious and contrarian but I had forgotten how much Tom's charisma and portrayal just immediately overpowers everything. He's almost a force of nature. Loved to see you starting to vibe with him almost immediately. Some of the absolute best episodes of the classic series are coming up, enjoy!
No many how many times I've seen it, I'm always struck by how immediately Tom Baker settled into the role. He is the Doctor we're going to know pretty much from the very first scene. It's the very definition of someone being born to play a part. That said, having thought about it a little, they did allow the Fourth Doctor to recover from the regeneration a little more quickly than others (or at least spent a lot less screen time on his recovery) so Tom didn't have to play his whole first story with that in mind.
I think the situation is that a lot of old time Who fants (like me) who were in America were first introduced to Doctor Who with the 4th Doctor. For many I have met, he was "our" Doctor. He's great as Doctor Who as well, but he kind of became our icon. Anyway, I'm glad you're here because you're bringing back my nostalgic memories of when I first discovered Doctor Who starting right here with Robot.
I always enjoyed Robot for many reasons. Bakers manic, crazy, fresh ,witty and much different performance from Pertwee was great as was the stark contrast to the way he handles the enemies and the Brig are all fascinating. The multiple changes in costumes was hilarious as was his dialog with Kettlewell. The robot was pretty impressive for the time too even if the CSO wasn't too good in spots. This is one enjoyable and fun story.
The Ark in Space, The Brain of Morbius & Genesis of the Daleks.......You're in for a treat!! The humour lessens particularly as new producers take charge, and becomes more subtle, but as you are aware, Tom Baker really comes into his own and is for many of us, a 'one off', never bettered.
Future Oscar-winner James Acheson's 'Hat and Scarf' combo gave the new Doctor an instantly distinctive look and was inspired by a Toulouse-Lautrec poster, promoting the music hall singer Aristide Bruant. The scarf also has a backstory. Once described by Tom Baker as being '16 feet long - 23 feet when wet', it was the accidental outcome of providing pattern knitter Begonia Pope (real name, apparently) with a variety of colours - only for her to use the lot!
Another mention from the Sarah Jane adventures was when she mentioned Harry and "loved Harry" so here he is Another near final farewell for unit. this was written with Jon pertwee in mind for the doctor
Thing about the 4th Doctor, and Tom Baker specifically, is that he's an instant winner. He's kooky, seemingly scatter-brained, but not overly affected by post-regenerative trauma. Rather he's instantly knowledgeable and take-charge. He's my favourite forever, enjoy your journey 😊
Hey Jess, Not sure if anyone noted this to you yet, but the Fourth Doctor was the first one America took to when "Doctor Who" stories began to be shown on PBS stations here starting in 1976.
You finally got to my favorite of the classic Who Doctors. There's just something about the borderline insane energy Tom Baker brought to the role that really defines the character. It was worth the wait.
Ian Marter/Harry was cast before Tom Baker. The studio thought that an older actor would be cast again as the Doctor and Harry's character was originally to be used more for action scenes/fights and so on like William Russel/Ian was for the first Doctor. Got to admit, he looks good in a bowler
You know, someone's probably already said this, and you've probably already realized it, but one reason why the Fourth Doctor is often considered **the** Doctor is not just Tom Baker's level of talent, but that Four is the Doctor that was around the longest. Most Doctors, even in the new era, only stuck around for three years. Three was the first exception to this, being around for 5 years, and then Tom Baker came along and he was the Doctor for seven years, making him the Doctor that the largest proportion of Britain's children grew up with.
Kettlewell and his amazing hair was also in a Troughton story. He played Professor Watkins in The Invasion. The older government type guy that the Robot killed was in Claws of Axos as the lovely Mr Chinn.
2:59 *The Doctor:* Mah box! Come to Papa! *Gets interrupted* Goddamn it… 11:27: “Really, Miss Smith, this is absurd. I think you must be the sort of girl who gives motorcars pet names.” SJ does, in fact, have a Volkswagen Beetle called Ethel.
And now you see why Tom's Doctor is iconic. He was absolutely brilliant in the role (still is, if you count the audio adventures). Plus he had the longest tenure, so for a lot of folks back then he was their first Doctor. And as you saw, he immediately made the role his own. So you can probably understand why so many of us freaked out when he showed up in Day of the Doctor. Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you think of the Fourth Doctor's era! I have a feeling you're going to like it a lot. :)
tom baker was one of the quickest to settle after his regeneration. when he got knocked out in part 2 he slept it off and bingo the 4th doctor onwards. great reaction as usual.
There was a K2 and K3 who appeared in other media K2 appeared in the twelfth Doctor comic story Robo Rampage and K3 in the Bernice Summerfield audio story The Relics of Jegg-Sau.
The robot's named K1 after its inventor Kettlewell. No relation to the beloved tin dog K9, whose name is a pun on "canine"... but I'm not going to tell you when he turns up ;)
Tom Baker and Liz Sladen absolutely adored each other. There's a video on youtube of Tom Baker talking about her after she died. It is completely heart breaking to watch this great man just entirely breakdown talking about her.
The reason the K-1 robot is so slow moving is simply because the costume was actually made of metal, and as such weighed a ton. It is also very impressive in real life. I remember seeing it at the Longleat Doctor Who exhibition back in the seventies and it looks like it could well move off under its own steam.
I remember when you reacted without any footage on the screen. Been here since the Ninth Doctor! :) I just don't comment very often. I am very excited and grateful that you are still going! Looking forward to that Third Doctor era review.
Tom Baker - "tell me, what do you say to the ears?" Sesskasays - "OH MY GOD!" All of us - "Yep, she ALREADY 'gets' why we love the 4th Doctor so much!" (Tom Baker CLEARLY 'hit the ground running' with this role.) And WOW! I never before made the potential technological connection with the Robot & K-9 before! Brilliant observation/ leap of logic, there sesskasays!
I've been watching since before you had picture-in-picture reactions. I noticed the touch of his nose which was repeated during Tom Baker's appearence in the 50th.
I once read that Robot was originally a 3rd Doctor story that never got made, but the writers decided to rework it into the 4th Doctor's 1st story in order to show how he would be different from the 3rd Doctor.
This was the first Who story I watched, in 1978 --yes, I'm a geezer. I felt like I came in the middle of the movie at first, but that got swept away by the tour de force that was Tom Baker as The Doctor. On many levels he will always be My Doctor. It was more than worth the wait for you to get here, and it was great revisiting old friends. But now the wild ride truly begins!
I adore Pertwee, but Baker is immediately likeable, leaves no question about whether he will do a good job. When I was young, I loved Baker in "The Silver Chair", one of the Narnia series films. He played Puddleglum, and was amazing in that role. He has some of that energy here.
Yep, been here since the beginning :) You're now entering the time of not only the greatest Doctor of "Classic Who" but also the greatest ever series in the show's history. You are going to LOVE it! And I, like thousands of others, are going to love your reactions!
Dr. Harry Sullivan - the doctor mentioned in The Sarah Jane Adventures as saving thousands of lives with his vaccines when Sarah Jane was listing the post Doctor lives of several of his companions.
@@SadBnnuy Sadly, they also had him as the Cybermen Controller in Attack of the Cybermen....problem is he put on quite a bit of weight at that time, and it did not look good at all....
This story is pretty good but it's the introduction to the eccentric new regeneration that makes it special. I think Tom was the only Doctor who gave the impression that he really was from another planet. The prof's hairstyle in this is every cartoonist's idea of a "mad professor". It was used in the old Wacky Races show for Professor Pat Pending.
I'm not as big a Fourth Doctor fan as some, but his first season is arguably the most memorable classic season to me, along with Season 16 and Season 25.
Ahhhhh I love Pertwee but with the exception of the Second Doctor (because he inspired Eleven primarily), it was Tom Baker who brought to the Doctor really everything that people love about the Doctor to this day in one incarnation. Like Tennant really, he’s the all rounder Doctor, the fashion, the committed acting, the humour, the flair, he’s got it all!
Don't sell yourself short on your thoughts about how the Doctor changes from one regeneration to the next. I love the fact that you are actually thinking about this, and it becomes a particularly interesting topic during one of the future regenerations. Considering what caused specific personality changes can be very helpful for understanding different incarnations. When the time comes, I look forward to potentially revisiting this subject.
I really have to say, I honestly envy you. I have seen and collected the full existing series. I have listened to pretty much all the commentaries but I envy you the chance to see it for the first time and see your honest reaction to the stories. A couple of notes you might enjoy, there is NO correlation between Kettlewell's K-1 robot and K-9 sadly but again, I am enjoying your fresh approach to the stories. Also, the security guard that is attacked as the phone is ripped off the wall? That is John Scott Martin who was one of the performers who was inside the Daleks in the 60s and 70s. Just a bit of trivia I thought you might like.
this is one of many episodes i couldn't wait to hear your thoughts on. I love the change in costumes. I still laugh about today as you watched it. Not a big fan of the 4th Doctor. I know i'm very much in the minority. but i did like a lot of his stories. can't wait to see your reaction to what's coming up (which i will not spoil for you). Looking forward to the long journey of the 4th Doctor era. I haven't been with you since the beginning, but i have become a HUGE fan & will support all you do. take care
Interesting fact about this story that gives you a look into unions in the UK pre-Thatcher: at couple different points in Think Tank's headquarters a ladderr is visible in the background. This ladder was not supposed to be there, it was left by one the set workers right before a walkout occurred, something which was extremely common in those days when even the smallest infraction against union regulations occurred. These same regulations, however, stipulated that no one but the workers were even allowed to touch tools like ladders on set, and this was very much something they took seriously. Liz Sladen once told about how she once tried to move a chair that was in the way on the set, but someone stopped her before she could, telling her that if anyone but the set decorators moved the chair, it would violate union rules and could potentially lead to a walkout. So with a walkout already going on, they couldn't afford to stir the pot further by moving that ladder, but the ladders presence created some continuity issues because some scenes had already been shot on that set and several more scenes still had to be shot. So their rather creative solution to this was to go out and get an identical ladder and integrate it into the scene, having a technician using it to do some work on the robot. That way the presence of the other ladder could be justified as being hastily stashed away nearby after the technician was finished with it.
The first five doctors each contributed aspects to the character's overall personality foundation. So, when you watch Tennant or Whittaker or Smith, they're all borrowing from one or more of the first five.
Been watching since your first Who reaction Sess, though I don't comment often. My Who journey started somewhere around here. I actually think I caught a re-run on TV and my Dad told me about this character who changed but was the same; after that I went out and bought a load of VHS tapes whenever I had enough pocket money. I certainly got An Unearthly Child and Robot; there were some Pertwees in there for sure, and I think Tomb of the Cybermen too. Robot though is the one that stands out. I was lucky enough to see the actual Robot itself in Cardiff before the Exhibition shut down. I think you're in for a good run with Baker, his first few seasons are well regarded for a reason.
The well-worn story of Tom Baker's journey from the poverty-stricken streets of Liverpool - to the monastic life - to the Royal Shakespeare Company - plus the temporary acclaim for his role as 'Rasputin' in the Tsarist epic 'Nicholas and Alexandra' - and ultimately to The Doctor - is laid out in his autobiography: 'Who on Earth is Tom Baker?' But perhaps more remarkable is how this shift from suave and debonair to bohemian and seemingly shambolic, which looks like a disaster on paper, turned him into the most popular actor to play the role in the 20th century. He was the first to be an action figure and planted the seed of the show's cult status in the United States - and this is where it all started...
I've always thought of the effect of the regeneration process on the Doctor's personality as being like a snow globe, all the traits are still there, but it's been shaken up and resettled in a new pattern, with perhaps different traits on top than before. The First Doctor possesses a mischievous sense of humor, but that trait is much more in the forefront with the Second Doctor. Occasionally the First Doctor gets into a physical fight (like The Romans, where he trounces the assassin) but that's almost completely submerged in the Second and near the top in the Third, etc. This was the first Doctor Who story I ever saw, back when they first started showing the series in the U.S., about 1979/80, so it holds a special place in my heart. K-1/K-9 is just a coincidence I'm afraid.
This is more or less how I see regeneration too. Although I hadn't thought of that specific comparison to a snowglobe, I always felt like the traits that make The Doctor who they are were there in every incarnation, but the balance and expression of said traits changed.
Terrance Dicks agreed with you. Same man, same traits but in different proportions/priority than before.
Ooo, that’s a good way of putting it. I especially like the image of the snow globe. That seems an appropriately Doctor Who type of explanation.
Or as Peri once put it, "it's as though your memory's been put through the meat grinder. I mean, it's all there, but in a pile of unrelated bits and pieces."
Fun fact: “Planet of the Spiders” and “Robot” were filmed at the same time in different studios, so they had to replicate the UNIT headquarters and the cast quite literally had to run back and forth between the two sets. And as such the regeneration shot of the latter was overlayed on the former at the moment of the change.
Yes, Lis Sladen had a hard job keeping up with what story she was meant to be recording at any one time!
It's great to see Jess fall in love with the Fourth Doctor so quickly, that first scene with Harry really is perfect isn't it? Tells you everything you need to know about how Baker is going to play the role.
With all due respect to the first three Doctors (who were each enjoyable and entertaining in their own ways), Tom Baker for me truly captured the "alien eccentricity" of the character in a way that no one else had previously.
Baker had a larger-than-life persona, and this was reflected in both his screen presence and performances in the role. He burst onto the screen with a ton of energy and to this day is still revered amongst DW fans.
Enjoy the ride, it's going to be a memorable one for sure!
I discovered Doctor Who when I was a pre-teen in the 70's, on my local PBS station. So Tom Baker is "my" doctor. Because of the troubles of my childhood, he was always there to help me escape my unhappy world, if only for a short time. He has always been dear to me. When I heard his voice at the end of the 50th anniversary show (before the camera even revealed him) I started sobbing. Just hearing that voice took me immediately back to that time when he helped me survive my situation.
I've loved all your Doctor Who reactions Jess, but I am especially looking forward to your time with 4. ❤❤❤❤
He was born to play the doctor. A weird eccentric who took the role very seriously.
It was shown with Pertwee where I lived in the early 70s, sort of randomly, and then with Tom Baker in the 80s. I squealed when his voice came on in the 50th (along with a bunch of other older fans at a comic con) and then burst into tears when he appeared onscreen.
This is exactly my story too. Waiting between bits of PBS for more of the magical doctor. Playing GIJoe where they would regenerate. The Tardis was one of those old metal bandaid containers.
This was me...
I loved the tap to the nose. I remember seeing the curator doing it in the 50th, and mind instantly went to robot
'You may be a doctor, but I'm the Doctor. The definite article, you might say.'
I've always always loved that line and I really enjoy your reactions. Looking forward to watching more as you begin the 4th Doctor journey.👍
Capaldi paraphrased it in 'The Doctor Falls' when confronted by Cybermen.
@@ajivins1 his was a mixture of the Fourth Doctor line and the First Doctor line during The Five Doctors.
One of the best (& funniest) lines of the ENTIRE FRANCHISE!
I am one of those countless fans who's waited years for this too. I'll say, for whatever moaning and groaning you've received, and as much as so many of us consider Four *our* Doctor, you, Jess, went from "What the hell am I even watching, this show is so WEIRD" and often eye-roll-y, to probably one of the most devoted and dedicated superfans I've ever seen, one who is methodically and systematically watching as much of the entire franchise beyond what most of the rest of us probably ever have. For that alone, I love you. And I hope this new "era" is as memorable for you as it is for so many of us..!
I remember when she did that. Although it was mostly during the Ninth Doctor era at the very beginning. It didn’t happen as much, if at all, during the Tenth Doctor era.
Jess, I have to admit that I have not be religiously following your journey through most of your watch of Jon Pertwee's even though I adore his portrayal of the Doctor. Jon and number 7 Sylvester McCoy are my favorites of the Classic Doctors if you don't count my first and all time favorite, Tom. Tom is still producing Big Finish audios so is still playing the Doctor even today and I have listened to quite a few of those audios. I'm glad that you did watch all the classic episodes in release order so you really have the history of the show's universe, the characters and the evolution of the Doctor's persona. Get ready for a fun ride and I'll be along to see your reactions.!...😁🙂🙃
@@danniemadsen1970 She was still not that into it with 10 either, at least until the end of his run, I think what really got her into Who was Matt Smith's run. In fact, I believe she mentioned this at some point, but don't quote me on that.
I do believe retroactively she might like the 9th and 10th Doctor's eras more now that she has experienced so much of the Whoniverse.
@@bobdallas4860 Oh, I know. I’m just saying that it happened mostly during Nine.
She still was a little weirded out during Ten, but she understood it a lot more and things excited her a little more.
People who moaned about it taking so long until you get to 4 are silly, especially since it's comes so much sooner than 7 which is what I've been the most excited for you to watch (here's to 2024 🙃).
Ian Marter who plays Harry Sullivan appeared in Carnival of Monsters and actually auditioned for the role of Mike Yates but he had to turn it down due to prior commitments.
Here he is, the legendary Fourth Doctor in all his charming, erratic and utterly alien glory! Tom Baker really was lightning in a bottle.
He’s still lighting in a bottle. Listen to him reprise the 4th Doctor for Big Finish. He’s still as fantastic as ever!
Tom Baker’s charm and wit bursts through the screen! He is the perfect Doctor!
I love his chemistry with the actors who play Harry and Sarah Jane. Can’t wait to watch the rest of his episodes with you!
Tom Baker was born to play the Doctor.
‘Iconic’ would be an understatement
Now you get why millions of Whovians collectively screamed with joy when Tom Baker appeared in "Day of the Doctor." "Who knows (nose)?" indeed.
Absolutely, what a special moment for so many of us when Tom rocked up as the Curator, legend!
Just wanna say how much I appreciate you going through all of classic Who. A lot of people who start at modern Who don't even bother with classic Who.
You are by far one of my favourite Doctor Who related accounts, I started watching you around the series 6 reaction, and now you are on 4. So glad to see you liking all eras of the show.
Saying his behaviour might be 'somewhat erratic' could well be the understatement of the entire series!
"There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t act a little childish sometimes"
He's definitely very popular- sort of like 10 in NuWho. Although they have slightly different energy lol.
I like all of the Doctors and their eras for different reasons. I've enjoyed the whole journey thus far, we've had some of my favourites :)
Both 'teeth and eyes'!
I do remember the "What the hell am I even watching" days of Jess's reactions to Dr. Who 🙂 So glad to see her getting to this era of Classic Who
I loved the "eye-rolling at Rose" era of her reactions. :)
@@firefly24601 Ooof, disagree. As a huge RTD1 era fan, a lot of those reactions are depressing as hell and hard to watch even to this day.😂I honestly never thought she'd ever love the show enough to delve into classic Who, but look at where we are now! So grateful we've gotten to this point in her Who journey.
@@Mrazmatmahmood The stories are great! I never really connected with Rose though. Nothing bad about Billie Piper, she did an excellent job. Rose just didn't click with me.
@@firefly24601 Rose was a very flawed character who made a lot of mistakes, but that was an intentional part of the story imo The best part is, everything she did (even the bad things) made sense and felt in character and it progressed the narrative. It made Rose a lot more interesting than characters who have no flaws and always do the right thing. Moffat tried to do similar things with Clara, but unfortunately most of it was quite sloppy and badly written.
@@Mrazmatmahmood Nah, I'm not worried about the mistakes the character made. That actually made Rose a lot better for me than she would have been. Just something in the portrayal of the character didn't click. Who knows why.
What a delightful reaction, from start to finish! I admit I was worried - usually when a new character is hyped for such a long time it's usually a letdown, but you totally got Tom from the start, along with some other accurate observations 😁 This is gonna be a good time!
Until she mentioned it, I completely missed that this robot was K-1, many seasons before we got K-9.
All the first 4 Doctors are brilliant... it's just that it's in their own special ways. The 4th has a special place in my heart though as he was MY Doctor growing up.
Yes, the first Doctors were all great and had a lot of screening time. With Davison, the decline with short-living Doctors began, and when the show was about to recover in McCoy's third season, it was cancelled.
19:00 Interesting you say that, cause there is the theory that every regeneration is a response to the previous version.
One could be quite grumpy and irascible, so Two is much more affable and easy to deal with.
Two bumbled around a lot, so Three is a lot more serious and professional (also a lot more human, to deal with his situation)
Three was stuck on Earth, so Four is a crazy, wide eyed weirdo alien.
My Doctor, Robot is such an underrated episode, season 12-14 is the golden age of the classic series
Season 13 is the pinnacle of Doctor Who.
Season 2-6 were the first golden age of DW Classics tbh
Every Doctor actor owes a lot to Patrick Troughton and the team around him, by deciding to be so different from William Hartnell it meant they would all have the freedom to be their own Doctor, and by extension allows fans the freedom to have different favourites from each other!
Sarah Jane seemed easier with the loss of *3 as she'd actually watched him change into *4 so knew he was still alive if, in a different form. That's my take on it, anyway. I think, as you say, Jo would have reacted differently...
“I think you must be the sort of girl who gives motor cars pet names!” 😄 Like a normal human being then. Or The Doctor.
Gotta love a world where files are helpfully marked TOP SECRET (like children’s comics) and doors say POSITIVELY NO ADMITTANCE but are left unlocked.
You’re absolutely right. The first story is quite straightforward so we can focus on Tom Baker’s Doctor. Philip Hinchcliffe’s run as series producer is absolute gold.
Robot very much does feel like a kid's story, which I think is part of its charm.
What you are about to witness is Tom Baker being himself, and he does it brilliantly.
And so, begins the Fourth Doctor's Era. For me, Tom Baker rivals Peter Capaldi as my personal favourite Doctor to date and was my first Doctor. He is probably the most alien of all the Doctors, being flippant, eccentric, heroic and cunning but has a bit of an unpredictable and detached darkness to him that always makes it seem like he's teetering on the brink of madness. Tom performs that effortlessly, and before he was cast, he was basically a down-on-his-luck, penniless nobody, only to become a beloved icon of British pop-culture. Funnily enough, as iconic as Tom's scarf is, it came about by accident in reality. They had gone to this knitter and asked her to craft this scarf, giving her all the wool she they thought she needed. When they got back to her to collect the scarf, she ended up using all of the wool, making it 13ft long. However, Tom loved it so much that it ended up in the show and has become one the most iconic Doctor Who items to this day.
As for the story itself, Robot is an action-packed adventure that's stylishly brilliant and the K1 Robot itself is still a wonderful creation. Even though Robot is the beginning of the Fourth Doctor's Era, it's also something of an end to an era. Despite this being Tom's first story as the Doctor, this was, in fact, the last story for showrunners Barry Letts & Terrence Dicks as they stepped down as producer and script-editor after this story. This is why Robot feels more like a Third Doctor story with many familiar elements included (e.g. the Brigadier & Benton, the UNIT headquarters, Bessie, a sinister neo-fascist conspiracy, etc.), all done as a means of seeing how this new Doctor contrasts with the previous one. After this story, the style and tone of the show completely changes with both Philip Hinchcliffe & Robert Holmes taking over as the new showrunners going forward, crafting what would still be known to this day as Doctor Who's Golden Age.
Are you me? Because Tom Baker was both my first Doctor and THE (Classic) Doctor of my childhood, while Peter Capaldi is my favorite New Era Doctor.
@@roberthorne9017 I think a lot of us veterans like Capaldi best from the New because he's by far the most like the Classic Doctors.
A woman named Begonia Pope was asked to knit a scarf for the new Doctor; she was unsure how long a scarf the producers wanted. She consequently used all of the wool she had been given, resulting in a ridiculously long scarf. The producers loved it!
I have 2 Fav Doctors, 11 and 4. Tom was my 1st, and Matt is my heart. I can’t choose between them. I’m in love with the quirkiness of both. Matt studied all of the Doctors before playing the part. In the Beast Below, in the same scene, he channels 2 and 4. He even does the nose gesture. Glad that he could take all that he learned and make it his own. Tom is a lot of fun. I know you’ll enjoy him
I’m pretty sure I’ve been here since the very beginning. I think the algorithm picked out your reaction to ‘Rose’ for me. Am delighted that your style has grown from no PiP and no/very limited post-episode thoughts to very enjoyable and invested reactions and post-episode thoughts which are often really insightful. I’m excited to see you go through the Fourth Doctor’s era. Thanks for all the effort you put into your channel! ☺️
For those who remember the 50th Anniversary Special (Day of the Doctor), the Curator made the same gesture at 6:30 when he says "Who knows". That was a callback to this very scene (although i'm pretty sure 4th would do that every now and then); but it implies that The Doctor eventually retired and became a curator of that art gallery, as 11th foreshadowed in the special.
Thank you very much, my dear, for a trip in the old Wayback Machine. Baker was my first doctor and this my first episode shown for the first time on PBS in the US in the mid-70s. Who says that you can never go home again? Best. Leo.
I was in school when Tom Baker took over, and while I had watched and enjoyed DW for a few years, when Tom hit the screen it was like a revelation. The next school day my mates and I feverishly discussed this new Doctor and just how fresh and exciting he seemed. Full of humor, wacky glee and wit, along with that beautiful sonorous voice. As time passed he also had some wonderfully deep and passionate speeches. I love all Doctors, but 4 is most definitely MY Doctor.
Also, the wardrobe scene is so iconic, and typical of Toms Doctor. I love how the most famous and iconic DW outfit, with scarf, hat and long coat, was effectively an afterthought by the character, thrown on at random. Other Doctors seem to carefully choose their outfit (mostly), but 4 has this cavalier approach in choosing it.
So looking forward to your journey through his era. So much great stuff to come.
I’m loving watching your journey. Glad you loved 4 straight away… hopefully you’ll think as highly of Harry as you did of Mike!
And so begins a era to remember!
Enjoy.
I arrived to your channel mid-Tennant and have been lucky enough to see you fall in love with Eleven, multiple Doctor Who Decembers, lord knows how many hours of reactions and additional content, and that awkward moment when you caught up to the show's new episode broadcasts and it felt like "well now what?" Classic Who was the answer to that question and I'm so glad you're loving the ride so much. Big big love from the UK.
I honestly wasn’t sure whether to expect this or if we were taking a few weeks for the review but im really excited to watch this.
Tom Baker is an explosion of weirdness and I love it
I wasn't here pre-11, but I do recall many people begging you to give 12 a chance (before you'd even seen an episode).
I think you were in the middle of Series 6 when I started watching, though I binged the previous vids to get up to speed, meaning from my POV you moved home twice in a week or something.
Tom Baker is simply magical. I've heard him say that the 4th Doctor is the real person and Tom Baker is the fictional character (or something to that effect). He simply IS the Doctor.
Absolutely fantastic that you are now watching THE DOCTOR I've been waiting for this 😀
When I was growing up my Doctor Who watching was via public television (shoutout to IPTV Sci-Fi Friday Night!) and they started with Spearhead From Space and the 3rd Doctor, so I was admittedly a little impatient for you to get through 1 and 2 but I think it has been a very enjoyable ride, and I even got to experience some early episodes that I might not have otherwise, so thank you.
I was nervous at everyone hyping up 4 so much for so long because I know the natural reaction to that is to be suspicious and contrarian but I had forgotten how much Tom's charisma and portrayal just immediately overpowers everything. He's almost a force of nature. Loved to see you starting to vibe with him almost immediately.
Some of the absolute best episodes of the classic series are coming up, enjoy!
I've been here since the start of series 2 of New Who. It's slightly terrifying to look at that upload date now, hah.
No many how many times I've seen it, I'm always struck by how immediately Tom Baker settled into the role. He is the Doctor we're going to know pretty much from the very first scene. It's the very definition of someone being born to play a part.
That said, having thought about it a little, they did allow the Fourth Doctor to recover from the regeneration a little more quickly than others (or at least spent a lot less screen time on his recovery) so Tom didn't have to play his whole first story with that in mind.
I think the situation is that a lot of old time Who fants (like me) who were in America were first introduced to Doctor Who with the 4th Doctor. For many I have met, he was "our" Doctor. He's great as Doctor Who as well, but he kind of became our icon.
Anyway, I'm glad you're here because you're bringing back my nostalgic memories of when I first discovered Doctor Who starting right here with Robot.
5:14 I THINK that little guy was one of the Dalek operators, as in who were in those shells, and he did it for years.
I always enjoyed Robot for many reasons. Bakers manic, crazy, fresh ,witty and much different performance from Pertwee was great as was the stark contrast to the way he handles the enemies and the Brig are all fascinating. The multiple changes in costumes was hilarious as was his dialog with Kettlewell. The robot was pretty impressive for the time too even if the CSO wasn't too good in spots. This is one enjoyable and fun story.
Just the fact that they got two grown men to deliver their lines while skipping one rope together is amazing.
6:27
Brigadier: "What do you know about that?"
The Doctor: "Who... nose?"
The Ark in Space, The Brain of Morbius & Genesis of the Daleks.......You're in for a treat!! The humour lessens particularly as new producers take charge, and becomes more subtle, but as you are aware, Tom Baker really comes into his own and is for many of us, a 'one off', never bettered.
I was at a Dr Who exhibition yesterday in Liverpool and they had the K1 robot costume on display next to K9 (they are not a continuation though)
Future Oscar-winner James Acheson's 'Hat and Scarf' combo gave the new Doctor an instantly distinctive look and was inspired by a Toulouse-Lautrec poster, promoting the music hall singer Aristide Bruant. The scarf also has a backstory. Once described by Tom Baker as being '16 feet long - 23 feet when wet', it was the accidental outcome of providing pattern knitter Begonia Pope (real name, apparently) with a variety of colours - only for her to use the lot!
Another mention from the Sarah Jane adventures was when she mentioned Harry and "loved Harry" so here he is Another near final farewell for unit. this was written with Jon pertwee in mind for the doctor
Thing about the 4th Doctor, and Tom Baker specifically, is that he's an instant winner. He's kooky, seemingly scatter-brained, but not overly affected by post-regenerative trauma. Rather he's instantly knowledgeable and take-charge. He's my favourite forever, enjoy your journey 😊
Hey Jess,
Not sure if anyone noted this to you yet, but the Fourth Doctor was the first one America took to when "Doctor Who" stories began to be shown on PBS stations here starting in 1976.
You finally got to my favorite of the classic Who Doctors. There's just something about the borderline insane energy Tom Baker brought to the role that really defines the character. It was worth the wait.
It’s the beginning, that the moments been prepared for.
Spoilers
Professor Kettlewell was the guy who played Watkins in The Invasion. He died in 2018 aged 98.
Ian Marter/Harry was cast before Tom Baker. The studio thought that an older actor would be cast again as the Doctor and Harry's character was originally to be used more for action scenes/fights and so on like William Russel/Ian was for the first Doctor. Got to admit, he looks good in a bowler
I still wonder if you remember the fourth doctor Tom Baker in the 50th anniversary? He was The Curator
You know, someone's probably already said this, and you've probably already realized it, but one reason why the Fourth Doctor is often considered **the** Doctor is not just Tom Baker's level of talent, but that Four is the Doctor that was around the longest. Most Doctors, even in the new era, only stuck around for three years. Three was the first exception to this, being around for 5 years, and then Tom Baker came along and he was the Doctor for seven years, making him the Doctor that the largest proportion of Britain's children grew up with.
Kettlewell and his amazing hair was also in a Troughton story. He played Professor Watkins in The Invasion. The older government type guy that the Robot killed was in Claws of Axos as the lovely Mr Chinn.
2:59
*The Doctor:* Mah box! Come to Papa! *Gets interrupted* Goddamn it…
11:27: “Really, Miss Smith, this is absurd. I think you must be the sort of girl who gives motorcars pet names.”
SJ does, in fact, have a Volkswagen Beetle called Ethel.
Loved your reaction to the "fashion show". I was waiting for that! 😁
Your comments about the robot are hilarious!
And now you see why Tom's Doctor is iconic. He was absolutely brilliant in the role (still is, if you count the audio adventures). Plus he had the longest tenure, so for a lot of folks back then he was their first Doctor. And as you saw, he immediately made the role his own. So you can probably understand why so many of us freaked out when he showed up in Day of the Doctor.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you think of the Fourth Doctor's era! I have a feeling you're going to like it a lot. :)
tom baker was one of the quickest to settle after his regeneration. when he got knocked out in part 2 he slept it off and bingo the 4th doctor onwards. great reaction as usual.
There was a K2 and K3 who appeared in other media K2 appeared in the twelfth Doctor comic story Robo Rampage and K3 in the Bernice Summerfield audio story The Relics of Jegg-Sau.
one more thing: the thing with K1 to K9 never made the connection before! I won't say anymore. Great insight
The robot's named K1 after its inventor Kettlewell. No relation to the beloved tin dog K9, whose name is a pun on "canine"... but I'm not going to tell you when he turns up ;)
Tom Baker and Liz Sladen absolutely adored each other. There's a video on youtube of Tom Baker talking about her after she died. It is completely heart breaking to watch this great man just entirely breakdown talking about her.
The reason the K-1 robot is so slow moving is simply because the costume was actually made of metal, and as such weighed a ton. It is also very impressive in real life. I remember seeing it at the Longleat Doctor Who exhibition back in the seventies and it looks like it could well move off under its own steam.
I recently seen the Robot costume at the Doctor Who exhibition in Liverpool and it is huge. Whoever they put in there had to be 7 feet tall lol
I'm pretty sure it was Michael Kilgarriff, who played the Cybercontroller in "Tomb of the Cybermen".
I remember when you reacted without any footage on the screen. Been here since the Ninth Doctor! :)
I just don't comment very often. I am very excited and grateful that you are still going! Looking forward to that Third Doctor era review.
Tom Baker - "tell me, what do you say to the ears?"
Sesskasays - "OH MY GOD!"
All of us - "Yep, she ALREADY 'gets' why we love the 4th Doctor so much!" (Tom Baker CLEARLY 'hit the ground running' with this role.)
And WOW! I never before made the potential technological connection with the Robot & K-9 before! Brilliant observation/ leap of logic, there sesskasays!
I've been watching since before you had picture-in-picture reactions. I noticed the touch of his nose which was repeated during Tom Baker's appearence in the 50th.
When the Doctor and Harry start jumping rope together I was cracking up! 😂
Its also obvious this story was still using the third Doctor formula.
I once read that Robot was originally a 3rd Doctor story that never got made, but the writers decided to rework it into the 4th Doctor's 1st story in order to show how he would be different from the 3rd Doctor.
It is a 3rd Doctor story. Written by Terrance Dicks and produced by Barry Letts. The Hinchcliffe era starts with the next one.
This was the first Who story I watched, in 1978 --yes, I'm a geezer. I felt like I came in the middle of the movie at first, but that got swept away by the tour de force that was Tom Baker as The Doctor. On many levels he will always be My Doctor. It was more than worth the wait for you to get here, and it was great revisiting old friends. But now the wild ride truly begins!
I'm so happy you're finally here! I've been here since the beginning of new who, and this has been a LONG time coming. I cannot wait!!
I adore Pertwee, but Baker is immediately likeable, leaves no question about whether he will do a good job. When I was young, I loved Baker in "The Silver Chair", one of the Narnia series films. He played Puddleglum, and was amazing in that role. He has some of that energy here.
"Is that a correlation to K9? We have K-1, we need .2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and then it's party time?!?! Ha ha ha great reaction I am loving it!
Yep, been here since the beginning :) You're now entering the time of not only the greatest Doctor of "Classic Who" but also the greatest ever series in the show's history. You are going to LOVE it! And I, like thousands of others, are going to love your reactions!
Dr. Harry Sullivan - the doctor mentioned in The Sarah Jane Adventures as saving thousands of lives with his vaccines when Sarah Jane was listing the post Doctor lives of several of his companions.
Tom baker has such a frenetic and chaotic energy to him that feels so unique and interesting.
15:45
BRIGADIER: And what are you going to do?
DOCTOR: I'm going to have a staring content with the boom mic guy.
Trivia: The guy playing as the robot, was also the same as the Controller from Tomb of the Cybermen.
I can see why, he was huge
@@SadBnnuy Sadly, they also had him as the Cybermen Controller in Attack of the Cybermen....problem is he put on quite a bit of weight at that time, and it did not look good at all....
This story is pretty good but it's the introduction to the eccentric new regeneration that makes it special. I think Tom was the only Doctor who gave the impression that he really was from another planet. The prof's hairstyle in this is every cartoonist's idea of a "mad professor". It was used in the old Wacky Races show for Professor Pat Pending.
I'm not as big a Fourth Doctor fan as some, but his first season is arguably the most memorable classic season to me, along with Season 16 and Season 25.
Ahhhhh I love Pertwee but with the exception of the Second Doctor (because he inspired Eleven primarily), it was Tom Baker who brought to the Doctor really everything that people love about the Doctor to this day in one incarnation.
Like Tennant really, he’s the all rounder Doctor, the fashion, the committed acting, the humour, the flair, he’s got it all!
Don't sell yourself short on your thoughts about how the Doctor changes from one regeneration to the next. I love the fact that you are actually thinking about this, and it becomes a particularly interesting topic during one of the future regenerations. Considering what caused specific personality changes can be very helpful for understanding different incarnations. When the time comes, I look forward to potentially revisiting this subject.
Whenever the Doctor regenerates, he's always a bit eccentric until he figures out who he is.
It's the scarf It's always the scarf
I really have to say, I honestly envy you. I have seen and collected the full existing series. I have listened to pretty much all the commentaries but I envy you the chance to see it for the first time and see your honest reaction to the stories.
A couple of notes you might enjoy, there is NO correlation between Kettlewell's K-1 robot and K-9 sadly but again, I am enjoying your fresh approach to the stories. Also, the security guard that is attacked as the phone is ripped off the wall? That is John Scott Martin who was one of the performers who was inside the Daleks in the 60s and 70s. Just a bit of trivia I thought you might like.
this is one of many episodes i couldn't wait to hear your thoughts on. I love the change in costumes. I still laugh about today as you watched it. Not a big fan of the 4th Doctor. I know i'm very much in the minority. but i did like a lot of his stories. can't wait to see your reaction to what's coming up (which i will not spoil for you). Looking forward to the long journey of the 4th Doctor era. I haven't been with you since the beginning, but i have become a HUGE fan & will support all you do. take care
Interesting fact about this story that gives you a look into unions in the UK pre-Thatcher: at couple different points in Think Tank's headquarters a ladderr is visible in the background. This ladder was not supposed to be there, it was left by one the set workers right before a walkout occurred, something which was extremely common in those days when even the smallest infraction against union regulations occurred. These same regulations, however, stipulated that no one but the workers were even allowed to touch tools like ladders on set, and this was very much something they took seriously. Liz Sladen once told about how she once tried to move a chair that was in the way on the set, but someone stopped her before she could, telling her that if anyone but the set decorators moved the chair, it would violate union rules and could potentially lead to a walkout. So with a walkout already going on, they couldn't afford to stir the pot further by moving that ladder, but the ladders presence created some continuity issues because some scenes had already been shot on that set and several more scenes still had to be shot. So their rather creative solution to this was to go out and get an identical ladder and integrate it into the scene, having a technician using it to do some work on the robot. That way the presence of the other ladder could be justified as being hastily stashed away nearby after the technician was finished with it.
The first five doctors each contributed aspects to the character's overall personality foundation. So, when you watch Tennant or Whittaker or Smith, they're all borrowing from one or more of the first five.
Been watching since your first Who reaction Sess, though I don't comment often.
My Who journey started somewhere around here. I actually think I caught a re-run on TV and my Dad told me about this character who changed but was the same; after that I went out and bought a load of VHS tapes whenever I had enough pocket money.
I certainly got An Unearthly Child and Robot; there were some Pertwees in there for sure, and I think Tomb of the Cybermen too.
Robot though is the one that stands out. I was lucky enough to see the actual Robot itself in Cardiff before the Exhibition shut down. I think you're in for a good run with Baker, his first few seasons are well regarded for a reason.
The actor playing the professor played a less hirsute one in The Invasion 🎩
The well-worn story of Tom Baker's journey from the poverty-stricken streets of Liverpool - to the monastic life - to the Royal Shakespeare Company - plus the temporary acclaim for his role as 'Rasputin' in the Tsarist epic 'Nicholas and Alexandra' - and ultimately to The Doctor - is laid out in his autobiography: 'Who on Earth is Tom Baker?' But perhaps more remarkable is how this shift from suave and debonair to bohemian and seemingly shambolic, which looks like a disaster on paper, turned him into the most popular actor to play the role in the 20th century. He was the first to be an action figure and planted the seed of the show's cult status in the United States - and this is where it all started...