Tom Baker Back as ‘Doctor Who’
Tom Baker (Doctor Who) and Richard Franklin (Captain Yates)
If you’re a Doctor Who fan then you’re going to find this story to be very cool.
Tom Baker, the flamboyant actor who played the long scarf wearing curly headed Doctor in 173 episodes of Doctor Who, has reprised his role as the Doctor in five new soon to be released BBC audio dramas.
Baker, who is now 75 years old, is the longest serving Doctor Who having played the fourth Doctor for seven consecutive seasons from 1974 to 1981. Since then he has only appeared in a handful of Doctor Who related specials.
Now fans will get to hear him again as the Doctor and not only that but he’ll have a new companion – Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin). Like Baker Franklin is also a Doctor Who veteran having appeared in 42 episodes from 1971 to 1983. This will be the first time he will appear as the Doctor’s companion.
The five stories will follow the doctor soon after he leaves previous companions Leela and K-9 on his home planet Gallifrey. The Doctor tries to relax in an old English cottage in Sussex sometime during 2009 but, as is the case for the Doctor, he always finds himself in trouble.
An additional companion will come in the form of Mrs Wibbsey, the Doctor’s bad-tempered housekeeper in Sussex, played by Susan Jameson (New Tricks / When the Boat Comes in).
The audio series is written by scribe Paul Magrs who had this to say about Tom Baker’s reprisal of the role:
“I went down to be there [for the recording] at what felt like an historic occasion. He was on top form. Unbelievable. Full of charisma, bursting into the studios. Then he was at the mike with other cast members, and suddenlyI can picture the very moment he turned back into the Doctor. One minute it was introductions and actorly chat and then all of a sudden he was rehearsing lines his first being, ‘Hullo, I’m the Doctor’. It was a very shivery moment.”
The BBC plan to release each audio drama monthly commencing September, 2009.
Following is a synopsis of each upcoming audio episode:
Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest – The Stuff of Nightmares
‘Wanted: retired army Captain for light household duties and fireside companionship. Must tolerate mild eccentricity and strong scientific advice. Knowledge of Giant Maggots, Super Intelligent Spiders and Prehistoric Monsters a positive boon.’ Responding to an advert apparently worded for him alone, Captain Mike Yates (retired) is reunited with a ghost from the past. But why has the Doctor, that mysterious traveller in Time and Space, sent for his former UNIT acquaintance? Trapped by a horde of vicious creatures in an apparently innocuous English country cottage, the two old friends are on the brink of an enormous adventure. As the Doctor relates his recent escapades, it becomes clear to Mike that they – and the Earth at large – are facing an enemy of unimaginable power and horrific intent. The nightmare is only just beginning… With Tom Baker as the Doctor, Richard Franklin as Mike Yates, Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey and Daniel Hill as Percy Noggins, The Stuff of Nightmares is the first of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs.
Release Date: September 3, 2009
Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest – The Dead Shoes
What is so special about a pair of ballet shoes on display in Cromer’s Palace of Curios? When the Doctor meets Ernestina Scott there in 1932, they discover the horrific truth together. The second of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs, The Dead Shoes also features Susan Jameson, Clare Corbett and Christian Rodska.
Release Date: October 8, 2009
Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest – The Circus of Doom
In Blandford, 1832, ringmaster Antonio exerts a strange influence on the townsfolk. When the Doctor steps into the ring, he discovers that Antonio has some familiar demons of his own… The third of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs, The Circus of Doom also features Michael Maloney, Jilly Bond, Susie Riddell and Stephen Thorne.
Release Date: November 5, 2009
Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest – A Sting in the Tale
In a bleak midwinter, an order of nuns protect their Mother Superior from ravaging dogs. But something is very wrong here indeed – and the Doctor is about to get badly stung. The fourth of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs, A Sting in the Tale also features Clare Corbett, Susie Riddell and Rula Lenska.
Release Date: December 3, 2009
Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest- Hive of Horror
The Doctor and Mike must face their enemy in a final battle. They have an unwilling accomplice – and loyalties are about to be tested to the limit. The fifth of five linked stories written by the acclaimed Paul Magrs, Hive of Horror also features Susan Jameson and Rula Lenska
Release Date: December 3, 2009
Source: Once upon a geek / Outpost Skaro
jason: 
Paul: 
Coijo e tal: 
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