Doctor Who: Are We Too Hard On Colin Baker’s Doctor?
By David Hill
Colin Baker came along as the Doctor at a truly unfortunate time. Support for Doctor Who had been waning, particularly among the BBC, who regarded the program as a financial drain. His tenure was marked by an 18 month hiatus, ongoing feuds with management and complete instability. Baker also has the ignoble status of being the only actor fired from being the Doctor, and got to see his regeneration scene performed by Sylvester McCoy in a wig.
Given all of the turmoil and the issues surrounding his tenure as the Doctor, it is no surprise that this Baker is not exactly held in high regard in the pantheon of Doctors past and present. While he certainly has his fans, especially since he has continued to portray the Doctor in a series of audio plays since 1999, Baker’s incarnation is typically considered to be among the worst of the Doctors.
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This is a fact that is not lost on Baker. Yet, while he understands his lot in the hierarchy of Doctors, that does not mean he agrees. Nor does it mean that he does not care. In fact, in an interview with Doctor Who Monthly, Baker has stated that it “wounds him” when the Sixth Doctor is rated so poorly.
"“I know there are some people who rate my Doctor quite highly. It’s just there’s an even greater number of people who don’t rate him at all. And it wounds me. I should be able to rise above it, and pretend I don’t care, but I actually do care,” Baker said."
The problem with any list is that someone, or something, must be at the bottom. Even if one is to rank their ten most favorite objects, one of those must, by default, be the least favorite. It does not mean that you do not enjoy that particular thing, just that, if given the option, there are others that you prefer.
Such is the case with Colin Baker’s Doctor. Yes, he was the Doctor. And yes, as he said, there were similarities to his Doctor and Peter Capaldi’s incarnation. Perhaps if he had come along at another time, or if Doctor Who had been in a better place in terms of support, Baker’s Doctor would be looked at in a different light. Instead, he was thrust in to the middle of the chaos surrounding the show, and expected to carry on the mantle of such an iconic character without support.
Maybe Baker’s Doctor is not our favorite. Yet, that may be more of an indictment on the status of Doctor Who at the time of his run. Even if that possibility would not make Baker feel any better, hopefully he could find some solace in the fact that the way his Doctor is remembered may not be entirely about him.