Fourth Doctor - Overview

Overview

The Fourth Doctor appeared in 172 episodes (179, counting the regeneration in Planet of the Spiders and the aborted Shada) over a seven-year period, from 1974 to 1981. This makes him the longest running on-screen Doctor of both series. He also appeared in the specials The Five Doctors (via footage from the incomplete Shada) and made his final appearance as the Doctor in the charity special Dimensions in Time (aside from a series of television advertisements in New Zealand in 1997).

This incarnation is generally regarded as the most recognisable of the Doctors and one of the most popular, especially in the United States. In polls conducted by Doctor Who Magazine, Tom Baker has lost the "Best Doctor" category only three times: once to Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) in 1990, and twice to David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) in 2009. The Fourth Doctor's eccentric style of dress and speech – particularly his trademark long scarf and fondness for jelly babies – made him an immediately recognisable figure and he quickly captivated the viewing public's imagination. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe has often stated that the Fourth Doctor's Bohemian appearance and anti-establishment views appealed to older, college-age students. The Fourth Doctor's time enjoyed a significant boost in viewing figures, averaging between 8 to 10 million viewers in just his first year (20-25 percent of the entire viewing audience of Britain). By 1979, the figures averaged between 9 to 11 million, going as high as 16.1 million for the final episode of City of Death (though this was during the ITV technicians strike of 1979 which meant the BBC were the sole broadcaster on the air for several weeks).

There are also novels and audio plays featuring the Fourth Doctor. Two early audio plays featuring Tom Baker voicing the Fourth Doctor date from Baker's television tenure as he had mainly declined to appear in any further audio plays since leaving the series. In 2009, however, it was announced that a new five part series would be produced by BBC Audio (see below).