{"id":24512,"date":"2022-10-25T13:51:10","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T11:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1727987"},"modified":"2022-10-25T14:31:09","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T12:31:09","slug":"doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who star Tom Baker was invited to return for special but couldn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"><\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By David Craig\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Tuesday, 25 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>Chris Chibnall closed out his era of <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/doctor-who-60th-anniversary-special-release-date\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Doctor Who<\/a> with an episode that went heavy on fan service, bringing back a number of actors from the show\u2019s history \u2013 but fans noticed one big presence was missing.<\/p>\n<p>Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor between 1974 and 1981, did not appear in <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/doctor-who-power-of-the-doctor-review\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">The Power of the Doctor<\/a>, which seemed odd to some viewers given that Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann were all involved.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/doctor-who-classic-doctors-centenary-newsupdate\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">David Bradley returned as the First Doctor<\/a> (standing in for the late William Hartnell), while Janet Fielding was <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/doctor-who-fifth-doctor-tegan-reunion-newsupdate\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">back as Tegan Jovanka<\/a>, one of the Fourth Doctor\u2019s companions.<\/p>\n<p>Chibnall assured the <a href=\"\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/tv\/doctor-who-producer-reveals-tom-28311251&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Irish Mirror<\/a> that Baker was approached about a role in the episode, but it ultimately came down to an issue of availability.<\/p> <p>\u201cWe asked Tom, but sadly he could not do it. He was not available. Such a shame,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>The outgoing showrunner also addressed why no former Doctors or companions from the revived seasons \u2013 i.e., everything post-2005 \u2013 appeared in The Power of the Doctor, alluding to the upcoming <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/peter-capaldi-doctor-who-60th-anniversary-newsupdate\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">60th anniversary specials<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t want to tread on anything that might be happening in future, so those ones felt the right ones. I wanted it to be classic Doctors and there\u2019s not a huge amount of those,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>As discussed in the <a href=\"\/\/radiotimes.com&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">RadioTimes.com<\/a> video review of The Power of the Doctor, the focus on classic Doctor Who characters seemed quite fitting given this episode was part of the BBC\u2019s centenary celebration \u2013 which demands looking back further than just the last two decades.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Doctor\" who:=\"\" the=\"\" power=\"\" of=\"\" doctor=\"\" review=\"\" jodie=\"\" whittaker=\"\" exit=\"\" reaction=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I3h6bc3tWjY?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>That said, the inclusion of the earlier Doctors in the script was something of a gamble, as Chibnall wrote their cameo appearances on nothing more than hope that the actors would agree to them. Fortunately, they didn\u2019t disappoint.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a bit of an instinct, and we asked them, and they said yes. I didn\u2019t tell anyone we were going to be doing it, I just put it in the script. It\u2019s about as metaphysical as the show\u2019s been. I just thought this was the moment we can ask,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were all really keen. We got incredible messages back. To see those people back on the set was an incredible thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, all eyes are looking towards Russell T Davies and his 60th anniversary specials, particularly after The Power of the Doctor\u2019s jaw-dropping ending which saw <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/doctor-who-regeneration-jodie-whittaker-david-tennant-newsupdate\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">David Tennant return<\/a> and <a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/doctor-who-ncuti-gatwa-first-appearance-newsupdate\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\">Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s debut teased<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Doctor Who is available to stream on <\/strong><a href=\"\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/iplayer\/episodes\/b006q2x0\/doctor-who&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>BBC iPlayer<\/strong><\/a><strong> with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox \u2013 you can sign up for a <\/strong><a href=\"\/\/britbox.sjv.io\/c\/1236178\/1303835\/15931?subId1=radiotimes-0&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwatch.britbox.co.uk%2F&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;sponsored&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>7-day free trial here<\/strong><\/a><strong>. <\/strong><strong>Check out more of our <\/strong><a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/sci-fi\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Sci-Fi<\/strong><\/a><strong> coverage or visit our <\/strong><a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/tv-listings\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener&quot; noopener noreferrer\"><strong>TV Guide<\/strong><\/a><strong> to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/radiotimes.com\/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\" data-auth=\"&quot;NotApplicable&quot;\" data-safelink=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-linkindex=\"&quot;0&quot;\">subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0and get the next 12 issues for only \u00a31.\u00a0<\/b><strong><span class=\"&quot;x_ContentPasted0&quot;\">For more\u00a0<span class=\"&quot;x_mark3uu44ojdo\" x_contentpasted0=\"\" data-markjs=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-ogac=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogab=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsc=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsb=\"&quot;&quot;\">from<\/span>\u00a0the biggest stars in TV, listen to the<\/span><\/strong><b><span class=\"&quot;x_ContentPasted0&quot;\">\u00a0<a class=\"&quot;x_ContentPasted0&quot;\" title=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/&quot;\" href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/&quot;\" target=\"&quot;_blank&quot;\" rel=\"&quot;noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\" data-auth=\"&quot;NotApplicable&quot;\" data-safelink=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-linkindex=\"&quot;1&quot;\">Radio Times\u00a0<span class=\"&quot;x_mark9jmjihtwn&quot;\" data-markjs=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-ogac=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogab=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsc=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsb=\"&quot;&quot;\">View<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"&quot;x_mark3uu44ojdo&quot;\" data-markjs=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-ogac=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogab=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsc=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsb=\"&quot;&quot;\">From<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"&quot;x_markv95fkj5k2&quot;\" data-markjs=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-ogac=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogab=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsc=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsb=\"&quot;&quot;\">My<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"&quot;x_markd6fom5fg6&quot;\" data-markjs=\"&quot;true&quot;\" data-ogac=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogab=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsc=\"&quot;&quot;\" data-ogsb=\"&quot;&quot;\">Sofa<\/span>\u00a0podcast<\/a>.<\/span><\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By David Craig Published: Tuesday, 25 October 2022 at 12:00 am Chris Chibnall closed out his era of Doctor Who with an episode that went heavy on fan service, bringing back a number of actors from the show\u2019s history \u2013 but fans noticed one big presence was missing. Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24513,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/10\/doctor-who-star-tom-baker-was-invited-to-return-for-special-but-couldnt.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By David Craig Published: Tuesday, 25 October 2022 at 12:00 am Chris Chibnall closed out his era of Doctor Who with an episode that went heavy on fan service, bringing back a number of actors from the show\u2019s history \u2013 but fans noticed one big presence was missing. Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}