The Doctor
A whimsical and sometimes brooding Time Lord whose enormous personal warmth is at times tempered by his capacity for righteous anger.
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of life, the Doctor regenerates; as a result, the physical appearance and personality of the Doctor changes. Preceded in regeneration by the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), he is followed by the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison). Baker portrays the Fourth Doctor as a whimsical and sometimes brooding individual whose enormous personal warmth is at times tempered by his capacity for righteous anger.
Quick Facts
- Start
- Robot (1974–1975)
- Finish
- Logopolis (1981)
- Introduced
- Barry Letts
- Portrayed
- Tom Baker
- Preceding
- Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor)
- Succeeding
- Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor)
- Period start
- 28 December 1974
- Period end
- 21 March 1981
Lore & Background
The Fourth Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in the TARDIS. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. His initial companions were the journalist Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), who had travelled with his previous incarnation, and Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) of UNIT. His later companions were the warrior Leela (Louise Jameson), robotic dog K9 (John Leeson and David Brierly), fellow Time Lady Romana (Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward), teen mathematical genius Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), teen alien aristocrat Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), and Australian flight attendant Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding). Baker portrayed the character for seven consecutive seasons, which remains the longest tenure of any actor to portray the lead, counting both the classic and new series.
Reader's Guide
The Fourth Doctor is a Time Lord who travels in time and space in the TARDIS. He is portrayed by Tom Baker for seven consecutive seasons, the longest tenure of any actor to portray the lead. His initial companions were Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan. Later companions included Leela, K9, Romana (portrayed by Mary Tamm and later Lalla Ward), Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan Jovanka. Key events in his tenure include: being framed for assassination and declaring himself a candidate for President of the High Council of Time Lords (The Deadly Assassin); acquiring K9 (The Invisible Enemy); being assigned by the White Guardian to find the six segments of the Key to Time; entering Exo-Space (Full Circle); and his final battle with the Master on Logopolis, where he falls from the Pharos Project radio telescope and regenerates into the Fifth Doctor.
Did You Know?
- The Fourth Doctor's initial companion Sarah Jane Smith had already travelled with his previous incarnation, the Third Doctor.
- The Fourth Doctor acquired the robot dog K-9 at the Bi-Al Foundation medical centre (The Invisible Enemy).
- The Fourth Doctor's last words before regenerating were: 'It's the end — but the moment has been prepared for...'
More in Characters
Elsewhere in Manor Lords
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