Colin Baker Says He Hasn’t Been Approached To Appear In Who’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
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Here’s a rumor we really hope proves to be untrue. Colin Baker, who played the Sixth Doctor from 1983 through 1986, may have just dashed the hopes of longtime Who fans hoping to see some of the previous Doctors in the celebrations of next year’s 50th anniversary.
During an interview about Baker’s appearing in the British series I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, the folks at Digital Spy also grilled Baker, now aged 69, about his time with Doctor Who and the upcoming anniversary. Baker said that he hasn’t been approached to put in a return appearance for the celebrations, and added that “As far I know, neither of any of my erstwhile colleagues have been asked either.”
That’s disappointing to hear, but just because the show’s producers haven’t approached him yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t. It seems unfathomable that the Who folks would celebrate such a big event without at least trying to involve the men who helped shape the character of the Doctor throughout the years. This also counters earlier rumors that Tom Baker was going to be involved. Is Colin misinformed? Just trying to keep the secret until they’re ready for the official announcement? More importantly, how have I never noticed that two of the Doctor actors shared the same last name?
Baker went on to say that he might be up for a cameo appearance if asked, but dismissed the idea that he might appear in any big-screen Doctor Who movie. He jokingly explained, “I think they would be scraping the bottom of the barrel if they asked me to do it. All you have to do is hold up a picture of what I look right now and what I look like then and you’d know why.”
While skeptical about returning to Doctor Who, Baker did say that he still watches the show, and is impressed by the work of Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith.
I absolutely love Matt Smith. When I heard another young [guy] was going to be playing the Doctor, I thought, ‘Hmmm… Not another young one. Why don’t they have an old geezer again, like me?’ Suddenly, along comes this 29 or 28-year-old guy playing a 300-year-old Doctor — and he’s brilliant. He encompasses all of the previous doctors and adds a bit himself.
Hopefully the Who producers are at least planning to ask some or all of the living former Doctors to be involved in the anniversary celebration. After all, if you’re only celebrating one decade of the show’s five-decade run, that’s a pretty piss-poor celebration, isn’t it?
