Following the departure of the legendary Doctor Who Tom Baker from the role in which he is still to this day seen as the quintessential performer, the BBC producers had the tough job of trying to find a replacement who will capture the hearts and minds of the long standing Doctor Who fans, and especially the younger element, who would have known no-one other than Baker as their screen idol.

The man chosen to fill these giant shoes was Peter Davison, and he did the job more than admirably. Having been a top actor in hugely popular shows before, Davison was a great coup for the producers, as well as an excellent choice to play the role.

Sadly for the BBC Peter Davison left Doctor Who in early 1984, amid fears that he would be typecast in the role. Apparently he had been advised to do this by a previous incumbent, Patrick Troughton, who had himself quit after three series. The BBC were now facing another tough choice. Their eventual choice, Colin Baker, became the only man in the show's history to be appointed as Doctor Who, having appeared in the show previously. In fact , Colin Baker's character was one of the few to have actually managed to shoot Doctor Who, then played by Peter Davison.

The Colin Baker era has gone down in history as the most difficult in the entire history of Doctor Who. It must be stressed, however, that Colin Baker had little or no responsibility for this. Indeed the quality of Baker's acting was probably one of the few things that saved the show from the axe.

It is a travesty that the man who joined the show saying he wanted to beat Tom Baker's record for number of performances, should instead go down as the only Doctor Who ever to be sacked from the role. In the mid nineteen eighties the show was under a dark cloud, having had its format changed, a series scrapped, and arguments and bad feelings within the production team.

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Under the prevailing circumstances no one, not even Tom Baker himself, would have lasted long. It is so easy for people who are failing to make a scapegoat out of a high profile public figure, even when that public figure is the one who is stopping the ship from sinking altogether.

Fans of Doctor Who will remember Colin Baker's efforts with fondness, despite the poor story lines and convoluted orders with which he had to work.

Fortunately,Doctor Who has recovered. Now, new generations are enjoying another Doctor Who, and, many of the old episodes can be relived on video, DVD, or Doctor Who Audiobooks. Even some of the very old episodes that no longer survive can now be heard in this format.

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