Let’s celebrate the Colin Baker era with the Sixth Doctor’s top five moments. Save your breath for the blog post, Doctor. Most people depart with a scream…
5) “You gave me your word!”
The Sixth Doctor was one of the Time Lord’s more eloquent incarnations. Behind the scenes, Colin Baker liked to fiddle with the scripts to incorporate some exotic vocab, hoping the viewers might learn something from his grand declarations.
One of these came in the Season 22 story ‘Timelash’ where, at the end of episode one, the Doctor found himself locking horns with the villainous Tekker, played by Paul Darrow. Watching the two actors spar is a joy to behold, particularly with Darrow’s penchant for scenery chewing.
But it’s Colin Baker’s dictionary-infused rebuts that really make the moment. “You gave me your word, you microcephalic apostate!” he rants. “I demand to see the Borad immediately!”
Now, whether or not anyone knew what a “microcephalic apostate” was is immaterial; it sounded great, and was delivered with the outraged relish that was so characteristic of the Sixth Doctor. And of course, with it being Doctor Who, the scene ended with the Time Lord being shoved towards a curtain of throbbing tinsel, cowering in fear, as Tekker laughed like a maniac. It’s wonderful.
4) The trolley
Like many actors, Colin Baker was determined to do as many of his own stunts as possible. And in Season 22’s ‘The Mark of the Rani,’ he had the perfect chance. This was another cliffhanger moment, although in this instance it was considerably more dangerous – not just for the Sixth Doctor, but for Colin Baker himself. It involved the actor being strapped to a trolley and hurled down a hill towards an open mineshaft: a metaphor for his whole era, you might say.
This was no biggie for Baker, and he insisted on performing the stunt himself, aided by another member of the production team who was concealed in the trolley’s base, desperately trying to steer it.
Fortunately the stunt went without a hitch, and it looks great on screen – even if the setup is a little dubious. For it’s the Doctor’s companion herself who sets the trolley in motion and, for some reason, voluntarily lets go and sends it down the path, simply crying “oh no!” when the Doctor calls out.
But hey – never let logic and realism get in the way of a good Doctor Who story. This is one of the best cliffhangers of the Sixth Doctor’s era.
3) The umbrella
The Sixth Doctor’s era saw the return of one of the series’ most celebrated writers, Robert Holmes, who knew how to strike the perfect balance between drama and comedy. And his final, full story for the series, ‘The Mysterious Planet,’ contained one such moment.
In the scene, the Doctor has been tied to the stake in preparation for a stoning by the planet’s natives. Once he’s been released, he attempts to thwart their efforts by deflecting the projectiles with an umbrella, and it goes about as well as you would expect.
2) “Power-mad conspirators!”
Sadly, Robert Holmes died before he could finish his last Doctor Who story. His final script for the series was the first part of ‘The Ultimate Foe’ – the thirteenth instalment of the ‘Trial of a Time Lord’ arc.
In this particular episode, the Sixth Doctor has learnt the truth about the Time Lords’ involvement in the affairs of the planet Ravalox, and he’s appalled. The revelation comes in court, and the Doctor chooses this moment to tell his own people what he really thinks of them.
“In all my travellings throughout the universe I have battled against evil,” he says, “against power-mad conspirators. I should have stayed here. The oldest civilisation: decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core. Ha! Power-mad conspirators, Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen… They’re still in the nursery compared to us. Ten million years of absolute power: that’s what it takes to be really corrupt.”
It’s possibly the most famous speech of the Sixth Doctor’s era, if not of all Classic Who, and it’s a powerful one – the seismic combination of Robert Holmes’ writing and Colin Baker’s skills as an actor.
It’s a shame, then, that ‘The Ultimate Foe’ turned out to be Colin Baker’s last story as the Sixth Doctor, but it’s also fitting that his incarnation went out fighting. If you’ve never seen ‘The Ultimate Foe’ before, it’s well worth your time.
1) “I am the Doctor!”
The Sixth Doctor’s era got off to a rocky start and, believe it or not, this was all part of the plan. The production team wanted this to be a troubled transition for the Time Lord, and weren’t afraid to challenge the viewer. In his first story ‘The Twin Dilemma,’ the Doctor went through a complete identity crisis, donning ridiculous clothes, betraying his companion Peri, and even trying to strangle her.
And in the final scene of the adventure, Peri calls out his outlandish behaviour. “I suggest you take a crash course in manners,” she snaps – which is putting it mildly, considering what he’s done to her.
“And I would suggest, Peri, that you wait a little before criticising my new persona,” the Sixth Doctor retorts. “You may well find it isn’t quite as disagreeable as you think.”
And then comes the famous, almost meta piece of dialogue: “Whatever else happens, I am the Doctor,” he declares, “whether you like it or not!”
And many people didn’t like it. Colin Baker would later describe this line as prophetic, referring of course to the uncertain reaction from the audience. Some people had a Doctor they really didn’t like, and so did Peri. They were going on a journey together.
It’s a clever, self-aware moment for Doctor Who, and a brave decision to make at a time when the series’ popularity was at its peak. Doctor Who was at risk of alienating its audience, and it took a gamble with the Sixth Doctor. It was all part of a bigger plan on the part of the production team, who wanted to slowly evolve the new Time Lord’s persona over several years.
Sadly, the BBC would pull the plug on the series during the course of the next series (at least temporarily) and whilst some people were quick to blame the ‘unlikeable’ Sixth Doctor for this decision, it’s important to note that the BBC was going to cancel the programme regardless of its lead. They simply hated Doctor Who. But, to their credit, they didn’t pretend otherwise.
So whilst the Sixth Doctor’s era may have been a controversial one, there are still many great moments to enjoy. Which one is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
Leave a Reply