@@jeremythomaswebb1485 Colin first finding his retribution thanks to BBV’s The Stranger and reprising the 6th Doctor for the Ultimate Adventure stage play was certainly very respectable.
US fan here. I met Colin at a convention (in the mid-80s) before they ever showed his episodes in America. He started out by mercilessly teasing me over my obvious preference for Jon Pertwee (also at the convention). When I finally realized Colin was putting me on, I retaliated and teased back. A lot! From that point on, we hit it off famously. I went into his tenure as the Doctor already very much liking him as a person. So nice to see others on Colin's side. Jon is still number one, but Colin will always have a special place in my heart!
I met him tenish years ago at a convention in Toronto. I am 90% sure he did not like me very much. Probably something to do with holding a Tom Baker poster.......
The Scene that endeared Colin to me was in Revelation of the Daleks when Davros's right hand has been shot off, the Dr goes to shake Davros's hand as he leaves.
Yeah I have never had any issues with Dr who The actors playing the Doctors , it was all good. Would like to see another Doctor special with 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 & 15 😮
Ever since I learned about the originally intended second season for the sixth doctor, I had always wished things had gone better for him. Some of those episodes, especially Nightmare Fair, sounded really interesting (an episode about video games would have been so ahead of it’s time, even if eventually it would look a bit naff.) I wouldn’t get rid of trial of a time lord per se, I just think think in an ideal world we would have had it after two seasons rather than one. I always wonder what the character would have been like given even more time to develop.
Grade is such a liar when he claims that the issue was it couldn't compete with Star Wars; he didn't like Star Wars either - he didn't like the genre; he also thought The Prisoner was nonsense; he pulled the plug on Tripods which was far cheaper to make than Doctor Who; it wasn't just he didn't like Doctor Who; he didn't like SF, period.
Plus it’s a unfair comparison Colin baker said to Alan titchmarsh on a interview that one special effect in Star Wars could pay for a entire series of Doctor Who, if the BBC didn’t keep slashing the budget and put more money into it then it could have looked better production and effects wise.
I always thought it was strange he wasn't there for the regeneration scene, but when I found out the backstory I didn't blame him. "You're fired! Oh, by the way could you come back for the regeneration scene?"
Im glad Colin agreed to return for Power of the Doctor, although only a small roll it still shows he is The Doctor on TV as well as Big Finish. Old Sixie, you are fantastic.
I met Mr Baker a couple of years ago, randomly and unexpectedly in Hastings. A wonderfully charming chap. If I had been in his benighted position, I’d probably stayed a mile from Dr Who and its fans. But CB never became rancorous in ignominy. He was obviously hurt, but he never said a bad word about his time. A dignified monarch-in-exile.
With Colin's Doctor, there was a long term plan in place where his character evolves over time. In a similar fashion to the 12th Doctor's run how the character evolves from series 8 to 10. What big finish did was simply continue that Character Journey and those original plans so it still plays out. And I'm glad Colin was given the opportunity to do so. You can look back on his original stories now with more appreciation for what they were trying to do.
"Never more a butterfly..." Colin is a favourite both inside and outside of the role as The Doctor. Despite his more jarring opening persona, he is still this sweet and caring guardian of the galaxy. Even in stories that people mock, Colin's performance is never the issue. His sacrifice in Timelash, his hospitality at holding the hand of the dying mutant in Revelation of the Daleks, his sorrow on the thought of a dying Universe in The Two Doctors, they are all beautiful performances by Colin. It would be a life goal to meet the man and thank him for his work.
Collins story makes me so sad, forget Eccleston getting another season (although Id still like to see it) Collin deserved one way more. He really is the most underrated doctor
Michael grade is the epitome of “tell me you don’t understand Star Wars without telling me you don’t understand Star Wars”, because all he clearly focused on was the visual and practical effects of the movies, rather than the storyline George lucas was trying to convey. But it also misses the point that doctor who is NOT Star Wars, and that’s ok.
@@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork that may be true, however, much of his choices weren’t based on anything but spite. He HATED Doctor who, and so, according to grade, it had to go.
@@mellojoe9421 That may be, but he laid out his reasonings really well in the Matthew Sweet interview and it made sense. I totallly understood his point and few and agree with his decision. The 15 year gap also allowed the show to come back fresh. It's in need of a long break again.
Colin Baker is one of the best Doctors and his era (even if it was cut off) is so good. Season 22 is literally one of the best season of Doctor Who. He's still doing so much for the show and for the fans with conventions, Big Finish, promotions, The Power of the Doctor and Tales of the TARDIS. He's the best man for me and deserves all the love we can give him. His friendship with Nicola and Bonnie proves that too. You all have to give him a chance and appreciate him more!
I agree there. Doctor Who was always at its best when it tried to push the boat out and see what it could get away with, and by Season 22 kids were a lot more switched on where horror and crime thrillers were concerned.
Trial of a Time Lord was one of my earliest classic stories, and it's become a tradition of mine to watch that season first whenever I dive into a new format of the show. My first non-DVD Files DVDs were Trial, it was the first thing I watched when iPlayer got the classics, it's the first one I got on tape (two copies actually - one never opened), and when I decide to finally get the Collection box sets, Trial will be my first. My favourite Doctor is 7, I should add. I just massively appreciate 6 and I'd love to meet Colin one of these days and tell him just how brilliant his Doctor is, and how his performance has had a great deal of influence on my own acting style.
Also, I watched Colin and Nicola's Tales of the TARDIS episode and the way that ends is like the biggest middle finger to Michael Grade and the BBC. And I am crying, because it's beautiful and perfect for Colin.
Top video as always, Josh! I think Mark Gatiss was right when he said that if you were going to dramatise any other period of the show's history it would have to be how it ended, which would definitely have to include the hiatus and all of this
Having met Colin Baker twice (Late 2009 and mid-2011) as some low-key fan events I'd recommend chatting with him. Lovely chap - warm and full of wit. I made my missus watch Trial of a Timelord before hand and she mentioned to him how much she loved his passion across the 14 episodes
Colin is such a lovely man, too. I met him in 2017 at a convention (the first Doctor I'd ever met!) and he was kind and generous with his time. When the exhausted host accidentally introduced him as "Tom Baker," he had several winking jokes at his expense (nothing mean or over the top, the guy who made the mistake was visibly and audibly tired), and he held a crowd that I have to admit was maybe not entirely interested in him going in (lots of kids who probably didn't know who he was) interest with aplomb. He also made it a point to vocally support the hiring of a female Doctor, when no one had asked him about it. Bless him.
I really wonder if Colin's Doctor could have been the next Tom had he been allowed to continue, in terms of being people's default memory. He is brash, egotistic, kind, intelligent, hilarious. He has everything the perfect Doctor should have. And I think Colin's performance touched every level that previous Doctors had
@@Phoenix-bi9bn Colin did, indeed, intend to play the part for as long as possible, but fate intervened. Peter Capaldi was similarly minded at the beginning. I think that they both had at least a Pertwee-like stint in mind.
I did think CB was a poorer incarnation than his predecessors. He never really convinced me he *was* the Doctor, just an actor *playing* the Doctor. I had similar problems with Capaldi.
Thank you, Josh. The 80s were the most difficult decade for the classic Doctor Who for several reasons. Thankfully Colin shined enough in his own right to earn plenty of admiration from Whovians including mine.
It tells you everything you need to know that the Sixth Doctor used to come bottom or near-bottom in fan polls and then after he did a few Big Finish plays he rocketed to the top. This was just before NuWho came along, which of course tipped the balance towards newer Doctors. His era was hurt by multiple things - he had no choice in his costume or his character, the script editor didn't like him and tended to not do a great job with the editing, and Grade and Powell were basically having a pissing contest using the BBC as their battleground. Grade famously didn't like science fiction and another victim of this was Star Cops. He cancelled the second season even though scripts were mostly written, production and costume designers were designing, lead actors and the directors were all hired. It literally would have been cheaper to make the show at that point to recoup some of the money than pay all those people for their work and contracts. Also Baker's TV era acts as a good prequel to the Time Lords turning out to be evil in NuWho. The original plan was to be that the reason the Sixth Doctor was so abrasive was that he regenerated into the knowledge that the Time Lords had become utterly corrupt and that at some point he'd have to face his own people. That knowledge eats at him. When you watch his era knowing that, it suddenly makes sense of why so many stories feature renegade Time Lords and Time Lord interference. Great work as always, Josh!
Nice video. I read "Spiral Scratch" back in the day. I remember it being a lot of fun. The multiverse stuff was ahead of its time relative to more recent DC and Marvel content.
Thanks Josh for presenting a such a concise explanation around Colin Baker's departure from Doctor Who, and highlighting the audiobook continuation of his Doctor. 🖤
You forgot the part where the show was cancled completely for 36 hours...Grade had axed it fully...it was media backlash that got them to reverse course - using the funds that would have been spent on Tripods Series 3 - which itself had been cancled due to low ratings. That's why we got 14 half hours - that's all the budget they had to spend!
Love Colin as the Doctor, I enjoy his TV run but his time on Big Finish really lets him fly, especially his adventures with Evelyn. Haven't gotten round to The Last Adventure yet, I've done all his main range stuff up to meeting Flip so I just wanna do some with her to become familiar with her first, but I'll get to it very soon (have quite the backlog, been finishing up on Dalek Empire and Gallifrey recently).
Started listening to big finish about a year ago, still in the monthly adventures and Colin has been a revelation. His episodes are probably the strongest so far, he puts so much into each story.
Big hug to you for putting this all together, this kind of content can be irritating to be put together at times but I'm so proud of creators like you for making videos and content like this
I met Mr. Baker at Wookey Hole in 2005. Such a lovely gentleman. We very briefly chatted about his apperances on Countdown. It was the day after Ecclestone regenerated into Tennant.
I will say, everything that happened back then, led to the 2005 revival. And let's be honest, that revival was one hell of a silver lining to all the heartache that came before it
I vividly recall the end of S22. Revelation of the Daleks was a dark and brilliant story. Colin Baker had clearly settled into the role and there was great chemistry between him and Nicola Bryant. Baker's final line in that story, "I know, I'll take you to..." Couldn't wait for S23. If subsequent stories were on the same level as Revelation, we were in for quite a ride with the Sixth Doctor. Sadly, not everyone at the BBC felt the same way as me.
The intro said this video would explain "why you should give the 6th Doctor a chance", but I didn't see much of that, save for a single line at the end saying he's "enjoyable, if sometimes uncomfortable to watch". I'm afraid my mind has not been changed today!
It’s good to see you doing this kind of thing again. You’re one of the few Whotubers I click on instantly when they cross my feed. Even something like this, which is something I know about already, I’ll want to watch because I know you’re going to say something interesting about it, and present it in a cool way. I love your video work here - love the graphic/design work here.
I thought originally the BBC cancelled Doctor Who outright in 1985 but the backlash caused the BBC to backtrack to this "rest for 18 months" I remember it been in a DVD extra how JNT and Ian Lavine got their heads together and created the story that ending Doctor Who was about raising the cost of the licence fee
Yeah, I thought so too. But when I was doing my research, all the news reports on the announcement day said the 18 month figure! Maybe it was an internal rumour?
@@JoshSnares i think the way Ian and Colin said it means they were told before the announcement it was cancelled outright, hence why Colin said About been in New York while been "sacked" So they must of conspired with "the sun" newspaper before the story broke
Colin Baker’s tenure signaled my break for a while from Doctor Who. I’d been a longtime Whovian since I was 9. And I continued to follow it into my early teens. I live in the States so I knew 6 primarily from the Target Novelizations. I first saw the Twin Dilemma when I was about 16. I wasn’t impressed. I’d started moving on, getting into music and such. I got back into Who with the McGann movie. I started rewatching 6 and reading some of the lost adventures. I think he was a highly underrated Doctor. Another great video. Thanks.
Having watched it at the time I loved Baker’s era then, it’s not aged all too well, but is still enjoyable. I remember being blown away by the opening science on the first episode of trial. If only they had more cash, the show would have been even better.
Colin was great, and can you imagine what heights he might have reached if he had some of the writers and show runners of DW’s heyday, especially if he had some choice in his costume too!
I always think it's weird how everybody remembers Michael Grade when all he did was get it cancelled for 18 months as opposed to the guy who cancelled it for 16 years. Maybe by ''89 people were more accepting as it had happened before and nobody expected it to last for as long as it did.
I never thought of it as a hiatus. That implies it was off-air for a few years. Season 23 appeared in 1986, after season 22 in 1985; not really a 'hiatus' at all.
That was a good video! My Dad remembers the 1985 hiatus when he was in college. I will admit Colin got treated badly by the BBC and he didn't deserve that. I'm glad he got treated better by Big Finish.
People often forget that the Doctor is an alien and, therefore, should be portrayed less human like. Colin did this magnificently. The Doctors' actions and morals should vary from that of humans. It is through his companions that his character slightly changes, but his core values should never change. Colins performance at its best was up there with Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee. Although his run was short, I'm glad that we had the pleasure to see him in the role he loved. Where big finish is concerned , Bloodtide and The Juggermauts are well worth a listen.
For me, the show has never been the same after his firing. I still like to think Sixie remains trapped in the Matrix and everything we have seen since then has been simulated by the Valeyard.
Mary Whitehouse and John Nathan-Turner killed Classic Who by arranging the circumstances where this decision was possible. Whitehouse was basically responsible for the great Philip Hinchcliffe being sent off into the wilderness, causing Nathan-Turner to get promoted beyond his ability and eventually turn the whole thing into panto. Hinchcliffe's idea of making Who basically a horror series with departures into sci-fi was absolutely brilliant. And I don't think it helped that the shadow of Tom Baker lay over everyone who followed him, rather like the shadow of Connery's Bond on the 007 franchise.
No mention of the charity novel Time’s Champion, where the Valeyard is an author who writes the novel-within-a-novel Time’s Champion, and shows the rise of Time’s Champion, the Seventh Doctor. Very odd novel which mostly acts as a fix-it fic for the novel Matrix, which depicts the Valeyard as a bloodthirsty killer and cannibal, but a must-read fanfic for lovers of Colin Baker as the Doctor.
I think a factor that isn't considered in the ratings dip between seasons 22 & 23 is the hiatus itself. Eighteen months is a LONG time so it's understandable how most casual viewers of the show may have just moved on to another program and were more invested in that series than Doctor Who by the time it finally came back. I know I've had a fair share of shows I watched that I was very invested in but was put off by the wait time in between seasons. Granted, this sort of thing is more common now, but the feeling does hang in the back of my mind. Part of me wonders if Trial of a Timelord would've gotten more views if it aired after the standard break between seasons. However, I guess if it did, then Colin's Doctor may not have the stronger following he's obtained over the years.
I was a kid when Colin was on air. I didn't like him. Eventually I learned to tolerate him. As an adult during the big hiatus (90s and 00s). I really got into the Big Finish audios for awhile, and I learned to appreciate Colin. Now I think he's fantastic. I actually enjoy his original episodes a lot more.
Just watching the original series for the first time (never seen modern Who either and dont really plan to) and just got to Trial. Yeah, Baker is great. Especially as they've eased up on the bickering. Really love your content and the obvious level of research. Not just repeating DVD feature trivia, but serving deep cut quotes and articles 👌👌 Oof that picture tag line! Ick. 5:05
I like a lot of the classic doctors for various reasons. But, I do wish Colin had another season or two, same with McCoy. Colin gave one of my favorite speeches in Trial of a Time Lord of the classic doctors.
The truth is The Master entered our reality in the early 60s, got a jo in the BBC and tried to kill the Doctor, first by destroying the Hartnell and Troughton episodes, then with the hiatus and finally by cancelling the show in 1989. Then shortly after he managed to get back into the real world RTD restarted it.
6 is one of my fave Doctors too. Along with 7 and 8. Glad we got the Big Finish series to really tap into their potential. I still want 8 to have a proper TV series though. I wonder if that would have been more successful than series with the last two Doctors?
Colin really did get screwed over by the BBC execs which he didn't deserve The 6th Doctor is one of my favourite Doctors, Colin is just perfect fun fact: he was initially against the idea of recording The Last Adventure because he didn't want to do a regeneration story, but he was persuaded by David Richardson who said that the fans wished for the gap between Ultimate Foe and Time and the Rani to b filled
mannnn, i was just about to go to bed, but i check my phone and the official josh snares youtube channel had dropped a cheeky vid. and as always another banger worth losing twenty minutes of sleep over
The fact that Colin had to go on and promote S23 despite being told he was fired makes this even more of a shame.
I have real respect for Colin! He remained totally professional throughout this whole unfair disaster.
@@jeremythomaswebb1485 Colin first finding his retribution thanks to BBV’s The Stranger and reprising the 6th Doctor for the Ultimate Adventure stage play was certainly very respectable.
Yes, and the fact that this was his dream job and that he was hampered by decisions out of his hands.
@@Wordsmith-qu9yc Big Finish thankfully made great amends for that.
I'm so glad that The Last Adventure gave him a good send off, and some good stories too. Loved "End of the Line".
Baker was right to be pissed off and selfish over the firing. He has nothing to apoligise for.
@@williamgeorge2580 Indeed. Some network authorities can be quite arrogant towards our favourite shows.
He seems like such a sweet man
US fan here. I met Colin at a convention (in the mid-80s) before they ever showed his episodes in America. He started out by mercilessly teasing me over my obvious preference for Jon Pertwee (also at the convention). When I finally realized Colin was putting me on, I retaliated and teased back. A lot! From that point on, we hit it off famously. I went into his tenure as the Doctor already very much liking him as a person. So nice to see others on Colin's side. Jon is still number one, but Colin will always have a special place in my heart!
I met him tenish years ago at a convention in Toronto. I am 90% sure he did not like me very much. Probably something to do with holding a Tom Baker poster.......
On the other hand, I was a witness to poor behavior by Tom Baker.
"Who's that doctor over there?/The police box takes him everywhere..." Gotta love Doctor In Distress, what an absolute banger!
it’s camp!!!
I hate it but I always sing along to it
No, it's bad. The instrumental version though...? Goes hard.
@@BurnBot_TV I had no idea there was an instrumental version! Listening now and you're right, it's great.
@@ShowRyuKen it's weird to think Hans Zimmer apparently did the keyboard work.
The Scene that endeared Colin to me was in Revelation of the Daleks when Davros's right hand has been shot off, the Dr goes to shake Davros's hand as he leaves.
I like the white Dalek in the background when the greys come in to the lab and destroy the others. It just sneaks out quietly!
I grew up watching Colin Baker and never ever had any issues with him as the doctor, he was great. One of the best
So good!!
Even during his questionable behaviour in his first main story, I sense this very interesting portrayal brining with ideas.
@@davewaring73 I gotta say at least when he's strangling peri, the story is actively saying THIS IS A BAD THING, unlike more modern doctors
Yeah I have never had any issues with Dr who
The actors playing the
Doctors , it was all good.
Would like to see another Doctor special
with 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 & 15 😮
He was. I loved the Fifth but Colin got that edge that Tom had and I loved him for that. He was a truly great Doctor and season 22 was great.
Ever since I learned about the originally intended second season for the sixth doctor, I had always wished things had gone better for him. Some of those episodes, especially Nightmare Fair, sounded really interesting (an episode about video games would have been so ahead of it’s time, even if eventually it would look a bit naff.) I wouldn’t get rid of trial of a time lord per se, I just think think in an ideal world we would have had it after two seasons rather than one. I always wonder what the character would have been like given even more time to develop.
Grade is such a liar when he claims that the issue was it couldn't compete with Star Wars; he didn't like Star Wars either - he didn't like the genre; he also thought The Prisoner was nonsense; he pulled the plug on Tripods which was far cheaper to make than Doctor Who; it wasn't just he didn't like Doctor Who; he didn't like SF, period.
Plus it’s a unfair comparison Colin baker said to Alan titchmarsh on a interview that one special effect in Star Wars could pay for a entire series of Doctor Who, if the BBC didn’t keep slashing the budget and put more money into it then it could have looked better production and effects wise.
I always felt bad for Colin Baker at the end
Same :(
@@JoshSnares justice came for Colin, he's not the world's most HATED doctor anymore 😂
Upside, He got his second chance with Big Finish and he's now one of the most popular Doctors. So he did get Justice in the End!
I always thought it was strange he wasn't there for the regeneration scene, but when I found out the backstory I didn't blame him. "You're fired! Oh, by the way could you come back for the regeneration scene?"
@@horrorstew3577 true. Personally, I never liked Colin's nor Sylvester's Doctors, but they were at least tolerable; the new ones though.... ugh!
Im glad Colin agreed to return for Power of the Doctor, although only a small roll it still shows he is The Doctor on TV as well as Big Finish. Old Sixie, you are fantastic.
I met Mr Baker a couple of years ago, randomly and unexpectedly in Hastings. A wonderfully charming chap. If I had been in his benighted position, I’d probably stayed a mile from Dr Who and its fans. But CB never became rancorous in ignominy. He was obviously hurt, but he never said a bad word about his time. A dignified monarch-in-exile.
The Trial Season, especially the extended episodes on Blu-ray, is my most rewatched series of all time. I love it. Criminally underrated.
I ripped a copy off the air, sadly it was only 240p
Loved that newspaper cartoon pic at the jobcentre " Sorry, they are no vacancies on Mercury ..shall I try Mars " ..😂
Colin has always been one of my favourites. Great, complex portrayal, never quite understood why he isn't more highly regarded.
Colin Baker was always my favourite Doctor Who of the Old Era. I even met him and had my picture taken with him!
With Colin's Doctor, there was a long term plan in place where his character evolves over time. In a similar fashion to the 12th Doctor's run how the character evolves from series 8 to 10. What big finish did was simply continue that Character Journey and those original plans so it still plays out. And I'm glad Colin was given the opportunity to do so. You can look back on his original stories now with more appreciation for what they were trying to do.
"Never more a butterfly..."
Colin is a favourite both inside and outside of the role as The Doctor. Despite his more jarring opening persona, he is still this sweet and caring guardian of the galaxy. Even in stories that people mock, Colin's performance is never the issue. His sacrifice in Timelash, his hospitality at holding the hand of the dying mutant in Revelation of the Daleks, his sorrow on the thought of a dying Universe in The Two Doctors, they are all beautiful performances by Colin.
It would be a life goal to meet the man and thank him for his work.
Beautifully put! I agree completely, he’s always the highlight of any story
Collins story makes me so sad, forget Eccleston getting another season (although Id still like to see it) Collin deserved one way more. He really is the most underrated doctor
Michael grade is the epitome of “tell me you don’t understand Star Wars without telling me you don’t understand Star Wars”, because all he clearly focused on was the visual and practical effects of the movies, rather than the storyline George lucas was trying to convey.
But it also misses the point that doctor who is NOT Star Wars, and that’s ok.
Perhaps, but Grade was doing his job, which was to do what was best for the company.
@@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork that may be true, however, much of his choices weren’t based on anything but spite. He HATED Doctor who, and so, according to grade, it had to go.
@@mellojoe9421 That may be, but he laid out his reasonings really well in the Matthew Sweet interview and it made sense. I totallly understood his point and few and agree with his decision. The 15 year gap also allowed the show to come back fresh. It's in need of a long break again.
@@mellojoe9421 the affair also causing him to make bad decisions
Colin Baker is one of the best Doctors and his era (even if it was cut off) is so good. Season 22 is literally one of the best season of Doctor Who. He's still doing so much for the show and for the fans with conventions, Big Finish, promotions, The Power of the Doctor and Tales of the TARDIS. He's the best man for me and deserves all the love we can give him. His friendship with Nicola and Bonnie proves that too. You all have to give him a chance and appreciate him more!
10000%!!
I agree there. Doctor Who was always at its best when it tried to push the boat out and see what it could get away with, and by Season 22 kids were a lot more switched on where horror and crime thrillers were concerned.
Trial of a Time Lord was one of my earliest classic stories, and it's become a tradition of mine to watch that season first whenever I dive into a new format of the show. My first non-DVD Files DVDs were Trial, it was the first thing I watched when iPlayer got the classics, it's the first one I got on tape (two copies actually - one never opened), and when I decide to finally get the Collection box sets, Trial will be my first.
My favourite Doctor is 7, I should add. I just massively appreciate 6 and I'd love to meet Colin one of these days and tell him just how brilliant his Doctor is, and how his performance has had a great deal of influence on my own acting style.
Also, I watched Colin and Nicola's Tales of the TARDIS episode and the way that ends is like the biggest middle finger to Michael Grade and the BBC. And I am crying, because it's beautiful and perfect for Colin.
the 6th doctor is so underrated
Agreed!!!!
Top video as always, Josh!
I think Mark Gatiss was right when he said that if you were going to dramatise any other period of the show's history it would have to be how it ended, which would definitely have to include the hiatus and all of this
Season 22 is so underrated, I like all of it's stories. I even enjoy Timelash, Paul Darrow is such a treat in it.
Having met Colin Baker twice (Late 2009 and mid-2011) as some low-key fan events I'd recommend chatting with him. Lovely chap - warm and full of wit. I made my missus watch Trial of a Timelord before hand and she mentioned to him how much she loved his passion across the 14 episodes
This channel is fantastic. Josh makes superb content. So watchable and engaging x
*R.I.P. Doctor Who (1963 - 1989)*
6th Doctor is a guilty pleasure. No one else could have held their own against that costume - but Colin smashed it. He was the definitive 80's Doctor.
Colin Baker’s Dalek story is right up there as a classic imho. He was just hitting his stride when he was dumped.
I would be one who grew to appreciate Ole Sixie because of Big Finish. I enjoy his original run too. Splendid Chaps, all of them!
Colin is such a lovely man, too. I met him in 2017 at a convention (the first Doctor I'd ever met!) and he was kind and generous with his time. When the exhausted host accidentally introduced him as "Tom Baker," he had several winking jokes at his expense (nothing mean or over the top, the guy who made the mistake was visibly and audibly tired), and he held a crowd that I have to admit was maybe not entirely interested in him going in (lots of kids who probably didn't know who he was) interest with aplomb. He also made it a point to vocally support the hiring of a female Doctor, when no one had asked him about it. Bless him.
I really wonder if Colin's Doctor could have been the next Tom had he been allowed to continue, in terms of being people's default memory. He is brash, egotistic, kind, intelligent, hilarious. He has everything the perfect Doctor should have. And I think Colin's performance touched every level that previous Doctors had
@@Phoenix-bi9bn Colin did, indeed, intend to play the part for as long as possible, but fate intervened. Peter Capaldi was similarly minded at the beginning. I think that they both had at least a Pertwee-like stint in mind.
Brilliant production value as always and very informative! Others have said it, but this is worthy of the official releases.
I did think CB was a poorer incarnation than his predecessors. He never really convinced me he *was* the Doctor, just an actor *playing* the Doctor.
I had similar problems with Capaldi.
Thank you, Josh. The 80s were the most difficult decade for the classic Doctor Who for several reasons. Thankfully Colin shined enough in his own right to earn plenty of admiration from Whovians including mine.
It tells you everything you need to know that the Sixth Doctor used to come bottom or near-bottom in fan polls and then after he did a few Big Finish plays he rocketed to the top. This was just before NuWho came along, which of course tipped the balance towards newer Doctors.
His era was hurt by multiple things - he had no choice in his costume or his character, the script editor didn't like him and tended to not do a great job with the editing, and Grade and Powell were basically having a pissing contest using the BBC as their battleground.
Grade famously didn't like science fiction and another victim of this was Star Cops. He cancelled the second season even though scripts were mostly written, production and costume designers were designing, lead actors and the directors were all hired. It literally would have been cheaper to make the show at that point to recoup some of the money than pay all those people for their work and contracts.
Also Baker's TV era acts as a good prequel to the Time Lords turning out to be evil in NuWho. The original plan was to be that the reason the Sixth Doctor was so abrasive was that he regenerated into the knowledge that the Time Lords had become utterly corrupt and that at some point he'd have to face his own people. That knowledge eats at him. When you watch his era knowing that, it suddenly makes sense of why so many stories feature renegade Time Lords and Time Lord interference.
Great work as always, Josh!
Time Lords = Brittish Peerage, House of Lords. its a politcal Satire of British Cronyism and privilge and self dealing
If you're a fan of Capaldi and his character's arc - then I definitely recommend Colin's TV run for you as well
Nice video. I read "Spiral Scratch" back in the day. I remember it being a lot of fun. The multiverse stuff was ahead of its time relative to more recent DC and Marvel content.
Enjoyed this - thanks!
Thanks Josh for presenting a such a concise explanation around Colin Baker's departure from Doctor Who, and highlighting the audiobook continuation of his Doctor. 🖤
I love the 6th Doctor. He is so 80s! Bright outfit, brash and cocky but does care deeply. Big Finish really puts him in an better light
You forgot the part where the show was cancled completely for 36 hours...Grade had axed it fully...it was media backlash that got them to reverse course - using the funds that would have been spent on Tripods Series 3 - which itself had been cancled due to low ratings. That's why we got 14 half hours - that's all the budget they had to spend!
As a fan I can vouch that Colin wasn’t selfish. He had every right to be angry about the situation and so were the fans.
100000% agree!
I do feel bad for him. Do want to give his Big Finish run a shot though.
Another great video and good analysis. I learnt new things. I had no idea S22 was basically continuing success!
Colin deserved so much better. I'm happy he knows how successful his Big Finish work is.
Love Colin as the Doctor, I enjoy his TV run but his time on Big Finish really lets him fly, especially his adventures with Evelyn. Haven't gotten round to The Last Adventure yet, I've done all his main range stuff up to meeting Flip so I just wanna do some with her to become familiar with her first, but I'll get to it very soon (have quite the backlog, been finishing up on Dalek Empire and Gallifrey recently).
You had me at "Why you should give the 6th Doctor a chance." 🙂
Started listening to big finish about a year ago, still in the monthly adventures and Colin has been a revelation. His episodes are probably the strongest so far, he puts so much into each story.
Big hug to you for putting this all together, this kind of content can be irritating to be put together at times but I'm so proud of creators like you for making videos and content like this
I met Mr. Baker at Wookey Hole in 2005. Such a lovely gentleman. We very briefly chatted about his apperances on Countdown. It was the day after Ecclestone regenerated into Tennant.
The headline "Dr Who fails to make the grade" should have been "Dr Who fails to make the Grade" as a direct pun on Michael Grade.
I will say, everything that happened back then, led to the 2005 revival. And let's be honest, that revival was one hell of a silver lining to all the heartache that came before it
Thanks Josh, Great review of the events around that time and good to see some appreciation of Colin's Doctor.
Love his Doctor so much!!
Finally a good reason to procrastinate my Uni work
I vividly recall the end of S22. Revelation of the Daleks was a dark and brilliant story. Colin Baker had clearly settled into the role and there was great chemistry between him and Nicola Bryant. Baker's final line in that story, "I know, I'll take you to..." Couldn't wait for S23. If subsequent stories were on the same level as Revelation, we were in for quite a ride with the Sixth Doctor. Sadly, not everyone at the BBC felt the same way as me.
Your videos are always a joy to watch. Another banger! 😊
Thank you!!!
Great video as always Josh, always sucks to hear how Colin was treated back then :(
Excellent video.
The Colin Baker stories on Big Finish are the best they do. He steals the show in The Four Doctors.
Only got into your videos in the last few months. God bless the algorithm. Josh you are a superb docufilm maker. Perfect balance of drama and humour
The intro said this video would explain "why you should give the 6th Doctor a chance", but I didn't see much of that, save for a single line at the end saying he's "enjoyable, if sometimes uncomfortable to watch". I'm afraid my mind has not been changed today!
Another great video. And again I still don't understand how you are not commissioned for the Collection range.
Adelaide is just a bit too far away from the UK, I think! If I was in the UK, I’d be forcing them to get me involved hahaha
It’s good to see you doing this kind of thing again. You’re one of the few Whotubers I click on instantly when they cross my feed. Even something like this, which is something I know about already, I’ll want to watch because I know you’re going to say something interesting about it, and present it in a cool way. I love your video work here - love the graphic/design work here.
Epicly made video as per usual 🎉
I thought originally the BBC cancelled Doctor Who outright in 1985 but the backlash caused the BBC to backtrack to this "rest for 18 months"
I remember it been in a DVD extra how JNT and Ian Lavine got their heads together and created the story that ending Doctor Who was about raising the cost of the licence fee
Yeah, I thought so too. But when I was doing my research, all the news reports on the announcement day said the 18 month figure! Maybe it was an internal rumour?
@@JoshSnares i think the way Ian and Colin said it means they were told before the announcement it was cancelled outright, hence why Colin said About been in New York while been "sacked"
So they must of conspired with "the sun" newspaper before the story broke
Colin Baker’s tenure signaled my break for a while from Doctor Who. I’d been a longtime Whovian since I was 9. And I continued to follow it into my early teens. I live in the States so I knew 6 primarily from the Target Novelizations. I first saw the Twin Dilemma when I was about 16. I wasn’t impressed. I’d started moving on, getting into music and such. I got back into Who with the McGann movie. I started rewatching 6 and reading some of the lost adventures. I think he was a highly underrated Doctor. Another great video. Thanks.
Chris Chibnal : "it could have been better written". There speaks the William Hague of the Doctor Who world.
Having watched it at the time I loved Baker’s era then, it’s not aged all too well, but is still enjoyable. I remember being blown away by the opening science on the first episode of trial. If only they had more cash, the show would have been even better.
Thank you for another great video Josh.
Just because Doctor Who had cheap special effects doesn't mean it was bad. The stories, plots and characters are what count.
Good video, Josh! Subscribed!
Always loved Colin's era - and lovely Sixth Doctor pin you wear in this excellent video!
Colin was great, and can you imagine what heights he might have reached if he had some of the writers and show runners of DW’s heyday, especially if he had some choice in his costume too!
Colin Baker was setting up so much in his first season, and it sucks that the conclusion of that character arc will now never be seen as intended.
I always think it's weird how everybody remembers Michael Grade when all he did was get it cancelled for 18 months as opposed to the guy who cancelled it for 16 years.
Maybe by ''89 people were more accepting as it had happened before and nobody expected it to last for as long as it did.
I never thought of it as a hiatus. That implies it was off-air for a few years. Season 23 appeared in 1986, after season 22 in 1985; not really a 'hiatus' at all.
That was a good video! My Dad remembers the 1985 hiatus when he was in college. I will admit Colin got treated badly by the BBC and he didn't deserve that. I'm glad he got treated better by Big Finish.
Love that you animated a Big Finish story.
Another excellent documentary Josh. Well done.
helllll yes, love you and your videos, Josh
People often forget that the Doctor is an alien and, therefore, should be portrayed less human like. Colin did this magnificently. The Doctors' actions and morals should vary from that of humans. It is through his companions that his character slightly changes, but his core values should never change. Colins performance at its best was up there with Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee. Although his run was short, I'm glad that we had the pleasure to see him in the role he loved. Where big finish is concerned , Bloodtide and The Juggermauts are well worth a listen.
Josh - another great video. Many thanks!
For me, the show has never been the same after his firing. I still like to think Sixie remains trapped in the Matrix and everything we have seen since then has been simulated by the Valeyard.
Mary Whitehouse and John Nathan-Turner killed Classic Who by arranging the circumstances where this decision was possible. Whitehouse was basically responsible for the great Philip Hinchcliffe being sent off into the wilderness, causing Nathan-Turner to get promoted beyond his ability and eventually turn the whole thing into panto. Hinchcliffe's idea of making Who basically a horror series with departures into sci-fi was absolutely brilliant. And I don't think it helped that the shadow of Tom Baker lay over everyone who followed him, rather like the shadow of Connery's Bond on the 007 franchise.
There's another audio adventure with his regeneration. Can't remember the title, but it was also animated and available on TH-cam.
Yeah, that's The Brink of Death and I animated it! haha
No mention of the charity novel Time’s Champion, where the Valeyard is an author who writes the novel-within-a-novel Time’s Champion, and shows the rise of Time’s Champion, the Seventh Doctor. Very odd novel which mostly acts as a fix-it fic for the novel Matrix, which depicts the Valeyard as a bloodthirsty killer and cannibal, but a must-read fanfic for lovers of Colin Baker as the Doctor.
You’re too kind to Michael Grade. He is a classic Nepo Baby (son of powerful TV exec Lew Grade) and has no creative achievements to his name.
I think a factor that isn't considered in the ratings dip between seasons 22 & 23 is the hiatus itself. Eighteen months is a LONG time so it's understandable how most casual viewers of the show may have just moved on to another program and were more invested in that series than Doctor Who by the time it finally came back. I know I've had a fair share of shows I watched that I was very invested in but was put off by the wait time in between seasons. Granted, this sort of thing is more common now, but the feeling does hang in the back of my mind. Part of me wonders if Trial of a Timelord would've gotten more views if it aired after the standard break between seasons. However, I guess if it did, then Colin's Doctor may not have the stronger following he's obtained over the years.
🕺🏼 *JOSH SNARES IN DISTRESS* let’s all answer his SOS! 💃🏽
If anyone should have been fired, it should have been Grade and Powell!
He was also in the 13th Doctor's last episode with Mel.
I was a kid when Colin was on air. I didn't like him. Eventually I learned to tolerate him. As an adult during the big hiatus (90s and 00s). I really got into the Big Finish audios for awhile, and I learned to appreciate Colin. Now I think he's fantastic. I actually enjoy his original episodes a lot more.
Awesome video! Loved it!! 👍👍🍻🍻
Loved Colin, underrated Dr Who in my opinion... He's given bad rap but I adored his incarnation... what a legend... 🚨
Just watching the original series for the first time (never seen modern Who either and dont really plan to) and just got to Trial. Yeah, Baker is great. Especially as they've eased up on the bickering.
Really love your content and the obvious level of research. Not just repeating DVD feature trivia, but serving deep cut quotes and articles 👌👌
Oof that picture tag line! Ick. 5:05
I like a lot of the classic doctors for various reasons. But, I do wish Colin had another season or two, same with McCoy. Colin gave one of my favorite speeches in Trial of a Time Lord of the classic doctors.
The truth is The Master entered our reality in the early 60s, got a jo in the BBC and tried to kill the Doctor, first by destroying the Hartnell and Troughton episodes, then with the hiatus and finally by cancelling the show in 1989. Then shortly after he managed to get back into the real world RTD restarted it.
6 is one of my fave Doctors too. Along with 7 and 8. Glad we got the Big Finish series to really tap into their potential. I still want 8 to have a proper TV series though. I wonder if that would have been more successful than series with the last two Doctors?
Colin really did get screwed over by the BBC execs which he didn't deserve
The 6th Doctor is one of my favourite Doctors, Colin is just perfect
fun fact: he was initially against the idea of recording The Last Adventure because he didn't want to do a regeneration story, but he was persuaded by David Richardson who said that the fans wished for the gap between Ultimate Foe and Time and the Rani to b filled
mannnn, i was just about to go to bed, but i check my phone and the official josh snares youtube channel had dropped a cheeky vid. and as always another banger worth losing twenty minutes of sleep over