Lovely story of how a tipsy Tom Baker started woman Doctor Who rumour 37 years ago
[28/28] Matthew Waterhouse: “He leant against the TARDIS, which appeared to be propping him up.” pic.twitter.com/EX3nuCeLoM
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
Here’s the fabulous tale of how Tom Baker first started the rumours of a woman taking charge of the Tardis when he stepped down from Doctor Who in 1980.
Just 37 years later, he’s been proved right.
[1/28] Here’s the story behind the famous Tom Baker ‘female Doctor’ quote as told by Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner. pic.twitter.com/I2wQeV0gRz
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[2/28] “Tom and I had agreed that we would delay announcing Tom’s departure.” pic.twitter.com/FmrS72gBGs
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[3/28] “ Madame Tussauds in London had started work on Tom’s waxwork figure during The Leisure Hive for…one thing.” pic.twitter.com/WW8kmMwujb
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[4/28] “Both Tom and the programme could benefit from the news being held back.”
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[5/28] “On 23rd October 1980 Tom posed with two waxworks of himself on the pavement of the Marylebone Road, to the delight of the press.” pic.twitter.com/h452H1IR8x
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[6/28] “Tom was the first person to have two likenesses in the same exhibition; one with the Meglos cactus-effect and one without.” pic.twitter.com/1NI1fSW9P9
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[7/28] “Afterwards Terry Sampson and Lorne Martin from BBC Enterprises…adjourned with Tom and myself to a nearby pub.” pic.twitter.com/ON0nJs93RO
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[8/28] “I took a phone call there informing me there had been a leak to the Daily Mirror and a news reporter was on his way to the pub.”
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[9/28] “Someone at Tussauds had told him where we were.”
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[10/28] “Tom and I bolted to a cab, found a back-street hostel and set about calling an emergency press conference.” pic.twitter.com/txRlBNJE75
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[11/28] “We agreed that if one paper had the story, why not let the rest in on the ‘exclusive’?”
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[12/28] “Shortly afterwards we assembled with the BBC drama press officer, Kevin O’Shea, and editor of picture publicity, Brian Clifford…”
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[13/28] “…at 12A Cavendish Place and were soon joined by a barrage of reporters and photographers.” pic.twitter.com/SZfBvUGhjA
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017
[14/28] “It was at this gathering that Tom implied to the press that his replacement might be female… pic.twitter.com/jDAsThgo39
— spankybackpack (@spankybackpack) July 20, 2017