Tom Baker: How I felt about being Doctor Who

Tom Baker: How I felt about being Doctor Who

When I got the call about being chosen to be the fourth Doctor Who in 1974, I was an out-of-work actor getting by as a labourer on a building site. I'd caught a glimpse of the show, but I was just happy to have a regular payslip.
I had big shoes to fill because Jon Pertwee had been a stupendous success, and there probably was apprehension at the studio about whether I was up to the job. But after 15 minutes on the set, I had the crew falling about laughing, so I knew I'd be okay.
As long as I kept within the BBC guidelines, I could play the doctor the way I am in real life - a slightly anxious and defensive eccentric.
The children loved me and I loved being their hero. Two of my greatest fans, David Walliams and Matt Lucas, ironically now employ me as the little Britain narrator.
During my time as Doctor Who, I never watched any of my own shows because it made me feel uneasy and dissatisfied with my performance. Instead, I listened to the opinions of the fans as a barometer of how I was doing.
It was an honour to be Doctor Who and I couldn't risk being tarred by some of my loudmouth friends, so I distanced myself from them.
It sounds terribly po-faced, given what some celebrities get up to now, but I had too much respect for the Doctor Who dynasty. It's like being Santa, you can't let people down.
On my birthday, it would be amazing to see these legions of small children waiting outside the studio, chorusing, 'Good morning Doctor Who and Happy Birthday.'
The American fans hailed me as a Messiah. I remember one event, in the Hyatt Regency at Chicago airport. I only had an hour and a half before I was due to check in for my flight, yet there were hundreds of fans (mostly women) still waiting to meet me. I had to work my way down the queue of 700-odd women, kissing them all.
To my alarm, some of them took this as an invitation to get fruity! even today, at 75, I can't walk around my local supermarket without women hitting on me.
These days, I like nothing better than doing the ironing with my wife, Sue, nearby, in my cottage in Sussex.
Meeting Sue was another fringe benefit of being Doctor Who, as she was one of the assistant editors.