It’s now almost fifty years since Tom Baker, the fourth and almost certainly definitive Doctor, made his television debut in ‘Doctor Who’. His epic seven-year stint in the role made an indelible impression on the series. To many people who grew up with the classic series, his Doctor remains the gold standard. Eccentric, fun, Bohemian, with a rich, fruity voice, dressed with a trademark long scarf and broad-rimmed hat, Tom Baker’s enduring and immensely popular portrayal proved that it was the part he was truly born to play.
Limited to just 600 copies and each including a signed print from Tom Baker, Demon Records is set to celebrate Tom Baker’s stunning and unparalleled portrayal in ‘Doctor Who’ with a limited edition 4 LP vinyl box set. The release mixes audio drama with interviews and readings by the man himself. You can pick up your copy from 15th September 2023 (pre-order link below).
First up is the audio recording of the revered television serial from Baker’s first season, ‘Genesis of the Daleks’. A truncated version was given an audio release in 1979, with Tom Baker providing linking narration, and it is reissued here. Also in this release is the unique 1976 audio adventure ‘Doctor Who and the Pescatons’, penned by Victor Pemberton. The story teamed up Tom Baker with Elisabeth Sladen (who played his companion Sarah Jane Smith) to battle a threat from fishy monsters.
‘Exploration Earth: The Time Machine’ is an adventure specially produced by BBC Schools Radio in 1976, which has previously enjoyed a CD release. This record rounds out with a selection of BBC radio interviews with Tom Baker recording during or shortly after his tenure as the Doctor. Old school fans will be familiar with Tom Baker’s narration of Terrance Dicks’ novelisation of ‘The State of Decay’, which had been one of the Fourth Doctor’s final adventures, broadcast in 1980. Large quantities of us will retain the tape cassette in our collection.
Presented inside an eye-catching Fourth Doctor O-ring sleeve, this Dalek-fronted quadpack design houses 4 x 140g LPs in Orange, Green, Blue & Red vinyl, each with full cast & credits and its own brand new graphic design. Every copy of this release also includes an exclusive, frameable photograph of the Fourth Doctor, hand signed by Tom Baker himself.
Co-starring Elisabeth Sladen, Ian Marter, Bill Mitchell and John Westbrook, and accompanied by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s universally-known ‘Doctor Who’ theme, these dramas, readings and interviews are a fitting way to celebrate the most iconic Doctor of all.
Pre-order your copy of ‘Doctor Who: The Tom Baker Record Collection Limited Signed Edition‘.
