The Doctors Who's Who (16 page)

Despite rarely being considered the very best Doctor Who, Davison simultaneously fails to get much criticism and was a worthy follow-up to Tom Baker, who was quite a tough act to follow. Perhaps in that respect history later repeated itself, with the young Matt Smith following the extremely popular David Tennant. But then again, Tennant – if we are to believe the
Children in Need
Special ‘Time Crash’ – had the utmost respect for Peter Davison’s Doctor, replicating him with his ‘dodgy trainers’ and ‘make me look more intelligent’ glasses, something Davison donned while studying a fascinating piece of gadgetry.

‘Time Crash’ was the first TV comeback for Davison’s Doctor. First broadcast on 16 November 2007, the fifth Doctor meeting the tenth had a bit of the Troughton/Pertwee confrontation about it. Tennant poked fun at the stick of celery on Davison’s lapel, ‘Look at me, I’m wearing a vegetable’, but then settled down to declare at the end that, ‘I loved being you’ and ‘You were my Doctor’.

Although not a major return for Davison’s Doctor, he did enjoy the opportunity of once more putting on his cricket sweater and, of course his stick of celery, saying afterwards, ‘It is an honour for me to be able to make the connection between the fifth and the tenth Doctor.’

It’s a shame a Doctors’ reunion story, such as ‘The Three
Doctors’ or ‘The Five Doctors’, wasn’t forthcoming in the lean years between the 25th and 50th anniversaries. But with more Doctors to accommodate, it was a logistical exercise the BBC were not prepared to take on. Indeed, ideas for a 30th anniversary story were scrapped, even though a script, ‘The Dark Dimension’, had already been written. Instead, there was a
Children in Need
sketch entitled ‘Dimensions in Time’ in which Davison’s only contribution was blowing up a Cyberman. Not a very satisfying celebration for the actor or the fans.

Doctor Who
never affected Davison’s career in an adverse way. It has fallen into place beside the rest of his CV. In the summer of 1984 Davison went on tour in
Barefoot in the Park
with his then pregnant wife. For him the show was a very physical one, especially when he had to do two shows a day, as he had to do a lot of running up and down stairs.

Directly after completing his last season as the Time Lord, Davison started work on the show
Anna of the Five Towns
, which was set in the Midlands. Work for this was completed at the beginning of May 1985. He appeared in four episodes of the period piece, in which he played Henry Mynors, a self-made businessman who becomes Anna’s romantic interest. Actress Kate Webster (who played Agnes in the programme) recalled Davison: ‘I particularly remember that Peter Davison’s last episode of
Doctor Who
was screened during the time we were on location and he sat and watched it with us. It was so strange to sit alongside him, he seemed so modest about it all.’

After handing over the keys to the TARDIS to Colin Baker, Davison and his successor appeared on
The Russell Harty Show
. He made it clear that it was time to move on and that he had no regrets. Forward thinking, he was keen to take on more diverse roles, which indeed he did.

In 1986 Davison played Dr Stephen Daker in
A Very Peculiar Practice
, written by Andrew Davies. He seems to be the master of the two/three-year stint at TV dramas, such as
Campion
(1989–90), one of his most popular and critically acclaimed shows. This programme showcased his ability to act the straightest of roles, as well as the more comic ones. Campion was adapted from the Albert Campion novels written by Margery Allingham and told the story of a credible detective with very human failings. Two seasons of the show were made by the BBC, starring Davison alongside Brian Glover (as his manservant, Magersfontein Lugg) and Andrew Burt (policeman friend Stanislaus Oates). Interestingly, Davison sang the theme tune to the first season but had it replaced with an instrumental version for the second season. Sixteen episodes were recorded in total. A great shame that Davison wasn’t allowed to continue the show and build it into something quite legendary, as it had much potential.

Davison hasn’t done too much work in cinema. However, in 1994, he did appear alongside Sean Bean, David Thewlis and Jim Carter in
Black Beauty
. He played the good-natured Squire Gordon, with his delicate wife and beautiful children. Very much the English gentleman, Davison fits this gentle family film perfectly. Although horse-anoraks see some technical flaws in the movie – as any military enthusiast would with a war film – many younger viewers loved the film, with the horse narration throughout echoing the sentiment of the original novel. It was a nicely made film, and a good solid part for Davison; and one does wonder why he didn’t get more credible film roles afterwards. There was of course the TV movie
Molly
in 1995, where Davison played alongside Louise Jameson (Leela) as husband and wife, but film roles have been few and far between for the actor.

Lots of bread and butter roles followed, including a part in the sixth
Jonathan Creek
adventure - where he plays the son-in-law of a horror writer shot dead on Halloween - but one of his most popular roles was as Dangerous Davies in
The Last Detective
(2003–07).

Based on the books by Leslie Thomas,
The Last Detective
succeeded where other detective/police series have notoriously failed (for example
Anna Lee
and, to a degree,
Rebus
). Most of this is due to Peter Davison being a very good TV counterpart to the original novels’ main character. His natural sincerity meant he could play the role quite lightly and still portray a character with much depth. ‘[I’m] more a detective than a policeman,’ he says, but do people – especially his colleagues – go along with that? Battered by life, Davies walks around with seemingly the world’s problems on his shoulders. His melancholy is deeply felt and the show is a memorable and complex one as a consequence.

The Last Detective
was not a violent show, which instantly made it, and the main character, endearing. Comedian Sean Hughes’s inclusion enhanced the more uncharacteristic laid-back style. The programme is a well-worn shoe, comfortable and reliable, so fantastic TV fodder and a show instantly missed after its demise by its faithful audience – perhaps a lost gem rather than a TV classic.

In 2009 Davison appeared in TV comedy series
Miranda
. He played the part of Mr Clayton, a sexually active French teacher in ‘Teacher’. The episode is a little bit of an eye-opener for Davison fans as he scoops up Miranda’s pint-sized friend Stevie to rush her to the bedroom. Towards the end he memorably asks, ‘Has anyone seen my pants?’ and it is clear he’s not wearing anything below the camera line!

Later the same year he played Denis Thatcher in
The Queen
.
In this demanding role he quickly showed his versatility. Previously, he hadn’t played someone so much in the public eye (apart from Doctor Who!) and he pulled it off well.

Perhaps his most accomplished role since
Doctor Who
has been as Henry Sharpe, the Director of the Crown Prosecution Service in
Law & Order
(2011–13). Davison played in 17 episodes in 2011 and 2013 alongside Freema Agyeman, who appeared as one of David Tennant’s companions during his
Doctor Who
years.

Henry Sharpe is a very experienced boss who always takes the broader look when assessing the character of a criminal. He digs into the psychology of the criminal mind and this, coupled with his laid-back style, makes him a well-respected director of the CPS; perhaps the character emanates the seasoned actor that Peter Davison is today. Never boastful or outspoken, he is characteristic of a host of actors who have had their ups and downs while making their way in life. Like Patrick Troughton before him, Davison has been content to work hard at a huge range of roles for television. Yes, he was once Doctor Who, but he was also once Tristan Farnon, Dangerous Davies and a whole list of others characters too, such as Henry Sharpe.

Davison made it very clear – as did Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker before him – that there was life after
Doctor Who
. Every one of them seemed to worry about the typecasting that appeared to plague William Hartnell throughout the remainder of his career, but this was completely unfounded. Hartnell was unwell when he quit playing the Doctor and it was this rather than typecasting that ended his career.

In 2010 Davison starred alongside Jill Halfpenny in the musical
Legally Blonde
at the Savoy Theatre. One could argue that he wasn’t suited to this role – especially if people only
knew him for his TV parts – but with theatrical credits as prestigious as West End shows
Spamalot
and
Chicago
, one can appreciate that there is more to this actor than initially meets the eye.

Of course with his daughter now associated with
Doctor Who
, it seems logical that the show will continue to be a major part of Davison’s life. In recent interviews he claims that Sunday dinner at the Davison household is a
Doctor Who
fan’s dream, with two Doctors and the Doctor’s daughter around the table and, of course, grandchildren. In that respect, Davison enjoys the most tight-knit
Doctor Who
family; long may it reign.

‘I do feel I have managed to distance myself from the character [the Doctor] now – but if I got to the age of 65 and somebody offered it to me then, I’d do it till I dropped. It’s a great form of retirement – you just keep going until you keel over!’

Peter Davison in conversation with journalists, 1998

CHAPTER SEVEN

COLIN BAKER

‘If you’re ever on
Who Wants to be a Millionaire
, make sure Colin Baker is your “Phone a Friend”. He has a brain the size of a planet!’

Louise Jameson, in conversation with the author

‘I LOVE WORKING
with Colin,’ Louise Jameson said. ‘We do one-off plays together. We toured in a whodunit called
Corpse
with Mark McGann. We also did
Bedroom Farce
[2007] together.

‘Back in the seventies, we played darts as a team (post Leela) in Oxford. And Colin had to get a double and a bull to win the game, and I foolishly said to him, “If you get it, I’ll sleep with you.” And he got it. I shot out of the pub and he chased me.

‘Fast forward 30 years and we are in rehearsals for
Bedroom Farce
, and the stage is basically three bedrooms, and Colin said to me, “At last I’ve got you into bed!”’

Anyone who meets or works with actor Colin Baker adores the man. Intelligent, humorous and adorable with children (I speak as one who has introduced him to two) one quickly forms the opinion that he got the least out of being Doctor
Who, which is a shame as he had been a fan since the very first episode. With declining budgets, unimpressive storylines – for the most part – and the Sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the show, Baker’s Doctor had a rocky ride; but he shouldn’t be passed off as a lesser Doctor or lesser actor because of the quality of his stories. When I started this project, I thought that there was less to document about Colin Baker than most of the other Doctors, but I was very wrong: his list of credits is extremely long, with much theatre and TV work (see Part Two).

Baker is one of the most experienced jobbing actors in the country and has been working hard since the 1960s. He is one of those actors seemingly taken for granted, but those in the acting profession have great admiration for him, as do his many
Doctor Who
fans.

Colin Baker was born at the Royal Waterloo Lying-in Hospital, London (behind Waterloo station), during an air raid on 8 June 1943. He escaped death while still a baby when a piece of shrapnel embedded itself into the side of his cot. Perhaps the luck of the Irish came in here (his mother being of Irish ancestry). His family moved to Rochdale when he was aged two and he was later educated in Manchester.

His first acting role came about by accident. The mother of a fellow pupil was a casting director and needed a child who could speak good French. Baker soon found himself playing a young French boy in a series called
My Wife’s Sister
(1954), starring Eleanor Summerfield, Martin Wyldeck and Helen Christie.

After this flirtation with acting, Baker went on to attend St Bede’s College, Manchester. He would appear in the college productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas
Yeoman of the Guard
and
Iolanthe
(the latter in the lead role). After seeing an
amateur production of the
King and I
, he joined the North Manchester Amateur Dramatic Society.

Although he loved the theatre, he spent five years training to become a solicitor because his father told him that a steady career was better than being an actor. He became an articled clerk but never took his final exam. His father had a stroke from which he never really recovered and Baker, deciding that life was too short to pursue a career he didn’t enjoy, auditioned for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (aged 23). He was accepted and studied alongside David Suchet (who would later play the definitive TV Poirot).

Baker left the Academy and spent a short time with a touring company. He then spent three years in repertory theatre. He found the touring company hard work but told Terry Wogan in 1986 that he didn’t get much work in rep, making irregular appearances.

Baker made his first appearance on TV in
Roads to Freedom
(1970), which was based on the novels by Jean-Paul Sartre. He played the part of a rapist, and sinister roles have followed him ever since; including the portrayal of some of Doctor Who’s blacker moods.