Doctor Who's Epic Casting Surprise: Tom Baker Returns After 42 Years, Leaving David Tennant in the Shadows

David Tennant is often touted as the contemporary counterpart to the revered Fourth Doctor, but the true successor to Tom Baker's Doctor Who legacy is someone entirely different. Both Tom Baker and David Tennant hold a special place in the hearts of two generations of Doctor Who enthusiasts. Their episodes are consistently hailed as some of the show's finest, and both actors immediately come to mind when asked about the portrayal of Doctor Who.

In an upcoming 60th-anniversary special, David Tennant will reprise his role as the Doctor in a story that may bear resemblance to Tom Baker's abandoned project, Lost in the Dark Dimension. In this infamous 30th-anniversary feature film, Tom Baker portrayed an older, alternative version of the Fourth Doctor, sacrificing his own life to rectify the course of history. It's conceivable that David Tennant's 14th Doctor may undertake a similar act for the incoming incarnation portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa in the 60th-anniversary special. While there are many parallels between Tom Baker and David Tennant, both actors have their counterparts in the ever-expanding list of individuals who have portrayed the Doctor.

Why David Tennant Is Called The Modern Tom Baker

Tom Baker and David Tennant both portrayed the Doctor during the peak of Doctor Who's cultural significance in the 1970s and early to mid-2000s. Fans from that era still regard Tom Baker's time as the Doctor as an unparalleled golden age, which the show has struggled to replicate since. Similarly, many viewers who grew up with David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor found it challenging to embrace Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi. This is not a criticism of the actors or the quality of their scripts, but rather a recognition of the unique appeal that David Tennant brought to the role, resulting in a temporary widespread interest in Doctor Who.

Due to their popularity, both Tom Baker and David Tennant have been frequently asked to reprise their roles. During the "wilderness years" of the 1990s, the BBC expressed interest in Tom Baker returning to the show in an attempt to revive it. Similarly, when David Tennant decided to step down, his immense popularity led the BBC to consider canceling the show. After 14 years, Tennant's return to the role is now heralded as the potential savior of Doctor Who. However, there is a significant difference between Baker and Tennant in that Tennant is usually very willing to come back.

David Tennant Isn't Tom Baker, He's The Modern Patrick Troughton

Tom Baker left Doctor Who in 1981 but maintained a distant connection to the show. However, David Tennant, unlike Baker, always had a fondness for Doctor Who and continued to be an integral part of that world. Just four years after finishing his role as the Doctor, Tennant returned to play the Tenth Doctor in "The Day of the Doctor" alongside Matt Smith.

This return by Tennant mirrors that of Patrick Troughton, who had a similar gap between his last performance as the Second Doctor in 1969 and his return in the 1972-73 serial "The Three Doctors". Both Troughton and Tennant played a crucial role in introducing Doctor Who's regeneration concept to a new audience and contributed to the show's enduring popularity.

Furthermore, both Tennant and Troughton were always eager to come back to Doctor Who. Tennant made appearances for the 50th and 60th anniversaries, while Troughton returned for the 10th and 20th. In 2023, Tennant is set to portray a mysterious new incarnation of the Doctor in spinoff media before making a proper TV debut. This connection between the Fourteenth Doctor's adventures and the Second Doctor's "missing" Season 6B adventures in spinoff media can be observed.

Christopher Eccleston Is Modern Doctor Who's Tom Baker

Christopher Eccleston, the Ninth Doctor, is considered the true successor of Tom Baker in the 21st century for the show Doctor Who. Both actors had humble beginnings, with Eccleston hailing from Salford and Baker from Liverpool. Interestingly, Baker was actually working on a construction site to make ends meet before landing the role of the Doctor. While Jon Pertwee brought popularity to the show, Tom Baker's arrival, along with his fantastic chemistry with Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, took Doctor Who to even greater heights. Similarly, Christopher Eccleston took a show that had become a joke and made it relevant again for a 21st-century audience before departing just as it became a massive success.

Behind the scenes, there were undisclosed issues that led to Eccleston's decision not to continue for a second season. Tom Baker also faced hostilities with the production staff during his final season, which eventually led to his departure from the role of the Fourth Doctor. Both Eccleston and Baker went on to pursue their own paths after leaving Doctor Who. Baker preferred to be the main attraction, rarely participating in major conventions, while Christopher Eccleston continued to build an incredible career as a versatile character actor, appearing in everything from theological thriller The Leftovers to domestic comedy-drama The A Word.

In later years, both Christopher Eccleston and Tom Baker embraced the role of the Doctor in unique and distinctive ways. Eccleston referred to his Doctor as a "one-man band," a description that could also be applied to Baker's portrayal. Both actors joined forces with Big Finish, recording additional adventures for their respective Doctors, while steering clear of the "cash grab" Multi-Doctor stories that Eccleston has chosen to avoid. Eccleston and Baker, both of whom have left an indelible mark on Doctor Who, share a commonality in their post-regeneration careers as they continue to forge their own paths.