Television - Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor and his companions

Television - Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor and his companions

Over the years Doctor Who has become one of the most successful British Television shows in history. Due to the show ongoing for over fifty years many actors have portrayed the Doctor and in this article I am going to explore the character of the Fourth doctor.

Tom Baker was the forth actor to portray the doctor and did so between 1974 and 1981. He acted as the doctor for seven series and acted in 172 episodes.

Tom Baker was born in 1934 and is still a big Doctor Who fan today. He is known for acting in several other television shows including Little Britain (2003 - 2006) [He was the narrator] and Monarch of the Glen (2004 - 2005).

The Fourth Doctor

The Fourth doctor was often referred to as the young doctor, or the eccentric doctor. In comparison to his previous incarnations he was much livelier and younger. The Fourth Doctor became known for always wearing a long coloured scarf that made him stand out from a crowd. He used Jelly Beans as distractions and decoys and he was extremely over confident. He would rely on his personal charm and luck to evade tricky situations. This doctor hated work, and stopped working for Unit rather quickly. He loved to travel and explore history and really explore the universe.

Companions

The fourth doctor was seen to travel along side eight companions.

Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) – 13 Appearances
Sarah Jane Smith continued to travel with the Fourth Doctor and played a vital role as a companion. She was always faithful to the Doctor, and even after leaving his company she still continued to fight for his cause.

Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) – 7 Appearances
A modern day Human who was affiliated with UNIT, Harry Sullivan is an old-fashioned English man at heart. He is incredibly brave, and adapts extremely well to situations that come hand in hand with the Doctor. He can also be quite clumsy and at one point the Doctor calls him an “Imbecile!”

Leela (Louise Jameson) – 9 Appearances

Leela, a human from the far future imposed herself on the Doctor as a companion. She was highly Intelligent despite being from a primitive society. Leela was strong willed, and enjoyed dressing in Animal skins. She kept a set of poisonous thorns and knife on her person and she was always willing too use them when needed.

K9 (John Leeson & David Brierley) – 17 Appearances
K9, a mechanical canine was a futuristic robot with high intelligence. It was seen as both a companion and a laboratory on wheels and also helped the Doctor out when he needed it. The Doctor showed great love and care to K9 and often rebuilt him when needed. K9 was often “damaged beyond repair” during the show’s life, and the Doctor would obtain a newer version of the Robot. For this reason there have been various K9 robots, the first later dubbed as K9 Mark I. The fourth Doctor travelled with both K9 Mark I and K9 Mark II.

Romana (Mary Tamm & Lalla Ward) – 18 Appearances
A Timelady from Gallifrey, Romana was the only Timelord / lady to travel with the Doctor in exception of Susan, the Doctor’s Granddaughter. During her time on the Tardis she regenerates, explaining why this character is played by two actors.

Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) – 5 Appearances
Adric, a young humanoid from the planet Alzarius (from E-Space) initially stowed away on the Tardis. He is a mathematical genius and very well aware of it. He is immature and arrogant and one of the most “hated” of the Doctor Who companions. He is very adaptable to situations and can heal very quickly.

Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) – 2 Appearances
Nyssa, a companion of the Doctor of originated from the planet Traken and from the same era as the show. She was a key player when the Master attempted to unbalance the universe and she travels with the doctor for an unspecified amount of time, but only features in two episodes with the Fourth Doctor.

Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) – 1 Appearance
Tegan, a modern day earth era human was one of the longest running companions of the doctor. She was loud, direct, stubborn and very open. She loves to travel with the doctor, and finds travelling with him both terrifying and thrilling.