Article Twenty-Six Reprint "Doctor Who meets Mister Dickens"

Dr Who Meets Mr Dickens

Tom Baker on the joy of playing Dr Who -- "It was simply an amazing time so whatever I have done nothing compares to the joy of that. I was a children's hero, grannies loved me as much as parents and I was welcome in everybody's home," he says. For seven years, Baker made the part his own, complete with rainbow scarf, floppy hat and jelly babies. It earned him what he calls success on "a colossal scale". Now, almost 20 years on, he still receives fan-mail by the sackful.

But if the young Tom Baker had, had his way, the world of interstellar travel would have had to do without him. Aged just 15, Baker dreamt of epic adventures of quite a different kind and decided to enter an enclosed order of monks. "The idea was that I wanted to do something extraordinary and heroic, which is what most children want to do." Then he went on to explain. "Coming from an intensely Irish, Catholic background, the most extravagent thing I could do was serve God with vows of chastity, obedience and poverty - it's the ultimate annihilation of self."

Tom Baker: "My attempt at sucide was a disaster." -- His subservience lasted six years, at which point he was kicked out for confessing to a desire to commit murder - something he later attempted, and failed to accomplish, on the "repulsive" mother of his first wife. Later he turned his despair on himself and tried to kill himself twice.

These tales, and more, Baker recounts with eye-watering candour in his autobiography, Who On Earth is Tom Baker? The book has sold well since it was published in 1997 and reveals Baker as both a talented writer and literary wit.

Baker's subversive new book for children -- It's an achievement he hopes to repeat with his new children's book The Boy Who Kicked Pigs. Is is described as a comic fantasy about an evil little boy who hates everyone around him and eventually comes to a sticky end. But despite its subversiveness Baker believes it will appeal.

Tom Baker: His new book will either make you laugh or sick -- "I got the idea from the poor slimy well of my mind. You can't write a novel about happiness. When you think about fiction, happiness is death to the ratings," he says. "But I think it's rather funny because, you see, the death of the wicked can be very consoling."

And talking of death, Baker will be jesting alongside comedy duo Reeves and Mortimer in a remake of the 1960s kitsch classic Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

Baker plays a greeter at LIMBO's gates but, as the consummate eccentric explains, he managed to bring his own brand of levity to the role. "I try to reassure people and bring them to terms with being dead. I thought it was a very nice part and I played it very sincerely and sweetly but people kept falling around with laughter - so maybe it's going to be a great success."

Nicholas Nickleby will run every weekday on BBC Radio 4 from 25 October to 3 December.

The Boy Who Kicked Pigs is realeased on 1 November.