Chapter 1: No Choice.
31st March 1985
"Good Afternoon, earlier today Nicola Bryant and I tendered our resignations as Peri Brown and Doctor Who respectively to the show's producer John-Nathan Turner and to the head of BBC1 Michael Grade. The decision was one of the hardest in our personal and professional lives but the situation behind the scenes of the show made it inevitable. As you will notice Nicola is not here because she is too upset to talk to the media so she has given me her permission and blessing to speak on her behalf.
When I was offered the role of Doctor Who last year I felt an incredible sense of pride and honour to have been asked to portray one of the most loved and respected characters not just in the UK but around the world. Like many people I have watched the show with an almost religious fervour. I still have clear memories of watching the very first episode way back in 1963.
When John and I first sat down to discuss my portrayal of the Doctor we discussed primarily the character of the Doctor. He and I agreed that the personality of the Doctor would be vastly different to the way in which Peter Davison superbly played the role. We both expressed a wish that the Doctor should be a darker and edgier character whilst still retaining his strong moral core albeit buried under arrogance and bluster.
In retrospect the warnings should have started there. I was surprised when it was stated that my first story as the Doctor would be the last story of the series as opposed to the tradition of the regeneration at the very end of the series. Nevertheless I embarked on the role with great fervour.
But as production started of my first full series as the Doctor the cracks began to show. For a start I was very concerned with the quite frankly awful costume that the Doctor wore. I suggested that the Sixth Doctor's costume would be a dark blue frock coat and dark trousers to match the mood of the character. The multi-coloured monstrosity that I wore was John's idea.
As production wore on both Nicola and I became aware of the amount of violence and the poor writing of the episodes. The joy I felt rapidly faded in the face of an increasingly fractious atmosphere. John-Nathan Turner and I were close friends and I earnestly believed that that friendship would provide the core of the new show. But as the days went on the atmosphere became chillier and more volatile. It had reached the point that John and I only spoke where necessary.
The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back came during filming of the last story Revelation of The Daleks. I suggested that the costume of 'necrosing mourning' that the Doctor wore be adapted into something more suitable for the personality of the Doctor. John-Nathan Turner effectively threw what I can only describe as a massive hissy fit. He shouted at me and used every curse word imaginable.
Now I am capable as anyone of using foul language but it was when he turned on Nicola Bryant that I lost my temper. I stood in front of Nicola and came close to hitting John. I will not stand for language like that to a lady.
As you can understand Nicola was extremely upset and close to walking out. It was at this point that she and I decided to resign. We felt it to be our duty to finish the series first.
I know that many fans loathe my portrayal of the Doctor and I have tried to do the best possible job to keep the spirit of the show alive but have found it impossible to do so. Neither Nicola or myself wish the show to end but the current setup is disastrous. The only future for the show that I can see is a radical overhaul and to that end I am calling for John-Nathan Turner to either resign from the role or for the BBC to sack him.
To those people both friends and colleagues I say thank you for supporting me
To the incredible fans of Doctor Who. All I can say is I'm so sorry
Colin Baker
"Good Afternoon, earlier today Nicola Bryant and I tendered our resignations as Peri Brown and Doctor Who respectively to the show's producer John-Nathan Turner and to the head of BBC1 Michael Grade. The decision was one of the hardest in our personal and professional lives but the situation behind the scenes of the show made it inevitable. As you will notice Nicola is not here because she is too upset to talk to the media so she has given me her permission and blessing to speak on her behalf.
When I was offered the role of Doctor Who last year I felt an incredible sense of pride and honour to have been asked to portray one of the most loved and respected characters not just in the UK but around the world. Like many people I have watched the show with an almost religious fervour. I still have clear memories of watching the very first episode way back in 1963.
When John and I first sat down to discuss my portrayal of the Doctor we discussed primarily the character of the Doctor. He and I agreed that the personality of the Doctor would be vastly different to the way in which Peter Davison superbly played the role. We both expressed a wish that the Doctor should be a darker and edgier character whilst still retaining his strong moral core albeit buried under arrogance and bluster.
In retrospect the warnings should have started there. I was surprised when it was stated that my first story as the Doctor would be the last story of the series as opposed to the tradition of the regeneration at the very end of the series. Nevertheless I embarked on the role with great fervour.
But as production started of my first full series as the Doctor the cracks began to show. For a start I was very concerned with the quite frankly awful costume that the Doctor wore. I suggested that the Sixth Doctor's costume would be a dark blue frock coat and dark trousers to match the mood of the character. The multi-coloured monstrosity that I wore was John's idea.
As production wore on both Nicola and I became aware of the amount of violence and the poor writing of the episodes. The joy I felt rapidly faded in the face of an increasingly fractious atmosphere. John-Nathan Turner and I were close friends and I earnestly believed that that friendship would provide the core of the new show. But as the days went on the atmosphere became chillier and more volatile. It had reached the point that John and I only spoke where necessary.
The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back came during filming of the last story Revelation of The Daleks. I suggested that the costume of 'necrosing mourning' that the Doctor wore be adapted into something more suitable for the personality of the Doctor. John-Nathan Turner effectively threw what I can only describe as a massive hissy fit. He shouted at me and used every curse word imaginable.
Now I am capable as anyone of using foul language but it was when he turned on Nicola Bryant that I lost my temper. I stood in front of Nicola and came close to hitting John. I will not stand for language like that to a lady.
As you can understand Nicola was extremely upset and close to walking out. It was at this point that she and I decided to resign. We felt it to be our duty to finish the series first.
I know that many fans loathe my portrayal of the Doctor and I have tried to do the best possible job to keep the spirit of the show alive but have found it impossible to do so. Neither Nicola or myself wish the show to end but the current setup is disastrous. The only future for the show that I can see is a radical overhaul and to that end I am calling for John-Nathan Turner to either resign from the role or for the BBC to sack him.
To those people both friends and colleagues I say thank you for supporting me
To the incredible fans of Doctor Who. All I can say is I'm so sorry
Colin Baker
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