Tom Baker is now the elder statesman of the surviving Doctors and is also the longest actor who ever played the role: seven years from 1974 to 1981.

His wore a long overcoat, a 24 foot long scarf and floppy fedora hat, enhanced the characteristics that he brought to the role; aloof, somewhat humorous and a strange mystery about him.

His characteristic "teeth and curls" along with the scarf has made him the most popular and well known of the Doctors and became the first Doctor who introduced the series to American viewers.

His first story was called Robot, had him defeating the machinations of the SRS and Professor Kettlewell's Giant Robot. the following stories of that season; The Ark in Space, The Sontaran Experiment, Genesis of the Daleks and Revenge of the Cybermen are considered by some to be a classic period of Doctor Who. The fourth Doctor also returned to 20th century Earth and to UNIT early on his tenure and settled into the role of "cosmic wanderer," exemplified by the fact that five of his companions, Leela, Romana (in 2 regenerations), Adric and Nyssa were not born on Earth. He also had K9, a robotic dog as a companion.

The Doctor was also sent to recover the Key to Time, was framed for assassinating the Lord President of the High Council in The Deadly Assassin by the Master and at one point, even assumed that position. (The Invasion of Time). He also encountered many of his foes again Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, the Master and met some new ones, namely the Rutan (The Horror of Fang Rock) and the Black Guardian.Toms last ever story was Logopolis, which was broadcast in 1981. This saw the fourth Doctor regenerate after falling off a radio telescope in an attempt to foil a scheme by the Master to conquer the galaxy.All of his 40 stories are held by the BBC, but one of his stories, Shada by Douglas Adams was never completed due to BBC strikes. Shada would have been broadcast in 1980 and would have been the pinnacle of his penultimate season. The completed footage has been released on BBC Video with splendid narration by Tom Baker.

Since leaving the series Tom has declined to take part in any major reprisal of his role and now lives in France.