Early work in television and The Brothers (1969–1984) '' co-star
Jean Anderson in 1976|alt=A black-and-white 1976 image of actress Jean Anderson on the left and Colin Baker on the right, both holding a drink Baker briefly worked as a taxi driver in
Minehead during his first year as an acting graduate in 1969. His first professional role was in a three-week tour of
Plaintiff in a Pretty Hat. He then appeared in
The Other House at the
Mermaid Theatre. Baker's first television appearance as a professional actor was in two episodes of
The Roads to Freedom (1970), an adaptation of
Jean-Paul Sartre's
book series. The same year he appeared with
Kate O'Mara in the
science fiction comedy series
The Adventures of Don Quick. He played Steinbock in an adaptation of
Cousin Bette the following year, opposite
Margaret Tyzack and
Helen Mirren. He played Major Frayne in the 1972 drama series
The Moonstone and
Anatole Kuragin in the
BBC's 1972 television adaptation of
War and Peace. In
Fall of Eagles (1974) he played
Crown Prince Wilhelm of the
German Empire. Baker came close to appearing in the
Doctor Who serial
The Mutants (1972) as Cotton, and was considered for the role of Jellicoe in
Robot (1974–1975). In September 1974 he joined the fourth season of BBC drama series
The Brothers as the ruthless banker Paul Merroney. The sarcastic and self-conceited character—Baker's most prominent role to date—was a figure audiences loved to hate. Baker recalled that the character was so disliked that he was occasionally accosted in public by viewers with their umbrellas. Merroney was voted "the most hated man in Britain" by the readers of a national newspaper. He also had a regular role as James West in the
ATV soap opera
For Maddie with Love (1980). Other programmes in which Baker guest-starred include
Dangerous Davies (1981),
The Young Ones (1982),
Juliet Bravo (1982),
The Citadel (1983) and
Swallows and Amazons Forever (1984).
Doctor Who (1984–1986) Baker made his
Doctor Who debut as the antagonistic
Time Lord Commander Maxil in
Arc of Infinity (1983), who notably shoots the
Fifth Doctor (
Peter Davison) in the cliffhanger to "Part One". Davison later joked that Baker was going after his job. Baker was unavailable to reprise the role in "
The Five Doctors" (1983); during the filming of that episode, Davison informed producer
John Nathan-Turner that he was leaving
Doctor Who. Nathan-Turner had initially chastised Baker for upstaging Davison with his "arch" performance, Baker suggested a dark costume which would allow his Doctor to go unnoticed; ironically, he was dressed in a multi-coloured coat designed to be "totally tasteless". Neither fans nor critics reacted favourably to the Sixth Doctor's debut. His first full story
The Twin Dilemma (1983) is often regarded as one of the worst in the history of the series. The new Doctor's unlikeability was established when, in a
post-regeneration mood swing, he tries to strangle his companion
Peri Brown (
Nicola Bryant)—a scene widely condemned for its
shock value. Due to concerns over
season 22's overtly violent tone and lack of humour, production of
Doctor Who's expected 1986 season was suspended in February 1985.
Michael Grade, the Controller of
BBC1, personally disliked
Doctor Who and criticised its outdated production values. He reportedly described Baker's performance as "absolutely god-awful". }} In September 1986,
Doctor Who returned to television, with a reduced episode count, for
season 23, known collectively as
Trial of a Time Lord. The season's
story arc, which involved the Doctor on trial for his crimes against Time Lord society, was a
meta-textual reference to the series itself being "on trial". In 2021,
Toby Hadoke described Baker as "a fall guy for all the criticisms levelled at the show, which had nothing to do with him". Baker was upset as there was much he still wanted to do with the role. Powell offered Baker a four-part story concluding in his character's regeneration. Baker argued for one more complete season, as he didn't want to commit himself to only two weeks' work when he should be seeking out regular work elsewhere. Baker never heard back from Powell. The new
Seventh Doctor,
Sylvester McCoy, played the injured Sixth Doctor in the opening minutes of
season 24's debut serial
Time and the Rani (1987), his face hidden by visual effects as the regeneration process occurs. In a 2019 interview, Baker expressed regret for not returning for a regeneration scene, stating that he was feeling "hacked off" and not thinking about the fans.
Reprising the role From June to August 1989, Baker succeeded
Jon Pertwee as the Doctor in the stage play
Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure. Baker reprised the role on television for the first time in the 1993
Children in Need charity special
Dimensions in Time, alongside every surviving Doctor. In 1997, he provided dialogue for the BBC video game
Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors. Baker and McCoy reprised their roles for a 2003
Dead Ringers Children in Need sketch where the Sixth and Seventh Doctors compete against alien foes on the game show
Weakest Link. In 2003 Baker appeared on
Top Gear in character as the Doctor. He competed in a lap of the Top Gear track against various drivers dressed as a
Klingon, a
Cyberman, a
Dalek,
Darth Vader and
Ming the Merciless.,
Sylvester McCoy and Baker at the
Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend in 2013|alt=Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy and Baker sitting on a couch on stage at a Doctor Who convention in 2013In 1999, Baker appeared alongside Davison and McCoy in
The Sirens of Time, the first of
Big Finish Productions' licensed
Doctor Who audio dramas. Baker regularly played the Sixth Doctor in Big Finish's
Main Range series until its conclusion in March 2021, with the character's stories continuing in the ongoing series
The Sixth Doctor Adventures. Big Finish gave Baker the chance to continue the Sixth Doctor's long-term character arc, which has rehabilitated the character's reputation. In a 2001 poll conducted by
Doctor Who Magazine, Baker was voted the Best Audio Doctor. The 2015 audio drama
The Last Adventure, which depicts the Sixth Doctor's final adventure before his regeneration, afforded Baker the send-off he was denied on-screen. Baker reprised the role of Commander Maxil in the
Gallifrey episode "Appropriation" in 2006. In 2022, he played an alternate version of the Doctor ("the Warrior") in the
Doctor Who Unbound series, and an elderly future version of the Doctor ("the Curator") in
The Eighth Doctor Adventures. In the 2022 television special "
The Power of the Doctor", Baker returned for a cameo appearance alongside Davison, McCoy and
Paul McGann as a manifestation of the
Thirteenth Doctor's subconscious. Baker reprised his role as the Sixth Doctor in
Tales of the TARDIS (2023) to mark
Doctor Who's 60th anniversary.
Other involvement in Doctor Who media Baker has written various published
Doctor Who short stories, including "The Deal" (1991), "A Wee Deoch an ...?" (1991), "A Tourist Invasion" (1992) and "Interstitial Insecurity" (2019), all featuring the Sixth Doctor. In 1994 he wrote the comic story
The Age of Chaos. He wrote and read the short story
audiobook "The Wings of A Butterfly" for Big Finish. He presented the
home video releases
Cybermen – The Early Years and
The Colin Baker Years. At
Riverside Studios on 4 September 2011, Baker accepted the post of Honorary President of the
Doctor Who Appreciation Society. Baker starred in the comedy short film
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013) as a fictionalised version of himself who assists Davison and McCoy in sneaking into the production of the 50th anniversary special "
The Day of the Doctor". Since 2023, Baker hosts the Big Finish-produced podcast
Into the TARDIS, which showcases fan-favourite Big Finish stories.
After Doctor Who (1987–present) Baker's television work through the 1990s included guest appearances in
Casualty (1989, 1998),
The Knock (1997),
Jonathan Creek (1997),
The Famous Five (1997) and
Sunburn (1999). He played
Australian Army officer
Harry George Chauvel in
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He also appeared on
Hollyoaks (2000),
Doctors (2001, 2006, 2011),
Telling Tales (2004),
The Afternoon Play (2006),
Kingdom (2008) and
Hustle (2010). He guest-starred in a 2021 episode of
Emmerdale. in 2008|left|alt=Colin Baker at an autograph signing in 2009 looking at the camera; in his left hand is a notepad with "Doctor Who Forum" written on it; in his right hand is a cup filled with carrot juice. From 1991 to 1995, Baker played ersatz Doctor in the
direct-to-video film series
The Stranger, produced by
BBV Productions. He also appeared in the BBV films
The Airzone Solution (1993) and
The Zero Imperative (1994), alongside former
Doctor Who actors Davison, McCoy and
Jon Pertwee. His other films include
The Harpist (1997),
The Asylum (2000) and
A Dozen Summers (2015). Baker's non-
Doctor Who audio drama work for Big Finish includes the
Sapphire & Steel series (based on the
television series of the same name) and
Earthsearch: Mindwarp (based on
James Follet's
Earthsearch). In 2021, he reprised the role of Bayban in Big Finish's box set
Bayban the Butcher. In 2000 he appeared on
The Generation Game dressed as the Doctor. Baker appeared in
series 3 of the sketch show
Little Britain, though his scenes are only available on the DVD release. He participated in the 2012 series of ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in 8th place. In 2010 he became the first actor to portray Inspector Morse on stage in House of Ghosts
. He also played Sherlock Holmes in on-stage radio adaptations of The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign
of the Four''. ==Personal life==