Customer Reviews

Who on Earth Is Tom Baker?

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After reading Tom Baker's autobiography, I had to put it on my bookshelf to let it soak in for almost two weeks before writing a review worth sharing. The title was most appropriate. It's a rhetorical plea. Those people in his life who have tried answering this question only seemed to give answers that hurt deeply and left many scars. This obviously led him into acting. Not so much to be rich and famous as much as simply wanting to be someone else for at least a little while. He was, however, someone else for quite some time, that being the 4th actor to take on the role of the doctor in the long running BBC series Dr.Who from 1974-1981. Through this role he became the iconic hero of children whom as adults are now buying up Dr.Who dvd releases from this era like mad, feeling nostalgic for that 20 foot scarf, floppy fedora, and overall alien wit and charm. It's almost unfathomable to believe that this tall, imposing, eccentric character could possibly be rendered from a man who had been told since childhood that he was worth less than nothing. Although Tom Baker tells his life with harsh reality, his autobiography is beautifully written. As for the title question, he most likely still doesn't know, but I hope he now hurts a little less as he tries to figure it out.

Synopsis :

Tom Baker's autobiography covers his childhood in the poor, spirited Irish community in Liverpool; his six years as a monk; his struggling times as an out-of-work actor; and onto appearences alongside Olivier at the National Theatre, work with Pasolino and his time as Doctor Who.


One of the great British television phenomena of the 60's and 70's, known to all who are now entering or firmly placed in mid-life, was the advent of Doctor Who. This original and most British of television series chronicled the travels and tribulations of the famous Doctor Who and his merry band of followers. Tom Baker, though not the first but probably the most unforgettable of the actors who took on this role, has published an autobiography that not only lets us explore the man made famous but also the man himself. Tom inhabited the world of television production agencies, the BBC with its cast of thousands, and the drinking haunts of Soho with the likes of Jeffery Bernard, Anthony Hopkins and actors for whom feast and famine were a daily way of life.
Tom, with his expressive face and kind eyes was born in Liverpool to a raucous and lively Irish family where love and a good respect for the teachings of the Catholic Church were able to prepare him for an interesting and fulfilling life. In fact, Tom's early experiences with the church involved a trial at a monastery for an unsuccessful preparation as a priest and an insight into the daily workings of these institutions. A slow starting but rapidly improving acting career was followed by time spent pulling pints and on London construction sites before the big break. Then came with the casting agent and the meeting that allowed for instant world-wide recognition for the famous Doctor Who that still exists today.

The style of the story is very much that of a black comedy with a marriage, children and a certain fixation with a lawnmower and the mowing of the grass around his own gravestone, making for an enjoyable read. He is now happily married and living in a rural utopia outside of London, millions of miles and light years away from the hectic and all- consuming career of both straight acting and in the television role that has made him famous in more that 70 countries

I'm only about 50 pages into this, but let me tell you if you get on Tom Bakers' wavelength this is a VERY funny biography. And sad in places but Tom can really tell a story, or many stories actually. As we were both raised Catholic, our experiences are very different. But read the anecdote on pages 9-10. You will laugh, at least if you are a guy you will. I was raised with 5 brothers but I never, ever imagined a seen like that. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read a very interesting biography and I can't wait to read the rest.

This bio has to be, by far, the weirdest one I've ever read. It's very good and a little shocking but good. I will say that if you've never heard Tom Baker speak or seen a picture of him, you really might want to go to Youtube and find an interview. Because if not, you won't understand the book and it might gross you out a bit. It can get a bit hard to read in the beginning for the ladies because of what he's been through. But I thoroughly recomend this book for any fan of Doctor Who or if you just like Tom Baker. Just be prepared for a roller coaster of insanity, off-the-cuff remarks, and one of the best periods of classic Doctor Who. P.S. If you're under 18, don't read pages 226 and 227. (I'm not kidding, seriously, STAY AWAY from those two pages. It's a WTF moment !!! =) Support long, stripy scarves and Jelly Babies !!!


"Was that bang big enough for you, Brigadier?" (The Fourth Doctor, Terror of the Zygons)

Wow, I absolutely love this book. There are some things that people may find offensive, but for the most part the book is inspiring, touching, and informative.

As soon as I finished reading it the first time I wanted to read it again!

A lot of Tom Baker's life has been hard and quite odd. This book tells of his hard odd life (and his wonderful Dr. Who years) up until 1997. To catch up on the years after that you can check out his official website. [...]
I consider this book to be a must-have for Tom Baker fans. I consider checking out his official website to be a must-do for Tom Baker fans.

This was to be quite frank the most depressing autobiography I have ever read. We read of a sordid life full of self-loathing and bumbling from one insanity to another. No vision. The attempts at humor are so dark to be totally unfunny. I get the feeling Tom wrote this to validate his own self-loathing and in my case it suceeded as I end up disliking this person intensely, not just for his morals and lack of inner strength but for removing my vision of him as a funny talented at times actor.

Not one for faint hearts and not a book to enjoy. Neither is their any depth, what are described are a series of befuddled mixed up scenes which go nowhere to a answer the question of the title.

Who is Tom Baker? Answer from this book is an almost continously depressed social inadequate, of negligible talent who somehow has survived despite being totally screwed up by events in his life. Not what I wanted to read.

This whimsical character actor(who Stars) in Doctor Who tell's his life's story in morbidly dark humor making(as he adeptly does) the nonsensical sound believable. The seriousness of his voice is in contrast to the silliness of his tellng. These events did happen and they were bad, but he tells it as if laughing at these people(in the face) who wronged him those many years ago. Lalla Ward, another play-phsyco was the perfect match and now I know why. This making the obsurd sound like normal occurance is always present in the tone of these two's voice of "reason". It is a game to them. I was on medication for ten years for making the obsurd sound belevalbe(even though) I was kidding, apparently my(moronic) doctor thought I was serious.("I didn't give him a signal, GD." he said after the lawsuit.). Ha! The reason Americans like Baker so much as Doctor Who is this obsurdity that he portrays in contrast to what we lack so severely in American conservative(PC) culture. Bill Cosby or Tom Baker, you decide, herbert. This is the audio drama of his tale the he himself reads. Amazon has him listed as "editor" he is also the author and narrator. The tale starts in the cerca early-mid nineteen fourties relating to a catastrophic fire and then to his life and times with abusive family and friends in his childhood and early adulthood to his career path as actor and as DW and later to the present(I assume 1993 or something). Bazaar, full of bathroom humor and the like of brit comedy even his aunt-in-law is not saved from disgrace as "Letting the most tremendous fart."