Robert John Baker (26 July 1939 – 3 November 2021) was a British television and film writer. He was best known for working on the original run of Doctor Who, and for being a co-writer of the Wallace & Gromit films The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and A Matter of Loaf and Death (in which the character Baker Bob is named after him).
Bob Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert John Baker 26 July 1939 Bristol, England |
| Died | 3 November 2021 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, television writer |
| Period | 1971–2010 |
| Genre | Comedy, drama, science fiction |
| Spouse | Marie Baker |
| Children | 8 |
Career
editBaker and Dave Martin began writing for Harlech Television (HTV), the local ITV franchise. One of their earliest works was Thick As Thieves starring Leonard Rossiter.
Baker wrote for Doctor Who between 1971 and 1979. For all but the last of his contributions to this series (Nightmare of Eden), Baker collaborated with Dave Martin on numerous scripts including:
- The Claws of Axos (1971)[1]
- The Mutants (1972)[2]
- The Three Doctors (1972–1973)[1]
- The Sontaran Experiment (1975)[3]
- The Hand of Fear (1976)[1]
- The Invisible Enemy (1977)[4]
- Underworld (1978)
- The Armageddon Factor (1979)
Together, they were nicknamed "The Bristol Boys" by the Doctor Who production teams with whom they worked.[5]
Baker and Martin devised for Doctor Who the robotic dog K9 (created for The Invisible Enemy), the renegade Time Lord Omega (created for The Three Doctors, Doctor Who's 10th anniversary story) and the Axons. K-9 was originally intended to appear in one story only, but the BBC decided to make it a recurring character.[4] Several of Baker's stories had elements of hard science not often found in Doctor Who, despite having been criticised for scientific inaccuracy. Prior to his death in 2021, Baker was the last surviving Doctor Who scriptwriter from the Third Doctor era.
Together with Martin, they also created fantasy television serials for children including Sky (1975).
Baker's other contributions to British television include Vision On animation with Laurie Booth, scripts for episodes of Shoestring and Bergerac. A new series featuring K9, K-9 created in Australia, aired in the UK and worldwide in 2009 and 2010.
Baker revealed on the DVD commentary for Nightmare of Eden that he contacted Russell T Davies about the possibility of writing for the 2005 revival of Doctor Who but was told in no uncertain terms that writers from the original series were not wanted, though K9 did appear in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures under Russell T Davies.
In 2013, Baker wrote his autobiography entitled K9 Stole My Trousers with help from Laurie Booth.[1] Later in 2015, he co-wrote with Paul M. Tams The Essential Book of K9 which was crowd-funded on Indiegogo.[6]
Personal life and death
editBaker was married to Marie and had eight children and seven grandchildren.[7][8] He resided in Stroud, Gloucestershire.[9] He died on 3 November 2021, at the age of 82.[7]
Writing credits
editTelevision
edit| Production | Notes | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who | 38 episodes (1971–1979):
|
BBC1 |
| Thick as Thieves | Television film (1971) | ITV |
| Pretenders | "The Last Battle" (1972) "Prizemen" (1972) |
ITV |
| Arthur of the Britons | "People of the Plough" (1973) | ITV |
| Late Night Drama | "Item" (1974) | ITV |
| Z-Cars | "Quiet as the Grave" (1974) "House to House" (1974) |
BBC1 |
| Hunter's Walk | "Villain" (1974) "Kicking & Screaming" (1976) |
ITV |
| Public Eye | "Lifer" (1975) | ITV |
| Sky | 7 episodes (co-written with Dave Martin, 1975) | ITV |
| Machinegunner | Television film (1976) | ITV |
| King of the Castle | 7 episodes (co-written with Dave Martin, 1977) | ITV |
| Follow Me | Television miniseries (1977) | ITV |
| Cottage to Let | "The Last Day" (1977) | ITV |
| Scorpion Tales | "Killing" (1978) | ITV |
| Target | "Big Elephant" (1977) "Hunting Parties" (1977) "Carve Up" (1977) "Rogue's Gallery" (1978) |
BBC1 |
| Murder at the Wedding | Television miniseries (1979) | ITV |
| Shoestring | "Knock for Knock" (1979) | BBC1 |
| ITV Playhouse | "Rat Trap" (1979) | ITV |
| Into the Labyrinth | 15 episodes (1981–1982) | ITV |
| Jangles | "Getting It Together" (1982) | ITV |
| Bergerac | "Unlucky Dip" (1981) "The Moonlight Girls" (1983) |
BBC1 |
| Function Room | Television miniseries (script editor, 1985) | ITV |
| Call Me Mister | "The Creative Accountant" (1986) | BBC1 |
| Succubus | Television film (1987) | ITV |
| The Jazz Detective | Television film (1992) | ITV |
| Kipper | "The Umbrella" (1997) | ITV |
| The Mysti Show | "Episode #1.12" (2004) | BBC One |
| K-9 | "Mind Snap" (co written with Paul Tams, 2010) "Angel of the North" (2010) |
Channel Five Network Ten |
| Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention | 6 episodes (2010) | BBC One |
Short films
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Wrong Trousers | Co-written with Nick Park |
| 1995 | A Close Shave | Co-written with Nick Park |
| 2008 | A Matter of Loaf and Death | Co-written with Nick Park |
Feature films
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | Co-written with Steve Box, Nick Park and Mark Burton |
Books
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | K9 Stole My Trousers! | Autobiography |
| 2015 | The Essential Book of K9 | Co-written with Paul M. Tams |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | British Academy Television Awards | The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (shared with Claire Jennings, David Sproxton, Nick Park, Steve Box, and Mark Burton) | Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film | Won | |
| Hugo Award | The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (shared with Nick Park, Steve Box, and Mark Burton) | Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | British Academy Television Awards | A Matter of Loaf and Death (shared with Nick Park and Steve Pegram) | Best Short Animation | Won | |
| Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Best Comedy/Entertainment | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Southall, J. R. "Interview: Bob Baker". Starburst. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Bob Baker (1990s)". Dr Who Interviews. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "The Sontaran Experiment". BBC. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Interview: Bob Baker". Sci-Fi Bulletin. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "About Bob". Bob Baker tv. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Foster, Chuck (28 January 2015). "The Essential Book of K-9". Doctor Who News Page. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ a b Molina-Whyte, Lidia (5 November 2021). "Doctor Who writer and K9 co-creator Bob Baker dies, aged 82". Radio Times.
- ^ "Bob Baker obituary". The Guardian. 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023.
- ^ "Bob Baker". bobbaker.tv. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2017.