What is Your First Memory Of TOM?

[Doctor John Smith]

First memory of Tom? I first started watching DW in 1973, when a certain Mr Jon Devon Roland Pertwee was in charge of the TARDIS. I watched up to Planet of the Spiders where because I was genuinely scared of Spiders, I was so frightened I didn't watch who again for nearly 3 years.....

Flash forward to 1976 - hot summer, primary school and everyone was talking about this fellow with the big eyes, curly hair and big scarf who was Doctor Who. Not familiar with the concept of Regeneration, I thought that doesn't sound like the Doctor.

Anyway, I put it to the back of my mind for a while until in September that year I accidentally stumbled upon a serial where this fellow who called himself the Doctor was stuck in a nightmare world created by a walking skeleton called the Master - intrigued I continued to watch this serial until the Doctor got his foot trapped in some railway points.....

And the rest is history - from that point onwards I was hooked - read all the Target Books (we didn't have Video in those days) and immersed myself in all things Who that I could get (and continue to do so, much to the horror of my family!), but that Image has stuck with me for the last 34 years - and it hasn't turned me into a raving lunatic as Mary Whitehouse would have had you believe!

Oh - and I got over my fear of Spiders too!

[Graceful Leonard]

It was quite traumatic for me.

I started watching Doctor Who just at the tail end of the Pertwee era. My first memory of Tom was his first appearance on the show.

I was only about five, but I distinctly remember being extremely cross with this Pertwee-usurper. I was also pretty agitated because I was in love with Sarah-Jane, and didn't like the idea of a younger man than Pertwee on the scene. With Jon P, I always felt there might be a chance that Sarah-Jane would fall in love with me since my hair wasn't grey and I had an impressive lego set. When Tom arrived, my hopes were shattered.

But I forgave him by the time he'd got the skipping rope out and trussed Harry up (bonus points there, since I didn't like Harry being around Sarah-Jane, either). And by the end of Robot, I decided that I didn't need Sarah's love anymore because now I had Tom.

[pattie anne]

dear members of TOM -

have so enjoyed all of your tales. HOPE this Topic goes on forever. please keep those close encounters of the TOM ( be they first, second or third kind) coming!

1st - seeing HIM on TV

2nd - observing HIM at an EVENT

3rd - inter-ACTING with HIM (autograph - photo)

love,
pattie anne

[italykikka]

I was meet Tom in 1980, on italian TV, and I was see for little time, but I even't forgot him!!!

[Marcello Cristiano]

Hi italykikka. Come stai? It's always a joy to meet new fans of TOM. HAVE FUN. I'll unravel TOM's scarf for you, so I can make a trail for you in case you stray too far from TOM's console room. We all tend to get lost in TOM's TARDIS here. It's a wonderful place, and easy to find oneself moving from room to room. There's just so much to see.

[chicoflaco]

Probably mid-80's, sitting on the **** carpet at my friend's house watching Doctor Who (that eerie space music!) on the huge square box TV's they had back then, and being frightened to no end knowing that the alien/monster was somewhere lurking about...

[Kirstin Hill]

I vaguely remember seeing bits and pieces of Tom in a Doctor Who episode when I was young, but I strongly remember his portrayal of Puddleglum in that BBC show for the Silver Chair. I remember becoming rather attached to the character. Now when I get my stepmother to watch the BBC Narnias with me and my dad, I'm going to watch the Silver Chair first, purely for the purposes of yelling "OMG THAT'S TOM BAKER." I will be disappointed if she doesn't know who I'm talking about, because she should after all the obsessing I've been doing lately over Doctor Who.

Also, there were those little cameos of the 4th Doctor on the Simpsons and Family Guy. I say the 4th Doctor because I doubt Tom had anything to do with either of those, but they were still little tidbits of awesome.

[Marcello Cristiano]

Welcome to TOM's wonderful forum, Kristin! I hope you enjoy yourself. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[JbW]

Late 1970's early 80's and I was about 4 or 5 years old. Saw him on PBS late one Saturday night around 10 or 10:30pm (central standard time New Orleans, Louisiana). I don't really remember which episode I saw first but I thought everything about the show was different and interesting. I just started to collect all of the Tom Baker episodes. I enjoy watching them as an adult just as much as when I was a kid. No fancy special effects needed when you've got Tom Baker playing the doctor, a kick @ss script, some young hottie as his side kick and your own imagination. My dad told me that I got my late grandfather hooked on Dr. Who. Now I'm trying to get my wife to watch. Good memories of when I (and the world) was a little younger. Thanks Tom for doing such an awesome job playing the doctor; your interpretation of that character is timeless.

[tracy]

:D hi jbw welcome to toms dinner table