News
A fresh Baker’s End
There’s a new King of Cats coming to Baker’s End for the fourth in the series from Paul Magrs and Bafflegable. Sixth Doctor Colin Baker will be assuming the mantle […]
There’s a new King of Cats coming to Baker’s End for the fourth in the series from Paul Magrs and Bafflegable.
Sixth Doctor Colin Baker will be assuming the mantle for the new release, The Happenstance Pox.
The first series of Baker’s End starred Tom Baker as a fictionalised version of himself, who fakes his own death and returns to fight such terrible foes as Klacky the Dragon, the Sinister Presence and the Queen of Hell, all the while dressed as a giant cat. The third episode, Tatty Bogle, climaxed with Tom Baker running into a blazing Book Tower, to save his magical library.
All looked bleak… but the King of Cats has nine lives! Now Colin Baker is stepping into the giant cat costume for the fourth adventure.
Writer Paul Magrs says: “Welcome to Happenstance, Colin Baker! How fantastic it was to see this wonderful actor relish the opportunity to do something that’s just unbridled silliness from beginning to end; to hear him relish the tongue twisters and florid nonsense of my dialogue; and to watch him leap unbounded into all the naughtiness. And how well he fitted in with our leading ladies – Sue and Katy – who welcomed him gleefully into our lovely gang.”
Baker’s End: The Happenstance Pox stars Colin Baker, Katy Manning and Susan Jameson, alongside Alastair Petrie and Margaret Cabourn-Smith. It will be released on CD and download on October 6th 2017, and will be available from http://www.bafflegab.co.uk or Amazon.
Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi! 
What happened to Tom?
I checked with Bafflegabble who told me: “He signed up for three episodes, we recorded three, and that was that. Then we decided we’d try doing some more”. Nothing more sinister than that!
Hmmm. Thanks for your reply, anyway.
Why hmmm? If he was contracted for three, then there’s no obligation to continue, surely?
It just seems a bit odd that after they “decided to try doing some more” they didn’t ask Tom to do them. The series is named after him, and revolves around his persona. It was very fortunate they had another Baker who was suited to continue the continuity, as it were. I’m sure he’ll be just as good.
Why do you assume that they didn’t ask him?
Hi Gary – Simon the producer here. We did ask him, but he thought three was enough. There’s no changing Tom’s mind once it’s made up, I think anyone who knows him will tell you that! But we had such a good time making them with Katy, Susan and David, and people seemed to like them, that we thought we’d carry on regardless.