Tom Baker - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• British synthpop band the Human League recorded a tribute track to the actor entitled "Tom Baker". In 1981 it was released as the B-side to their "Boys and Girls" single. The instrumental track was re-released on some CD versions of their Travelogue album.

• A cartoon Tom Baker, as one of the "esteemed representatives of television", appeared as the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, in The Simpsons episodes "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming", "Treehouse of Horror X" and "Mayored to the Mob".

• His distinctive voice has become a gift for impressionists such as Jon Culshaw, who regularly impersonates Baker in the comedy series Dead Ringers: in one episode, he makes a prank call to Baker in character as the Doctor, which prompts the memorable reaction from the real Baker: "No, no, there must be a mistake, I'm the Doctor." Similarly, when Culshaw called another Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, in character, he got the response: "Tom? Is that you? Have you been down the pub?". Other typical "in character" send-ups for Culshaw would include asking a garage engineer to convert his TARDIS to unleaded and complaining of the 400-year journey time from Euston to Glasgow by train, on being told by National Rail enquiries that the 12.00 train arrived at 16.15.

• On the Leverage episode "The Mile High Job" Tom Baker, along with fellow former "Doctors" Sylvester McCoy and Peter Davison, are mentioned as available fake IDs for the team to get on board an aircraft.

• In the first Family Guy Star Wars special, "Blue Harvest", the intro to the Fourth Doctor appears in a cutaway when they jump to light speed.

• A cartoon version of him appears in "The Beast With The Billion Backs", one of the Futurama movies. His cartooned version also appears in the Futurama episodes, "Mobius Dick" and "All the Presidents' Heads".