Bob Baker (scriptwriter)
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 |
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 and 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).
Career
Baker and
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
Together with Martin, they also created fantasy television serials for children including Sky (1975).
Baker's other contributions to British television include
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
Baker 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
Television
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) |
Network Ten
|
Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention | 6 episodes (2010) | BBC One |
Short films
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
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2005 | Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | Co-written with Steve Box, Nick Park and Mark Burton |
Books
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2013 | K9 Stole My Trousers! | Autobiography |
2015 | The Essential Book of K9 | Co-written with Paul M. Tams |
Awards and nominations
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
- ^ 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.
- 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.
External links
- Official website
- Bob Baker at IMDb